Matthew J Brown
@thehangedman.com
Boydston Chair of American Philosophy, Director, Center for Dewey Studies at SIU Carbondale. @deweycenter.siu.edu
Editor: @hoposjournal.bsky.social
Dewey, Pragmatism, HPS, HOPOS, values in science, TTRPGs, comics.
Website: https://thehangedman.com/
Editor: @hoposjournal.bsky.social
Dewey, Pragmatism, HPS, HOPOS, values in science, TTRPGs, comics.
Website: https://thehangedman.com/
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
Happy 166th Birthday to America's Philosopher, John Dewey! 🎉🎂
October 20, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Happy 166th Birthday to America's Philosopher, John Dewey! 🎉🎂
I notice that Heterodox Academy has vociferously condemned the killing of Charlie Kirk, but has said nothing about the recent firings in Texas over course content or exercise of free speech. Hmmm...
Anyhow, I'm gonna bounce from social media for a while. Reach out if you want to join my Discord.
Anyhow, I'm gonna bounce from social media for a while. Reach out if you want to join my Discord.
September 16, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I notice that Heterodox Academy has vociferously condemned the killing of Charlie Kirk, but has said nothing about the recent firings in Texas over course content or exercise of free speech. Hmmm...
Anyhow, I'm gonna bounce from social media for a while. Reach out if you want to join my Discord.
Anyhow, I'm gonna bounce from social media for a while. Reach out if you want to join my Discord.
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
Report: You To Be Fired For Reading This Headline About Charlie Kirk
Report: You To Be Fired For Reading This Headline About Charlie Kirk
NEW YORK—Insisting your fate was sealed the moment you clicked the link, a report released Tuesday found that you will be fired for reading this headline about Charlie Kirk. “Shortly after you navigat...
theonion.com
September 16, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Report: You To Be Fired For Reading This Headline About Charlie Kirk
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
My new paper on Susan Stebbing's early debate with F.C.S. Schiller on the Pragmatist theory of truth has just been published in Synthese. #philsky
(Free access using this link: rdcu.be/eEdDT )
(Free access using this link: rdcu.be/eEdDT )
The working of truths: Stebbing’s debate with Schiller - Synthese
Synthese - According to the standard account, early analytic philosophy clashed with Pragmatism when Moore and Russell attacked the James-Schiller theory of truth from 1908 onwards. While recent...
link.springer.com
September 5, 2025 at 5:53 AM
My new paper on Susan Stebbing's early debate with F.C.S. Schiller on the Pragmatist theory of truth has just been published in Synthese. #philsky
(Free access using this link: rdcu.be/eEdDT )
(Free access using this link: rdcu.be/eEdDT )
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
Outgoing #HOPOS editor Lydia Patton reflects on seven years at the journal.
Later in the Fall, look out for Editor in Chief Matthew J. Brown's statement of editorial vision as he takes the reins of a journal now in its 15th year of publication.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10....
Later in the Fall, look out for Editor in Chief Matthew J. Brown's statement of editorial vision as he takes the reins of a journal now in its 15th year of publication.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10....
Serendipity and the Unexpected in the History of Philosophy of Science: Reflections on My Editorship of HOPOS (2017–2024) | HOPOS: The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science: Vol 15, No 1
www.journals.uchicago.edu
September 12, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Outgoing #HOPOS editor Lydia Patton reflects on seven years at the journal.
Later in the Fall, look out for Editor in Chief Matthew J. Brown's statement of editorial vision as he takes the reins of a journal now in its 15th year of publication.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10....
Later in the Fall, look out for Editor in Chief Matthew J. Brown's statement of editorial vision as he takes the reins of a journal now in its 15th year of publication.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
...That stretch constitutes inference.” – John Dewey, Experience and Nature (1929, LW 1: 12-13).
Monday 9/1 is the last day of early bird registration for our Experience and Nature Centennial Conference in October. Find out more at:
deweycenter.siu.edu/center-event...
