Chris Cousens
@chrisjcousens.bsky.social
Philosopher writing about harmful speech and political discourse online. Lecturer in moral and political philosophy.
He/him
https://chriscousensphilosophy.wordpress.com/chris-cousens/
He/him
https://chriscousensphilosophy.wordpress.com/chris-cousens/
Epistemologists get roasted for calling everything ‘epistemic’ while speech act theorists get away with calling everything illocutionary *and* naming all their papers ‘How to X things with words’.
January 6, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Epistemologists get roasted for calling everything ‘epistemic’ while speech act theorists get away with calling everything illocutionary *and* naming all their papers ‘How to X things with words’.
Me: What shall we watch next?
Partner: I picked the last one, it’s entirely up to you.
Netflix: Recently added: Hot Tub Time Machine.
Partner: I picked the last one, it’s entirely up to you.
Netflix: Recently added: Hot Tub Time Machine.
December 31, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Me: What shall we watch next?
Partner: I picked the last one, it’s entirely up to you.
Netflix: Recently added: Hot Tub Time Machine.
Partner: I picked the last one, it’s entirely up to you.
Netflix: Recently added: Hot Tub Time Machine.
There are two kinds of ads in this country: gambling ads, and ‘gamble responsibly’ ads made by the gambling companies.
December 20, 2025 at 8:10 PM
There are two kinds of ads in this country: gambling ads, and ‘gamble responsibly’ ads made by the gambling companies.
Reposted by Chris Cousens
Thanks to generous funding from the @sloanfoundation.bsky.social, John Basl and I are thrilled to be running the AI and Data Ethics summer school in 2026! ~12 graduate students, $10k stipend, 9 weeks to learn about scientific and ethical issues raised by AI. Please apply! aidesummer.org
AIDE Summer
AI + Data Ethics (AIDE) Summer is intended for graduate students with advanced training in applied ethics, ethical theory, philosophy of science, metascience, epistemology, or other areas with potenti...
aidesummer.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Thanks to generous funding from the @sloanfoundation.bsky.social, John Basl and I are thrilled to be running the AI and Data Ethics summer school in 2026! ~12 graduate students, $10k stipend, 9 weeks to learn about scientific and ethical issues raised by AI. Please apply! aidesummer.org
I am old enough to remember the time, long ago, when not every single ad was for sports betting apps.
August 14, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I am old enough to remember the time, long ago, when not every single ad was for sports betting apps.
Revising this paper is disproving mathematics. I cut 2000 words, and now it’s 500 words longer.
June 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Revising this paper is disproving mathematics. I cut 2000 words, and now it’s 500 words longer.
The Platonic form of philosophy is not the platonic Form of philosophy.
June 3, 2025 at 10:56 AM
The Platonic form of philosophy is not the platonic Form of philosophy.
Reposted by Chris Cousens
This is my PhD thesis
I did not ask for this
I did not consent to this
I did not approve of this
I was not compensated for this
I would not have advised this
I do not like this
And worst of all, the number of people who've read my thesis has still not increased.
I did not ask for this
I did not consent to this
I did not approve of this
I was not compensated for this
I would not have advised this
I do not like this
And worst of all, the number of people who've read my thesis has still not increased.
June 2, 2025 at 8:03 PM
This is my PhD thesis
I did not ask for this
I did not consent to this
I did not approve of this
I was not compensated for this
I would not have advised this
I do not like this
And worst of all, the number of people who've read my thesis has still not increased.
I did not ask for this
I did not consent to this
I did not approve of this
I was not compensated for this
I would not have advised this
I do not like this
And worst of all, the number of people who've read my thesis has still not increased.
Reposted by Chris Cousens
New issue of Hypatia, 40.2, is now published: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
June 2, 2025 at 8:24 PM
New issue of Hypatia, 40.2, is now published: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
I had a chat with David Rutledge on the ABC’s Philosopher’s Zone about AI speech acts in the workplace.
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Or for Australians, ABC Radio National June 1 at 5.30 am, repeated June 3 at 1.30 pm and June 5 at five 12:05 am.
