Caro Flores
@floresophize.bsky.social
Philosopher @ UC Santa Cruz (soon to be at U Lisboa). Interested in belief, evidence-resistance, social identities, ideology, ignorance, delusions. || Languages: EN, PT, ES || www.carolinaflores.org for papers
Pinned
Caro Flores
@floresophize.bsky.social
· Oct 6
The Left Can’t Abandon Nostalgia to the Right
The global right today excels at leveraging nostalgia for reactionary ends. Yet memories of periods of revolutionary hope and collective victories can provide the materials for a form of nostalgia tha...
jacobin.com
Super stoked to have a piece out in Jacobin! It's a personal essay about nostalgia for the Portuguese Carnation Revolution and a reclamation of the power of nostalgia for the left. 1/
Wrote about what the real threat Grokipedia poses is + some suggestions for addressing it! Drawing on @brendannyhan.bsky.social's work on misinformation.
(Lots more to say about erosion of epistemic standards, models of knowledge-production, etc.!)
(Lots more to say about erosion of epistemic standards, models of knowledge-production, etc.!)
What should worry us about Grokipedia is not that masses of people will come to believe right-wing conspiracy theories, but that far-right supporters will find new rationalizations for their views, writes Carolina Flores.
Grokipedia Won't Destroy Knowledge, but it Might Divide Us More | TechPolicy.Press
Grokipedia might well not dethrone Wikipedia, and media outlets should be wary of inflating its importance, Carolina Flores writes.
www.techpolicy.press
November 14, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Wrote about what the real threat Grokipedia poses is + some suggestions for addressing it! Drawing on @brendannyhan.bsky.social's work on misinformation.
(Lots more to say about erosion of epistemic standards, models of knowledge-production, etc.!)
(Lots more to say about erosion of epistemic standards, models of knowledge-production, etc.!)
Reposted by Caro Flores
The International Criminal Court is ditching Microsoft Office, saying it’s too dependent on US tech, in favor of Open Desk, a German open source alternative.
The move comes after Microsoft revoked ICC head Karim Khan’s email access when he was sanctioned by the US for the warrant against Netanyahu.
The move comes after Microsoft revoked ICC head Karim Khan’s email access when he was sanctioned by the US for the warrant against Netanyahu.
International Criminal Court to ditch Microsoft Office for European open source alternative | Euractiv
The court will move its internal work environment to Open Desk, a German-developed open source software
www.euractiv.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM
The International Criminal Court is ditching Microsoft Office, saying it’s too dependent on US tech, in favor of Open Desk, a German open source alternative.
The move comes after Microsoft revoked ICC head Karim Khan’s email access when he was sanctioned by the US for the warrant against Netanyahu.
The move comes after Microsoft revoked ICC head Karim Khan’s email access when he was sanctioned by the US for the warrant against Netanyahu.
The perfect reply to student grade complaints doesn't exi-
(from Simone Weil, Reflections on the right use of school studies with a view to the love of God)
(from Simone Weil, Reflections on the right use of school studies with a view to the love of God)
November 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
The perfect reply to student grade complaints doesn't exi-
(from Simone Weil, Reflections on the right use of school studies with a view to the love of God)
(from Simone Weil, Reflections on the right use of school studies with a view to the love of God)
Reposted by Caro Flores
ever since I learned about three-cueing I've developed infinitely more patience for replies on social media. mfers literally do not know how to read. people are walking around conjuring random meanings into words they don't know, and they don't know a lot of words. it's crazy
November 11, 2025 at 6:15 PM
ever since I learned about three-cueing I've developed infinitely more patience for replies on social media. mfers literally do not know how to read. people are walking around conjuring random meanings into words they don't know, and they don't know a lot of words. it's crazy
Reposted by Caro Flores
Aesthetics friends! What is good on the pursuit of aesthetic individuality, and the development of aesthetic selfhood?
I know @nickriggle.bsky.social’s stuff. But what else is good?
I know @nickriggle.bsky.social’s stuff. But what else is good?
November 11, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Aesthetics friends! What is good on the pursuit of aesthetic individuality, and the development of aesthetic selfhood?
I know @nickriggle.bsky.social’s stuff. But what else is good?
I know @nickriggle.bsky.social’s stuff. But what else is good?
Reposted by Caro Flores
if you can’t see the aurora borealis tonight, here is a sewer tunnel which is a wonder in itself.
November 12, 2025 at 3:58 AM
if you can’t see the aurora borealis tonight, here is a sewer tunnel which is a wonder in itself.
