Corey Dethier
@cdethier.bsky.social
Philosophy of science, epistemology, and random flights of fancy. Currently a postdoc at UMN. He/him/whatever. coreydethier.com
Another of my papers, "Stability, Robustness Reasoning, and Measuring the Human Contribution to Warming" is now online.
This one gets in the weeds of the last decade-ish of research on the human contribution to warming to motivate a simple philosophical claim ... (1/2)
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
This one gets in the weeds of the last decade-ish of research on the human contribution to warming to motivate a simple philosophical claim ... (1/2)
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
Stability, Robustness Reasoning, and Measuring the Human Contribution to Warming | Philosophy of Science | Cambridge Core
Stability, Robustness Reasoning, and Measuring the Human Contribution to Warming
doi.org
August 29, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Another of my papers, "Stability, Robustness Reasoning, and Measuring the Human Contribution to Warming" is now online.
This one gets in the weeds of the last decade-ish of research on the human contribution to warming to motivate a simple philosophical claim ... (1/2)
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
This one gets in the weeds of the last decade-ish of research on the human contribution to warming to motivate a simple philosophical claim ... (1/2)
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
"How do you assert a graph?" now has an issue -- still open access!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
How do you assert a graph? Towards an account of depictions in scientific testimony
I extend the literature on norms of assertion to the ubiquitous use of graphs in scientific papers and presentations, which I term “graphical testimony.” On my account, the testimonial presentation o...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 22, 2025 at 12:13 PM
"How do you assert a graph?" now has an issue -- still open access!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
So this is obviously almost unbelievably stupid.
But also, prediction: yes it will, it will just only approve those by companies that Trump likes.
www.cnbc.com/2025/08/20/t...
But also, prediction: yes it will, it will just only approve those by companies that Trump likes.
www.cnbc.com/2025/08/20/t...
Trump says U.S. will not approve solar or wind power projects
The president's comment comes after the administration tightened federal permitting for renewables last month.
www.cnbc.com
August 21, 2025 at 10:04 AM
So this is obviously almost unbelievably stupid.
But also, prediction: yes it will, it will just only approve those by companies that Trump likes.
www.cnbc.com/2025/08/20/t...
But also, prediction: yes it will, it will just only approve those by companies that Trump likes.
www.cnbc.com/2025/08/20/t...
Wondering what I've been working on for the last couple years? (Probably not.)
Wondering what philosophers of statistics even do? (I'm betting no.)
Were you thinking to yourself: how would Deborah Mayo's project function outside a Neyman-Pearson setting? (Lol)
Wondering what philosophers of statistics even do? (I'm betting no.)
Were you thinking to yourself: how would Deborah Mayo's project function outside a Neyman-Pearson setting? (Lol)
August 19, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Wondering what I've been working on for the last couple years? (Probably not.)
Wondering what philosophers of statistics even do? (I'm betting no.)
Were you thinking to yourself: how would Deborah Mayo's project function outside a Neyman-Pearson setting? (Lol)
Wondering what philosophers of statistics even do? (I'm betting no.)
Were you thinking to yourself: how would Deborah Mayo's project function outside a Neyman-Pearson setting? (Lol)
Brian McLoone, Steven Orzack, and Elliot Sober have a new paper out in which they argue (among other things) that I'm wrong about robustness.
I think *they're* wrong, of course -- indeed, I think I addressed all their arguments already in the paper they cite. Unsurprisingly, they disagree!
I think *they're* wrong, of course -- indeed, I think I addressed all their arguments already in the paper they cite. Unsurprisingly, they disagree!
August 10, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Brian McLoone, Steven Orzack, and Elliot Sober have a new paper out in which they argue (among other things) that I'm wrong about robustness.
I think *they're* wrong, of course -- indeed, I think I addressed all their arguments already in the paper they cite. Unsurprisingly, they disagree!
I think *they're* wrong, of course -- indeed, I think I addressed all their arguments already in the paper they cite. Unsurprisingly, they disagree!
Recently, I asked ChatGPT to write the intro to a paper in my style, because I curious how good it would be at imitating an author, and the best way to tell that would be by asking it to imitate the author I know best.
(Don't worry, there's a punchline here. 1/3)
(Don't worry, there's a punchline here. 1/3)
I was reading about AI profiling so I did chat GPT on just a random picture (literally just screen-shotting my webcam) and, like, it basically gets me right in every detail - I'm even within the lower zones of its height and weight band estimates (I'm overweight lmao) so it called the low-info shot.
June 10, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Recently, I asked ChatGPT to write the intro to a paper in my style, because I curious how good it would be at imitating an author, and the best way to tell that would be by asking it to imitate the author I know best.
(Don't worry, there's a punchline here. 1/3)
(Don't worry, there's a punchline here. 1/3)
My article on classical statistics and the base-rate fallacy is now officially out at Philosophy of Science.
