David Lay Williams
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laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams
@laywilliams.bsky.social
7.7K followers 870 following 1.6K posts

Political theorist at DePaul and author of The Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx (Princeton, 2024). Essays in NY Times, Washington Post, Time, Bloomberg, etc. Jazz Guitar, New York Mets. .. more

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Political science 46%
Philosophy 36%
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laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · Sep 3
After a decade's labor, it is finally book-release day for "The Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx." I'm both relieved and excited to see this day arrive. press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
The Greatest of All Plagues
How the great political thinkers have persistently warned against the dangers of economic inequality
press.princeton.edu

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 19h
If my students are any indication, they are completely over the hype and fully sick of this constant assault from the tech companies. They are hungry for real conversations about important matters with -- get this! -- real people. No one wants to discuss the meaning of life with a bot. Sorry, bros!
pjmaciak.bsky.social Phillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 1d
I think the greatest gift college professors in the humanities can give to students right now is a seminar room where, for 80 minutes twice a week, nothing that happens to them is a sales pitch for an AI product.

Reposted by Mark Rice, David Lay Williams

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 21h
“Young people are quickly becoming so dependent on A.I. that they are losing the ability to think for themselves. And rather than rallying resistance, academic administrators are aiding and abetting a hostile takeover of higher education.”
Opinion | How A.I. Companies Are Preying on College Students
www.nytimes.com

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 1d
"[T]he rich man holds the Law in his purse." -- Rousseau, Letters Written from the Mountain (#9).
nathankalmoe.bsky.social Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 1d
I'm still SHOCKED by the obscene rise in billionaire election spending since Citizens United in the NYT piece, despite already knowing that election corruption w/ $ was profound. (Recall that BCRA fought dangerous campaign $ in *2002*)

The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Amanda Lotz, Scott L. Greer , and 4 more

nathankalmoe.bsky.social
Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 1d
I'm still SHOCKED by the obscene rise in billionaire election spending since Citizens United in the NYT piece, despite already knowing that election corruption w/ $ was profound. (Recall that BCRA fought dangerous campaign $ in *2002*)

The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
Chart showing billionaire election spending from 2000 thru 2024. 2000: $18 million 2004: $13 million 2008 $16 million 2010: Citizens United supreme court case 2012: $231 million 2016: $682 million 2020: $1.2 billion 2024: $2.6 billion

Reposted by Tiffany D. Barnes

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 1d
Big congratulations to @ladyprofessor.bsky.social and @fthames.bsky.social on their new book!

Reposted by Branko Milanovic

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 1d
@brankomilan.bsky.social has been writing excellent stuff lately. He is now pushing for a “tax on greed.” Worth reading!

open.substack.com/pub/branko2f...
A pedagogical tax
Why the rich should be Uber-taxed
open.substack.com

Reposted by Julia Lynch, Christine Kooi, Michael H. Whitworth , and 2 more

pjmaciak.bsky.social
Phillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 1d
I think the greatest gift college professors in the humanities can give to students right now is a seminar room where, for 80 minutes twice a week, nothing that happens to them is a sales pitch for an AI product.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Victor Asal, Frank C. Thames , and 1 more

tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social
Tiffany Barnes @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social · 2d
Next up @fthames.bsky.social and @ladyprofessor.bsky.social new Element is officially on the website and free to download for the next two weeks! 👇📚 Get it here!! www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Conflict and Maternal Health
Cambridge Core - Politics: General Interest - Conflict and Maternal Health
www.cambridge.org

Reposted by Branko Milanovic

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 2d
Nice piece in @brankomilan.bsky.social's Substack about inequality and envy. Highly recommended!
Why We All Care About Inequality (But Are Loath to Admit It)
Is it envy or justice?
branko2f7.substack.com

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 3d
I neglected to mention how much she enjoys eating shoes.

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 3d
Truer words never spoken.

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 3d
Given that my dog occasionally enjoys eating paper and rocks, saying "even a dog would love" this recipe is not really much of an endorsement. (Am I wrong, @unlawfulentries.bsky.social?)
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · 3d
"Boy kibble," an easy-to-prepare bowl of slop that even a dog would love, is the latest TikTok diet fad that some health-conscious men and fitness enthusiasts are turning to.
Move Over, Girl Dinner. Boy Kibble Has Arrived.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by David Lay Williams

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 3d
"Boy kibble," an easy-to-prepare bowl of slop that even a dog would love, is the latest TikTok diet fad that some health-conscious men and fitness enthusiasts are turning to.
Move Over, Girl Dinner. Boy Kibble Has Arrived.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Robert C. Richards

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 4d
Check out Anna’s new book!

Reposted by Reece Jones, David Fitzgerald, Richard Price , and 7 more

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 4d
Of all the classes I took as an undergraduate, the three semesters I took of Music History were among those that have contributed as much to my everyday happiness as any. Hardly a single day passes without me benefitting from them.
bencarp.bsky.social Benjamin L. Carp 🎏 @bencarp.bsky.social · 4d
I always always say that the two undergrad courses I regret not taking are statistics and a basic art history sequence. (Maybe I’d throw in a basic music appreciation class too) —I did do philosophy, lit, Econ, poli sci, architectural history, and plenty of history
nomiclairelazar.bsky.social Nomi Claire Lazar @nomiclairelazar.bsky.social · 4d
Random thought over coffee: *So* glad Yale poli.sci made me study statistics as a grad student, even though I was a philosopher.

