Tvrtko Vrdoljak
@tvrle.bsky.social
More-than-human social thought
philosophy of science (Ph.D. in progress @CambridgeHPS)
political theory & history of political thought (Ph.D. @JohnsHopkins)
philosophy of science (Ph.D. in progress @CambridgeHPS)
political theory & history of political thought (Ph.D. @JohnsHopkins)
A heartbreaking personal story from a Sudanese journalist who escaped El Fasher. The sheer number of horrors is overwhelming, yet it still feels like a duty to bear witness.
From exile, I watched El Fasher fall – and my family fight to survive
A Darfuri journalist recounts his family’s harrowing ordeal after the RSF seized their city last week.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
November 15, 2025 at 12:07 PM
A heartbreaking personal story from a Sudanese journalist who escaped El Fasher. The sheer number of horrors is overwhelming, yet it still feels like a duty to bear witness.
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
A permanent post in my department. Closing date Dec 14th 2025, interviews in March. Please spread #histsci
Assistant Professor in History of Knowledge Pre-1400
Applications are invited for the position of Assistant Professor in History of Knowledge Pre-1400, in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. Please note
www.cam.ac.uk
October 30, 2025 at 10:07 AM
A permanent post in my department. Closing date Dec 14th 2025, interviews in March. Please spread #histsci
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
Apparently the current discount rate in the US federal government cost benefit analysis is 7% 😳
Geoff Mann reviews Liliana Doganova's book on the history of social-discount-rate economic analysis in the US and how the federal govt ditched political/ethical/prescriptive obligations to the future for a "descriptive" philosophy of market forces. www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
October 10, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Apparently the current discount rate in the US federal government cost benefit analysis is 7% 😳
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
Salgado goes, may he travel onward in peace. An amazing photographer with a vast heart for humans and the world.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/a...
Sebastião Salgado, Acclaimed Brazilian Photographer, Is Dead at 81
www.nytimes.com
May 24, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Salgado goes, may he travel onward in peace. An amazing photographer with a vast heart for humans and the world.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/a...
What an interview!
DHS official defends Mahmoud Khalil arrest, but offers few details on why it happened
Homeland Security deputy secretary Troy Edgar offered few details on the Trump administration's legal reasoning to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil.
www.npr.org
March 15, 2025 at 9:55 AM
What an interview!
The normalization of this admin in the US media... Every day a new article with the format: "Yes, of course it's ridiculous... BUT if were to happen here is how it would look like!"
("it" being anything from invading neighboring countries to ethnically cleansing people for a new real-estate deal)
("it" being anything from invading neighboring countries to ethnically cleansing people for a new real-estate deal)
Canada as the 51st State? In Electoral Terms, Trump’s Idea Favors Democrats.
Bringing Canada into the United States, however farcical the prospect may seem, would alter the political map in a way likely to cost Republicans.
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2025 at 9:20 AM
The normalization of this admin in the US media... Every day a new article with the format: "Yes, of course it's ridiculous... BUT if were to happen here is how it would look like!"
("it" being anything from invading neighboring countries to ethnically cleansing people for a new real-estate deal)
("it" being anything from invading neighboring countries to ethnically cleansing people for a new real-estate deal)
Walking past a bookstore today, I noticed this book prominently displayed in the front window. Two things struck me: first, I couldn't think of a more zeitgeist-y title; second, I love that a book about "the science and power of being alone" is co-written by three authors. :)
January 7, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Walking past a bookstore today, I noticed this book prominently displayed in the front window. Two things struck me: first, I couldn't think of a more zeitgeist-y title; second, I love that a book about "the science and power of being alone" is co-written by three authors. :)
Christopher Newfield on how humanities research funding works (or doesn't).
Full article: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Full article: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
December 28, 2024 at 8:23 AM
Christopher Newfield on how humanities research funding works (or doesn't).
Full article: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Full article: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
stunning increases in homelessness released today from HUD
771,480 people experienced homelessness on a single night this past January, an 18 percent increase nationwide over 2023. Among those were 150,000 children, a 33 percent increase over 2023
www.huduser.gov/portal/sites...
