Colin Danby
@cdanby.bsky.social
Heterodox economist working in history of thought, specifically the commerce between body, nation, race, and economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He/him.
https://sites.google.com/uw.edu/colindanby/home
Photo by Stephanie Seguino
https://sites.google.com/uw.edu/colindanby/home
Photo by Stephanie Seguino
Pinned
Colin Danby
@cdanby.bsky.social
· Jan 30
Race in Marshall's Economics | Modern Intellectual History | Cambridge Core
Race in Marshall's Economics
www.cambridge.org
My "Race in Marshall's Economics" is now available, and open-access!
Thanks to editors and reviewers at _Modern Intellectual History_, and to folks at Cambridge University Press who have been coping with cyberattack aftermath. #EconSky #OpenAccess
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Thanks to editors and reviewers at _Modern Intellectual History_, and to folks at Cambridge University Press who have been coping with cyberattack aftermath. #EconSky #OpenAccess
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
This. Note (a) being specific about LLMs rather than the vague marketing term "AI" and (b) making an argument on technical grounds. This is not the railroad or the printing press. It's at best an entertaining toy with limited uses in specific domains.
January 2, 2026 at 6:26 PM
This. Note (a) being specific about LLMs rather than the vague marketing term "AI" and (b) making an argument on technical grounds. This is not the railroad or the printing press. It's at best an entertaining toy with limited uses in specific domains.
Reposted by Colin Danby
In case you are not familiar with Schomburg
nmaahc.si.edu/latinx/artur...
nmaahc.si.edu/latinx/artur...
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (1874–1938) was a Puerto Rican American historian, writer, curator, and activist.
nmaahc.si.edu
January 1, 2026 at 3:16 PM
In case you are not familiar with Schomburg
nmaahc.si.edu/latinx/artur...
nmaahc.si.edu/latinx/artur...
On this foggy evening, Max and Marty wish you a Happy New Year and many treats.
January 1, 2026 at 8:13 AM
On this foggy evening, Max and Marty wish you a Happy New Year and many treats.
Interesting, in the exchange that follows, to see the lengths a person can go to evade this connection.
The animal rights was connected to the fascism.
(Yes non-fascist animal advocacy is possible but this wasn't it.)
(Yes non-fascist animal advocacy is possible but this wasn't it.)
Brigitte Bardot surprises with her statement: 'Covid? A Blessing for the Planet '
Brigitte Bardot, 86, after a long hiatus from public life, in her most recent interview left her mark on Covid19Its a good thing for the planet, said the French icon, who has long been drawn to the pu...
www.classlifestyle.com
December 30, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Interesting, in the exchange that follows, to see the lengths a person can go to evade this connection.
Me with a pal, 1963.
December 28, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Me with a pal, 1963.
Reposted by Colin Danby
Actually, there’s a downstream version of Toozism that sees later elaborations of the Septemberprogramm as an effort to replicate the American conquest of the west. So Die Welt von Gestern ended because Ludendorff wanted Das Geld vom Western.
My Xmas present to you all. The book cover that shows the most mistaken assumptions about the content of all time, I believe.
December 25, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Actually, there’s a downstream version of Toozism that sees later elaborations of the Septemberprogramm as an effort to replicate the American conquest of the west. So Die Welt von Gestern ended because Ludendorff wanted Das Geld vom Western.
Potato ciabatta. The batch on the left has maybe a half hour of bulk rise left.
December 25, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Potato ciabatta. The batch on the left has maybe a half hour of bulk rise left.
Reposted by Colin Danby
2/2 Ox: trying to get into the picture. Ass: fed up. City gate: feral. Holy family enter Bethlehem, 2025 years ago.
December 24, 2025 at 12:43 PM
2/2 Ox: trying to get into the picture. Ass: fed up. City gate: feral. Holy family enter Bethlehem, 2025 years ago.
This looks great! Fixed link is link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
December 23, 2025 at 10:25 PM
This looks great! Fixed link is link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Reposted by Colin Danby
I posted this👇 to a claim that genAI is better than Ctl+F to search historical docs. @tristanpalmgren.bsky.social replied with a genAI summary of my document and @bookllyfr.bsky.social asked if it was accurate.
It turns out that it did exactly what genAI does: made stuff up & got stuff wrong.🧵
It turns out that it did exactly what genAI does: made stuff up & got stuff wrong.🧵
Ctl+F this
December 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I posted this👇 to a claim that genAI is better than Ctl+F to search historical docs. @tristanpalmgren.bsky.social replied with a genAI summary of my document and @bookllyfr.bsky.social asked if it was accurate.
