Sebastian Dieguez
@sebastiandieguez.bsky.social
Cognition, neuroscience, belief, fiction.
Author: Total bullshit (2018), Le Complotisme: cognition, culture, société (2021), Croiver (2022), L’Expertise sans peine (2023), La Force de nos bugs (2023)
https://sites.google.com/view/sebastian-dieguez/home
Author: Total bullshit (2018), Le Complotisme: cognition, culture, société (2021), Croiver (2022), L’Expertise sans peine (2023), La Force de nos bugs (2023)
https://sites.google.com/view/sebastian-dieguez/home
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
The Project 2025 author is using millions of dollars in USAID money for his own security detail.
It is estimated that 762,000 people have *already died* as a result of Elon Musk and Russell Vought’s obscene murder of USAID, including more than 500,000 children.
Vought is a mass murderer.
It is estimated that 762,000 people have *already died* as a result of Elon Musk and Russell Vought’s obscene murder of USAID, including more than 500,000 children.
Vought is a mass murderer.
Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:46 PM
The Project 2025 author is using millions of dollars in USAID money for his own security detail.
It is estimated that 762,000 people have *already died* as a result of Elon Musk and Russell Vought’s obscene murder of USAID, including more than 500,000 children.
Vought is a mass murderer.
It is estimated that 762,000 people have *already died* as a result of Elon Musk and Russell Vought’s obscene murder of USAID, including more than 500,000 children.
Vought is a mass murderer.
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Finally out!
TLDR: People don't feel shit cause they believe wild conspiracy theories, they believe CTs cause they feel shit. CT beliefs are often confabulations explaining their existential predicament. I drew on LOTS empirical stuff to try & make this defeasible:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
TLDR: People don't feel shit cause they believe wild conspiracy theories, they believe CTs cause they feel shit. CT beliefs are often confabulations explaining their existential predicament. I drew on LOTS empirical stuff to try & make this defeasible:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Are Conspiracy Theorists Confabulating? - Review of Philosophy and Psychology
In this paper, I outline the mechanisms of confabulation and how these mechanisms facilitate not only the maintenance of belief in conspiracy theories, but also their initial adoption. I argue by infe...
link.springer.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Finally out!
TLDR: People don't feel shit cause they believe wild conspiracy theories, they believe CTs cause they feel shit. CT beliefs are often confabulations explaining their existential predicament. I drew on LOTS empirical stuff to try & make this defeasible:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
TLDR: People don't feel shit cause they believe wild conspiracy theories, they believe CTs cause they feel shit. CT beliefs are often confabulations explaining their existential predicament. I drew on LOTS empirical stuff to try & make this defeasible:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Oh yay, evolutionary psychology now being cited by the UK’s far right party to justify their Handmaid’s Tale vision of the future
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
February 14, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Oh yay, evolutionary psychology now being cited by the UK’s far right party to justify their Handmaid’s Tale vision of the future
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Palantir is suing the #Swiss magazine "Republik" following a two-part investigative report published in December 2025.
The Swiss journal's articles detailed how #Palantir was actively trying to influence Swiss politics, federal authorities and the Swiss army.
www.republik.ch/2025/12/08/w...
The Swiss journal's articles detailed how #Palantir was actively trying to influence Swiss politics, federal authorities and the Swiss army.
www.republik.ch/2025/12/08/w...
February 13, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Palantir is suing the #Swiss magazine "Republik" following a two-part investigative report published in December 2025.
The Swiss journal's articles detailed how #Palantir was actively trying to influence Swiss politics, federal authorities and the Swiss army.
www.republik.ch/2025/12/08/w...
The Swiss journal's articles detailed how #Palantir was actively trying to influence Swiss politics, federal authorities and the Swiss army.
www.republik.ch/2025/12/08/w...
Imagine, tu écris un livre et le type qui te fait la préface plagie en fait quelqu’un d’autre…
En 2007, Etienne Klein signe la préface de l'ouvrage de Pierre Darriulat, intitulé « Réflexions sur la science contemporaine ».
On retrouve grosso modo les mêmes emprunts.
Claude Lebru n'est jamais cité.
On retrouve grosso modo les mêmes emprunts.
Claude Lebru n'est jamais cité.
February 13, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Imagine, tu écris un livre et le type qui te fait la préface plagie en fait quelqu’un d’autre…
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
I always thought preschoolers were too egocentric to do well on communication tasks where they had to talk about novel referents. Old papers reported they'd say stuff like "this one looks like my uncle's hat."
@vboyce.bsky.social shows that this is wrong!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
@vboyce.bsky.social shows that this is wrong!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
February 12, 2026 at 11:38 PM
I always thought preschoolers were too egocentric to do well on communication tasks where they had to talk about novel referents. Old papers reported they'd say stuff like "this one looks like my uncle's hat."
@vboyce.bsky.social shows that this is wrong!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
@vboyce.bsky.social shows that this is wrong!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
❗❗ PALANTIR IS SUING US❗❗ Because of our reporting on the #SwissPalantirFiles.
