Lawrence Torcello
@ltorcello.bsky.social
Moral and Political Philosophy; Bioethics; Climate Change | Find me on Substack. https://open.substack.com/pub/ltorcello?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=54flpt
"Politicians seek to win elections, and stoking negative feelings such as fear and indignation are potent triggers of political behavior, including voting."
theconversation.com/blame-the-sh...
theconversation.com/blame-the-sh...
Blame the shutdown on citizens who prefer politicians to vanquish their opponents rather than to work for the common good
Politicians get blamed for government shutdowns. But does the fault lie also with citizens, who are more invested in punishing partisan rivals than in demanding competent government?
theconversation.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:28 AM
"Politicians seek to win elections, and stoking negative feelings such as fear and indignation are potent triggers of political behavior, including voting."
theconversation.com/blame-the-sh...
theconversation.com/blame-the-sh...
Reposted by Lawrence Torcello
Should (climate) polluters pay (for the damages they are knowing causing)? Of course they should. I know it, they know it, the American people know it (see below)—which is why they are using their rented friends in the White House and Congress to pass legislation to protect them from liability.
Voters Want to Make Polluters Pay, Oppose Efforts to Grant Oil and Gas Companies Immunity for Climate Damages
Across party lines, few trust oil and gas companies to prioritize consumers over profits.
www.dataforprogress.org
October 30, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Should (climate) polluters pay (for the damages they are knowing causing)? Of course they should. I know it, they know it, the American people know it (see below)—which is why they are using their rented friends in the White House and Congress to pass legislation to protect them from liability.
Reposted by Lawrence Torcello
If @billgates.bsky.social were to read #ScienceUnderSiege by @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social & myself, he would know that climate change is amplifying deadly pandemics. Only someone ignorant of the science adopts the fallacy that we can treat global health and the climate crisis as separate threats
“Bill Gates Calls for Redirecting of Climate Funds to Global Health” by John Koutroumpis for #GreekReporter:
greekreporter.com/2025/10/29/b...
greekreporter.com/2025/10/29/b...
Bill Gates Calls for Redirecting of Climate Funds to Global Health - GreekReporter.com
Bill Gates urges global donors to focus less on climate change and more on eradicating disease and hunger in the world’s poorest nations.
greekreporter.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:33 AM
If @billgates.bsky.social were to read #ScienceUnderSiege by @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social & myself, he would know that climate change is amplifying deadly pandemics. Only someone ignorant of the science adopts the fallacy that we can treat global health and the climate crisis as separate threats
Reposted by Lawrence Torcello
Just when Bill Gates is saying we shouldn't be aggressively dealing with climate change, scientists release a new assessment saying we're heading for ‘climate chaos.' Bad timing, Bill.
www.latimes.com/environment/...
www.latimes.com/environment/...
Humanity is on path toward 'climate chaos,' scientists warn
Global use of fossil fuels rose to a new record last year, releasing even more greenhouse gases. Humanity is 'hurtling toward climate chaos,' scientists warn.
www.latimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Just when Bill Gates is saying we shouldn't be aggressively dealing with climate change, scientists release a new assessment saying we're heading for ‘climate chaos.' Bad timing, Bill.
www.latimes.com/environment/...
www.latimes.com/environment/...
Reposted by Lawrence Torcello
If you take the time to read the whole Gates memo (which I did), the bulk of the content was mostly solid and encouraging. Really!
It was the FRAME that was off--very off, from the first line.
And when your framing is off, then how you make decisions and set priorities is off. THAT'S the problem.
It was the FRAME that was off--very off, from the first line.
And when your framing is off, then how you make decisions and set priorities is off. THAT'S the problem.
October 30, 2025 at 1:52 PM
If you take the time to read the whole Gates memo (which I did), the bulk of the content was mostly solid and encouraging. Really!
It was the FRAME that was off--very off, from the first line.
And when your framing is off, then how you make decisions and set priorities is off. THAT'S the problem.
It was the FRAME that was off--very off, from the first line.
And when your framing is off, then how you make decisions and set priorities is off. THAT'S the problem.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: we desperately need a greater emphasis on philosophy and the humanities as a whole in modern education if we are serious about addressing the real problems of the 21st century—from authoritarianism and disinformation to human-caused climate change.
www.sciencealert.com/teaching-chi...