(3/3)
Monday 9/1 is the last day of early bird registration for our Experience and Nature Centennial Conference in October. Find out more at:
deweycenter.siu.edu/center-event...
(3/3)
Upcoming Conference | Center for Dewey Studies | SIU
deweycenter.siu.edu
August 29, 2025 at 3:27 PM
...That stretch constitutes inference.” – John Dewey, Experience and Nature (1929, LW 1: 12-13).
Monday 9/1 is the last day of early bird registration for our Experience and Nature Centennial Conference in October. Find out more at:
deweycenter.siu.edu/center-event...
(3/3)
Monday 9/1 is the last day of early bird registration for our Experience and Nature Centennial Conference in October. Find out more at:
deweycenter.siu.edu/center-event...
(3/3)
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
...Linked in certain other ways with another natural object–the human organism–they are how things are experienced as well. Experience thus reaches down into nature; it has depth. It also has breadth and to an indefinitely elastic extent. It stretches.... (2/3)
Upcoming Conference | Center for Dewey Studies | SIU
deweycenter.siu.edu
August 29, 2025 at 3:27 PM
...Linked in certain other ways with another natural object–the human organism–they are how things are experienced as well. Experience thus reaches down into nature; it has depth. It also has breadth and to an indefinitely elastic extent. It stretches.... (2/3)
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
“[Experience] is of as well as in nature. It is not experience which is experienced, but nature– stones, plants, animals, diseases, health, temperature, electricity, and so on. Things interacting in certain ways are experience; they are what is experienced.... (1/3)
![John Dewey chopping wood with a quote from his book, Experience and Nature, which reads “[No] philosopher can get away from experience even if he wants to.” Citation: Experience and Nature, 1929, Late works 1, page 36](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qzxbt32q5k2p6tuiygwjkymy/bafkreigjwfxdp3xp4jedeijarxjofi5eiz5cowsxmd3y6ll3ntxc32jtre@jpeg)
August 29, 2025 at 3:27 PM
“[Experience] is of as well as in nature. It is not experience which is experienced, but nature– stones, plants, animals, diseases, health, temperature, electricity, and so on. Things interacting in certain ways are experience; they are what is experienced.... (1/3)
Fake small-town "Autumn Festival" shirts at the outlet mall.
August 23, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Fake small-town "Autumn Festival" shirts at the outlet mall.
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
This Fall, the Center for Dewey Studies Reading Group will discuss Reconstruction in Philosophy (1920). Email deweycenter@siu.edu to join and get a 30% off the book from SIU Press at www.siupress.com. (1/3)
August 20, 2025 at 6:09 PM
This Fall, the Center for Dewey Studies Reading Group will discuss Reconstruction in Philosophy (1920). Email deweycenter@siu.edu to join and get a 30% off the book from SIU Press at www.siupress.com. (1/3)
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
Should we ditch elections, cancel politicians, and hand over decision-making power to a small and randomly selected group of fellow citizens?
Here I review the case for and against two proposals: Alex Guerrero’s “lottocracy” and Hélène Landemore’s “open democracy.”
Link in first comment.
Here I review the case for and against two proposals: Alex Guerrero’s “lottocracy” and Hélène Landemore’s “open democracy.”
Link in first comment.
August 19, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Should we ditch elections, cancel politicians, and hand over decision-making power to a small and randomly selected group of fellow citizens?
Here I review the case for and against two proposals: Alex Guerrero’s “lottocracy” and Hélène Landemore’s “open democracy.”
Link in first comment.
Here I review the case for and against two proposals: Alex Guerrero’s “lottocracy” and Hélène Landemore’s “open democracy.”
Link in first comment.
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
I'll admit, I was skeptical when they said Gemini was just like a bunch of PhDs. But I gotta admit they nailed it.
August 17, 2025 at 1:51 PM
I'll admit, I was skeptical when they said Gemini was just like a bunch of PhDs. But I gotta admit they nailed it.
