Martin O'Reilly
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oreilm.bsky.social
Martin O'Reilly
@oreilm.bsky.social
Science, ethics, politics, culture, bioethics, moral psychology

martoman.blogspot.ie
Reposted by Martin O'Reilly
“In any case, the same question could be asked in reverse of conservatives and supporters of Israel. Why do so many who support freedom for Iranians refuse to apply that principle to Palestinians?” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social
column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
The left and right are spinning Iran’s story for their ow...
Protesters are neither CIA puppets nor Mossad assets. They are citizens confronting tyranny with courage and autonomy
observer.co.uk
January 18, 2026 at 10:36 AM
What’s So Special About Medically Assisted Dying? erudit.org/en/journals/bi…
Making sure you're not a bot!
https://erudit.org/en/journals/bi…
January 19, 2026 at 5:54 AM
"The question of why there has not been a popular Irish far-right party is one that has flummoxed pointy-headed political scientists for years"
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
Pat Leahy: What is the future for the new right in Irish politics?
Plenty of energy, as evidenced by the recent ‘Irlforum’, but no sign of a breakthrough
www.irishtimes.com
January 17, 2026 at 9:50 AM
"The course of international relations for decades to come will be determined by whether the rest of the world accepts Trump’s reversion to the unbridled dominance of great powers, or holds even the most powerful states to account"
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/t...
Trump’s Anti-Moral Morality
Peter Singer examines the historical roots and contemporary flaws of America’s turn to “might-makes-right” foreign policy.
www.project-syndicate.org
January 14, 2026 at 10:09 PM
"If AI technologies are going to drastically change our societies, their impact won’t be limited to our own lives—they’ll affect the lives of countless numbers of animals in the years to come" nautil.us/ais-innate-b...
AI’s Innate Bias Against Animals
AI’s Innate Bias Against Animals: Chatbots and robots are a setback to animal welfare—but have the potential to be a step forward.
nautil.us
January 8, 2026 at 10:21 AM
"Too many fail to take either antisemitism or Palestinian freedom seriously, and who care about free speech only when it is speech they like" observer.co.uk/news/columni...
When free speech becomes weaponised and tribal, everybody...
Protecting expression for one’s own side, while censoring others, serves neither liberty nor safety
observer.co.uk
December 21, 2025 at 11:20 AM
"Given strong evidence that psychedelics work, why aren't doctors allowed to prescribe them?" @projectsyndicate.bsky.social prosyn.org/3PzYork
The Best Treatment for the Most Painful Medical Condition Is Illegal
Peter Singer urges governments to allow doctors to prescribe psychedelic drugs for people with cluster headaches.
prosyn.org
December 12, 2025 at 8:11 AM
"There’s a future where manual driving becomes uncommon, perhaps even quaint, like riding horses is today. It’s a future where we no longer accept thousands of deaths." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/o...
Opinion | Don’t Fear Self-Driving Cars. They Save Lives.
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Social media and the rise of populism: looking beyond algorithms and censorship www.conspicuouscognition.com/p/lets-not-b...
Let's Not Bring Back The Gatekeepers
The challenge for the liberal establishment in the social media era is simple: persuade or perish. If you can’t control the public conversation, you must participate in it.
www.conspicuouscognition.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:19 PM
"When you actually look at data on murder, it shows that the world has largely been getting safer, both as compared to the more distant past and in this century"
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The global decline in murder, explained in one chart
The world is aging out of killing one another.
www.vox.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:06 AM
The end of malaria?
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The end of malaria
How politics, not parasites, became the biggest threat in the fight against malaria
www.vox.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:05 AM
"EV sales account for 18.4 per cent of new cars this year"
www.irishtimes.com/business/202...
Highest ever number of new electric cars sold in Ireland in 2025
Electric models surge to an 18.4% share as Toyota heads for another year on top
www.irishtimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Seeing My Bloody Valentine in Glasgow was an experience like no other -- pure, deafening ecstasy.
November 30, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Reilly
In the last decades, the world has made fantastic progress against extreme poverty. In 1990, 2.3 billion people lived in extreme poverty. Since then, the number of extremely poor people has declined by 1.5 *billion* people. 🧵
November 17, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Reilly
Global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels are likely to increase this year, while those from land-use change will fall
November 13, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Reilly
“Immigration status becomes significant when you’re a monster but not when you’re a hero.” My ‪@theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Violent crime is at a low, yet people’s experiences tell a different story | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Reilly
Life expectancy has increased at all ages
November 3, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Good analysis here on how Ireland allocates its foreign aid www.thefitzwilliam.com/p/most-irish...
Most Irish Foreign Aid Never Leaves the Country
But, weirdly, this is fine (for now)
www.thefitzwilliam.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:19 PM
“Is there anything as bad as female modes of interaction for the pursuit of truth? I can think of one -- male modes of interaction”
smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net/p/are-women-...
Are women unsuited for the pursuit of truth?
Yes. But so are men.
smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net
October 30, 2025 at 7:59 AM
"It makes no sense to suggest that a tolerant right was forced by an intolerant left into adopting cancel culture"
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/o...
Opinion | We Have Seen the ‘Woke Right’ Before, and It Wasn’t Pretty Then, Either
www.nytimes.com
September 30, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Reilly
"A refreshingly pragmatic and undoomy book."

The Guardian just published a great review of @hannahritchie.bsky.social's new book 'Clearing the Air'.

The book will be out in 2 days.

If you are unsure whether you want to read it, the review gives a good overview: www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...
Clearing the Air by Hannah Ritchie review – practical climate optimism
A data scientist rebuts 50 arguments against green technology with lively pragmatism and authority
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2025 at 8:52 PM
"If the numbers count, then surely it follows that the most pressing matter in the world of animal rights is the plight of the shrimp"
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The case for caring about shrimp
Killing two people is worse than killing one. What about 440 billion crustaceans?
www.vox.com
September 11, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Reilly
Our own @hannahritchie.bsky.social has a new book about tackling climate change coming out on September 18th!

Called “Clearing the Air”, it covers everything from renewable energy and nuclear power to electric vehicles, heat pumps, minerals, carbon capture, and geoengineering.
September 9, 2025 at 10:02 AM
"Many patients could contribute to the development of safer drugs for curing human diseases while helping to reduce the use of animals in research"
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/t...
A Meaningful Last Gift for All Sentient Beings
Peter Singer & Benjamin L. Sievers tout an initiative that allows terminally ill patients to donate their bodies to science while still alive.
www.project-syndicate.org
September 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM