Mikołaj Szafrański
@discardant.bsky.social
it's pronounced /mʲiˈkɔ.waj/
independent scholar. formerly at Harvard IGLP & LSE Law.
research interests: law & global affairs & green transition
PhD: international law & global waste governance
independent scholar. formerly at Harvard IGLP & LSE Law.
research interests: law & global affairs & green transition
PhD: international law & global waste governance
Pinned
Slavoj Zizek: Leftists falsify the choice that Ukrainians face during wartime
In times of war, the fundamental questions of survival, morality, and identity not only dominate the discourse but also expose the fissures in global political ideologies. Amid the clamor of media nar...
kyivindependent.com
"It’s incredible to me how many pseudo-leftists are drawn to this strange fascination with Russia. (...) [T]hey still cling to the idea that Russia, somehow being less affected by Western consumerism, somehow preserves more “authentic” human relationships."
💯
kyivindependent.com/slavoj-zizek...
💯
kyivindependent.com/slavoj-zizek...
ending week 1 of being an independent scholar (same interests, same passion, no affiliation, no income) with a relatable classic by Norma Tanega
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4jU...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4jU...
You're Dead
YouTube video by Norma Tanega - Topic
www.youtube.com
August 8, 2025 at 10:17 PM
ending week 1 of being an independent scholar (same interests, same passion, no affiliation, no income) with a relatable classic by Norma Tanega
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4jU...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4jU...
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
& the final post on the wage relation
any time I see a workplace describe itself as a ‘family’ I’m like so what you’re telling me is that your profit margins are tied to unpaid labour your workers do out of love, & the way this labour is both performed and valued is deeply gendered
any time I see a workplace describe itself as a ‘family’ I’m like so what you’re telling me is that your profit margins are tied to unpaid labour your workers do out of love, & the way this labour is both performed and valued is deeply gendered
June 1, 2025 at 5:13 PM
& the final post on the wage relation
any time I see a workplace describe itself as a ‘family’ I’m like so what you’re telling me is that your profit margins are tied to unpaid labour your workers do out of love, & the way this labour is both performed and valued is deeply gendered
any time I see a workplace describe itself as a ‘family’ I’m like so what you’re telling me is that your profit margins are tied to unpaid labour your workers do out of love, & the way this labour is both performed and valued is deeply gendered
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
Or, if you want two key excerpts:
March 31, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Or, if you want two key excerpts:
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
Why am I seeing so much commentary about OpenAI's theft of Studio Ghibli's creative work illustrated with synthetic Studio Ghibli style images? Just because you're talking about the harm doesn't give you a free pass to do more of the harm....
March 28, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Why am I seeing so much commentary about OpenAI's theft of Studio Ghibli's creative work illustrated with synthetic Studio Ghibli style images? Just because you're talking about the harm doesn't give you a free pass to do more of the harm....
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
🏆 The 2024 #TEL Best Article Prize is awarded to Matthias Petel for his article 'The Illusion of Harmony: Power, Politics, and Distributive Implications of Rights of Nature' bit.ly/445fgkL
Congratulations! 🥳
Congratulations! 🥳
March 27, 2025 at 8:58 AM
🏆 The 2024 #TEL Best Article Prize is awarded to Matthias Petel for his article 'The Illusion of Harmony: Power, Politics, and Distributive Implications of Rights of Nature' bit.ly/445fgkL
Congratulations! 🥳
Congratulations! 🥳
How, and to what extent should lawyers understand the green transition as an agenda of extractivism? Join us at HLS for a conversation with @triofrancos.bsky.social
Thursday April 10th 12:15pm, WCC 3018
hls.harvard.edu/events/front...
Thursday April 10th 12:15pm, WCC 3018
hls.harvard.edu/events/front...
March 27, 2025 at 2:24 PM
How, and to what extent should lawyers understand the green transition as an agenda of extractivism? Join us at HLS for a conversation with @triofrancos.bsky.social
Thursday April 10th 12:15pm, WCC 3018
hls.harvard.edu/events/front...