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
Oh good. We've reached the "I don't have to be faster than the bear, I only have to be less woke than you" stage of faculty solidarity. archive.is/wGNDr
August 14, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Oh good. We've reached the "I don't have to be faster than the bear, I only have to be less woke than you" stage of faculty solidarity. archive.is/wGNDr
I recommend this video as a diagnosis of the current trend of the retreat of democracy, but also and more so as the start of a conversation on reversing that trend.
youtu.be/lvTBRPoZhqM?...
youtu.be/lvTBRPoZhqM?...
Is democracy dying? | Dave Troy | TEDxBerlin
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
youtu.be
August 12, 2025 at 9:34 PM
I recommend this video as a diagnosis of the current trend of the retreat of democracy, but also and more so as the start of a conversation on reversing that trend.
youtu.be/lvTBRPoZhqM?...
youtu.be/lvTBRPoZhqM?...
I started a post on Facebook that got really long, so I decided to dust off the old blog and post it there. It is about the hopeful way things used to feel, and how all that hope (along with most of the progress of the prior century) has evaporated. thehangedman.com/politics/the...
The Loss of Hope
It feels like in the last 10 years all the hope and most of the progress of the prior century have evaporated.
thehangedman.com
August 12, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I started a post on Facebook that got really long, so I decided to dust off the old blog and post it there. It is about the hopeful way things used to feel, and how all that hope (along with most of the progress of the prior century) has evaporated. thehangedman.com/politics/the...
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
Greg Radick takes over as the new editor-in-chief of journal Metascience (thanks to Greg for this service)!
And ICYMI, Metascience now has a Bluesky account ⬇️
@metasciencejournal.bsky.social Welcome to Bsky Metascience & congrats on the great new editor!
#HPS
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
And ICYMI, Metascience now has a Bluesky account ⬇️
@metasciencejournal.bsky.social Welcome to Bsky Metascience & congrats on the great new editor!
#HPS
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
August 7, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Greg Radick takes over as the new editor-in-chief of journal Metascience (thanks to Greg for this service)!
And ICYMI, Metascience now has a Bluesky account ⬇️
@metasciencejournal.bsky.social Welcome to Bsky Metascience & congrats on the great new editor!
#HPS
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
And ICYMI, Metascience now has a Bluesky account ⬇️
@metasciencejournal.bsky.social Welcome to Bsky Metascience & congrats on the great new editor!
#HPS
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
So delighted to welcome Prof. Heather Douglas to The HPS Podcast!
In this illuminating conversation, we explore the history & legacy of the “value-free ideal.” Heather offers insights on the evolving responsibilities of scientists, and presents her bold vision for a new social contract for science.
In this illuminating conversation, we explore the history & legacy of the “value-free ideal.” Heather offers insights on the evolving responsibilities of scientists, and presents her bold vision for a new social contract for science.
S5 E4 - Heather Douglas on Rethinking Science’s Social Contract
The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science · Episode
open.spotify.com
August 7, 2025 at 1:01 PM
So delighted to welcome Prof. Heather Douglas to The HPS Podcast!
In this illuminating conversation, we explore the history & legacy of the “value-free ideal.” Heather offers insights on the evolving responsibilities of scientists, and presents her bold vision for a new social contract for science.
In this illuminating conversation, we explore the history & legacy of the “value-free ideal.” Heather offers insights on the evolving responsibilities of scientists, and presents her bold vision for a new social contract for science.
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
the trump administration is selling its war on higher education as a strike against the elites who have disadvantaged ordinary americans. in actuality, the administration is destroying advanced education for *everyone* in pursuit of its effort to deskill the american public
Trump Went to War With the Ivies. Community Colleges Are Being Hit.
www.nytimes.com
August 4, 2025 at 11:35 AM
the trump administration is selling its war on higher education as a strike against the elites who have disadvantaged ordinary americans. in actuality, the administration is destroying advanced education for *everyone* in pursuit of its effort to deskill the american public
This is a really good critique of the hype around LLMs ("AI"). #philtech #philsci malwaretech.com/2025/08/ever...
