Matt Shields
@mattbshields.bsky.social
Assistant prof of philosophy at Wake Forest. he/him.
Reposted by Matt Shields
It is UK publication day for "The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life" (from @politybooks.bsky.social). I guess it's a strange time for a book about Disney to arrive in the world, but this project means a lot to me, and I'm really proud of it. www.wiley.com/en-ie/The+Ma...
The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life: A Philosopher Visits Disney World
What truths and life lessons can we take away from a seemingly trivial theme park in Orlando, Florida? <br /><br />Father and philosopher Adam Kadlac reflects on his own visits to Walt Disney World, a...
www.wiley.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:17 PM
It is UK publication day for "The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life" (from @politybooks.bsky.social). I guess it's a strange time for a book about Disney to arrive in the world, but this project means a lot to me, and I'm really proud of it. www.wiley.com/en-ie/The+Ma...
Reposted by Matt Shields
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry
Commission’s 72-page legal analysis cites examples including scale of killings, aid blockages and forced displacement
*
Middle East crisis – live updates
A UN commission of inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had incited these acts.
It cited examples of the scale of the killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of a fertility clinic to back up its genocide finding, adding its voice to rights groups and others that have reached the same conclusion. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry
Reposted by Matt Shields
✨️ Your assistance needed! ✨️
gofund.me/731300e6
Dennis is a dedicated HJN organizer. He has worked to improve conditions at Healy Towers. Residents have won repairs, common space improvements, drug treatment resources, and successfully stopped a wrongful eviction.
Any amount is appreciated!
gofund.me/731300e6
Dennis is a dedicated HJN organizer. He has worked to improve conditions at Healy Towers. Residents have won repairs, common space improvements, drug treatment resources, and successfully stopped a wrongful eviction.
Any amount is appreciated!
Donate to Restore Dennis's Quality of Life: Dental Procedure Fund, organized by Matthew Shields
Dennis Threatt is a dedicated organizer with Housing Justice N… Matthew Shields needs your support for Restore Dennis's Quality of Life: Dental Procedure Fund
gofund.me
July 20, 2025 at 1:14 PM
✨️ Your assistance needed! ✨️
gofund.me/731300e6
Dennis is a dedicated HJN organizer. He has worked to improve conditions at Healy Towers. Residents have won repairs, common space improvements, drug treatment resources, and successfully stopped a wrongful eviction.
Any amount is appreciated!
gofund.me/731300e6
Dennis is a dedicated HJN organizer. He has worked to improve conditions at Healy Towers. Residents have won repairs, common space improvements, drug treatment resources, and successfully stopped a wrongful eviction.
Any amount is appreciated!
Dennis Threatt is a public housing resident and one of the most dedicated organizers building the NC Tenants Union. He's helped win substantial improvements for his fellow residents, but now he needs our help: he has a major procedure not being covered by Medicare/Medicaid: gofund.me/731300e6.
Donate to Restore Dennis's Quality of Life: Dental Procedure Fund, organized by Matthew Shields
Dennis Threatt is a dedicated organizer with Housing Justice N… Matthew Shields needs your support for Restore Dennis's Quality of Life: Dental Procedure Fund
gofund.me
July 19, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Dennis Threatt is a public housing resident and one of the most dedicated organizers building the NC Tenants Union. He's helped win substantial improvements for his fellow residents, but now he needs our help: he has a major procedure not being covered by Medicare/Medicaid: gofund.me/731300e6.
Reposted by Matt Shields
Yesterday, one of our union leaders was arrested during an ICE raid in Camarillo, CA, while he was lawfully observing immigration enforcement activities.
www.calfac.org/statement-condemning-the-abduction-and-disappearance-of-cfa-members-in-camarillo/
www.calfac.org/statement-condemning-the-abduction-and-disappearance-of-cfa-members-in-camarillo/
- California Faculty Association
We strongly condemn the abduction of California Faculty Association professor, member and activist Jonathan A. Caravello, Ph.D. and other community
www.calfac.org
July 12, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Matt Shields
"Jonathan Caravello...was reportedly “piled on by multiple agents all at once” as “he tried to help a man in a wheelchair” who was having difficulty moving after...[ICE] agents threw canisters of tear gas"
our colleague is still missing as of the last info I got
dailynous.com/2025/07/12/p...
our colleague is still missing as of the last info I got
dailynous.com/2025/07/12/p...
Philosophy Professor Reportedly Assaulted & Abducted During ICE Raid on Farm - Daily Nous
Jonathan Caravello, a lecturer in philosophy at California State University Channel Islands, was reportedly "piled on by multiple agents all at once" as "he tried to help a man in a wheelchair" who wa...
dailynous.com
July 12, 2025 at 3:45 PM
"Jonathan Caravello...was reportedly “piled on by multiple agents all at once” as “he tried to help a man in a wheelchair” who was having difficulty moving after...[ICE] agents threw canisters of tear gas"
our colleague is still missing as of the last info I got
dailynous.com/2025/07/12/p...
our colleague is still missing as of the last info I got
dailynous.com/2025/07/12/p...