771,480 people experienced homelessness on a single night this past January, an 18 percent increase nationwide over 2023. Among those were 150,000 children, a 33 percent increase over 2023
www.huduser.gov/portal/sites...
www.huduser.gov
December 27, 2024 at 3:42 PM
stunning increases in homelessness released today from HUD
771,480 people experienced homelessness on a single night this past January, an 18 percent increase nationwide over 2023. Among those were 150,000 children, a 33 percent increase over 2023
www.huduser.gov/portal/sites...
771,480 people experienced homelessness on a single night this past January, an 18 percent increase nationwide over 2023. Among those were 150,000 children, a 33 percent increase over 2023
www.huduser.gov/portal/sites...
www.arte.tv/en/videos/12...
13 minutes very worth your time. A story about the Štrpci massacre of 1993 and "the man who could not remain silent."
Short Film Palme d'Or winner at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and now shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film at the upcoming Oscars.
13 minutes very worth your time. A story about the Štrpci massacre of 1993 and "the man who could not remain silent."
Short Film Palme d'Or winner at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and now shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film at the upcoming Oscars.
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent | ARTE in English
February 1993: Štrpci, Bosnia. Paramilitaries stop a passenger train and arrest civilians. Of the 500 or so passengers, only one man puts up resistance. This film tells the true story of the man who w...
www.arte.tv
December 26, 2024 at 8:55 AM
www.arte.tv/en/videos/12...
13 minutes very worth your time. A story about the Štrpci massacre of 1993 and "the man who could not remain silent."
Short Film Palme d'Or winner at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and now shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film at the upcoming Oscars.
13 minutes very worth your time. A story about the Štrpci massacre of 1993 and "the man who could not remain silent."
Short Film Palme d'Or winner at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and now shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film at the upcoming Oscars.
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
People sometimes make fun of science that sounds stupid and random.
Meanwhile, a study of lizard saliva turned into a peptide medication, which was turned into a diabetes medication, which was turned into a GLP1 weight loss drug, that just became the first therapy every approved for … sleep apnea
Meanwhile, a study of lizard saliva turned into a peptide medication, which was turned into a diabetes medication, which was turned into a GLP1 weight loss drug, that just became the first therapy every approved for … sleep apnea
Breaking News: The FDA approved use of the weight loss drug Zepbound for a common form of sleep apnea. It is the first drug authorized to treat the disorder.
F.D.A. Approves Weight-Loss Drug to Treat Sleep Apnea
Zepbound is the first prescription drug approved specifically to treat the common condition.
www.nytimes.com
December 21, 2024 at 12:41 AM
People sometimes make fun of science that sounds stupid and random.
Meanwhile, a study of lizard saliva turned into a peptide medication, which was turned into a diabetes medication, which was turned into a GLP1 weight loss drug, that just became the first therapy every approved for … sleep apnea
Meanwhile, a study of lizard saliva turned into a peptide medication, which was turned into a diabetes medication, which was turned into a GLP1 weight loss drug, that just became the first therapy every approved for … sleep apnea
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...
Ones & Tooze 3-part series on heterodox economics. Glad to see Kalecki included. Contra Tooze's (brief but) orthodox interpretation of Marx, I prefer a value-form reading. Otherwise a great episode. Next week is Joan Robinson (of King's College, Cambridge)!
Ones & Tooze 3-part series on heterodox economics. Glad to see Kalecki included. Contra Tooze's (brief but) orthodox interpretation of Marx, I prefer a value-form reading. Otherwise a great episode. Next week is Joan Robinson (of King's College, Cambridge)!
Heterodox Economists, Part 1: Michal Kalecki
Podcast Episode · Ones and Tooze · 13/12/2024 · 38m
podcasts.apple.com
December 14, 2024 at 8:49 AM
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...