The short pitch: classical statistics does not commit the base-rate fallacy, despite what some Bayesian philosophers have suggested.
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
The short pitch: classical statistics does not commit the base-rate fallacy, despite what some Bayesian philosophers have suggested.
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
Who’s Afraid of the Base-Rate Fallacy? | Philosophy of Science | Cambridge Core
Who’s Afraid of the Base-Rate Fallacy? - Volume 92 Issue 2
doi.org
May 8, 2025 at 11:52 AM
My article on classical statistics and the base-rate fallacy is now officially out at Philosophy of Science.
The short pitch: classical statistics does not commit the base-rate fallacy, despite what some Bayesian philosophers have suggested.
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
The short pitch: classical statistics does not commit the base-rate fallacy, despite what some Bayesian philosophers have suggested.
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
Reposted by Corey Dethier
seeing takes about the aid institutions and their role in imperialism. correct. If someone said "investor-owned hospitals exploit the vulnerable to benefit shareholders" I'd nod. If their followup was "and that's why I'm turning off your mom's dialysis machine" I'd...have some followup questions
But when it comes to cutting aid budgets no one says “let’s spend less money on Israeli or Egyptian military capacity”. Instead you want to start by taking healthcare and education away from people who have been made vulnerable by the structural injustices you create and benefit from.
February 3, 2025 at 3:24 PM
seeing takes about the aid institutions and their role in imperialism. correct. If someone said "investor-owned hospitals exploit the vulnerable to benefit shareholders" I'd nod. If their followup was "and that's why I'm turning off your mom's dialysis machine" I'd...have some followup questions
Reposted by Corey Dethier
Everyone seems to be framing Trump's freeze on federal grants as a Constitutional fight over powers of the purse & whether presidents can disregard Congressional appropriations. It is that. But also at stake is the fundamental validity of government contracts! I see much less discussion on this... 🧵
January 31, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Everyone seems to be framing Trump's freeze on federal grants as a Constitutional fight over powers of the purse & whether presidents can disregard Congressional appropriations. It is that. But also at stake is the fundamental validity of government contracts! I see much less discussion on this... 🧵
Reposted by Corey Dethier
Yes, they can hallucinate papers that don't exist, discuss results that seem to be imaginary, and can be confusing and inconsistent. But talking to tenured professors may still be helpful
January 14, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Yes, they can hallucinate papers that don't exist, discuss results that seem to be imaginary, and can be confusing and inconsistent. But talking to tenured professors may still be helpful
It's depressing how many job ads read as: "we expect you to carry a 4/4 load while running the major and doing community outreach; pay is 45k a year and the closest place you can afford to live requires 2 hours of commuting a day in a city with 0 public transit."
January 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
It's depressing how many job ads read as: "we expect you to carry a 4/4 load while running the major and doing community outreach; pay is 45k a year and the closest place you can afford to live requires 2 hours of commuting a day in a city with 0 public transit."
Just a reminder to come check out our session Thursday!
(Or don't, I would understand that too.)
(Or don't, I would understand that too.)
Anyone who is going to be at the Eastern: Jamee, Mathias, and I will be talking climate change, astronomy, robustness, and the work of the late George E. Smith on Thursday morning.
January 8, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Just a reminder to come check out our session Thursday!
(Or don't, I would understand that too.)
(Or don't, I would understand that too.)
Anyone who is going to be at the Eastern: Jamee, Mathias, and I will be talking climate change, astronomy, robustness, and the work of the late George E. Smith on Thursday morning.
January 5, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Anyone who is going to be at the Eastern: Jamee, Mathias, and I will be talking climate change, astronomy, robustness, and the work of the late George E. Smith on Thursday morning.
Had a dream in which I was late for my intiation into "Noux: the secret society for people who publish in Nous."
The robes were straight-up ripoffs of the Stonecutter Society and @lastpositivist.bsky.social sponsored me.
Gutted that there wasn't a "who keeps the continentals down" musical number.
The robes were straight-up ripoffs of the Stonecutter Society and @lastpositivist.bsky.social sponsored me.
Gutted that there wasn't a "who keeps the continentals down" musical number.
December 27, 2024 at 12:57 PM
Had a dream in which I was late for my intiation into "Noux: the secret society for people who publish in Nous."
The robes were straight-up ripoffs of the Stonecutter Society and @lastpositivist.bsky.social sponsored me.
Gutted that there wasn't a "who keeps the continentals down" musical number.
The robes were straight-up ripoffs of the Stonecutter Society and @lastpositivist.bsky.social sponsored me.
Gutted that there wasn't a "who keeps the continentals down" musical number.
Reposted by Corey Dethier
We have always relied on the oil and gas industry to self-report methane emissions. Now we have independent ways to of measuring those emissions and it turns out they were lying about the emissions. By a lot. The blue lines are actual measurements. The pink are industry numbers.