Every Reason Why I Hate AI and You Should Too
maybe it's anti-innovation, maybe it's just avoiding hype. But one thing is clear, I'm completely done with hearing about AI.
malwaretech.com
August 5, 2025 at 2:24 AM
This is a really good critique of the hype around LLMs ("AI"). #philtech #philsci malwaretech.com/2025/08/ever...
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
And @beingandslime.bsky.social’s paper, forthcoming in the Southern Journal of Philosophy, on Deleuze’s epistemology, looks great!
philarchive.org/rec/ODODEO
#philsky #epistemology
philarchive.org/rec/ODODEO
#philsky #epistemology
Evan O'Donnell, Deleuze's Epistemology of Inquiry - PhilArchive
In this paper, I propose to describe Deleuze’s theory of knowledge as set out in Difference & Repetition. First, I show that despite Deleuze’s hostility towards a knowledge-centered approach to philos...
philarchive.org
July 25, 2025 at 1:09 PM
And @beingandslime.bsky.social’s paper, forthcoming in the Southern Journal of Philosophy, on Deleuze’s epistemology, looks great!
philarchive.org/rec/ODODEO
#philsky #epistemology
philarchive.org/rec/ODODEO
#philsky #epistemology
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
Very proud of this paper, in which I try to make sense of the significance of science for Deleuze’s philosophy of difference.
I remember first presenting a version of it at the 2019 meeting of @sephilo.bsky.social ⏳
#philsky #philsci
I remember first presenting a version of it at the 2019 meeting of @sephilo.bsky.social ⏳
#philsky #philsci
The metaphysics science needs: Deleuze's naturalism
This article is aimed at those interested in the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and the sciences—and this includes philosophers of science working out of the analytic tradition. Deleuze's writings are ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
July 25, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Very proud of this paper, in which I try to make sense of the significance of science for Deleuze’s philosophy of difference.
I remember first presenting a version of it at the 2019 meeting of @sephilo.bsky.social ⏳
#philsky #philsci
I remember first presenting a version of it at the 2019 meeting of @sephilo.bsky.social ⏳
#philsky #philsci
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
fucking fight you useless fucks www.everythingishorrible.net/p/fucking-fi...
Fucking Fight, You Useless Fucks
Fucking Angus King edition
www.everythingishorrible.net
July 25, 2025 at 7:37 PM
fucking fight you useless fucks www.everythingishorrible.net/p/fucking-fi...
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
Glad to have a paper in this volume about Matt Brown's work (@thehangedman.com). Following up on something Matt mentions in his book, my paper is about noncognitivism and some arguments from the 1950s and 1960s for and against a role for values in science. #HOPOS
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Values, Pluralism, and Pragmatism: Themes from the Work of Matthew J. Brown
This book provides an update on the values in science literature by featuring new topics and showcases a broad range of HPS perspectives
link.springer.com
July 22, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Glad to have a paper in this volume about Matt Brown's work (@thehangedman.com). Following up on something Matt mentions in his book, my paper is about noncognitivism and some arguments from the 1950s and 1960s for and against a role for values in science. #HOPOS
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Reposted by Matthew J Brown
The chapter in which I discuss the persistent problem of deficit thinking in science communication has been published! Let me know if you'd like to take a look but can't access it. Thanks to Jon Tsou, Jamie Shaw and Carla Fehr for editing the book.
doi.org/10.1007/978-... #philsci #philsky #scicomms
doi.org/10.1007/978-... #philsci #philsky #scicomms
Dismantling the Deficit Model of Science Communication Using Ludwik Fleck’s Theory of Thinking Collectives
Numerous societal issues, from climate change to pandemics, require public engagement with scientific research. Such engagement reveals challenges that can arise when expertsExperts communicate with l...
doi.org
July 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The chapter in which I discuss the persistent problem of deficit thinking in science communication has been published! Let me know if you'd like to take a look but can't access it. Thanks to Jon Tsou, Jamie Shaw and Carla Fehr for editing the book.
doi.org/10.1007/978-... #philsci #philsky #scicomms
doi.org/10.1007/978-... #philsci #philsky #scicomms