Josh May
@joshdmay.bsky.social
Prof. of Philosophy (and Psychology) at UAB | Neuroethics (OUP 2023) | Writes about moral controversies and the brain | joshdmay.substack.com
The best analogy for social media is alcohol. Can you have a healthy relationship with it? Sure, but many don’t. Bad for society? Maybe on the whole, though problematic use is explained by both demand & supply. Should adults be free to use? Of course. Should 13-year-olds be regular users? Hell no.
November 9, 2025 at 4:59 PM
The best analogy for social media is alcohol. Can you have a healthy relationship with it? Sure, but many don’t. Bad for society? Maybe on the whole, though problematic use is explained by both demand & supply. Should adults be free to use? Of course. Should 13-year-olds be regular users? Hell no.
We're hiring! Philosophers: Do you know someone working in applied ethics, especially bioethics and/or AI ethics? Let them know about this fantastic tenure-track job at UAB! Birmingham is wonderful, as is UAB and our Philosophy Department. Deadline = Nov. 20. philjobs.org
October 28, 2025 at 6:07 PM
We're hiring! Philosophers: Do you know someone working in applied ethics, especially bioethics and/or AI ethics? Let them know about this fantastic tenure-track job at UAB! Birmingham is wonderful, as is UAB and our Philosophy Department. Deadline = Nov. 20. philjobs.org
New post based on a lecture I gave in memory of Robin Lester, a neuroscientist and beloved member of the UAB community.
joshdmay.substack.com
joshdmay.substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 1:41 PM
New post based on a lecture I gave in memory of Robin Lester, a neuroscientist and beloved member of the UAB community.
joshdmay.substack.com
joshdmay.substack.com
The best set of teaching tips I’ve ever seen, which I’ve long tried to follow. This tip certainly deserves to sit in the #1 slot. It’s also the reason I feel absolutely exhausted after a day of teaching three classes!
19 pieces of teaching advice
Because it's a new semester
open.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 1:08 PM
The best set of teaching tips I’ve ever seen, which I’ve long tried to follow. This tip certainly deserves to sit in the #1 slot. It’s also the reason I feel absolutely exhausted after a day of teaching three classes!
Interesting approach to AI in humanities courses with writing assignments.
You Don’t Need an AI Policy — You Need Two (guest post) - Daily Nous
What will tell your students about whether and how they may use AI for work you assign? It depends on the students, right? That's the main idea behind today's guest post by Victor Kumar (Boston Univer...
dailynous.com
August 26, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Interesting approach to AI in humanities courses with writing assignments.
The opening post on my Substack, Motivated Reasonings. Come for the self-flagellation, stay for the Matthew McConaughey quotes.
Confessions of a Motivated Reasoner
How Bias Shapes Politics, Science, and Everyday Life
joshdmay.substack.com
August 25, 2025 at 3:42 PM
The opening post on my Substack, Motivated Reasonings. Come for the self-flagellation, stay for the Matthew McConaughey quotes.
"broad and carefully executed, offering a wealth of insights" Really thoughtful review of my Neuroethics book in NDPR by Andrea Lavazza. ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/neur...
Neuroethics: Agency in the Age of Brain Science
Neuroethics is a young discipline with still-blurred boundaries, situated at the crossroads of neurology and philosophy. Yet it has successfully positio...
ndpr.nd.edu
July 23, 2025 at 4:08 PM
"broad and carefully executed, offering a wealth of insights" Really thoughtful review of my Neuroethics book in NDPR by Andrea Lavazza. ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/neur...
What a privilege to engage with these commentaries on my Neuroethics book, all in an open access journal. Really grateful for their thoughts and to Carolyn Dicey-Jennings for facilitating it. 🙏
philosophymindscience.org/index.php/ph...
philosophymindscience.org/index.php/ph...
July 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM
What a privilege to engage with these commentaries on my Neuroethics book, all in an open access journal. Really grateful for their thoughts and to Carolyn Dicey-Jennings for facilitating it. 🙏
philosophymindscience.org/index.php/ph...
philosophymindscience.org/index.php/ph...
Why do liberal professors value tradition and hate bureaucracy within their own workplaces but not outside them? I suggest an answer:
Why Are Liberal Professors More Conservative On Campus? (guest post) - Daily Nous
"Academics pride themselves on critical thinking and intellectual virtues. But intellectual honesty demands that we recognize when we are applying principles selectively." In the following guest post,...
dailynous.com
June 17, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Why do liberal professors value tradition and hate bureaucracy within their own workplaces but not outside them? I suggest an answer:
New article coming out in Neuroethics! I started thinking about neurodiversity while in Rajesh Kana's autism lab. This paper has been years in the making, evolving through redrafting many times. Grateful to the many who provided feedback! 🙏
Joshua May, Neurodiversity with Nuance - PhilPapers
The neurodiversity movement grew out of the autism community but is now being applied to many neurological types, from dyslexia to schizophrenia. The resulting neurodiversity paradigm maintains that t...
philpapers.org
May 23, 2025 at 1:21 PM
New article coming out in Neuroethics! I started thinking about neurodiversity while in Rajesh Kana's autism lab. This paper has been years in the making, evolving through redrafting many times. Grateful to the many who provided feedback! 🙏
Are autism, ADHD, and other neurotypes deficits or mere differences? The question rests on a mistake. Or so I argue in this short piece.
Why we should think of neurodiversity like we do personality | Psyche Ideas
It’s a mistake to frame autistic and ADHD traits as either deficits or mere differences. There’s another way to see them
psyche.co
April 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Are autism, ADHD, and other neurotypes deficits or mere differences? The question rests on a mistake. Or so I argue in this short piece.
While it’s still February… the best Valentines from UAB Philosophy Instagram ♥️
February 24, 2025 at 4:06 PM
While it’s still February… the best Valentines from UAB Philosophy Instagram ♥️
Think you should eat fewer animal products but aren't convinced everyone must go vegan? You may like our new article in the Journal of Moral Philosophy (w/@victorkumar.bsky.social). Lot of labor and love poured into his one. Pretty sure it's the first philosophical defense of a #reducetarian view.
Joshua May & Victor Kumar, Eating Fewer Animals: A Defense of Reducetarianism - PhilPapers
Moral arguments against the consumption of animal products from factory farms are traditionally categorical. The conclusions require people to eliminate from their diets all animal products (veganism)...
philpapers.org
February 23, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Think you should eat fewer animal products but aren't convinced everyone must go vegan? You may like our new article in the Journal of Moral Philosophy (w/@victorkumar.bsky.social). Lot of labor and love poured into his one. Pretty sure it's the first philosophical defense of a #reducetarian view.