December 12, 2024 at 1:46 PM
We have always relied on the oil and gas industry to self-report methane emissions. Now we have independent ways to of measuring those emissions and it turns out they were lying about the emissions. By a lot. The blue lines are actual measurements. The pink are industry numbers.
Reposted by Corey Dethier
oh my god overleaf I DO NOT WANT AI WRITING INTEGRATION
December 10, 2024 at 9:11 PM
oh my god overleaf I DO NOT WANT AI WRITING INTEGRATION
Ok, this is real Simpsons rabbit hole stuff, but despite what we all remember, the joke in the pictured segment *is on the adults*.
The kids are just straight-up describing Power Rangers, a show that had existed for 3 years before the episode aired.
The kids are just straight-up describing Power Rangers, a show that had existed for 3 years before the episode aired.
December 10, 2024 at 8:07 PM
Ok, this is real Simpsons rabbit hole stuff, but despite what we all remember, the joke in the pictured segment *is on the adults*.
The kids are just straight-up describing Power Rangers, a show that had existed for 3 years before the episode aired.
The kids are just straight-up describing Power Rangers, a show that had existed for 3 years before the episode aired.
Really enjoying @bweatherson.bsky.social's new book, but like a lot of philosophy these days it relies heavily on some pretty unrealistic cases.
I mean, a Sox fan who can't remember what year the curse was broken?
I mean, a Sox fan who can't remember what year the curse was broken?
December 10, 2024 at 2:15 PM
Really enjoying @bweatherson.bsky.social's new book, but like a lot of philosophy these days it relies heavily on some pretty unrealistic cases.
I mean, a Sox fan who can't remember what year the curse was broken?
I mean, a Sox fan who can't remember what year the curse was broken?
My research projects if I didn't have to devote so much mental energy to job applications:
December 9, 2024 at 10:57 PM
My research projects if I didn't have to devote so much mental energy to job applications:
For anyone interested in philosophy of climate science:
Wendy Parker's new Cambridge Element on the subject is available online for free (!) until the end of the month.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Wendy Parker's new Cambridge Element on the subject is available online for free (!) until the end of the month.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Climate Science
Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - Climate Science
www.cambridge.org
December 5, 2024 at 12:15 AM
For anyone interested in philosophy of climate science:
Wendy Parker's new Cambridge Element on the subject is available online for free (!) until the end of the month.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Wendy Parker's new Cambridge Element on the subject is available online for free (!) until the end of the month.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Reposted by Corey Dethier
So proud of the great work happening in Minneapolis, which shows that boosting housing supply helps make homes more affordable.
December 3, 2024 at 3:02 PM
So proud of the great work happening in Minneapolis, which shows that boosting housing supply helps make homes more affordable.
The percentage of my feed that is about Overleaf being down is not high, but it's high enough that it says a lot about who I follow.
December 3, 2024 at 1:47 PM
The percentage of my feed that is about Overleaf being down is not high, but it's high enough that it says a lot about who I follow.
Every Christmas when I was a kid, in addition to some traditional Christmas songs, my grandmother would have us sing the Union battle hymn "John Brown's body."
At the time, I did not appreciate that this was both (a) weird and (b) extremely cool.
Lyrics: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Br...
At the time, I did not appreciate that this was both (a) weird and (b) extremely cool.
Lyrics: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Br...
John Brown's Body - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown%27s_Body#Version_of_William_Weston_Patton[36]
December 2, 2024 at 4:29 PM
Every Christmas when I was a kid, in addition to some traditional Christmas songs, my grandmother would have us sing the Union battle hymn "John Brown's body."
At the time, I did not appreciate that this was both (a) weird and (b) extremely cool.
Lyrics: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Br...
At the time, I did not appreciate that this was both (a) weird and (b) extremely cool.
Lyrics: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Br...
I don't know if anyone who follows me on here will appreciate this meme but I was compelled to make it.
December 2, 2024 at 1:51 AM
I don't know if anyone who follows me on here will appreciate this meme but I was compelled to make it.
Graphs (and other visualizations) are one of primary means of scientific communication. To date, philosophers have treated visualizations as a species of picture.
This is too simple: visualizations require distinct choices with their own epistemic and ethical consquences. My work explores these.
This is too simple: visualizations require distinct choices with their own epistemic and ethical consquences. My work explores these.
Philosophers on Bluesky: Let's play a game! Explain your current research project in one skeet. I'll start in the replies below.
(Please feel free to reskeet(?) or reply to this skeet as you see fit and hopefully this will help more of us to connect here).
(Please feel free to reskeet(?) or reply to this skeet as you see fit and hopefully this will help more of us to connect here).
November 26, 2024 at 3:18 PM
Graphs (and other visualizations) are one of primary means of scientific communication. To date, philosophers have treated visualizations as a species of picture.
This is too simple: visualizations require distinct choices with their own epistemic and ethical consquences. My work explores these.
This is too simple: visualizations require distinct choices with their own epistemic and ethical consquences. My work explores these.