Uğur Aytaç
@uguraytac.bsky.social
Political philosopher, Utrecht University | Interests: democracy, legitimacy, power & domination, ideology, resistance
Pinned
Uğur Aytaç
@uguraytac.bsky.social
· Nov 25
Big Tech, Algorithmic Power, and Democratic Control | The Journal of Politics: Vol 86, No 4
This article argues that instituting Citizen Boards of Governance (CBGs) is the optimal strategy to democratically contain Big Tech’s algorithmic powers in the digital public sphere. CBGs are bodies o...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
Now that I'm back on here, let me share two of my latest papers. 1- In this @thejop.bsky.social piece, I defend democratizing Big Tech's algorithmic powers through Citizen Boards of Governance to promote the autonomy of the digital public sphere.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
A good day for preparing my slides for next week's conference presentation on the democratization of the workplace, and Robert Michels' iron law of oligarchy, and plebeian democracy. Looking forward to seeing @uguraytac.bsky.social and @tatianallaguno.bsky.social.
More info: ecpr.eu/Events/Event...
More info: ecpr.eu/Events/Event...
August 21, 2025 at 8:47 AM
A good day for preparing my slides for next week's conference presentation on the democratization of the workplace, and Robert Michels' iron law of oligarchy, and plebeian democracy. Looking forward to seeing @uguraytac.bsky.social and @tatianallaguno.bsky.social.
More info: ecpr.eu/Events/Event...
More info: ecpr.eu/Events/Event...
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
NEW SPECIAL ISSUE: Much of political theory today is informed, explicitly or implicitly, by the model of the democratic underlabourer, which, however, assumes the political context of the (democratic) nation-state. journals.sagepub.com/toc/iptb/21/2
July 9, 2025 at 3:19 PM
NEW SPECIAL ISSUE: Much of political theory today is informed, explicitly or implicitly, by the model of the democratic underlabourer, which, however, assumes the political context of the (democratic) nation-state. journals.sagepub.com/toc/iptb/21/2
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Excited to share that my article “Ideology and Suffering: What Is Realistic about Critical Theory?”has just been published (open access) in EJPT. I bring radical realism into dialogue with Adorno, exploring both productive common ground and instructive tensions. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
June 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Excited to share that my article “Ideology and Suffering: What Is Realistic about Critical Theory?”has just been published (open access) in EJPT. I bring radical realism into dialogue with Adorno, exploring both productive common ground and instructive tensions. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Political philosophers! Please consider encouraging your students to apply for this PhD position on the global governance of technology. The Ethics Institute is a great place to work! It hosts one of the largest and most international group of practical philosophers in Europe.
We're hiring! I'll be co-supervising a PhD at Utrecht University on the global governance of socially disruptive technologies. Political philosophy/ethics project focused on legitimacy & good governance.
More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
edu.nl
May 25, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Political philosophers! Please consider encouraging your students to apply for this PhD position on the global governance of technology. The Ethics Institute is a great place to work! It hosts one of the largest and most international group of practical philosophers in Europe.
Political philosophers! Please consider encouraging your students to apply for this PhD position on the global governance of technology. The Ethics Institute is a great place to work! It hosts one of the largest and most international group of practical philosophers in Europe.
We're hiring! I'll be co-supervising a PhD at Utrecht University on the global governance of socially disruptive technologies. Political philosophy/ethics project focused on legitimacy & good governance.
More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
edu.nl
May 25, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Political philosophers! Please consider encouraging your students to apply for this PhD position on the global governance of technology. The Ethics Institute is a great place to work! It hosts one of the largest and most international group of practical philosophers in Europe.
Today we concluded the ERC project "The Business Corporation as a Political Actor" with its final conference. End of an era!
May 24, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Today we concluded the ERC project "The Business Corporation as a Political Actor" with its final conference. End of an era!
We're hiring! I'll be co-supervising a PhD at Utrecht University on the global governance of socially disruptive technologies. Political philosophy/ethics project focused on legitimacy & good governance.