More specifically, #Palantir is suing #RepublikMagazine, with whom we (@adfichter.bsky.social, Lorenz Naegeli, Jennifer Steiner,Balz Oertli & me) published our major investigation in collab with #WAVRecherchekollektiv
More specifically, #Palantir is suing #RepublikMagazine, with whom we (@adfichter.bsky.social, Lorenz Naegeli, Jennifer Steiner,Balz Oertli & me) published our major investigation in collab with #WAVRecherchekollektiv
February 12, 2026 at 11:53 AM
❗❗ PALANTIR IS SUING US❗❗ Because of our reporting on the #SwissPalantirFiles.
More specifically, #Palantir is suing #RepublikMagazine, with whom we (@adfichter.bsky.social, Lorenz Naegeli, Jennifer Steiner,Balz Oertli & me) published our major investigation in collab with #WAVRecherchekollektiv
More specifically, #Palantir is suing #RepublikMagazine, with whom we (@adfichter.bsky.social, Lorenz Naegeli, Jennifer Steiner,Balz Oertli & me) published our major investigation in collab with #WAVRecherchekollektiv
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Very happy to see "Pretending not to know reveals a capacity for model-based self-simulation", a collaboration with @chazfirestone.bsky.social and @ianbphillips.bsky.social, out in Psych. Science!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177...
🧵
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177...
🧵
February 10, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Very happy to see "Pretending not to know reveals a capacity for model-based self-simulation", a collaboration with @chazfirestone.bsky.social and @ianbphillips.bsky.social, out in Psych. Science!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177...
🧵
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177...
🧵
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
free video for intro lectures on auditory perception
February 8, 2026 at 3:14 AM
free video for intro lectures on auditory perception
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
"The Self-Evidencing Agent" - my new book - is out now with @mitpress.bsky.social
Can be purchased, or just download the whole thing for free, via the 'Open Access' option.
I'm grateful to @anilseth.bsky.social and Karl Friston for the generous endorsements.
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255389...
Can be purchased, or just download the whole thing for free, via the 'Open Access' option.
I'm grateful to @anilseth.bsky.social and Karl Friston for the generous endorsements.
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255389...
The Self-Evidencing Agent
What is it to be a human individual, an agent? According to Jakob Hohwy, it is to “self-evidence,” to actively seek out sensory evidence for one&...
mitpress.mit.edu
February 7, 2026 at 8:21 AM
"The Self-Evidencing Agent" - my new book - is out now with @mitpress.bsky.social
Can be purchased, or just download the whole thing for free, via the 'Open Access' option.
I'm grateful to @anilseth.bsky.social and Karl Friston for the generous endorsements.
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255389...
Can be purchased, or just download the whole thing for free, via the 'Open Access' option.
I'm grateful to @anilseth.bsky.social and Karl Friston for the generous endorsements.
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255389...
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Older adults do well at identifying misinformation, but they’re also likelier than younger adults to like & share it online.
Why? Older adults have stronger tendency to seek out & believe information that supports pre-existing views while avoiding conflicting data news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Why? Older adults have stronger tendency to seek out & believe information that supports pre-existing views while avoiding conflicting data news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Why are older adults more likely to share misinformation online? — Harvard Gazette
They have greater tendency to seek out, believe material that conforms to pre-existing views, expert says.
news.harvard.edu
February 7, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Older adults do well at identifying misinformation, but they’re also likelier than younger adults to like & share it online.
Why? Older adults have stronger tendency to seek out & believe information that supports pre-existing views while avoiding conflicting data news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Why? Older adults have stronger tendency to seek out & believe information that supports pre-existing views while avoiding conflicting data news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
For those interested in the longer history of IQ and the like, new book by an excellent historian 👇
“Smart: A History of Intelligence” by David Brydan (published with @wearefootnote.bsky.social) is out for the world to read!
The book explores the people and projects that have shaped the idea of modern intelligence.
📚 tinyurl.com/mr2t7e3s
@kingshistory.bsky.social
#histsci #intelligence #histm
The book explores the people and projects that have shaped the idea of modern intelligence.
📚 tinyurl.com/mr2t7e3s
@kingshistory.bsky.social
#histsci #intelligence #histm
Smart
We encounter the idea of intelligence everywhere in our modern lives. Parents are told that their children will grow up smart if they are made to listen to Mozart, play with the right toys, and eat…
tinyurl.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
For those interested in the longer history of IQ and the like, new book by an excellent historian 👇
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
J'ai ajouté ce schéma-résumé à l'article d'aujourd'hui :
February 6, 2026 at 9:26 AM
J'ai ajouté ce schéma-résumé à l'article d'aujourd'hui :
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
There have been increasingly shrill accusations against the EU over its digital legislation, based on accusations of "censorship" by defenders of "free speech" -- including, so it appears, the right to peddle an AI app that seemingly produces child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
1/9
1/9
February 5, 2026 at 7:21 PM
There have been increasingly shrill accusations against the EU over its digital legislation, based on accusations of "censorship" by defenders of "free speech" -- including, so it appears, the right to peddle an AI app that seemingly produces child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
1/9
1/9
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
The Edge’s culture was centered on elitism. The “third culture” promulgated by Brockman split science between great idea generators (mostly white men) and menial data collectors. This is pure idealism, and misinformation that science was just great ideas rather than the messy reality of research.
