Alfred Archer
@alfredarcher.bsky.social
Scottish philosopher working in the Netherlands at Tilburg University. Views my own.
Extravagance and Misery https://shorturl.at/09JoQ
Why It's OK to be a Sports Fan https://shorturl.at/bgJX0
Honouring and Admiring the Immoral https://t.co/ZBPrZ
Extravagance and Misery https://shorturl.at/09JoQ
Why It's OK to be a Sports Fan https://shorturl.at/bgJX0
Honouring and Admiring the Immoral https://t.co/ZBPrZ
Reposted by Alfred Archer
What is this ‘attention economy’? Is there really a market where people buy and sell human attention? If so, what’s wrong with that? New paper by Katharine Browne and me that argues: yes, there is an attention market and yes, there is something wrong with it. 🧵
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The attention market—and what is wrong with it - Philosophical Studies
Attention is described as a “scarce commodity” that is traded in “a marketplace.” This, it is further claimed, contributes to a “widespread sense of attentional crisis.” But is there really an attenti...
link.springer.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:40 PM
What is this ‘attention economy’? Is there really a market where people buy and sell human attention? If so, what’s wrong with that? New paper by Katharine Browne and me that argues: yes, there is an attention market and yes, there is something wrong with it. 🧵
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Alfred Archer
Just wrapped up two incredible days at KU Leuven for the Toward a Political Philosophy of Sport workshop. Grateful to the university and the Hoover Ethical Initiative for supporting such meaningful collaboration between scholars from around the world. #PhilSky
November 13, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Just wrapped up two incredible days at KU Leuven for the Toward a Political Philosophy of Sport workshop. Grateful to the university and the Hoover Ethical Initiative for supporting such meaningful collaboration between scholars from around the world. #PhilSky
Reposted by Alfred Archer
My new book, An Injury to All: The Unmaking of the British Working Class, will be published by Verso next year.
It's now listed, which makes it feel that bit more official!
It's now listed, which makes it feel that bit more official!
An Injury to All: The Unmaking of the British Working Class : Gibbs, Ewan: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Buy An Injury to All: The Unmaking of the British Working Class by Gibbs, Ewan (ISBN: 9781804296493) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 5:16 PM
My new book, An Injury to All: The Unmaking of the British Working Class, will be published by Verso next year.
It's now listed, which makes it feel that bit more official!
It's now listed, which makes it feel that bit more official!
Reposted by Alfred Archer
#NewArticle #OpenAccess
Consigning Injustice to History with Political Apologies
Alfred Archer, Benjamin Matheson
#philosophy #philsky
Read it here 👇
doi.org/10.1111/japp...
Consigning Injustice to History with Political Apologies
Alfred Archer, Benjamin Matheson
#philosophy #philsky
Read it here 👇
doi.org/10.1111/japp...
doi.org
October 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
#NewArticle #OpenAccess
Consigning Injustice to History with Political Apologies
Alfred Archer, Benjamin Matheson
#philosophy #philsky
Read it here 👇
doi.org/10.1111/japp...
Consigning Injustice to History with Political Apologies
Alfred Archer, Benjamin Matheson
#philosophy #philsky
Read it here 👇
doi.org/10.1111/japp...
New paper in @the-joap.bsky.social together with @benjaminmatheson.bsky.social on political apologies that consign injustice to the past.
New paper online now: “Consigning Injustice of History with Political Apologies” (by me and @alfredarcher.bsky.social).
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Consigning Injustice to History with Political Apologies
Failures to remember the past properly can constitute a range of different wrongs. In this article, we identify a novel kind of wrong that often occurs through political apologies: consigning an inju....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:52 PM
New paper in @the-joap.bsky.social together with @benjaminmatheson.bsky.social on political apologies that consign injustice to the past.
Was great to talk to Jim Baxter of the @ethicsuntangled.bsky.social podcast about my and Georgie Mill's work on cancelling.
Great conversation on today's Ethics Untangled podcast with @alfredarcher.bsky.social and Georgie Mills. What is cancelling? What different forms can it take? What are its effects? Who is responsible for those effects? What does all this mean for how we should interact with others online?