#Philosophy #Vocabulary #Concepts #Perception #Meaning #Understanding #Purpose #ProblemSolving #Autonomy
#MTSS #MultiTieredSystemofSupports
#Tier1 #UniversalPrevention
#Philosophy #Vocabulary #Concepts #Perception #Meaning #Understanding #Purpose #ProblemSolving #Autonomy
#MTSS #MultiTieredSystemofSupports
#Tier1 #UniversalPrevention
Teaching Children Philosophy Can Improve Their Reading And Math Skills, Study Finds
Philosophy is the kind of class many of us might never get a chance to take until we reach university age, but recent research suggests that young people could benefit from being exposed to the study ...
www.sciencealert.com
October 19, 2025 at 7:42 PM
I have said it before, and I will say it again: we desperately need a greater emphasis on philosophy and the humanities as a whole in modern education if we are serious about addressing the real problems of the 21st century—from authoritarianism and disinformation to human-caused climate change.
Big, friendly, and peaceful No Kings anti-fascist turnout from all ages, with lots of veterans present, in the Rochester area once again today.
October 19, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Big, friendly, and peaceful No Kings anti-fascist turnout from all ages, with lots of veterans present, in the Rochester area once again today.
We can have no fellowship with tyrants. Rather, there can only be a clear severance of ties. -Cicero (On Duties)
October 18, 2025 at 4:11 AM
We can have no fellowship with tyrants. Rather, there can only be a clear severance of ties. -Cicero (On Duties)
Time for my yearly PSA: Columbus Day is to Italian immigrant heritage what Papa John's is to pizza—a contrived abomination.
theconversation.com/how-columbus...
theconversation.com/how-columbus...
How Columbus Day contributes to the cultural erasure of Italian Americans
Given Italian history, U.S. descendants of Italian immigrants have reason to reject their association with Columbus and stand in solidarity with indigenous groups as they reclaim their histories.
theconversation.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Time for my yearly PSA: Columbus Day is to Italian immigrant heritage what Papa John's is to pizza—a contrived abomination.
theconversation.com/how-columbus...
theconversation.com/how-columbus...
Jane Goodall was one of the lights of this world. There is much to be pessimistic about today, and though her passing is sad, it does us good, especially at this moment, to reflect on a life well lived and on what humanity can be at its best.
October 1, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Jane Goodall was one of the lights of this world. There is much to be pessimistic about today, and though her passing is sad, it does us good, especially at this moment, to reflect on a life well lived and on what humanity can be at its best.
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." -Benjamin Franklin
September 18, 2025 at 2:49 AM
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." -Benjamin Franklin
Reposted by Lawrence Torcello
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If I could just summarize 1 sentence from the new National Academy of Sciences study on climate, boldface, flashing red, it would be:
"the evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare created by human-caused GHGs is beyond scientific dispute."
BEYOND SCIENTIFIC DISPUTE
🚨🚨
If I could just summarize 1 sentence from the new National Academy of Sciences study on climate, boldface, flashing red, it would be:
"the evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare created by human-caused GHGs is beyond scientific dispute."
BEYOND SCIENTIFIC DISPUTE
🚨🚨
September 17, 2025 at 7:39 PM
🚨🚨
If I could just summarize 1 sentence from the new National Academy of Sciences study on climate, boldface, flashing red, it would be:
"the evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare created by human-caused GHGs is beyond scientific dispute."
BEYOND SCIENTIFIC DISPUTE
🚨🚨
If I could just summarize 1 sentence from the new National Academy of Sciences study on climate, boldface, flashing red, it would be:
"the evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare created by human-caused GHGs is beyond scientific dispute."
BEYOND SCIENTIFIC DISPUTE
🚨🚨
COVID booster done—quick and easy at my pharmacy, thanks to New York State’s responsible governor.
September 13, 2025 at 3:34 PM
COVID booster done—quick and easy at my pharmacy, thanks to New York State’s responsible governor.
It seems like a good time to remember the importance of caution in forming one's beliefs:
theconversation.com/bad-beliefs-...
theconversation.com/bad-beliefs-...
Bad beliefs: Misinformation is factually wrong – but is it ethically wrong, too?
A philosopher unpacks the ‘ethics of belief’ for an age awash in bad information.
theconversation.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:08 PM
It seems like a good time to remember the importance of caution in forming one's beliefs:
theconversation.com/bad-beliefs-...
theconversation.com/bad-beliefs-...
Watching the news, dogs sprawled out and relaxed… until a clip of RFK Jr. comes on. The moment they catch his voice and sense his awfulness, they become irritated, scanning the room for danger. RFK Jr.: distrusted by discerning dogs and humans alike.