It turns out that it did exactly what genAI does: made stuff up & got stuff wrong.🧵
It turns out that it did exactly what genAI does: made stuff up & got stuff wrong.🧵
Reposted by Colin Danby
For personal reasons, I do not support Elsevier (thecostofknowledge.com). It can be difficult to explain / say 'no' to colleagues seeking our support. Therefore, I created a template to respectfully decline: crowdid.hypotheses.org/1990.
#openscience #smashthepaywalls
#openscience #smashthepaywalls
December 22, 2025 at 1:13 AM
For personal reasons, I do not support Elsevier (thecostofknowledge.com). It can be difficult to explain / say 'no' to colleagues seeking our support. Therefore, I created a template to respectfully decline: crowdid.hypotheses.org/1990.
#openscience #smashthepaywalls
#openscience #smashthepaywalls
This!
We can detect false citation, and penalize it as academic misconduct. We can also write tight prompts and grade accordingly.
But there is *no* reliable way to detect LLM use in student writing! Accusing a student on the basis of "it sounds like AI" is messed up.
We can detect false citation, and penalize it as academic misconduct. We can also write tight prompts and grade accordingly.
But there is *no* reliable way to detect LLM use in student writing! Accusing a student on the basis of "it sounds like AI" is messed up.
Again on AI (sorry).
Son's buddy just back from 1st term at UCLA. Looks like a bro but is a very serious student. Was accused of having used AI. Didn't, and proved it. But the TA and prof. were suspicious of him the rest of the class. It bummed him out (understandably).
We have to be so careful!
Son's buddy just back from 1st term at UCLA. Looks like a bro but is a very serious student. Was accused of having used AI. Didn't, and proved it. But the TA and prof. were suspicious of him the rest of the class. It bummed him out (understandably).
We have to be so careful!
December 22, 2025 at 3:51 AM
This!
We can detect false citation, and penalize it as academic misconduct. We can also write tight prompts and grade accordingly.
But there is *no* reliable way to detect LLM use in student writing! Accusing a student on the basis of "it sounds like AI" is messed up.
We can detect false citation, and penalize it as academic misconduct. We can also write tight prompts and grade accordingly.
But there is *no* reliable way to detect LLM use in student writing! Accusing a student on the basis of "it sounds like AI" is messed up.
Reposted by Colin Danby
I’m home, which means many hours with my grandfather’s stories, and this visit turned up this gem: the very first IBM computer arriving in Taiwan in 1967 (? the year was a guess)
December 21, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I’m home, which means many hours with my grandfather’s stories, and this visit turned up this gem: the very first IBM computer arriving in Taiwan in 1967 (? the year was a guess)
Reposted by Colin Danby
Busy day: made this happen! Chocolate, cardamom and pear tart with pistachio pastry from a classic tome: Sara Jayne-Stanes, "Chocolate: The Definitive Guide," 1999.
SJS's version doesn't have cardamom but she does have a choc and cardamom tart in the book. I use 50% wholemeal flour.
SJS's version doesn't have cardamom but she does have a choc and cardamom tart in the book. I use 50% wholemeal flour.
December 21, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Busy day: made this happen! Chocolate, cardamom and pear tart with pistachio pastry from a classic tome: Sara Jayne-Stanes, "Chocolate: The Definitive Guide," 1999.
SJS's version doesn't have cardamom but she does have a choc and cardamom tart in the book. I use 50% wholemeal flour.
SJS's version doesn't have cardamom but she does have a choc and cardamom tart in the book. I use 50% wholemeal flour.
We had friends over which was very exciting for a small dog, and now we're having a little rest.
December 21, 2025 at 5:23 AM
We had friends over which was very exciting for a small dog, and now we're having a little rest.
Reposted by Colin Danby
Yes. And in response to that Savage article, here's the NCES data on the actual racial and ethnic composition of US college faculty.
nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/di...
nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/di...
December 19, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Yes. And in response to that Savage article, here's the NCES data on the actual racial and ethnic composition of US college faculty.
nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/di...
nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/di...
Reposted by Colin Danby
Absolutely nobody asked for this BUT
English Anglican cathedrals that have burned down, fallen over, and sank into the swamp: a thread.
English Anglican cathedrals that have burned down, fallen over, and sank into the swamp: a thread.
December 18, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Absolutely nobody asked for this BUT
English Anglican cathedrals that have burned down, fallen over, and sank into the swamp: a thread.
English Anglican cathedrals that have burned down, fallen over, and sank into the swamp: a thread.
Reposted by Colin Danby
Devil: see, this is an EVIDENCE BASED argument! St. Wolfgang: sorry, that is not a peer-reviewed journal. By Michael Pacher, 1479. It's his day.