This gets to some important points. There was always something cold, even chilling, about Brockman's "Edge" culture. That feeling still pervades some scientific circles. There's a real problem here that won't go away with Epstein.
www.theverge.com/2019/9/19/20...
www.theverge.com/2019/9/19/20...
Jeffrey Epstein infiltrated science because it was ready to accommodate him
What could “nerd tunnel vision” possibly mean?
www.theverge.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:28 PM
The Edge’s culture was centered on elitism. The “third culture” promulgated by Brockman split science between great idea generators (mostly white men) and menial data collectors. This is pure idealism, and misinformation that science was just great ideas rather than the messy reality of research.
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Most people can call up pictures in their minds, visualizing the past & summoning images of the future. But for ~4% of us, such mental imagery is weak or absent. New edition of @nature.com has a nice introduction to how research on this phenomenon (aphantasia) opens up novel windows into the brain.🧪
Many people have no mental imagery. What’s going on in their brains?
People with aphantasia are offering a window into consciousness.
www.nature.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Most people can call up pictures in their minds, visualizing the past & summoning images of the future. But for ~4% of us, such mental imagery is weak or absent. New edition of @nature.com has a nice introduction to how research on this phenomenon (aphantasia) opens up novel windows into the brain.🧪
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
If you truly believe that social media platforms are harmful places, the idea that the government now makes a list of vulnerable people and bans them from these platforms, e.g. based on age, is not a sensible or good faith solution.
Regulate the platforms instead, for everybody.
Regulate the platforms instead, for everybody.
February 4, 2026 at 8:32 AM
If you truly believe that social media platforms are harmful places, the idea that the government now makes a list of vulnerable people and bans them from these platforms, e.g. based on age, is not a sensible or good faith solution.
Regulate the platforms instead, for everybody.
Regulate the platforms instead, for everybody.
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Check out our Perspective now published in Nature Mental Heath:
Confronting Crisis and Reclaiming Purpose in Psychological Science
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-025-00575-4
Confronting Crisis and Reclaiming Purpose in Psychological Science
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-025-00575-4
Confronting crisis and reclaiming purpose in psychological science - Nature Mental Health
This Perspective study highlights the necessity for paradigm shifts in psychopathology research, emphasizing resourcefulness, coalition-building and outreach to enhance assessment, diagnosis and treat...
www.nature.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Check out our Perspective now published in Nature Mental Heath:
Confronting Crisis and Reclaiming Purpose in Psychological Science
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-025-00575-4
Confronting Crisis and Reclaiming Purpose in Psychological Science
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-025-00575-4
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Why is Charles Murray watching Bridgerton
February 3, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Why is Charles Murray watching Bridgerton
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
Academics vying for a spot in Epstein‘s world. There are so many. I feel the need to make a thread, so I don’t keep confusing them. 1/
January 31, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Academics vying for a spot in Epstein‘s world. There are so many. I feel the need to make a thread, so I don’t keep confusing them. 1/
This is an important but frequently neglected point. « Transparency » is important for all sorts of reasons, but it is not, and never will be, a remedy against conspiracism. In fact, it is fuel for conspiracism.
People smarter than me have surely thought about this before, but it seems as if there's such a thing as disinformation through over-information. When you release millions of unsorted documents on the web, it becomes a kind of construction kit for anybody to build their own conspiracy myth
February 3, 2026 at 9:00 AM
This is an important but frequently neglected point. « Transparency » is important for all sorts of reasons, but it is not, and never will be, a remedy against conspiracism. In fact, it is fuel for conspiracism.
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
#AcademicSky #PsychSciSky
When I ask you to EXPLAIN or INTERPRET your research findings....
... and you point again to your findings, descriptively.
When I ask you to EXPLAIN or INTERPRET your research findings....
... and you point again to your findings, descriptively.
February 1, 2026 at 5:27 PM
#AcademicSky #PsychSciSky
When I ask you to EXPLAIN or INTERPRET your research findings....
... and you point again to your findings, descriptively.
When I ask you to EXPLAIN or INTERPRET your research findings....
... and you point again to your findings, descriptively.
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
I was curious about the fact that there were seemingly no women scientists mentioned, even of equivalent caliber, and came across what is, seemingly, beef between Epstein and Brockman debating whether "the women are all weak" or not
February 1, 2026 at 5:21 PM
I was curious about the fact that there were seemingly no women scientists mentioned, even of equivalent caliber, and came across what is, seemingly, beef between Epstein and Brockman debating whether "the women are all weak" or not
Reposted by Sebastian Dieguez
This is a truly timeless piece... harpers.org/archive/1941...
February 1, 2026 at 12:28 PM
This is a truly timeless piece... harpers.org/archive/1941...