Kevin Zollman
@kevinzollman.com
Philosophy and Game Theory at Carnegie Mellon 🦚 Research the interface between philosophy, economics, and biology 💱 www.kevinzollman.com
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Kevin Zollman
@kevinzollman.com
· Jul 17
raw.githubusercontent.com
I did the thing you are never supposed to do. I wrote a (rough draft of a) textbook: Theories of Rational Decision
It's technical, but from a philosophical perspective. It focuses on the normative theory but touches on some behavioral issues as well.
raw.githubusercontent.com/kzollman/Rat...
It's technical, but from a philosophical perspective. It focuses on the normative theory but touches on some behavioral issues as well.
raw.githubusercontent.com/kzollman/Rat...
Responses to this post suggest the most cursed position in philosophy is "naturalistic internalist realism."
I look forward to not reading your papers defending this view soon
I look forward to not reading your papers defending this view soon
This but for "realism" and philosophy
— Meanwhile, in some math department —
- this is so cool, what should we call it?
- easy, a kernel
- cool
- wait haven’t we used that term for 39 different unrelated objects already?
- what’s your point?
- yeah you’re right sorry
- this is so cool, what should we call it?
- easy, a kernel
- cool
- wait haven’t we used that term for 39 different unrelated objects already?
- what’s your point?
- yeah you’re right sorry
November 20, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Responses to this post suggest the most cursed position in philosophy is "naturalistic internalist realism."
I look forward to not reading your papers defending this view soon
I look forward to not reading your papers defending this view soon
The rhythms of academic life are funny. Today marked the start of "nervous late-twenty-somethings walking the halls in suits" season.
November 19, 2025 at 7:13 PM
The rhythms of academic life are funny. Today marked the start of "nervous late-twenty-somethings walking the halls in suits" season.
This but for "realism" and philosophy
— Meanwhile, in some math department —
- this is so cool, what should we call it?
- easy, a kernel
- cool
- wait haven’t we used that term for 39 different unrelated objects already?
- what’s your point?
- yeah you’re right sorry
- this is so cool, what should we call it?
- easy, a kernel
- cool
- wait haven’t we used that term for 39 different unrelated objects already?
- what’s your point?
- yeah you’re right sorry
November 19, 2025 at 5:56 PM
This but for "realism" and philosophy
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
— Meanwhile, in some math department —
- this is so cool, what should we call it?
- easy, a kernel
- cool
- wait haven’t we used that term for 39 different unrelated objects already?
- what’s your point?
- yeah you’re right sorry
- this is so cool, what should we call it?
- easy, a kernel
- cool
- wait haven’t we used that term for 39 different unrelated objects already?
- what’s your point?
- yeah you’re right sorry
November 19, 2025 at 5:46 PM
— Meanwhile, in some math department —
- this is so cool, what should we call it?
- easy, a kernel
- cool
- wait haven’t we used that term for 39 different unrelated objects already?
- what’s your point?
- yeah you’re right sorry
- this is so cool, what should we call it?
- easy, a kernel
- cool
- wait haven’t we used that term for 39 different unrelated objects already?
- what’s your point?
- yeah you’re right sorry
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
(Housing is homothetic, and the % of income people spend on housing is ~roughly constant across incomes. Housing issues are reflected in quality disparities (ie, making kids share a room), not percent of income rising/falling.
November 18, 2025 at 2:25 PM
(Housing is homothetic, and the % of income people spend on housing is ~roughly constant across incomes. Housing issues are reflected in quality disparities (ie, making kids share a room), not percent of income rising/falling.
Directors of graduate programs, I believe this is the mantra you need to teach at orientation
Can't let clinical depression get in the way of being a huge fucking nerd, gotta have your priorities set.
November 19, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Directors of graduate programs, I believe this is the mantra you need to teach at orientation
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Can't let clinical depression get in the way of being a huge fucking nerd, gotta have your priorities set.
November 19, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Can't let clinical depression get in the way of being a huge fucking nerd, gotta have your priorities set.
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Experimental philosophers: what do we do with this?
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 19, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Experimental philosophers: what do we do with this?
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
squirrel: *points gun*
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
November 19, 2025 at 1:41 PM
squirrel: *points gun*
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
Tag yourself. I'm the one on the right
November 19, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Tag yourself. I'm the one on the right
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Postdoctoral Position in Science, Technology and Society (STS)
jobs.ethz.ch
November 17, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Apply now to our next Summer School! 🤝
We are glad to host the Toulouse Summer School in Quantitative Social Sciences from 26 May to 19 June 2026 — a great opportunity for PhD students in economics, political science, and other social sciences.
Application: www.tse-fr.eu/toulouse-sum...