December 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Devil: see, this is an EVIDENCE BASED argument! St. Wolfgang: sorry, that is not a peer-reviewed journal. By Michael Pacher, 1479. It's his day.
Why is the marginal cost curve U-shaped?
Student: Because it goes down and then it goes up.
Student: Because it goes down and then it goes up.
December 16, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Why is the marginal cost curve U-shaped?
Student: Because it goes down and then it goes up.
Student: Because it goes down and then it goes up.
Reposted by Colin Danby
The hidden histories of empire, told through the haunted afterlives of colonial migrations.
Julia Stephens' Worldly Afterlives is now available (10 Feb UK pub).
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
#History #BritishEmpire #ReadUP
Julia Stephens' Worldly Afterlives is now available (10 Feb UK pub).
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
#History #BritishEmpire #ReadUP
December 16, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The hidden histories of empire, told through the haunted afterlives of colonial migrations.
Julia Stephens' Worldly Afterlives is now available (10 Feb UK pub).
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
#History #BritishEmpire #ReadUP
Julia Stephens' Worldly Afterlives is now available (10 Feb UK pub).
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
#History #BritishEmpire #ReadUP
Reposted by Colin Danby
Reposted by Colin Danby
My second Kant and my first Bentham paper,
"Federalism and the Unity of Early Liberalism: Bentham’s and Kant’s Reception of Adam Smith’s “New Imperialism.”" *Social Philosophy and Policy.* 2025;42(2):474-494
(Link in first comment)
"Federalism and the Unity of Early Liberalism: Bentham’s and Kant’s Reception of Adam Smith’s “New Imperialism.”" *Social Philosophy and Policy.* 2025;42(2):474-494
(Link in first comment)
December 16, 2025 at 4:33 PM
My second Kant and my first Bentham paper,
"Federalism and the Unity of Early Liberalism: Bentham’s and Kant’s Reception of Adam Smith’s “New Imperialism.”" *Social Philosophy and Policy.* 2025;42(2):474-494
(Link in first comment)
"Federalism and the Unity of Early Liberalism: Bentham’s and Kant’s Reception of Adam Smith’s “New Imperialism.”" *Social Philosophy and Policy.* 2025;42(2):474-494
(Link in first comment)
This account is brought to you with the support of Max and Marty.
December 14, 2025 at 9:57 PM
This account is brought to you with the support of Max and Marty.
Great thread, on this particular migration, and also on migration in general. Families are transnational. People make careers across countries.
My ancestors, 2 or 3 generations, bounced all over the world! But somehow *that* all got coded as enterprise, ambition, and economic development.
My ancestors, 2 or 3 generations, bounced all over the world! But somehow *that* all got coded as enterprise, ambition, and economic development.
Few thoughts on the "Polish exodus" from the UK.
1. It's not an 'exodus', it's a slow drip. We're fine, thanks.
2. Migration is really complicated.
3. The absolute cheek of the very same media attacking Poles for years lamenting their departure.
4. What you can do?
THREAD 🧵
1. It's not an 'exodus', it's a slow drip. We're fine, thanks.
2. Migration is really complicated.
3. The absolute cheek of the very same media attacking Poles for years lamenting their departure.
4. What you can do?
THREAD 🧵
December 14, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Great thread, on this particular migration, and also on migration in general. Families are transnational. People make careers across countries.
My ancestors, 2 or 3 generations, bounced all over the world! But somehow *that* all got coded as enterprise, ambition, and economic development.
My ancestors, 2 or 3 generations, bounced all over the world! But somehow *that* all got coded as enterprise, ambition, and economic development.
There's a story, which I've seen e.g. in some UK accounts, that the US academy lost its mind and did way too much diversity. This is baloney, but I want to memorialize an encounter this morning, because it shows where some of this comes from.
The encounter was in replies to this excellent post.
The encounter was in replies to this excellent post.
The best moment in the History of the Word Caucasian came in a series of Supreme Court cases during the immigration panic of the 1920s.
The Naturalization Act of 1790 said that only "white" people could be naturalized as American citizens, but that only raised questions about what counted as white?
The Naturalization Act of 1790 said that only "white" people could be naturalized as American citizens, but that only raised questions about what counted as white?
It stems from a literal belief that white peoples descended from the Caucasus mountains after Noah’s ark
December 11, 2025 at 9:25 PM
There's a story, which I've seen e.g. in some UK accounts, that the US academy lost its mind and did way too much diversity. This is baloney, but I want to memorialize an encounter this morning, because it shows where some of this comes from.
The encounter was in replies to this excellent post.
The encounter was in replies to this excellent post.