Michael Cholbi
thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social
Michael Cholbi
@thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social
'No true Scotsman': US-ish philosopher HQ'd in Edinburgh. Death & dying, work & labor, Kantian ethics, paternalism, etc.. Unapologetic coffee snob. More at https://michael.cholbi.com/ and https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/michael-cholbi
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.

The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.

https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
February 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
In 1977 NASA launched the Voyager spacecraft, including a CD with the song Johnny B. Goode, on a mission to study the solar system & beyond.

The extraterrestrials who open it will get another CD every month from Columbia House at full price and be hounded for life by intergalactic debt collectors.
February 3, 2026 at 2:25 AM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
holy shit
In an interview with NPR, Melinda French Gates confirmed that she ended her marriage with Bill Gates because of allegations contained in the Epstein files.
February 3, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
I want to laugh at it but sadly it’s true.
February 3, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
February 2, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Great review, including one of the best media corrections ever! www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ja...
February 2, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
"This is, in many ways, the dynamic that defines reactionary centrism: the right must be understood, but never blamed. The left can be blamed, but need not be understood." - @polphilpod.bsky.social

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/709...
What is a reactionary centrist, and does the UK have them?
A term favoured by US progressives can help us understand Britain’s drift to the right
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
February 2, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
Opposition to universal basic income from the left tends to lean on "Why include the rich and not just target the poor?" Here's a table I made to help understand. Means-testing means both false negative and false positive errors. Universality means no more false negative errors, which can be fatal.
January 31, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
DOJ has since killed this link. This is what was there:
January 30, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Fellini on fascism and 'adolescence'
January 30, 2026 at 8:52 AM
My latest death, dying, and the emotions: We worry about 'dying alone' -- but we should probably be worried about dying *lonely* instead. Dementia will often mean dying lonely, but surprisingly, we don't have reason to fear dying lonely while demented philpapers.org/rec/CHODAD-4
January 29, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
A federal judge, in a published order, so very much on the record:

“ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
January 28, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
Incredible slate of presentations planned for our biennial conference in Tokyo! A teaser: animal grief, posthumous privacy, Beauvoir on dying, consenting to cryonics, deathbed regrets. Registration info here - deadline to register May 22. www.philosophyofdeath.org/sixth-bienni...
Sixth biennial conference, Tokyo - Philosophy of Death
IAPDD will be holding its sixth biennial conference June 9-11, 2026 at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. Program presenters and titles Kiki Berk, Resisting Death: Beauvoir’s Philosophy of Dying Adam Bu...
www.philosophyofdeath.org
January 28, 2026 at 9:47 AM
Amazon Web Services really cutting me down to size
January 28, 2026 at 8:19 AM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
If only university leaders worked as hard as the pub lobby: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Pubs to get support package after business rates backlash
Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson says the three-year aid is worth £1,650 for the average pub in 2026/27.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 27, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
Three new king penguins have arrived at @edinburghzoo.bsky.social - Constance, Maude and Alma
January 27, 2026 at 10:13 AM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust, and the millions of others killed under Nazi persecution.

We honour survivors and renew our commitment to a country where all can live, worship and gather in safety.
January 27, 2026 at 12:29 PM
How Minneapolis gave the lie to MAGA assumptions about American virtue: "The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone." archive.is/IE7Dv
archive.is
January 27, 2026 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
Protesters in Los Angeles projected an anti-ICE video onto the Twin Towers, an ICE-linked detention facility where the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department actively collaborates with ICE for deportation screenings.
January 25, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
Minnesota shifting narrative from "rabble rousing protesters" vs "law enforcement" to "people of conscience" vs "evil regime." This is essential to defeating authoritarianism - exposing who, what & why they are by demonstrating who, what & why we are.
And MAGA knows it.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/p...
Trump privately frustrated that he risks losing control of immigration message amid Minnesota chaos | CNN Politics
The ongoing protests and images coming out of Minnesota have prompted concerns from some Trump administration officials over the optics of the immigration crackdown as Americans grow alarmed by the ch...
www.cnn.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:56 AM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
Best use of this meme i’ve ever seen
January 22, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Michael Cholbi
I 💙 this scene from Fellini's "Amarcord" -
Poetic, melancholic, utter beauty.
#Fellini #Amarcord #Movies #Films
The First Snow, The Peacock and Gnossienne
YouTube video by Tengiz Verulava
www.youtube.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:16 PM
'philosophy is the most productive force ever discovered by human beings and we are responsible for modernity. Philosophy is the great gear deep in the heart of the world, and when that gear moves, the Earth trembles' hilariusbookbinder.substack.com/p/why-philos...
Why Philosophy Matters
Its true and final value: a rant
hilariusbookbinder.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:49 PM