An *essential* competence to navigate & critically engage the world, never mind the profession.

Reposted by David Lay Williams

bencarp.bsky.social
Benjamin L. Carp 🎏 @bencarp.bsky.social · 4d
I always always say that the two undergrad courses I regret not taking are statistics and a basic art history sequence. (Maybe I’d throw in a basic music appreciation class too) —I did do philosophy, lit, Econ, poli sci, architectural history, and plenty of history
nomiclairelazar.bsky.social Nomi Claire Lazar @nomiclairelazar.bsky.social · 4d
Random thought over coffee: *So* glad Yale poli.sci made me study statistics as a grad student, even though I was a philosopher.

An *essential* competence to navigate & critically engage the world, never mind the profession.

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 4d
First time since Super Bowl III!

Reposted by David Lay Williams

ingridrobeyns.bsky.social
Ingrid Robeyns @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social · 5d
He's getting really close...

2026 may well be the year the world sees its first trillionaire. A trillionaire is someone who owes 1.000.000.000.000 dollar. Or, the equivalent of one million very nice flats/houses, each worth one million dollars.

Reposted by David Lay Williams

liberalcurrents.com
Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 5d
Then @laywilliams.bsky.social put to rest the idea that intellectual and moral arguments against wealth inequality are rooted in envy, a common conservative talking point www.liberalcurrents.com/is-it-all-ju...
Is It All Just Envy?
The sides of the inequality debate continue to talk past one another, as Don Boudreaux's recent criticisms demonstrate.
www.liberalcurrents.com

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 8d
Meanwhile, I will continue to proudly play the brilliant work of immigrants and their children with the @chicagojazzdads.com.

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 8d
I really love this piece, as I firmly believe in the power of the arts to speak truth to power. The ruling class demand that artists now "shut up and sing" for them is revealing -- we are their servants, nothing more or less.
liberalcurrents.com Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 8d
“You can sense, particularly from characters like Knowles, a cloying desperation to be seen as important, shiny media figures in their own right. They want the glow of stardom, and they hate the people who have it.” www.liberalcurrents.com/none-more-wo...
None More Wonderful Than Man: Art, Artists, and MAGA’s Hollow View of Humanity
MAGA sees art as nothing more than a tool of self-aggrandizement, and artists as less than human.
www.liberalcurrents.com

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 8d
Here's a prayer straight from Scripture: "woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry” (Luke 6: 24-25).
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d
Paula White-Cain at the National Prayer Breakfast: "President Trump has brought religion back to this nation and beyond. It is my great honor to introduce the GOAT -- the greatest of all time. The greatest champion of faith that we have ever had in the executive branch."

Reposted by Anne Norton

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 8d
Definitely not just envy! It's been an absurd rhetorical strategy employed by defenders of the oligarchy, as they continue to dismantle this democracy.

Reposted by David Lay Williams

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d
Paula White-Cain at the National Prayer Breakfast: "President Trump has brought religion back to this nation and beyond. It is my great honor to introduce the GOAT -- the greatest of all time. The greatest champion of faith that we have ever had in the executive branch."

Reposted by David Lay Williams

liberalcurrents.com
Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 8d
“You can sense, particularly from characters like Knowles, a cloying desperation to be seen as important, shiny media figures in their own right. They want the glow of stardom, and they hate the people who have it.” www.liberalcurrents.com/none-more-wo...
None More Wonderful Than Man: Art, Artists, and MAGA’s Hollow View of Humanity
MAGA sees art as nothing more than a tool of self-aggrandizement, and artists as less than human.
www.liberalcurrents.com

Reposted by Anne Norton, David Lay Williams

danny.mastodon.spesh.com.ap.brid.gy
Danny O'B @danny.mastodon.spesh.com.ap.brid.gy · 8d
This is a really nice piece, in the middle of i hope a productive discussion about inequality: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/is-it-all-just-envy/

I like liberal currents!
Is It All Just Envy?
The sides of the inequality debate continue to talk past one another, as Don Boudreaux's recent criticisms demonstrate.
www.liberalcurrents.com

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 8d
Great to see this piece getting into circulation!

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 8d
Pleased to have this new piece today in @liberalcurrents.com.
liberalcurrents.com Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 9d
“One of the most persistent misconceptions about inequality among contemporary economists and public intellectuals is the accusation that people oppose inequality insofar as they envy the lifestyles of the rich and famous, as it were.” www.liberalcurrents.com/is-it-all-ju...
Is It All Just Envy?
The sides of the inequality debate continue to talk past one another, as Don Boudreaux's recent criticisms demonstrate.
www.liberalcurrents.com

Reposted by Anne Norton, David Lay Williams

sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com
Dr. Samantha Hancox-Li @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com · 8d
"is it all just envy"

no. it's these dumb bastards trying to use their ill-gotten gains to wreck our fucking country

www.liberalcurrents.com/is-it-all-ju...
Is It All Just Envy?
The sides of the inequality debate continue to talk past one another, as Don Boudreaux's recent criticisms demonstrate.
www.liberalcurrents.com