Thursday April 10th 12:15pm, WCC 3018
hls.harvard.edu/events/front...
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
this is one for all of you who thought courts will save you. while the judiciary can - and, sometimes, does - stay the hand of the executive, laws are not built to protect nature, but to protect humans (and a very particular concept of humans).
remember, no-one will come to save us but ourselves.
remember, no-one will come to save us but ourselves.
North Dakota jury finds Greenpeace liable for Standing Rock protests, awards pipeline company millions in damages.
"More than half the jurors selected to hear the case had ties to the fossil fuel industry, and most had negative views of anti-pipeline protests..."
"More than half the jurors selected to hear the case had ties to the fossil fuel industry, and most had negative views of anti-pipeline protests..."
Greenpeace must pay hundreds of millions over Dakota pipeline protests, says jury
Non-profit said in statement lawsuits like this aimed at ‘destroying the right to peaceful protest’
www.theguardian.com
March 19, 2025 at 9:09 PM
this is one for all of you who thought courts will save you. while the judiciary can - and, sometimes, does - stay the hand of the executive, laws are not built to protect nature, but to protect humans (and a very particular concept of humans).
remember, no-one will come to save us but ourselves.
remember, no-one will come to save us but ourselves.
It's 2025 and the UK opinion-making elites are still enthralled by soft Russophilia.
Can anyone picture @lrb.co.uk printing a letter saying ‘Despite conflicts in its former colonies (Falklands & Iraq), the UK was not attempting to place itself at the head of a power bloc seeking global domination’?
Can anyone picture @lrb.co.uk printing a letter saying ‘Despite conflicts in its former colonies (Falklands & Iraq), the UK was not attempting to place itself at the head of a power bloc seeking global domination’?
March 11, 2025 at 2:49 PM
It's 2025 and the UK opinion-making elites are still enthralled by soft Russophilia.
Can anyone picture @lrb.co.uk printing a letter saying ‘Despite conflicts in its former colonies (Falklands & Iraq), the UK was not attempting to place itself at the head of a power bloc seeking global domination’?
Can anyone picture @lrb.co.uk printing a letter saying ‘Despite conflicts in its former colonies (Falklands & Iraq), the UK was not attempting to place itself at the head of a power bloc seeking global domination’?
radiotoday.co.uk/2025/02/most...
Curse you, pennypinching executives from the BBC Broadcasting House!
How am I supposed to find inner peace without access to @marcrileydj.bsky.social @gidcoe.bsky.social and @elizabethalker.bsky.social's broadcasts?! 😢
Curse you, pennypinching executives from the BBC Broadcasting House!
How am I supposed to find inner peace without access to @marcrileydj.bsky.social @gidcoe.bsky.social and @elizabethalker.bsky.social's broadcasts?! 😢
Most BBC radio stations to become unavailable for international users
A new BBC audio website and app will replace BBC Sounds for users outside the UK later this year
radiotoday.co.uk
February 25, 2025 at 10:57 PM
radiotoday.co.uk/2025/02/most...
Curse you, pennypinching executives from the BBC Broadcasting House!
How am I supposed to find inner peace without access to @marcrileydj.bsky.social @gidcoe.bsky.social and @elizabethalker.bsky.social's broadcasts?! 😢
Curse you, pennypinching executives from the BBC Broadcasting House!
How am I supposed to find inner peace without access to @marcrileydj.bsky.social @gidcoe.bsky.social and @elizabethalker.bsky.social's broadcasts?! 😢
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
Stop trying to make geoeconomics a frame that breaks you out of history.
February 5, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Stop trying to make geoeconomics a frame that breaks you out of history.
"It’s incredible to me how many pseudo-leftists are drawn to this strange fascination with Russia. (...) [T]hey still cling to the idea that Russia, somehow being less affected by Western consumerism, somehow preserves more “authentic” human relationships."