Reposted by Matt Shields
Judge orders the release of a philosophy student who was snatched by ICE agents at a citizenship interview earlier this month.
Judge Orders ICE to Free Philosophy Major it Abducted - Daily Nous
Mohsen Mahdawi, the graduating philosophy major at Columbia University who was taken into custody by hooded and masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during his appointment for a US ...
dailynous.com
April 30, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Judge orders the release of a philosophy student who was snatched by ICE agents at a citizenship interview earlier this month.
Reposted by Matt Shields
The level of organizing for April 17 is really knocking our 🧦 off. 175+ events & more getting added to our map almost hourly. Join @actioninhighered.bsky.social, @aaup.bsky.social, @debtcollective.bsky.social and more this Thursday, at campuses in 44 states & online: www.dayofactionforhighered.org
April 16, 2025 at 2:33 AM
The level of organizing for April 17 is really knocking our 🧦 off. 175+ events & more getting added to our map almost hourly. Join @actioninhighered.bsky.social, @aaup.bsky.social, @debtcollective.bsky.social and more this Thursday, at campuses in 44 states & online: www.dayofactionforhighered.org
Reposted by Matt Shields
"The fight for the freedom of Palestine, and the fight against anti-Semitism, go hand in hand, because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -- philosophy student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was abducted by ICE Monday during a citizenship interview.
Philosophy Major Snatched by ICE During Citizenship Interview - Daily Nous
Mohsen Mahdawi, a philosophy major at Columbia University who is due to graduate later this semester, was attending a US citizenship application interview in Vermont when he was taken by Immigration a...
dailynous.com
April 15, 2025 at 12:40 PM
"The fight for the freedom of Palestine, and the fight against anti-Semitism, go hand in hand, because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -- philosophy student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was abducted by ICE Monday during a citizenship interview.
If you're able, please consider giving to support Cynthia, a data center worker here in NC who was retaliated against by Google for union organizing. She's been blacklisted from other jobs, and her bills are soaring thanks in part to a sweetheart deal b/w Duke Energy and Google: shorturl.at/CWTco.
Donate to Support Cynthia West as she fights Google's retaliation, organized by Hailey Huget
Cynthia West was blacklisted from the Google data center in Lenoi… Hailey Huget needs your support for Support Cynthia West as she fights Google's retaliation
www.gofundme.com
April 2, 2025 at 2:42 PM
If you're able, please consider giving to support Cynthia, a data center worker here in NC who was retaliated against by Google for union organizing. She's been blacklisted from other jobs, and her bills are soaring thanks in part to a sweetheart deal b/w Duke Energy and Google: shorturl.at/CWTco.
Reposted by Matt Shields
Methodological Questions in the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories and Applied Epistemology, Matthew Shields
In “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories: Method First! A Reply to Shields”, Sanja Dembić pushes back against elements in my article “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories” (2022). Dembić starts her…
In “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories: Method First! A Reply to Shields”, Sanja Dembić pushes back against elements in my article “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories” (2022). Dembić starts her…
Methodological Questions in the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories and Applied Epistemology, Matthew Shields
In “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories: Method First! A Reply to Shields”, Sanja Dembić pushes back against elements in my article “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories” (2022). Dembić starts her reply by giving a clear and accurate reconstruction of my main argument. I present a novel critique of generalism—the view that conspiracy theories are epistemically defective by their very nature. (To indicate that this is the relevant meaning, I’ll continue with Quassim Cassam’s convention of denoting this generalist concept via capitalization as ‘Conspiracy Theory’.) Rather than arguing that generalism is mistaken, as particularists have done, I present an internal critique of generalism.
social-epistemology.com
March 24, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Methodological Questions in the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories and Applied Epistemology, Matthew Shields
In “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories: Method First! A Reply to Shields”, Sanja Dembić pushes back against elements in my article “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories” (2022). Dembić starts her…
In “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories: Method First! A Reply to Shields”, Sanja Dembić pushes back against elements in my article “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories” (2022). Dembić starts her…
Reposted by Matt Shields
🚨NEW at @dropsitenews.com: Georgetown Postdoc Latest To Be Detained by ICE as Crackdown on Campus Speech Widens
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen, was detained after pro-Israel groups publicly targeted him and his wife.
Story by @architmeta.bsky.social & @mazmhussain.bsky.social
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen, was detained after pro-Israel groups publicly targeted him and his wife.
Story by @architmeta.bsky.social & @mazmhussain.bsky.social
Georgetown Postdoc the Latest to Be Detained by ICE as Crackdown on Campus Speech Widens
Badar Khan Suri was detained by DHS agents after a public campaign against him and his wife by pro-Israel groups.
tinyurl.com
March 20, 2025 at 3:03 AM
🚨NEW at @dropsitenews.com: Georgetown Postdoc Latest To Be Detained by ICE as Crackdown on Campus Speech Widens
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen, was detained after pro-Israel groups publicly targeted him and his wife.