Reposted by Caro Flores
Do your hands talk when you do? 🗣️✋
Check out this @duke-university.bsky.social write up about my new work with my postdoc Esha Naidu (she is on the job market!) showing gestures reflect culture & identity—our nonverbal “accents” can shape interracial communication.
trinity.duke.edu/news/talking...
Check out this @duke-university.bsky.social write up about my new work with my postdoc Esha Naidu (she is on the job market!) showing gestures reflect culture & identity—our nonverbal “accents” can shape interracial communication.
trinity.duke.edu/news/talking...
Talking with Our Hands: Duke Study Reveals How Culture Shapes Our Gestures
You are having dinner with friends, and the conversation is lively. Do your hands join the chat, or do they stay focused on your knife and fork?
trinity.duke.edu
November 11, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Do your hands talk when you do? 🗣️✋
Check out this @duke-university.bsky.social write up about my new work with my postdoc Esha Naidu (she is on the job market!) showing gestures reflect culture & identity—our nonverbal “accents” can shape interracial communication.
trinity.duke.edu/news/talking...
Check out this @duke-university.bsky.social write up about my new work with my postdoc Esha Naidu (she is on the job market!) showing gestures reflect culture & identity—our nonverbal “accents” can shape interracial communication.
trinity.duke.edu/news/talking...
Just learned that Simone Weil's first religious experience happened in Portugal (in Póvoa de Varzim, a fishing town in the north), where she was moved by the beauty of villagers singing hymns in a procession. That's an idea for a niche study trip once I've moved to Lisbon!
November 11, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Just learned that Simone Weil's first religious experience happened in Portugal (in Póvoa de Varzim, a fishing town in the north), where she was moved by the beauty of villagers singing hymns in a procession. That's an idea for a niche study trip once I've moved to Lisbon!
Reposted by Caro Flores
So enjoyed hearing @ruizhegoh.bsky.social share his work on the perception of silence on the latest episode of @vox.com’s “unexplainable” podcast! 🤫 #poopoo
open.spotify.com/episode/6V2a...
open.spotify.com/episode/6V2a...
November 11, 2025 at 12:10 AM
So enjoyed hearing @ruizhegoh.bsky.social share his work on the perception of silence on the latest episode of @vox.com’s “unexplainable” podcast! 🤫 #poopoo
open.spotify.com/episode/6V2a...
open.spotify.com/episode/6V2a...
Murdoch's "The idea of perfection" approaches philosophical perfection and you should go (re)read it now.
November 10, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Murdoch's "The idea of perfection" approaches philosophical perfection and you should go (re)read it now.
Finally heard of a good use for predictive policing! White Collar Crime Risk Zones, which maps where white collar crime is most likely to occur. It also proposes a facial recognition program based on photos of execs from LinkedIn. whitecollar.thenewinquiry.com
White Collar Crime Risk Zones
A machine learning system that predicts where white collar crimes will occur throughout the US.
whitecollar.thenewinquiry.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Finally heard of a good use for predictive policing! White Collar Crime Risk Zones, which maps where white collar crime is most likely to occur. It also proposes a facial recognition program based on photos of execs from LinkedIn. whitecollar.thenewinquiry.com
Hot take: way more things at universities should be done by lottery. Why the need to write rec letters and personal statements for small internal fellowships all the time? What is the benefit? Is the point just sustaining the illusion of meritocracy?
November 9, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Hot take: way more things at universities should be done by lottery. Why the need to write rec letters and personal statements for small internal fellowships all the time? What is the benefit? Is the point just sustaining the illusion of meritocracy?
Reposted by Caro Flores
Tech guys six months ago: haha yes we’re cutting all this WASTEFUL spending by eliminating medical research and USAID
Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
November 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Tech guys six months ago: haha yes we’re cutting all this WASTEFUL spending by eliminating medical research and USAID
Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
Amazing roast: "Always use the word “forgotten” in your title. Do not draw attention to who is doing the ignoring or forgetting. If you mention “genocide,” intimate the reasons are about “tribal tensions” or “rivalries,” or even better, “hatred”. Emphasize the lack of thinking (in them, not you)."
How to Write About Sudan
A critique, a balm, a question
yassmin.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Amazing roast: "Always use the word “forgotten” in your title. Do not draw attention to who is doing the ignoring or forgetting. If you mention “genocide,” intimate the reasons are about “tribal tensions” or “rivalries,” or even better, “hatred”. Emphasize the lack of thinking (in them, not you)."
actually they should abolish California
They should invent a California where you can afford to live
November 8, 2025 at 8:52 AM
actually they should abolish California
Reposted by Caro Flores
virtue signalling is good actually
Performative decency is actually *so* important for this reason.
It tricks the 10% of ghouls into thinking that there are only 1% of ghouls.