More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
edu.nl
May 23, 2025 at 9:34 AM
We're hiring! I'll be co-supervising a PhD at Utrecht University on the global governance of socially disruptive technologies. Political philosophy/ethics project focused on legitimacy & good governance.
More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
Fantastic paper by @faikkurtulmus.bsky.social!
From February 2025 -
The British Academy Brian Barry Prize Essay: Learning From the Enemies of Freedom: Freedom of Expression and Collective Power - cup.org/3Eqpgwp
- @faikkurtulmus.bsky.social
#OpenAccess
The British Academy Brian Barry Prize Essay: Learning From the Enemies of Freedom: Freedom of Expression and Collective Power - cup.org/3Eqpgwp
- @faikkurtulmus.bsky.social
#OpenAccess
April 25, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Fantastic paper by @faikkurtulmus.bsky.social!
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Looking at the tariff debate and I reckon it's excellent that we managed to preserve normative theory in polisci, and that we still think about the fact-value distinction. Economists make moral & political judgments and pretend they're just scientific predictions, or mix predictions and politics.
April 4, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Looking at the tariff debate and I reckon it's excellent that we managed to preserve normative theory in polisci, and that we still think about the fact-value distinction. Economists make moral & political judgments and pretend they're just scientific predictions, or mix predictions and politics.
Shame on you for instrumentalizing an autocrat's self-coup to make a point. Millions are fighting against brutal state violence and a regime where one man controls the media, judiciary, and law enforcement. We are not your rhetorical toy!
When Turkey's courts ban Erdogan's frontrunning Presidential opponent, the liberal mind rebels and rejects forthwith Erdogan's argument that the law is the law. When France's courts do they same, the liberal mind rejoices & parrots the law is the law. Mind-boggling hypocrisy!
March 31, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Shame on you for instrumentalizing an autocrat's self-coup to make a point. Millions are fighting against brutal state violence and a regime where one man controls the media, judiciary, and law enforcement. We are not your rhetorical toy!
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Today the Dutch Higher Education Relay Strike happened in Twente. Once more, a massive turn-out and strong protest against the announced budget cuts that are unnecessary, illegitimate, unjustified, and irrational.
#WOinActie #Doehetniet
#WOinActie #Doehetniet
March 25, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Today the Dutch Higher Education Relay Strike happened in Twente. Once more, a massive turn-out and strong protest against the announced budget cuts that are unnecessary, illegitimate, unjustified, and irrational.
#WOinActie #Doehetniet
#WOinActie #Doehetniet
Transition to full authoritarianism is inevitable unless this attack on free elections is reversed through large-scale resistance from a broad coalition.
Turkish police have detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key opposition figure and rival of President Erdogan, as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links.
It is seen as a major escalation in the government’s crackdown on opposition and dissent.
It is seen as a major escalation in the government’s crackdown on opposition and dissent.
March 19, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Transition to full authoritarianism is inevitable unless this attack on free elections is reversed through large-scale resistance from a broad coalition.
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Garbage. Utter garbage.
NEW from Columbia: the school has issued multi-year suspensions, “temporary” degree revocations, and expulsions related to the student occupation of Hamilton Hall (Hind’s Hall).
The school often invokes its history of student demonstration—including the 1968 occupation of the same hall.
The school often invokes its history of student demonstration—including the 1968 occupation of the same hall.
March 13, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Garbage. Utter garbage.
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Join us for a lively discussion on our work-in-progress (co-authored with Ozan N. Alakavuklar). What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than giving me a hard time with tough questions?
March 9, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Join us for a lively discussion on our work-in-progress (co-authored with Ozan N. Alakavuklar). What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than giving me a hard time with tough questions?
Join us for a lively discussion on our work-in-progress (co-authored with Ozan N. Alakavuklar). What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than giving me a hard time with tough questions?
March 9, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Join us for a lively discussion on our work-in-progress (co-authored with Ozan N. Alakavuklar). What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than giving me a hard time with tough questions?
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Good discussion at @uguraytac.bsky.social's talk in Barcelona this afternoon.