In the latest episode of @ethicsuntangled.bsky.social , Jim speaks to Alfred Archer (Tilburg University) & Georgie Mills (TU Delft) about cancel culture.
October 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Was great to talk to Jim Baxter of the @ethicsuntangled.bsky.social podcast about my and Georgie Mill's work on cancelling.
Reposted by Alfred Archer
New paper online now: “Consigning Injustice of History with Political Apologies” (by me and @alfredarcher.bsky.social).
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Consigning Injustice to History with Political Apologies
Failures to remember the past properly can constitute a range of different wrongs. In this article, we identify a novel kind of wrong that often occurs through political apologies: consigning an inju....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:45 AM
New paper online now: “Consigning Injustice of History with Political Apologies” (by me and @alfredarcher.bsky.social).
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Alfred Archer
Belgian AI scientists are advocating *against* the use of AI in academia. “If independent thinking is no longer encouraged at university, where would it?” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
Belgian AI scientists resist the use of AI in academia
Several AI scientists have published an open letter calling for a ban on AI use by students.
apache.be
October 24, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Belgian AI scientists are advocating *against* the use of AI in academia. “If independent thinking is no longer encouraged at university, where would it?” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
Reposted by Alfred Archer
Great conversation on today's Ethics Untangled podcast with @alfredarcher.bsky.social and Georgie Mills. What is cancelling? What different forms can it take? What are its effects? Who is responsible for those effects? What does all this mean for how we should interact with others online?
In the latest episode of @ethicsuntangled.bsky.social , Jim speaks to Alfred Archer (Tilburg University) & Georgie Mills (TU Delft) about cancel culture.
October 20, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Great conversation on today's Ethics Untangled podcast with @alfredarcher.bsky.social and Georgie Mills. What is cancelling? What different forms can it take? What are its effects? Who is responsible for those effects? What does all this mean for how we should interact with others online?
Reposted by Alfred Archer
New publication! ✨
Why does the growing everyday use of psychotherapy terms feel both empowering and troubling?
Because two practices are at play: mental health-speak, which empowers, and therapy-speak, which distorts.
w/ @almagro.bsky.social
in @journalphp.bsky.social
🔓 tinyurl.com/24bhx4e9
Why does the growing everyday use of psychotherapy terms feel both empowering and troubling?
Because two practices are at play: mental health-speak, which empowers, and therapy-speak, which distorts.
w/ @almagro.bsky.social
in @journalphp.bsky.social
🔓 tinyurl.com/24bhx4e9
October 15, 2025 at 3:23 PM
New publication! ✨
Why does the growing everyday use of psychotherapy terms feel both empowering and troubling?
Because two practices are at play: mental health-speak, which empowers, and therapy-speak, which distorts.
w/ @almagro.bsky.social
in @journalphp.bsky.social
🔓 tinyurl.com/24bhx4e9
Why does the growing everyday use of psychotherapy terms feel both empowering and troubling?
Because two practices are at play: mental health-speak, which empowers, and therapy-speak, which distorts.
w/ @almagro.bsky.social
in @journalphp.bsky.social
🔓 tinyurl.com/24bhx4e9
Reposted by Alfred Archer
Back to abusive partners demanding respect for their “boundaries” & abusive bosses recommending mindfulness.
I talked with @seiaraimanova.bsky.social about my work w/ @almagro.bsky.social on therapy-speak on her amazing podcast Behind the Stigma🎙️
Check it out!
www.buzzsprout.com/1402324/epis...
I talked with @seiaraimanova.bsky.social about my work w/ @almagro.bsky.social on therapy-speak on her amazing podcast Behind the Stigma🎙️
Check it out!
www.buzzsprout.com/1402324/epis...
October 13, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Back to abusive partners demanding respect for their “boundaries” & abusive bosses recommending mindfulness.
I talked with @seiaraimanova.bsky.social about my work w/ @almagro.bsky.social on therapy-speak on her amazing podcast Behind the Stigma🎙️
Check it out!
www.buzzsprout.com/1402324/epis...