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Or for Australians, ABC Radio National June 1 at 5.30 am, repeated June 3 at 1.30 pm and June 5 at five 12:05 am.
Speech acts and AI - ABC listen
Speech acts - utterances that have the power to make things happen in the world - are increasingly being created by AI, especially in certain workplaces where it's not uncommon to receive orders and i...
www.abc.net.au
May 31, 2025 at 6:12 AM
I had a chat with David Rutledge on the ABC’s Philosopher’s Zone about AI speech acts in the workplace.
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Or for Australians, ABC Radio National June 1 at 5.30 am, repeated June 3 at 1.30 pm and June 5 at five 12:05 am.
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Or for Australians, ABC Radio National June 1 at 5.30 am, repeated June 3 at 1.30 pm and June 5 at five 12:05 am.
Reposted by Chris Cousens
Are you a PhD student? Think about applying for one of our £5000 student bursaries for the next academic year (fully funded students do not qualify)
Deadline: Monday 9 June 2025 (T&Cs on our website)
www.aristoteliansociety.org.uk/as-student-b...
#philsky #philosophy
Deadline: Monday 9 June 2025 (T&Cs on our website)
www.aristoteliansociety.org.uk/as-student-b...
#philsky #philosophy
AS Student Bursary Application 25-26 – The Aristotelian Society
www.aristoteliansociety.org.uk
May 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Are you a PhD student? Think about applying for one of our £5000 student bursaries for the next academic year (fully funded students do not qualify)
Deadline: Monday 9 June 2025 (T&Cs on our website)
www.aristoteliansociety.org.uk/as-student-b...
#philsky #philosophy
Deadline: Monday 9 June 2025 (T&Cs on our website)
www.aristoteliansociety.org.uk/as-student-b...
#philsky #philosophy
2 episodes into Schitt’s Creek and the premise seems to be Arrested Development with less likeable rich people?
May 2, 2025 at 6:18 PM
2 episodes into Schitt’s Creek and the premise seems to be Arrested Development with less likeable rich people?
Reposted by Chris Cousens
Here's a little reminder about the panel "Social and Political Issues in Philosophy of Language", which will be organized by me and @timgrass.bsky.social at this year's MANCEPT Workshops, 3–5 September.
Please consider submitting a proposal (Deadline for submission is April 30th)!
CFA below:
Please consider submitting a proposal (Deadline for submission is April 30th)!
CFA below:
Social and Political Issues in Philosophy of Language at MANCEPT Workshops 25
Social and Political Issues in Philosophy of Language @ MANCEPT Workshops 25
Convenors: Jesper Olsson (University of Graz) and Tim Grasshöfer (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)
In r...
philevents.org
April 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Here's a little reminder about the panel "Social and Political Issues in Philosophy of Language", which will be organized by me and @timgrass.bsky.social at this year's MANCEPT Workshops, 3–5 September.
Please consider submitting a proposal (Deadline for submission is April 30th)!
CFA below:
Please consider submitting a proposal (Deadline for submission is April 30th)!
CFA below:
Best description of the AI ‘assistants’ I’ve been told will revolutionise my work day.
It's like if Clippy were a Captain Planet villain
April 24, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Best description of the AI ‘assistants’ I’ve been told will revolutionise my work day.
Is ‘Love Shack’ house music?
April 19, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Is ‘Love Shack’ house music?
Movie that takes place where you’re from.
April 17, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Movie that takes place where you’re from.
Reposted by Chris Cousens
British Philosophical Association academics warn of threat to world leading status amid growing department and course closures. #PhiloFortnight2025 #PhilosophyMatters
www.educatemagazine.com/philosophy-a...
www.educatemagazine.com/philosophy-a...
Philosophy academics warn of threat to world leading status
Philosophy academics have warned that the UK’s world leading status for the subject is under threat after university department closures.
www.educatemagazine.com
March 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
British Philosophical Association academics warn of threat to world leading status amid growing department and course closures. #PhiloFortnight2025 #PhilosophyMatters
www.educatemagazine.com/philosophy-a...
www.educatemagazine.com/philosophy-a...
No spoilers but Network is a hell of a film.
March 21, 2025 at 11:03 PM
No spoilers but Network is a hell of a film.