March 7, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Good discussion at @uguraytac.bsky.social's talk in Barcelona this afternoon.
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Foucault basically reinvented Hume on artificial virtues [ducks for cover]
This story of sceptical eye towards one's own cultural mores is generally useful for thought methinks.
February 23, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Foucault basically reinvented Hume on artificial virtues [ducks for cover]
Happy to share that my paper "What is the Point of Social Media?" is available online in Philosophy & Technology! In it, I offer a new normative lens to think about Big Tech reform, proposing to transform the corporate purpose of social media companies.
doi.org/10.1007/s133...
doi.org/10.1007/s133...
What is the Point of Social Media? Corporate Purpose and Digital Democratization - Philosophy & Technology
This paper proposes a new normative framework to think about Big Tech reform. Focusing on the case of digital communication, I argue that rethinking the corporate purpose of social media companies is ...
doi.org
February 25, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Happy to share that my paper "What is the Point of Social Media?" is available online in Philosophy & Technology! In it, I offer a new normative lens to think about Big Tech reform, proposing to transform the corporate purpose of social media companies.
doi.org/10.1007/s133...
doi.org/10.1007/s133...
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
The way that university officials have begun to treat “peaceful” and “disruptive” as antonyms, when they in fact are not antonyms, is the kind of violence to language that one expects of authoritarians
December 21, 2024 at 1:36 AM
The way that university officials have begun to treat “peaceful” and “disruptive” as antonyms, when they in fact are not antonyms, is the kind of violence to language that one expects of authoritarians
Last two days for submissions! Join us at the ECPR General Conference in Thessaloniki in August 2025. @tatianallaguno.bsky.social and I are convening a panel on how digital tech transforms work and the economy. Submit your abstract to us by Dec 15.
⚡️Along with Uğur Aytaç, we're convening a panel on technology, work, and the prospects of democratizing the economy as part of the 2025 @ecpr.bsky.social General Conference. Check the CfP here philevents.org/event/show/1... & send us your abstracts! Thanks for sharing!
December 13, 2024 at 10:42 AM
Last two days for submissions! Join us at the ECPR General Conference in Thessaloniki in August 2025. @tatianallaguno.bsky.social and I are convening a panel on how digital tech transforms work and the economy. Submit your abstract to us by Dec 15.
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Day two of the strike!
December 10, 2024 at 9:29 AM
Day two of the strike!
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
A lot of "civilisationism" flying around left and right: where politicians use gender equality, gay rights and anti-Semitism to discredit cultural others, particularly Muslims.
Politicians on the Right, and the their advisors, have admitted to using this strategy as a weapon against the Left 🧵
Politicians on the Right, and the their advisors, have admitted to using this strategy as a weapon against the Left 🧵
November 27, 2024 at 3:02 PM
A lot of "civilisationism" flying around left and right: where politicians use gender equality, gay rights and anti-Semitism to discredit cultural others, particularly Muslims.
Politicians on the Right, and the their advisors, have admitted to using this strategy as a weapon against the Left 🧵
Politicians on the Right, and the their advisors, have admitted to using this strategy as a weapon against the Left 🧵
Reflecting on randomness in human life is likely to transform our agency and how we relate to society. Our sense of efficacious agency can be undermined by the pervasiveness of luck as much as hard determinism. The question is "how should we do an ideology critique of beliefs about causation?"
November 27, 2024 at 9:58 AM
Reflecting on randomness in human life is likely to transform our agency and how we relate to society. Our sense of efficacious agency can be undermined by the pervasiveness of luck as much as hard determinism. The question is "how should we do an ideology critique of beliefs about causation?"
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
Come join us in Thessaloniki this summer!
⚡️Along with Uğur Aytaç, we're convening a panel on technology, work, and the prospects of democratizing the economy as part of the 2025 @ecpr.bsky.social General Conference. Check the CfP here philevents.org/event/show/1... & send us your abstracts! Thanks for sharing!
November 25, 2024 at 6:38 PM
Come join us in Thessaloniki this summer!