I talked with @seiaraimanova.bsky.social about my work w/ @almagro.bsky.social on therapy-speak on her amazing podcast Behind the Stigma🎙️
Check it out!
www.buzzsprout.com/1402324/epis...
Reposted by Alfred Archer
Check out the latest issue from affiliated journal Passion, the SI 'Emotions—More Like Stars or Constellations?', edited by Heidy Meriste and Bruno Mölder (Tartu). The issue asks how to categorize emotions, and how much weight should we put on the study of folk emotion concepts. Open access! /1
October 13, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Check out the latest issue from affiliated journal Passion, the SI 'Emotions—More Like Stars or Constellations?', edited by Heidy Meriste and Bruno Mölder (Tartu). The issue asks how to categorize emotions, and how much weight should we put on the study of folk emotion concepts. Open access! /1
Reposted by Alfred Archer
New paper accepted!🎉
Is Taylor Swift responsible for how she makes her fans feel?
Yes; the notion of affective power (the ability to influence how others feel) can help identify the responsibilities celebrities have towards their fans.
w/ G.Mills & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
Preprint ⬇️
Is Taylor Swift responsible for how she makes her fans feel?
Yes; the notion of affective power (the ability to influence how others feel) can help identify the responsibilities celebrities have towards their fans.
w/ G.Mills & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
Preprint ⬇️
September 26, 2025 at 1:42 PM
New paper accepted!🎉
Is Taylor Swift responsible for how she makes her fans feel?
Yes; the notion of affective power (the ability to influence how others feel) can help identify the responsibilities celebrities have towards their fans.
w/ G.Mills & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
Preprint ⬇️
Is Taylor Swift responsible for how she makes her fans feel?
Yes; the notion of affective power (the ability to influence how others feel) can help identify the responsibilities celebrities have towards their fans.
w/ G.Mills & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
Preprint ⬇️
Reposted by Alfred Archer
New open access paper with @alfredarcher.bsky.social is now online! "We’re a Tourist Club Now: The Ethics of Sports Fan Tourism"
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
We’re a Tourist Club Now: The Ethics of Sports Fan Tourism - The Journal of Ethics
The Journal of Ethics - Sports fan tourism is a booming industry that is actively cultivated both by sports clubs and by national governments. However, sports fan tourism has recently been subject...
link.springer.com
September 10, 2025 at 4:56 PM
New open access paper with @alfredarcher.bsky.social is now online! "We’re a Tourist Club Now: The Ethics of Sports Fan Tourism"
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Alfred Archer
The cabinet is currently being reshuffled but more consequentially, the government is failing its promise to deliver a green industrial future at the cost of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs. You can read my London Review of Books article on the recent closure of Grangemouth oil refinery ⬇️
‘These are not deals that lead to the British people owning industry, which Miliband claimed in 2023 was one of Labour’s objectives. They are subsidies and incentives, large sums of public money accruing no equity.’
@ewangibbs.bsky.social on an oil refinery closure: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@ewangibbs.bsky.social on an oil refinery closure: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Ewan Gibbs · Goodbye to Grangemouth
Any form of ‘just transition’ – managing the move to a greener economy while also protecting workers and...
www.lrb.co.uk
September 5, 2025 at 7:19 PM
The cabinet is currently being reshuffled but more consequentially, the government is failing its promise to deliver a green industrial future at the cost of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs. You can read my London Review of Books article on the recent closure of Grangemouth oil refinery ⬇️
An absolute pleasure to work on this together with @isernmas.bsky.social and Katrien Schaubroeck
New publication! ✨
Should we mourn morally flawed celebrities?
We argue that public mourning risks reinforcing testimonial and affective injustice and normalizing wrongdoing –and discuss how to mourn without causing these harms.
w/ K. Schaubroeck & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
🔓 shorturl.at/Z3LXN
Should we mourn morally flawed celebrities?