If you use a Chocolate Orange as a central example all semester, there’s a chance that students will give you one in the final lecture. Next year my central example is going to be a 4 bedroom townhouse.
March 19, 2025 at 10:11 PM
If you use a Chocolate Orange as a central example all semester, there’s a chance that students will give you one in the final lecture. Next year my central example is going to be a 4 bedroom townhouse.
Reposted by Chris Cousens
A Centre for Engaged Philosophy Workshop on Praise & Commemoration, 19th May, Sheffield. Details & registration here: engagedphilosophy.org/2025/03/10/w...
Support with costs of attendance available thanks to support from Society for Applied Philosophy.
Please share widely!
#academicsky #philsky
Support with costs of attendance available thanks to support from Society for Applied Philosophy.
Please share widely!
#academicsky #philsky
March 10, 2025 at 3:57 PM
A Centre for Engaged Philosophy Workshop on Praise & Commemoration, 19th May, Sheffield. Details & registration here: engagedphilosophy.org/2025/03/10/w...
Support with costs of attendance available thanks to support from Society for Applied Philosophy.
Please share widely!
#academicsky #philsky
Support with costs of attendance available thanks to support from Society for Applied Philosophy.
Please share widely!
#academicsky #philsky
Reposted by Chris Cousens
i've written a blog post about why I think we should reject generative AI in the university: languagemechanics.neocities.org/no-gen-ai
March 3, 2025 at 11:01 AM
i've written a blog post about why I think we should reject generative AI in the university: languagemechanics.neocities.org/no-gen-ai
Reposted by Chris Cousens
I’m organizing a conference for philosophy graduate students—The 14th Annual Arché Graduate Conference! This will be a great opportunity for students to present their work, network, and spend some time on the charming Scottish coastal town, St Andrews! Please share with your network. #philsky
February 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I’m organizing a conference for philosophy graduate students—The 14th Annual Arché Graduate Conference! This will be a great opportunity for students to present their work, network, and spend some time on the charming Scottish coastal town, St Andrews! Please share with your network. #philsky
Reposted by Chris Cousens
We're halfway to the end of this fundraiser, and we've already got orders in for folks in the U.S., Germany, and Thailand! Get yours in by Feb 20th to support trans + immigrants rights organizations. 💛
February 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM
We're halfway to the end of this fundraiser, and we've already got orders in for folks in the U.S., Germany, and Thailand! Get yours in by Feb 20th to support trans + immigrants rights organizations. 💛
New paper on 'Fat-calling' has ascended to its final form.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Critics have called it 'gobbledygook', 'extreme', and 'what's wrong with philosophy'... and that's before they've even read it! Are they right? Find out for yourself.
Open access here: rdcu.be/d895H
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Critics have called it 'gobbledygook', 'extreme', and 'what's wrong with philosophy'... and that's before they've even read it! Are they right? Find out for yourself.
Open access here: rdcu.be/d895H
Fat-calling: ascriptions of fatness that subordinate - Philosophical Studies
Calling someone fat is not only cruel and unkind—it also subordinates them. While the sharpest and most immediate harms of fatphobic bullying are emotional and psychological, these vary according to t...
link.springer.com
February 10, 2025 at 11:29 AM
New paper on 'Fat-calling' has ascended to its final form.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Critics have called it 'gobbledygook', 'extreme', and 'what's wrong with philosophy'... and that's before they've even read it! Are they right? Find out for yourself.
Open access here: rdcu.be/d895H
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Critics have called it 'gobbledygook', 'extreme', and 'what's wrong with philosophy'... and that's before they've even read it! Are they right? Find out for yourself.
Open access here: rdcu.be/d895H
Reposted by Chris Cousens
A petition in support of the School of English, Communication, and Philosophy at Cardiff, who are being threatened with job cuts that would be devastating for staff, students, and the university
We Can Make an Impact.
SAVE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGLISH, COMMUNICATION AND PHILOSOPHY
chng.it
February 4, 2025 at 1:55 PM
A petition in support of the School of English, Communication, and Philosophy at Cardiff, who are being threatened with job cuts that would be devastating for staff, students, and the university