Mark Fisher
@markfisher.bsky.social
Asst Prof at Georgetown // Ancient Greek Political Thought // History of Democratic Theory // Humanistic Perspectives on AI
Happy pub day for "The Autocratic Interpretation of Athens: Rethinking Regime Theory in Thucydides' 'Archaeology'," which appears in Polis 42,3 @dgb-ancientstudies.bsky.social
You can find a preprint on my academia page or access the article here: doi.org/10.1163/20512996-12340479
You can find a preprint on my academia page or access the article here: doi.org/10.1163/20512996-12340479
September 4, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Happy pub day for "The Autocratic Interpretation of Athens: Rethinking Regime Theory in Thucydides' 'Archaeology'," which appears in Polis 42,3 @dgb-ancientstudies.bsky.social
You can find a preprint on my academia page or access the article here: doi.org/10.1163/20512996-12340479
You can find a preprint on my academia page or access the article here: doi.org/10.1163/20512996-12340479
What would we need to know to conclude that AGI was inevitable?
We argue that the answer has more to do with the philosophy of social science than the tech itself.
Grateful to have this piece included in the inaugural batch of Oxford Intersections: AI in Society.
academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
We argue that the answer has more to do with the philosophy of social science than the tech itself.
Grateful to have this piece included in the inaugural batch of Oxford Intersections: AI in Society.
academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
March 25, 2025 at 6:38 PM
What would we need to know to conclude that AGI was inevitable?
We argue that the answer has more to do with the philosophy of social science than the tech itself.
Grateful to have this piece included in the inaugural batch of Oxford Intersections: AI in Society.
academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
We argue that the answer has more to do with the philosophy of social science than the tech itself.
Grateful to have this piece included in the inaugural batch of Oxford Intersections: AI in Society.
academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
The closing paragraph from Geuss’ essay on Rawls, “Neither History nor Praxis,” has always been a favorite
January 14, 2025 at 2:26 AM
The closing paragraph from Geuss’ essay on Rawls, “Neither History nor Praxis,” has always been a favorite
Finally, a historical account of the tumultuous 17th century in England, inclusive of one of the best first lines written by a historian in a while
December 31, 2024 at 5:25 PM
Finally, a historical account of the tumultuous 17th century in England, inclusive of one of the best first lines written by a historian in a while
If you need a “maybe AI isn’t wholly bad” book, this looks at a number of case studies about how researchers are using tech to learn about non-human communication, most of which are pretty mind blowing
December 31, 2024 at 5:25 PM
If you need a “maybe AI isn’t wholly bad” book, this looks at a number of case studies about how researchers are using tech to learn about non-human communication, most of which are pretty mind blowing
A very readable retelling of the the French Revolution that attempts to do a better job accounting for developments in the social history of the period
December 31, 2024 at 5:25 PM
A very readable retelling of the the French Revolution that attempts to do a better job accounting for developments in the social history of the period
The most astute, self-aware, and intellectually disciplined attempt to flesh out some of the big questions at the center of the AI debates, with particular care shown to the role that metaphor plays in facilitating and distorting our thinking on the subject
December 31, 2024 at 5:25 PM
The most astute, self-aware, and intellectually disciplined attempt to flesh out some of the big questions at the center of the AI debates, with particular care shown to the role that metaphor plays in facilitating and distorting our thinking on the subject
This second one shows what we actually stand to lose by gutting the administrative state. Turns out I had no idea what most gov’t departments actually did, nor did I fully appreciate the negligence that actually occurred in the 2017 handover.
December 31, 2024 at 5:25 PM
This second one shows what we actually stand to lose by gutting the administrative state. Turns out I had no idea what most gov’t departments actually did, nor did I fully appreciate the negligence that actually occurred in the 2017 handover.
If your resolution/planned coping mechanism for 2025 is to read more good books, here are some recs I received from friends and colleagues this year that deserve to be paid forward
No summary can do this first one justice. Just read it and you’ll understand.
No summary can do this first one justice. Just read it and you’ll understand.
December 31, 2024 at 5:25 PM
If your resolution/planned coping mechanism for 2025 is to read more good books, here are some recs I received from friends and colleagues this year that deserve to be paid forward
No summary can do this first one justice. Just read it and you’ll understand.
No summary can do this first one justice. Just read it and you’ll understand.
Enjoying an alliterative Boxing Day
December 26, 2024 at 4:01 PM
Enjoying an alliterative Boxing Day
Merry Christmas from a dog that definitely made it onto the nice list
December 25, 2024 at 8:53 PM
Merry Christmas from a dog that definitely made it onto the nice list
The Kennedy Center cleans up well for Christmas
December 21, 2024 at 5:14 PM
The Kennedy Center cleans up well for Christmas
Oakeshott on the diffusion of authority between past, present, and future
From "The Political Economy of Freedom"
From "The Political Economy of Freedom"
December 21, 2024 at 3:26 PM
Oakeshott on the diffusion of authority between past, present, and future
From "The Political Economy of Freedom"
From "The Political Economy of Freedom"
Deep in the Foreign Service Journal archives and spending all my time reading the ads. Here's one from a midtown hotel in 1940 offering translations in Esperanto, rooms for $3.50, and ten-minute rides from Penn Station to Flushing.
December 20, 2024 at 6:10 PM
Deep in the Foreign Service Journal archives and spending all my time reading the ads. Here's one from a midtown hotel in 1940 offering translations in Esperanto, rooms for $3.50, and ten-minute rides from Penn Station to Flushing.
Wait is the implication of this final pivot that it's not ultimately Gates or Soros behind it all but . . . the Olympian pantheon???
If so, please tell me more
If so, please tell me more
December 17, 2024 at 2:43 AM
Wait is the implication of this final pivot that it's not ultimately Gates or Soros behind it all but . . . the Olympian pantheon???
If so, please tell me more
If so, please tell me more
Not a cat, but might as well be
December 15, 2024 at 4:30 AM
Not a cat, but might as well be
Here’s an actual picture of the machine if you are interested
December 7, 2024 at 3:53 PM
Here’s an actual picture of the machine if you are interested
Request to submit this as part of my annual review
December 7, 2024 at 3:04 PM
Request to submit this as part of my annual review
Thank you, friendly AI bot at blueskyroast.com. I feel seen.
December 4, 2024 at 6:07 PM
Thank you, friendly AI bot at blueskyroast.com. I feel seen.
Only thing missing is a pipe and some tweed
November 27, 2024 at 7:45 PM
Only thing missing is a pipe and some tweed
So here's the funny thing about Icarus...
November 26, 2024 at 3:37 PM
So here's the funny thing about Icarus...
This will forever win my vote for best paperback design
November 20, 2024 at 4:50 PM
This will forever win my vote for best paperback design
T.S. Eliot on the provincialism of time---even sharper today than when first offered as part of a lecture on Virgil in 1944
From Oswyn Murray's The Muse of History
From Oswyn Murray's The Muse of History
November 19, 2024 at 6:53 PM
T.S. Eliot on the provincialism of time---even sharper today than when first offered as part of a lecture on Virgil in 1944
From Oswyn Murray's The Muse of History
From Oswyn Murray's The Muse of History