💯
kyivindependent.com/slavoj-zizek...
💯
kyivindependent.com/slavoj-zizek...
Slavoj Zizek: Leftists falsify the choice that Ukrainians face during wartime
In times of war, the fundamental questions of survival, morality, and identity not only dominate the discourse but also expose the fissures in global political ideologies. Amid the clamor of media nar...
kyivindependent.com
February 3, 2025 at 2:40 AM
"It’s incredible to me how many pseudo-leftists are drawn to this strange fascination with Russia. (...) [T]hey still cling to the idea that Russia, somehow being less affected by Western consumerism, somehow preserves more “authentic” human relationships."
💯
kyivindependent.com/slavoj-zizek...
💯
kyivindependent.com/slavoj-zizek...
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
Amazing project podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Last Dance With Unger -- part 1
Podcast Episode · The David Yosifon Podcast · 11/15/2024 · 1h 6m
podcasts.apple.com
January 28, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Amazing project podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
What if international law is working exactly how it's supposed to?
(Caveat: it's not 'supoosed' to work any way, it's a social phenomenon the problems of which are not *primarily* 'design' or 'intent', but origin, form, and embeddness in social relations. But that doesn't sound as catchy)
(Caveat: it's not 'supoosed' to work any way, it's a social phenomenon the problems of which are not *primarily* 'design' or 'intent', but origin, form, and embeddness in social relations. But that doesn't sound as catchy)
January 16, 2025 at 5:30 PM
What if international law is working exactly how it's supposed to?
(Caveat: it's not 'supoosed' to work any way, it's a social phenomenon the problems of which are not *primarily* 'design' or 'intent', but origin, form, and embeddness in social relations. But that doesn't sound as catchy)
(Caveat: it's not 'supoosed' to work any way, it's a social phenomenon the problems of which are not *primarily* 'design' or 'intent', but origin, form, and embeddness in social relations. But that doesn't sound as catchy)
The same Donald Tusk stated that "the international legal order (...) is a matter of primary importance" for the Polish government.
The same Donald Tusk is expecting Hungary to execute an European Arrest Warrant for a former Polish govt official facing charges of fraud.
The same Donald Tusk is expecting Hungary to execute an European Arrest Warrant for a former Polish govt official facing charges of fraud.
PM Donald Tusk has just declared that PM Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested if he attends the Auschwitz memorial event this month. Putin must be happy now.
January 9, 2025 at 6:24 PM
The same Donald Tusk stated that "the international legal order (...) is a matter of primary importance" for the Polish government.
The same Donald Tusk is expecting Hungary to execute an European Arrest Warrant for a former Polish govt official facing charges of fraud.
The same Donald Tusk is expecting Hungary to execute an European Arrest Warrant for a former Polish govt official facing charges of fraud.
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
PM Donald Tusk has just declared that PM Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested if he attends the Auschwitz memorial event this month. Putin must be happy now.
January 9, 2025 at 5:22 PM
PM Donald Tusk has just declared that PM Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested if he attends the Auschwitz memorial event this month. Putin must be happy now.
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
It seems not to have occurred to [academics] that the net effect of their advocacy [for progressive legal change] might amount to little more than the circulation of a three word phrase 'progressive legal change'... The same, of course... of 'efficiency'...
www.dukeupress.edu/the-enchantm...
www.dukeupress.edu/the-enchantm...
The Enchantment Of Reason
www.dukeupress.edu
December 11, 2024 at 12:13 PM
It seems not to have occurred to [academics] that the net effect of their advocacy [for progressive legal change] might amount to little more than the circulation of a three word phrase 'progressive legal change'... The same, of course... of 'efficiency'...
www.dukeupress.edu/the-enchantm...
www.dukeupress.edu/the-enchantm...