Story by @architmeta.bsky.social & @mazmhussain.bsky.social
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen, was detained after pro-Israel groups publicly targeted him and his wife.
Story by @architmeta.bsky.social & @mazmhussain.bsky.social
Reposted by Matt Shields
I am proud to be the twelfth signature on this petition in solidarity with @helyehdoutaghi.bsky.social over her suspension from Yale Law School. Shame on Yale. If you are a researcher or faculty somewhere, please sign the open letter alongside myself.
openletter.earth/statement-of...
openletter.earth/statement-of...
March 17, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I am proud to be the twelfth signature on this petition in solidarity with @helyehdoutaghi.bsky.social over her suspension from Yale Law School. Shame on Yale. If you are a researcher or faculty somewhere, please sign the open letter alongside myself.
openletter.earth/statement-of...
openletter.earth/statement-of...
Hailey follows up with another great piece here: substack.com/home/post/p-...
The guilt-burnout spiral
And what it means for organizing and activism
substack.com
March 16, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Hailey follows up with another great piece here: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Check out Hailey's excellent first substack essay: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Forgiving Ethical Consumerism
A dilemma kept cropping up because I needed a snack.
substack.com
March 14, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Check out Hailey's excellent first substack essay: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Reposted by Matt Shields
This bill still has to go through the House and get the governor’s signature, all of which is very likely. It is deeply unpopular across the state. Please help us raise hell about it.
leaving this here:
"The bill, known as SB 1, would also establish post-tenure reviews, ban strikes by full-time faculty, and require colleges to publish a syllabus with the instructor’s professional qualifications and contact information for every class."
www.highereddive.com/news/ohio-se...
"The bill, known as SB 1, would also establish post-tenure reviews, ban strikes by full-time faculty, and require colleges to publish a syllabus with the instructor’s professional qualifications and contact information for every class."
www.highereddive.com/news/ohio-se...
Ohio Senate passes bill to ban DEI and faculty strikes at public colleges
The legislation would also establish post-tenure reviews and require all instructors to share their contact information and syllabi publicly.
www.highereddive.com
February 14, 2025 at 1:09 PM
This bill still has to go through the House and get the governor’s signature, all of which is very likely. It is deeply unpopular across the state. Please help us raise hell about it.
Reposted by Matt Shields
A petition in support of the School of English, Communication, and Philosophy at Cardiff, who are being threatened with job cuts that would be devastating for staff, students, and the university
We Can Make an Impact.
SAVE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGLISH, COMMUNICATION AND PHILOSOPHY
chng.it
February 4, 2025 at 1:55 PM
A petition in support of the School of English, Communication, and Philosophy at Cardiff, who are being threatened with job cuts that would be devastating for staff, students, and the university
My paper 'On the Value of Changing Your Mind' should be available open access now: doi.org/10.1017/epi..... Let me know what you think!
On the value of changing your mind | Episteme | Cambridge Core
On the value of changing your mind
doi.org
January 27, 2025 at 5:37 PM
My paper 'On the Value of Changing Your Mind' should be available open access now: doi.org/10.1017/epi..... Let me know what you think!
Reposted by Matt Shields
NEW: For over a year, the Israeli government has deliberately denied Palestinians in Gaza the minimum water needed for survival, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths.
A calculated policy.
An act of genocide. 🧵⤵️
www.hrw.org/news/2024/12...
A calculated policy.
An act of genocide. 🧵⤵️
www.hrw.org/news/2024/12...
December 19, 2024 at 2:12 PM
NEW: For over a year, the Israeli government has deliberately denied Palestinians in Gaza the minimum water needed for survival, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths.
A calculated policy.
An act of genocide. 🧵⤵️
www.hrw.org/news/2024/12...
A calculated policy.
An act of genocide. 🧵⤵️
www.hrw.org/news/2024/12...
Reposted by Matt Shields
Amnesty International’s new landmark report concludes that Israeli authorities have committed – and still are committing - genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.
Full report, out now.
www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...
Full report, out now.
www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...
Amnesty International concludes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza
Amnesty International’s research has found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.
www.amnesty.org
December 5, 2024 at 3:08 PM
Amnesty International’s new landmark report concludes that Israeli authorities have committed – and still are committing - genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.
Full report, out now.
www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...
Full report, out now.
www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...
Reposted by Matt Shields
The North Carolina General Assembly’s GOP supermajority just approved a hugely corrupt power grab, seizing authority from the governor and the courts to prevent any meaningful check on legislative abuses. Authoritarian stuff. A very dark day for democracy in NC. amp.newsobserver.com/news/politic...
December 2, 2024 at 10:41 PM
The North Carolina General Assembly’s GOP supermajority just approved a hugely corrupt power grab, seizing authority from the governor and the courts to prevent any meaningful check on legislative abuses. Authoritarian stuff. A very dark day for democracy in NC. amp.newsobserver.com/news/politic...