We argue that public mourning risks reinforcing testimonial and affective injustice and normalizing wrongdoing –and discuss how to mourn without causing these harms.
w/ K. Schaubroeck & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
🔓 shorturl.at/Z3LXN
No One Mourns the Wicked: The Ethics of Mourning Morally Flawed Celebrities
Click on the article title to read more.
shorturl.at
September 3, 2025 at 11:44 AM
An absolute pleasure to work on this together with @isernmas.bsky.social and Katrien Schaubroeck
Reposted by Alfred Archer
New publication! ✨
Should we mourn morally flawed celebrities?
We argue that public mourning risks reinforcing testimonial and affective injustice and normalizing wrongdoing –and discuss how to mourn without causing these harms.
w/ K. Schaubroeck & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
🔓 shorturl.at/Z3LXN
Should we mourn morally flawed celebrities?
We argue that public mourning risks reinforcing testimonial and affective injustice and normalizing wrongdoing –and discuss how to mourn without causing these harms.
w/ K. Schaubroeck & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
🔓 shorturl.at/Z3LXN
No One Mourns the Wicked: The Ethics of Mourning Morally Flawed Celebrities
Click on the article title to read more.
shorturl.at
September 1, 2025 at 3:01 PM
New publication! ✨
Should we mourn morally flawed celebrities?
We argue that public mourning risks reinforcing testimonial and affective injustice and normalizing wrongdoing –and discuss how to mourn without causing these harms.
w/ K. Schaubroeck & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
🔓 shorturl.at/Z3LXN
Should we mourn morally flawed celebrities?
We argue that public mourning risks reinforcing testimonial and affective injustice and normalizing wrongdoing –and discuss how to mourn without causing these harms.
w/ K. Schaubroeck & @alfredarcher.bsky.social
🔓 shorturl.at/Z3LXN
@benjaminmatheson.bsky.social
and I are organising a workshop and special issue of the Journal of Ethics on the Ethics of Fandom. Call for abstracts here:
link.springer.com/collections/...
Some great speakers already confirmed:
@ajkadlac.bsky.social
, Erin Tarver and Kamila Pacovská
#philsky
and I are organising a workshop and special issue of the Journal of Ethics on the Ethics of Fandom. Call for abstracts here:
link.springer.com/collections/...
Some great speakers already confirmed:
@ajkadlac.bsky.social
, Erin Tarver and Kamila Pacovská
#philsky
Access research journals, articles, books and more | SpringerLink
Providing access to millions of research articles and chapters from Science, Technology and Medicine, and Humanities and Social Sciences
link.springer.com
August 29, 2025 at 9:37 AM
@benjaminmatheson.bsky.social
and I are organising a workshop and special issue of the Journal of Ethics on the Ethics of Fandom. Call for abstracts here:
link.springer.com/collections/...
Some great speakers already confirmed:
@ajkadlac.bsky.social
, Erin Tarver and Kamila Pacovská
#philsky
and I are organising a workshop and special issue of the Journal of Ethics on the Ethics of Fandom. Call for abstracts here:
link.springer.com/collections/...
Some great speakers already confirmed:
@ajkadlac.bsky.social
, Erin Tarver and Kamila Pacovská
#philsky
Reposted by Alfred Archer
My first paper on urban justice is out. It draws an analogy between gentrification and mass incoming migration, and shows that neighbourhoods receiving large numbers of needy migrants are treated unfairly, even if hosting needy migrants IS a requirement of justice/1
First publication out! It questions whether people who report loss of community due to gentrification and migration should both be treated as victims of injustice. My view is that we should, although injustice has different grounds in the latter case: the unjust distribution of affective burdens.
Gentrification, migration, and non-material injustice
Gentrification can harm residents at a personal and emotional level, even when they are not physically displaced. Recognising these non-material harms as a source of wrongful ‘phenomenological disp...
www.tandfonline.com
August 22, 2025 at 4:48 PM
My first paper on urban justice is out. It draws an analogy between gentrification and mass incoming migration, and shows that neighbourhoods receiving large numbers of needy migrants are treated unfairly, even if hosting needy migrants IS a requirement of justice/1
Really honoured to see Alan, my and Bart's book longlisted for this alongside some really excellent books #philsky
The longlist for the @triphilosophy.bsky.social 2025 Nayef Al-Rodhan International Prize in Transdisciplinary Philosophy has been announced!
royalinstitutephilosophy.org/news/longlis...
royalinstitutephilosophy.org/news/longlis...