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
I listened to this garbage so you don't have to. It is a horrifically one-sided, un-nuanced hit piece on international students that will do damage to universities & pile on racist abuse of vulnerable students. Shame on Jo Grady & @ucu.org.uk for contributing to this & adding to negative tropes 1/8
“Jo Grady from the UCU, which represents 120,000 lecturers and university staff, says it is an open secret that students who lack English skills find ways to come to the UK to study” www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Universities enrolling students with poor English, BBC finds
Institutions may be overlooking inadequate language skills to receive high fees from overseas students.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 6, 2024 at 8:57 AM
I listened to this garbage so you don't have to. It is a horrifically one-sided, un-nuanced hit piece on international students that will do damage to universities & pile on racist abuse of vulnerable students. Shame on Jo Grady & @ucu.org.uk for contributing to this & adding to negative tropes 1/8
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
“Don’t antagonize Putin/russia” is the geopolitical equivalent of the “don’t wear short skirts” advice given to women. Equal parts offensive and ineffective.
December 5, 2024 at 9:27 PM
“Don’t antagonize Putin/russia” is the geopolitical equivalent of the “don’t wear short skirts” advice given to women. Equal parts offensive and ineffective.
Why do social scientists fixate on the word 'granular'? Everything has a 'granular' structure. If you claim to be presenting a zoomed in perspective on a phenomenon/topic/text, you're rather bringing out a more 'fine grained' insight than a 'granular' one. #scholarlypetpeeves
December 5, 2024 at 12:18 AM
Why do social scientists fixate on the word 'granular'? Everything has a 'granular' structure. If you claim to be presenting a zoomed in perspective on a phenomenon/topic/text, you're rather bringing out a more 'fine grained' insight than a 'granular' one. #scholarlypetpeeves
the ‘people with projects’ way of storytelling does not account for the experience of agony and erring.
➡️ normalise ’people with Ithakas’.
➡️ normalise ’people with Ithakas’.
November 23, 2024 at 4:01 PM
the ‘people with projects’ way of storytelling does not account for the experience of agony and erring.
➡️ normalise ’people with Ithakas’.
➡️ normalise ’people with Ithakas’.
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
Dear friends and colleagues,
Aimee Genell and I are launching a Boston area colloquium on the history of international law. The aim is to bring together historians of international law from across the greater Boston region.
Aimee Genell and I are launching a Boston area colloquium on the history of international law. The aim is to bring together historians of international law from across the greater Boston region.
November 18, 2024 at 10:18 PM
Dear friends and colleagues,
Aimee Genell and I are launching a Boston area colloquium on the history of international law. The aim is to bring together historians of international law from across the greater Boston region.
Aimee Genell and I are launching a Boston area colloquium on the history of international law. The aim is to bring together historians of international law from across the greater Boston region.
Reposted by Mikołaj Szafrański
Hey, remember MOOCs? Remember "the year of the MOOC?" Remember how UVA's board tried to fire the president because she wasn't sufficiently hyped about MOOCs? Remember how Sebastian Thrun (Udacity) said there would eventually be only 10 higher-ed outlets bc of MOOCs?
Just thought I'd ask.
Just thought I'd ask.
"LLMs must become a core part of the educational experience.... This imperative grows with each new development in text, image, and voice generation — even the potential for AI-driven lessons delivered by simulated celebrities." Uurrgghh. (And what about environmental damage of this proposal?)
The continued success of universities hinges on the response to the generative AI reckoning | Wonkhe
The essay assessment is only the most obvious casualty of generative AI. Janice Kay, Chris Husbands and Jason Tangen explain why AI should prompt a total overhaul of education strategies
wonkhe.com
March 11, 2024 at 10:30 AM
Hey, remember MOOCs? Remember "the year of the MOOC?" Remember how UVA's board tried to fire the president because she wasn't sufficiently hyped about MOOCs? Remember how Sebastian Thrun (Udacity) said there would eventually be only 10 higher-ed outlets bc of MOOCs?
Just thought I'd ask.
Just thought I'd ask.