And it makes the 30% of people that don't care one way or another follow the mostly decent crowd
It tricks the 10% of ghouls into thinking that there are only 1% of ghouls.
And it makes the 30% of people that don't care one way or another follow the mostly decent crowd
November 7, 2025 at 7:59 PM
virtue signalling is good actually
Reposted by Caro Flores
I agree! I really appreciated this debate between Willem Sleegers (author of the replication study) and Jake Quilty-Dunn (who disagrees with him about what the replication study shows
bsky.app/profile/will...
bsky.app/profile/will...
The whole idea about the paradigm we tested is that manipulation choice rules out the alternative explanations, so it can provide support for the theory, but we didn't find that. We only found effects that can be explained by alternative processes. (Also, I read the paper since I wrote it)
November 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I agree! I really appreciated this debate between Willem Sleegers (author of the replication study) and Jake Quilty-Dunn (who disagrees with him about what the replication study shows
bsky.app/profile/will...
bsky.app/profile/will...
I'm not sure what I think about any of this, but this thread includes excellent (and heated) discussion that is a must-read for anyone interested in the psychology of irrationality and belief revision.
There’s growing evidence that something was going seriously wrong in the classic early work on cognitive dissonance
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Debunking “When Prophecy Fails”
In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I'm not sure what I think about any of this, but this thread includes excellent (and heated) discussion that is a must-read for anyone interested in the psychology of irrationality and belief revision.
Seeking submissions to the 2026 edition of the APA Studies on LGBTQ Philosophy! The topic is Resistance and Solidarity. 2-3-paragraph pitches for essays and other creative philosophical formats due (to me) by Jan 30, 2026. More details on p. 36 of the doc. Spread the word!
cdn.ymaws.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Seeking submissions to the 2026 edition of the APA Studies on LGBTQ Philosophy! The topic is Resistance and Solidarity. 2-3-paragraph pitches for essays and other creative philosophical formats due (to me) by Jan 30, 2026. More details on p. 36 of the doc. Spread the word!
I'm so stoked about this project!
at umass today to, among other things, give a talk on social meaning sources of hermeneutical injustice—joint work that grows out of discussions with @floresophize.bsky.social and @elinm.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 5:55 PM
I'm so stoked about this project!
Finding with supreme displeasure that even in-class handwritten exams include what looks like AI slop (plausible-sounding claims that have little to do with the right answer). Hypothesis: they study by consulting ChatGPT, which misattributes views day and night, not by checking course materials.
November 7, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Finding with supreme displeasure that even in-class handwritten exams include what looks like AI slop (plausible-sounding claims that have little to do with the right answer). Hypothesis: they study by consulting ChatGPT, which misattributes views day and night, not by checking course materials.
Loving the fact that "gerrymandering" is named after one specific guy named Gerry, who, despite being against the practice, signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts in 1812. One of the resulting districts supposedly looked like a salamander.
Gerrymandering - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Loving the fact that "gerrymandering" is named after one specific guy named Gerry, who, despite being against the practice, signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts in 1812. One of the resulting districts supposedly looked like a salamander.
Love to see the spineless UC administration obeying in advance and scrapping the President's Fellowship, a 40-year-old program for diversifying the faculty with close to 100% tenure rates, under the excuse of "budget crisis". It costs 7.4 million a year, out of a budget of 10.8 billion (0.07%)
UC to Stop Funding Systemwide Postdoc Program
Established in 1984 to encourage women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academia, the program has attracted right-wing criticism for prioritizing diverse candidates.
www.insidehighered.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Love to see the spineless UC administration obeying in advance and scrapping the President's Fellowship, a 40-year-old program for diversifying the faculty with close to 100% tenure rates, under the excuse of "budget crisis". It costs 7.4 million a year, out of a budget of 10.8 billion (0.07%)
Reposted by Caro Flores
The President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, PPFP, has been a jewel in the crown for faculty development and recruitment at the University of California for years and the results have been an expanded faculty with almost 100% tenure rates — unprecedented success.
November 2, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, PPFP, has been a jewel in the crown for faculty development and recruitment at the University of California for years and the results have been an expanded faculty with almost 100% tenure rates — unprecedented success.
Reposted by Caro Flores
Last week, my Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction class covered an older paper about “social translucence” where they explain how the design of online systems shapes the norms & behaviors w/in those systems. But the framework they create can be applied more broadly, eg to our political moment.
November 5, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Last week, my Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction class covered an older paper about “social translucence” where they explain how the design of online systems shapes the norms & behaviors w/in those systems. But the framework they create can be applied more broadly, eg to our political moment.