September 5, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Watching the news, dogs sprawled out and relaxed… until a clip of RFK Jr. comes on. The moment they catch his voice and sense his awfulness, they become irritated, scanning the room for danger. RFK Jr.: distrusted by discerning dogs and humans alike.
A small sample from the long, good-humored line of protesters stretching blocks in Henrietta, NY—one of many Rochester-area suburbs showing up with demonstrations throughout the day.
June 14, 2025 at 10:14 PM
A small sample from the long, good-humored line of protesters stretching blocks in Henrietta, NY—one of many Rochester-area suburbs showing up with demonstrations throughout the day.
I wrote this in the wake of the college protests, but it applies to all peaceful protests. There’s a formula—and it has a strong historical track record.
theconversation.com/campus-prote...
theconversation.com/campus-prote...
Campus protests are part of an enduring legacy of civil disobedience improving American democracy
In most cases, it’s reasonable to expect that groups of protesters will abide by the law. But there are times when doing so diminishes the effectiveness of the protests.
theconversation.com
June 9, 2025 at 10:37 PM
I wrote this in the wake of the college protests, but it applies to all peaceful protests. There’s a formula—and it has a strong historical track record.
theconversation.com/campus-prote...
theconversation.com/campus-prote...
Trump is an actual insurrectionist felon who abuses his office to pardon other insurrectionists. His entire presidency depends on corrupt Republican senators abandoning their oath to protect the Constitution from domestic enemies. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
June 9, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Trump is an actual insurrectionist felon who abuses his office to pardon other insurrectionists. His entire presidency depends on corrupt Republican senators abandoning their oath to protect the Constitution from domestic enemies. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
The contrast between Trump’s support for the violent storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 and his deployment of the National Guard against comparatively peaceful protests in L.A. should be a clarifying moment of hypocrisy for anyone still capable of thinking in the United States.
June 8, 2025 at 9:55 PM
The contrast between Trump’s support for the violent storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 and his deployment of the National Guard against comparatively peaceful protests in L.A. should be a clarifying moment of hypocrisy for anyone still capable of thinking in the United States.
It seems a fitting day to repost this piece on the Laudato Si' encyclical and its lesson in public reason.
theconversation.com/the-pope-as-...
theconversation.com/the-pope-as-...
The pope as philosopher: faith, climate change and public reason
The papal encyclical uses moral arguments for environmental protection, yet as a philosophical statement, it’s a terrific example of “public reason.”
theconversation.com
April 26, 2025 at 12:57 PM
It seems a fitting day to repost this piece on the Laudato Si' encyclical and its lesson in public reason.
theconversation.com/the-pope-as-...
theconversation.com/the-pope-as-...
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April 17, 2025 at 6:17 PM
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"The uniqueness of the United States is that it is a nation founded and chartered on the Enlightenment ideals of universal rights—it is a nation founded on ideas."
open.substack.com/pub/ltorcell...
open.substack.com/pub/ltorcell...
The United States was founded on ideas that don’t require a visa
While the current majority party in Washington moves to detain and deport student protesters, the question of free speech, a free press, and their limits in the United States has emerged.
open.substack.com
April 12, 2025 at 10:01 PM
"The uniqueness of the United States is that it is a nation founded and chartered on the Enlightenment ideals of universal rights—it is a nation founded on ideas."
open.substack.com/pub/ltorcell...
open.substack.com/pub/ltorcell...
Headlines declaring a "victory" for Trump are overstating things. It is important not to feed the White House narrative--it is calculated to make opposition feel pointless, which is how you know they are terrified of building opposition.
Claim by the White House:
The Supreme Court ruling made it “very clear” that Trump was “well within his constitutional authority” to carry out deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
What the Supreme Court actually ruled:
The Supreme Court ruling made it “very clear” that Trump was “well within his constitutional authority” to carry out deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
What the Supreme Court actually ruled:
April 8, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Headlines declaring a "victory" for Trump are overstating things. It is important not to feed the White House narrative--it is calculated to make opposition feel pointless, which is how you know they are terrified of building opposition.
In short, the fleecing of America.
This has always been the GOP's strategy:
1) Cut taxes for the wealthy & corporations by claiming they'll pay for themselves.
2) Explode the deficit.
3) Demand cuts to vital programs that help millions.
4) Repeat.
They're trying to get away with it again.
1) Cut taxes for the wealthy & corporations by claiming they'll pay for themselves.
2) Explode the deficit.
3) Demand cuts to vital programs that help millions.
4) Repeat.
They're trying to get away with it again.
April 7, 2025 at 8:30 PM
In short, the fleecing of America.