Ali M. Hasan
@alimhasan.bsky.social
Philosopher at U. Iowa. Epistemology, perception, ethics, & AI.
Posting in a very personal capacity.
Posting in a very personal capacity.
Reposted by Ali M. Hasan
If anyone is teaching the mind-body problem at undergraduate or masters level, then I recommend this overview :) oecs.mit.edu/pub/7fjwb5k3...
The Mind-Body Problem
oecs.mit.edu
February 10, 2026 at 9:44 AM
If anyone is teaching the mind-body problem at undergraduate or masters level, then I recommend this overview :) oecs.mit.edu/pub/7fjwb5k3...
TIL how AI can achieve General Intelligence. Just sprinkle behaviorism.
February 2, 2026 at 11:19 PM
TIL how AI can achieve General Intelligence. Just sprinkle behaviorism.
A good reminder from JS Mill at the start of another term. h/t @michaelhannon.bsky.social
January 21, 2026 at 1:35 PM
A good reminder from JS Mill at the start of another term. h/t @michaelhannon.bsky.social
Nothing says "I deserve a peace prize" like claiming to no longer be under an obligation to be peaceful because you didn't win a peace prize.
January 19, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Nothing says "I deserve a peace prize" like claiming to no longer be under an obligation to be peaceful because you didn't win a peace prize.
Definitely a philosopher. May have gazed a bit too long into the abyss.
(Antykithera Philosopher. Bronze. ~240 BC)
(Antykithera Philosopher. Bronze. ~240 BC)
January 18, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Definitely a philosopher. May have gazed a bit too long into the abyss.
(Antykithera Philosopher. Bronze. ~240 BC)
(Antykithera Philosopher. Bronze. ~240 BC)
Grueland: Green before Trump takes control, blue after.
January 17, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Grueland: Green before Trump takes control, blue after.
They’re gonna need all that Venezuela oil for all the gaslighting
January 8, 2026 at 6:13 PM
They’re gonna need all that Venezuela oil for all the gaslighting
Then arc of the moral universe has a limited context window
The arc of the moral universe is rocking back and forth in the bathtub.
The arc of the moral universe is out of ideas.
The arc of the moral universe wants you to please wait. Your call is important to it.
The arc of the moral universe is out of ideas.
The arc of the moral universe wants you to please wait. Your call is important to it.
Updates on the Arc of the Moral Universe
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - - -The arc of the moral universe is feeling ...
buff.ly
November 29, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Then arc of the moral universe has a limited context window
A friendly reminder not to fall in love with your tape dispensers. (Sam Gross, 1998, New Yorker)
November 9, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A friendly reminder not to fall in love with your tape dispensers. (Sam Gross, 1998, New Yorker)
TIL via a NYT opinion article that maybe people who paid for a premium love bot on Replika have better, more inclusive concepts of intelligence and consciousness than I do.
November 9, 2025 at 3:41 PM
TIL via a NYT opinion article that maybe people who paid for a premium love bot on Replika have better, more inclusive concepts of intelligence and consciousness than I do.
I might just slap on some extra fingers and go as a low-quality deep fake of myself for Halloween
October 24, 2025 at 1:43 AM
I might just slap on some extra fingers and go as a low-quality deep fake of myself for Halloween
Thinking of going as a Black-Box AI for Halloween. I’ll output tricks or treats, candy or insults, without explanation. Or maybe a Black-Box AI trained on Philosophy Twitter—99% snark 1% reasons?
October 9, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Thinking of going as a Black-Box AI for Halloween. I’ll output tricks or treats, candy or insults, without explanation. Or maybe a Black-Box AI trained on Philosophy Twitter—99% snark 1% reasons?
My prompt: "I shave any and all those who do not shave themselves". ChatGPT5 says this is a version of the Barber paradox. It's not. ("I shave all and ONLY those who do not shave themselves" is.) ChatGPT erroneously added that "the barber *only* shaves people who do not shave themselves"
September 28, 2025 at 12:03 AM
My prompt: "I shave any and all those who do not shave themselves". ChatGPT5 says this is a version of the Barber paradox. It's not. ("I shave all and ONLY those who do not shave themselves" is.) ChatGPT erroneously added that "the barber *only* shaves people who do not shave themselves"
“The conscientious path forward is to create educational structures that minimize the temptation to outsource thinking.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
Opinion | I Teach Creative Writing. This Is What A.I. Is Doing to Students.
www.nytimes.com
July 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
“The conscientious path forward is to create educational structures that minimize the temptation to outsource thinking.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
Soon we may be hearing people say: “I don’t care if she is a chatbot. I love her.”
Love is love. #NewYorkerCartoons
A cartoon by Sam Gross, from 1998. See more cartoons and other funny stuff from New Yorker Humor: nyer.cm/nLwjJNW
A cartoon by Sam Gross, from 1998. See more cartoons and other funny stuff from New Yorker Humor: nyer.cm/nLwjJNW
June 30, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Soon we may be hearing people say: “I don’t care if she is a chatbot. I love her.”
"In philosophy if you aren't moving at a snail's pace, you aren't moving at all." -- Iris Murdoch
April 26, 2025 at 8:07 PM
"In philosophy if you aren't moving at a snail's pace, you aren't moving at all." -- Iris Murdoch
“By week one, I was already tired of his anti-rich, pro-Samaritan bullshit. I wanted to take a course in Christianity, not liberalism.”
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sel...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sel...
Selected Negative Teaching Evaluations of Jesus Christ
“Very inconvenient class! Always holds lectures on top of mountains, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee—but never close to the main campus.”
“Inco...
www.mcsweeneys.net
April 20, 2025 at 2:33 PM
“By week one, I was already tired of his anti-rich, pro-Samaritan bullshit. I wanted to take a course in Christianity, not liberalism.”
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sel...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sel...
After years of watching tennis, I think I finally understand what “unforced error” means.
April 4, 2025 at 2:55 PM
After years of watching tennis, I think I finally understand what “unforced error” means.
Reposted by Ali M. Hasan
America once took pride in not requiring citizens to carry national ID—no "Show me your papers!" Now we have to carry passports to avoid being disappeared.
March 29, 2025 at 5:13 PM
America once took pride in not requiring citizens to carry national ID—no "Show me your papers!" Now we have to carry passports to avoid being disappeared.
Sorry, philosophers of inquiry. Spelling Bee doesn’t accept it
March 28, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Sorry, philosophers of inquiry. Spelling Bee doesn’t accept it
I’m betting this will get more likes than anything else I post
March 25, 2025 at 11:18 PM
I’m betting this will get more likes than anything else I post