Ones & Tooze 3-part series on heterodox economics. Glad to see Kalecki included. Contra Tooze's (brief but) orthodox interpretation of Marx, I prefer a value-form reading. Otherwise a great episode. Next week is Joan Robinson (of King's College, Cambridge)!
Ones & Tooze 3-part series on heterodox economics. Glad to see Kalecki included. Contra Tooze's (brief but) orthodox interpretation of Marx, I prefer a value-form reading. Otherwise a great episode. Next week is Joan Robinson (of King's College, Cambridge)!
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
The Whipple Museum are recruiting for a Collections Assistant - offered for 5 years, fixed term due to funding.
Wonderful collections and a brilliant team, this is a really excellent role for someone!
#museumjobs 📜 #histsci
www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49320/
Wonderful collections and a brilliant team, this is a really excellent role for someone!
#museumjobs 📜 #histsci
www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49320/
Collections Assistant (Fixed Term) - Job Opportunities - University of Cambridge
Collections Assistant (Fixed Term) in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge.
www.jobs.cam.ac.uk
November 29, 2024 at 8:47 AM
The Whipple Museum are recruiting for a Collections Assistant - offered for 5 years, fixed term due to funding.
Wonderful collections and a brilliant team, this is a really excellent role for someone!
#museumjobs 📜 #histsci
www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49320/
Wonderful collections and a brilliant team, this is a really excellent role for someone!
#museumjobs 📜 #histsci
www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49320/
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
📣 CfA - Animals and the Environment in the History of Philosophy (Annual BSHP Conference 2025)
📍Cambridge, 3-5 April 2025
The deadline to submit a paper/symposium proposal for the conference is coming up on *11 December*
bshp.org.uk/events/bshp-...
📍Cambridge, 3-5 April 2025
The deadline to submit a paper/symposium proposal for the conference is coming up on *11 December*
bshp.org.uk/events/bshp-...
November 27, 2024 at 11:14 AM
📣 CfA - Animals and the Environment in the History of Philosophy (Annual BSHP Conference 2025)
📍Cambridge, 3-5 April 2025
The deadline to submit a paper/symposium proposal for the conference is coming up on *11 December*
bshp.org.uk/events/bshp-...
📍Cambridge, 3-5 April 2025
The deadline to submit a paper/symposium proposal for the conference is coming up on *11 December*
bshp.org.uk/events/bshp-...
"The research also helps upend the assumption that only humans have cumulative culture. Chimpanzees do too, just less of it. And this may help explain how humans came to have such a complex cumulative culture in the first place."
From Chimpan-A to Chimpanzee, These Apes May Have Humanlike Culture
Researchers describe a link between genetic relatedness and sophisticated tool use in primates in East and Central Africa, suggesting their culture is cumulative.
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2024 at 7:53 PM
"The research also helps upend the assumption that only humans have cumulative culture. Chimpanzees do too, just less of it. And this may help explain how humans came to have such a complex cumulative culture in the first place."
Yesterday was Spinoza's birthday (Nov 24, 1632). The old Bento is approaching 400. What is perhaps less known outside of Nietzsche-scholarship is that Nietzsche was a great admirer of Spinoza. Below's the text N sent to Franz Overbeck in a postcard from Sils Maria in 1881.
November 25, 2024 at 10:43 AM
Yesterday was Spinoza's birthday (Nov 24, 1632). The old Bento is approaching 400. What is perhaps less known outside of Nietzsche-scholarship is that Nietzsche was a great admirer of Spinoza. Below's the text N sent to Franz Overbeck in a postcard from Sils Maria in 1881.
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
“just a little more reading then I can start writing”
November 22, 2024 at 11:32 AM
“just a little more reading then I can start writing”
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
The old man is us, and his dry lunch is our dry life.
November 18, 2024 at 10:19 AM
The old man is us, and his dry lunch is our dry life.
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
The Centre for Political Thought at Cambridge has agreed that BlueSky will be its main focus for social-media-related activity for the foreseeable future, and that we're winding down our activities on the network formerly known as Twitter.