Longlist announced for the Nayef Al-Rodhan Book Prize 2025 - Royal Institute of Philosophy
The Royal Institute of Philosophy unveils the longlist for the 2025 Nayef Al-Rodhan International Prize in Transdisciplinary Philosophy. Learn more.
royalinstitutephilosophy.org
August 14, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Really honoured to see Alan, my and Bart's book longlisted for this alongside some really excellent books #philsky
Reposted by Alfred Archer
Excited to be editing this SI on affective injustice with @alfredarcher.bsky.social and @joelkrueger.com for EPSSE’s open access journal Passion.
Submissions open until 30 September, so if you need a break from your summer break, do think about sending us something!
#philsky
Submissions open until 30 September, so if you need a break from your summer break, do think about sending us something!
#philsky
Passion Special Issue: Faces of Affective Injustice CFP!
Join our amazing contributors - Eleanor Byrne, Myisha Cherry, Francisco Gallegos, Federica Gregoratto, Carme Isern Mas, Imke von Maur, Jan Slaby, Shiloh Whitney, and Michalinos Zembylas - and send us your work on Affective Injustice
Join our amazing contributors - Eleanor Byrne, Myisha Cherry, Francisco Gallegos, Federica Gregoratto, Carme Isern Mas, Imke von Maur, Jan Slaby, Shiloh Whitney, and Michalinos Zembylas - and send us your work on Affective Injustice
July 22, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Excited to be editing this SI on affective injustice with @alfredarcher.bsky.social and @joelkrueger.com for EPSSE’s open access journal Passion.
Submissions open until 30 September, so if you need a break from your summer break, do think about sending us something!
#philsky
Submissions open until 30 September, so if you need a break from your summer break, do think about sending us something!
#philsky
New paper of mine looks at how moral exemplars can influence our idea of who is a member of the moral community and the implications of this for the use of exemplars in moral education. Available open access here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#philsky
#philsky
Moral Exemplars and the Moral Community - The Journal of Value Inquiry
Linda Zagzebski’s groundbreaking book Exemplarist Moral Theory has inspired new attention to the use of moral exemplars in moral education. Zagzebski argues that admiration for moral exemplars has a c...
link.springer.com
July 4, 2025 at 7:45 AM
New paper of mine looks at how moral exemplars can influence our idea of who is a member of the moral community and the implications of this for the use of exemplars in moral education. Available open access here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#philsky
#philsky
Here is something I wrote about why it's dangerous for those campaigning for equality to draw on the power of celebrity to advance their cause. #philsky onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Using Celebrity to Advance Equality
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
July 1, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Here is something I wrote about why it's dangerous for those campaigning for equality to draw on the power of celebrity to advance their cause. #philsky onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
New paper of mine out (open access) in @journalphp.bsky.social together with @jakewojtowicz.bsky.social and Kyle Fruh exploring sports fandom, fanaticism, exploitation and sportswashing #philsky
Latest papers: Jake Wojtowicz, Alfred Archer & Kyle Fruh sketch the similarities between fandom and fanaticism and argue that sports fandom is often a form of fanaticism in this open access article doi.org/10.1080/0951...
June 27, 2025 at 6:09 AM
New paper of mine out (open access) in @journalphp.bsky.social together with @jakewojtowicz.bsky.social and Kyle Fruh exploring sports fandom, fanaticism, exploitation and sportswashing #philsky
Mia Tao just published this excellent (open access) paper about sporting excellence. Read to find out why sporting excellence needs to include moral excellence. Supervising Mia has been my favourite part of my job in the last year. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Revisiting broad internalism: towards a moral account of sporting excellence
J.S. Russell’s account of broad internalism holds that the interpretation and application of rules should be guided by underlying principles aimed at maintaining and fostering sporting excellence. ...
www.tandfonline.com
June 26, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Mia Tao just published this excellent (open access) paper about sporting excellence. Read to find out why sporting excellence needs to include moral excellence. Supervising Mia has been my favourite part of my job in the last year. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....