We are glad to host the Toulouse Summer School in Quantitative Social Sciences from 26 May to 19 June 2026 — a great opportunity for PhD students in economics, political science, and other social sciences.
Application: www.tse-fr.eu/toulouse-sum...
November 19, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Apply now to our next Summer School! 🤝
We are glad to host the Toulouse Summer School in Quantitative Social Sciences from 26 May to 19 June 2026 — a great opportunity for PhD students in economics, political science, and other social sciences.
Application: www.tse-fr.eu/toulouse-sum...
We are glad to host the Toulouse Summer School in Quantitative Social Sciences from 26 May to 19 June 2026 — a great opportunity for PhD students in economics, political science, and other social sciences.
Application: www.tse-fr.eu/toulouse-sum...
I feel like "fireball" as a description of a person is highly gendered. How'd it get that way?
November 18, 2025 at 11:45 PM
I feel like "fireball" as a description of a person is highly gendered. How'd it get that way?
A great example for game theory. Undoubtedly there are some republicans who would prefer the measure fail. But *given* that it's going to pass, you definitely don't want to be a "no" vote.
We call that: strategic voting.
We call that: strategic voting.
jesus i just looked at the vote tally for the epstein bill
November 18, 2025 at 10:11 PM
A great example for game theory. Undoubtedly there are some republicans who would prefer the measure fail. But *given* that it's going to pass, you definitely don't want to be a "no" vote.
We call that: strategic voting.
We call that: strategic voting.
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Day 28 of inserting a random Muppet into a random Star Trek screenshot
#StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #TheMuppets #SesameStreet
#StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #TheMuppets #SesameStreet
November 18, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Day 28 of inserting a random Muppet into a random Star Trek screenshot
#StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #TheMuppets #SesameStreet
#StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #TheMuppets #SesameStreet
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
This mural has gone up in Kingston, ostensibly for Christmas but AI has ensured it's actually to celebrate the return of our dark lord Cthulhu
November 18, 2025 at 9:44 AM
This mural has gone up in Kingston, ostensibly for Christmas but AI has ensured it's actually to celebrate the return of our dark lord Cthulhu
Excited to report that this paper has been accepted at Royal Society Open Science. Updated version coming soon!
New preprint from @tobyhandfield.bsky.social and me!
We analyze authorship order norms from two perspectives: (1) why do disciplines have different norms and (2) do those different norms affect what kinds of collaborations take place.
arxiv.org/abs/2507.07364
We analyze authorship order norms from two perspectives: (1) why do disciplines have different norms and (2) do those different norms affect what kinds of collaborations take place.
arxiv.org/abs/2507.07364
The Evolution of Scientific Credit: When Authorship Norms Impede Collaboration
Scientific authorship norms vary dramatically across disciplines, from contribution-sensitive systems where first author is the greatest contributor and subsequent author order reflects relative input...
arxiv.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Excited to report that this paper has been accepted at Royal Society Open Science. Updated version coming soon!
Wimp. Real teachers post through it.
Some personal news: Regretfully, I will be stepping back from my public commitments for the next ninety minutes while I teach my class.
November 18, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Wimp. Real teachers post through it.
November 17, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
This relative advantage means that, even if they are relying on government programs like welfare or Medicaid, Trump supporters can see themselves as the "deserving" poor while disparaging others who are worse off than they are for being "lazy" and making "bad choices." 1/
Here's what I wish people understood: Trump supporters in poorer areas are generally the wealthy people in those areas -- the people who have kept their neighbors poor.
The tribune of the poor, the downtrodden? Studies clearly indicate that Trump’s most ardent supporters, especially in poorer areas, are, by local standards, quite wealthy / financially stable. Economic anxieties are mostly downstream from anxieties over racial and cultural status.
November 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
This relative advantage means that, even if they are relying on government programs like welfare or Medicaid, Trump supporters can see themselves as the "deserving" poor while disparaging others who are worse off than they are for being "lazy" and making "bad choices." 1/
Here's a heuristic: unless you're on an awards or hiring committee, maybe don't worry about judging someone's academic career
We should introduce a new heuristic for judging academic careers: If they pursue the same field than their famous academic relatives, it's likely because of networks not ability.
November 17, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Here's a heuristic: unless you're on an awards or hiring committee, maybe don't worry about judging someone's academic career
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
“you have what it takes to make it to the top” cannot be read as anything but a brutal attack on one’s character
November 13, 2025 at 4:12 AM
“you have what it takes to make it to the top” cannot be read as anything but a brutal attack on one’s character
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
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 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM
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...
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
a “Space Force”, if you will
November 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM
a “Space Force”, if you will