Cailin O’Connor
@cailinmeister.bsky.social
Philosopher and applied mathematician at UC Irvine. Author of The Misinformation Age and Origins of Unfairness. Irish dancer. Mother. Mother of Chickens.
For instance by disproportionately focusing on social media users as the central cause of harms like misinformation and polarization, rather than looking at platform choices related to algorithms or the business model. We call this selective “causal focus”
October 24, 2025 at 2:13 PM
For instance by disproportionately focusing on social media users as the central cause of harms like misinformation and polarization, rather than looking at platform choices related to algorithms or the business model. We call this selective “causal focus”
When tech funds academics, they pick who and which projects get funded – and tech disproportionately chooses researchers using methods and aims that tend to yield positive findings for their products
October 24, 2025 at 2:11 PM
When tech funds academics, they pick who and which projects get funded – and tech disproportionately chooses researchers using methods and aims that tend to yield positive findings for their products
Even reasonable internal studies can be design-biased, i.e., make choices that quietly increase chances of positive findings - for example by using stringent tests to assess harms and more lax tests for benefits
October 24, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Even reasonable internal studies can be design-biased, i.e., make choices that quietly increase chances of positive findings - for example by using stringent tests to assess harms and more lax tests for benefits
What are these mechanisms? Tech companies do loads of internal research, some of which they never share or publish. There are basically no tech-sponsored papers finding harms from their products, plenty on benefits
October 24, 2025 at 2:07 PM
What are these mechanisms? Tech companies do loads of internal research, some of which they never share or publish. There are basically no tech-sponsored papers finding harms from their products, plenty on benefits
Who today is influencing science a la Big Tobacco or Oil and Gas?
In our new preprint we show how tech companies like Meta are capturing research on their product, using mechanisms that subtly (or not so subtly) shape what science gets produced
In our new preprint we show how tech companies like Meta are capturing research on their product, using mechanisms that subtly (or not so subtly) shape what science gets produced
October 24, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Who today is influencing science a la Big Tobacco or Oil and Gas?
In our new preprint we show how tech companies like Meta are capturing research on their product, using mechanisms that subtly (or not so subtly) shape what science gets produced
In our new preprint we show how tech companies like Meta are capturing research on their product, using mechanisms that subtly (or not so subtly) shape what science gets produced
Thank you google AI
October 16, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Thank you google AI
Congrats to all involved in the production of the massive Oxford Handbook of cultural evolution. You can read our paper The Cultural Evolution Of Science here: cailinoconnor.com/wp-content/u...
October 14, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Congrats to all involved in the production of the massive Oxford Handbook of cultural evolution. You can read our paper The Cultural Evolution Of Science here: cailinoconnor.com/wp-content/u...
Congrats congrats to my student Ben Genta on finishing his dissertation! He worked with @laurennross.bsky.social and I on reasoning in the social sciences- more below!
July 17, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Congrats congrats to my student Ben Genta on finishing his dissertation! He worked with @laurennross.bsky.social and I on reasoning in the social sciences- more below!
What I so admired and loved about Helen De Cruz was her fearlessness. She wasn't held back by expectations or disciplinary boundaries or the rules of philosophy. She brought things into the world in a bountiful and shameless way. What she created was authentic and beautiful. RIP my friend.
June 23, 2025 at 7:03 PM
What I so admired and loved about Helen De Cruz was her fearlessness. She wasn't held back by expectations or disciplinary boundaries or the rules of philosophy. She brought things into the world in a bountiful and shameless way. What she created was authentic and beautiful. RIP my friend.
Thanks philpeople, for creating a profile I don't want, and randomly giving me my husband's last name
May 1, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Thanks philpeople, for creating a profile I don't want, and randomly giving me my husband's last name
His decency helped ease the shame I have felt for my cultural heritage and all the harm the Catholic Church has done. Sad to see him go.
April 21, 2025 at 4:05 PM
His decency helped ease the shame I have felt for my cultural heritage and all the harm the Catholic Church has done. Sad to see him go.
Harvard has a backbone after all!! Alan Garber sent a letter to the Harvard community about their resistance to Trump. It comes a few weeks after a (cowardly) one about working with the federal govt to "fight anti-semitism on campus". New plan is to protect academic freedom
April 14, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Harvard has a backbone after all!! Alan Garber sent a letter to the Harvard community about their resistance to Trump. It comes a few weeks after a (cowardly) one about working with the federal govt to "fight anti-semitism on campus". New plan is to protect academic freedom
Reskeet with an image of your favorite James Bond (wrong answer only)
April 12, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Reskeet with an image of your favorite James Bond (wrong answer only)
Hurray! Congrats to LPSer Gerard Rothfus who will start a TT job at Texas Christian University next year!! Gerard does PPE, formal epistemology, decision and game theory, and ethics. (More below.) So happy for him.
March 28, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Hurray! Congrats to LPSer Gerard Rothfus who will start a TT job at Texas Christian University next year!! Gerard does PPE, formal epistemology, decision and game theory, and ethics. (More below.) So happy for him.
I finally figured out what was driving me nuts about Pete Heseth
March 28, 2025 at 6:48 AM
I finally figured out what was driving me nuts about Pete Heseth
PSA! If you have a toddler/preschooler in the US, you can ask for their second MMR dose early. With James I wanted to make sure he’s as protected against measles outbreaks as possible.
March 16, 2025 at 4:06 AM
PSA! If you have a toddler/preschooler in the US, you can ask for their second MMR dose early. With James I wanted to make sure he’s as protected against measles outbreaks as possible.
Hurray!! Congrats to LPSer Margaret Farrell who will start a postdoc at the Pitt Center for Philosophy of Science! She works on philosophy of science, biology, explanation, and values in science. More below!
March 12, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Hurray!! Congrats to LPSer Margaret Farrell who will start a postdoc at the Pitt Center for Philosophy of Science! She works on philosophy of science, biology, explanation, and values in science. More below!
I'm so delighted to report that LPSer Daniel Herrmann will start a TT position at UNC philosophy! Daniel is a decision theorist, formal epistemologist, and philosopher of AI - check out more below!
March 12, 2025 at 5:55 PM
I'm so delighted to report that LPSer Daniel Herrmann will start a TT position at UNC philosophy! Daniel is a decision theorist, formal epistemologist, and philosopher of AI - check out more below!
Dear pro-natalists, what is wrong with you?
March 3, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Dear pro-natalists, what is wrong with you?
Why does it have bearded belly dancers
February 26, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Why does it have bearded belly dancers
the world is a mess, but this is how @jimweatherall.bsky.social put his Homotopy Type Theory seminar on our joint calendar
February 25, 2025 at 9:33 PM
the world is a mess, but this is how @jimweatherall.bsky.social put his Homotopy Type Theory seminar on our joint calendar
Speaking for Californians, we’re in
February 13, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Speaking for Californians, we’re in