November 18, 2024 at 11:52 AM
The Centre for Political Thought at Cambridge has agreed that BlueSky will be its main focus for social-media-related activity for the foreseeable future, and that we're winding down our activities on the network formerly known as Twitter.
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
A very nice, thoughtful perspective here. I'd just add that for me the real guts of the book are not the beginning (genes/DNA) or the end (agency/evolvability) but the middle: fuzzy and combinatorial molecular mechanisms, cell fate determination, multicellular assembly. 1/2
I recent read the book "How Life Works" by Phillip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social
www.amazon.com/How-Life-Wor...
This is a critical survey of where we are in biology and where we could be headed. Here are a few thoughts.
www.amazon.com/How-Life-Wor...
This is a critical survey of where we are in biology and where we could be headed. Here are a few thoughts.
How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology: Ball, Philip: 9780226826684: Amazon.com: Books
Buy How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders
www.amazon.com
November 18, 2024 at 3:58 PM
A very nice, thoughtful perspective here. I'd just add that for me the real guts of the book are not the beginning (genes/DNA) or the end (agency/evolvability) but the middle: fuzzy and combinatorial molecular mechanisms, cell fate determination, multicellular assembly. 1/2
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
For this reason I don’t believe there is a clear distinction between qualitative and quantitative evidence. Any data can only be analysed by taking its meaning into account, so if anything qualitative analysis is the only one there is
"even if data are quantitative and numerical, the ways in which they are analysed and, to a greater extent, the inferences made from this analysis, will vary depending on who the researcher is."
I LOVE this paper, which talks about reflexivity in quant, not qual, research
tinyurl.com/3r3s39ty
I LOVE this paper, which talks about reflexivity in quant, not qual, research
tinyurl.com/3r3s39ty
November 18, 2024 at 9:12 AM
For this reason I don’t believe there is a clear distinction between qualitative and quantitative evidence. Any data can only be analysed by taking its meaning into account, so if anything qualitative analysis is the only one there is
New article! (published just before I moved over to Bluesky)
"Foucault’s Culturalist Axiomatic: A Nietzschean Naturalist Rejoinder" www.degruyter.com/document/doi...
An intervention into (1) Nietzsche-Foucault, (2) naturalism in political theory and (3) philosophy of power scholarship.
"Foucault’s Culturalist Axiomatic: A Nietzschean Naturalist Rejoinder" www.degruyter.com/document/doi...
An intervention into (1) Nietzsche-Foucault, (2) naturalism in political theory and (3) philosophy of power scholarship.
Foucault’s Culturalist Axiomatic: A Nietzschean Naturalist Rejoinder
The Nietzsche-Foucault relationship has been the subject of extensive scholarship, highlighting their affinity. In contrast, this paper foregrounds what I take to be their most significant point of di...
www.degruyter.com
November 16, 2024 at 8:58 AM
New article! (published just before I moved over to Bluesky)
"Foucault’s Culturalist Axiomatic: A Nietzschean Naturalist Rejoinder" www.degruyter.com/document/doi...
An intervention into (1) Nietzsche-Foucault, (2) naturalism in political theory and (3) philosophy of power scholarship.
"Foucault’s Culturalist Axiomatic: A Nietzschean Naturalist Rejoinder" www.degruyter.com/document/doi...
An intervention into (1) Nietzsche-Foucault, (2) naturalism in political theory and (3) philosophy of power scholarship.
Reposted by Tvrtko Vrdoljak
🦋 WELCOME TO BLUESKY! I recommend exploring our custom feeds, which are a little like hashtags but more interesting. We have them for academic and professional subjects, sports, cities, hobbies (e.g., gardening, baking), and many more. Search them in the sidebar under Feeds. 🧵
October 17, 2024 at 3:36 AM
🦋 WELCOME TO BLUESKY! I recommend exploring our custom feeds, which are a little like hashtags but more interesting. We have them for academic and professional subjects, sports, cities, hobbies (e.g., gardening, baking), and many more. Search them in the sidebar under Feeds. 🧵