Peter Godfrey-Smith
@petergs.bsky.social
Driving down the east side of the Sierra Nevadas a few weeks ago. I keep coming back here.
October 19, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Driving down the east side of the Sierra Nevadas a few weeks ago. I keep coming back here.
The title is from a William James letter - "such flexible intensity of life in a form so inaccessible to our sympathy."
Classic James. But perhaps not so inaccessible. 2/
Classic James. But perhaps not so inaccessible. 2/
October 17, 2025 at 6:54 AM
The title is from a William James letter - "such flexible intensity of life in a form so inaccessible to our sympathy."
Classic James. But perhaps not so inaccessible. 2/
Classic James. But perhaps not so inaccessible. 2/
Australian whale populations – what a pleasure to read this.
October 11, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Australian whale populations – what a pleasure to read this.
Weather coming in over Eagle Lake, (California, near Tahoe), last week.
October 10, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Weather coming in over Eagle Lake, (California, near Tahoe), last week.
I will do a thread here soon with a few highlights, or at least ideas that stayed with me, from the Virginia conference.
Here is one passage, which contributed the title of Fesmire's talk:
Here is one passage, which contributed the title of Fesmire's talk:
September 23, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I will do a thread here soon with a few highlights, or at least ideas that stayed with me, from the Virginia conference.
Here is one passage, which contributed the title of Fesmire's talk:
Here is one passage, which contributed the title of Fesmire's talk:
A good event at UV:
September 19, 2025 at 6:35 PM
A good event at UV:
I'll be talking about Dewey's treatment of "idealism." (Mainly objective idealism.)
Will be a commentary by Ram Neta.
Will be a commentary by Ram Neta.
September 16, 2025 at 5:32 PM
I'll be talking about Dewey's treatment of "idealism." (Mainly objective idealism.)
Will be a commentary by Ram Neta.
Will be a commentary by Ram Neta.
A century in the making - this week's University of Virginia conference on John Dewey's "Experience and Nature" (1925). A majestic, frustrating, (endless) book.
Event organized by @cbarzun.bsky.social www.law.virginia.edu/event/sympos... 1/
Event organized by @cbarzun.bsky.social www.law.virginia.edu/event/sympos... 1/
September 16, 2025 at 5:32 PM
A century in the making - this week's University of Virginia conference on John Dewey's "Experience and Nature" (1925). A majestic, frustrating, (endless) book.
Event organized by @cbarzun.bsky.social www.law.virginia.edu/event/sympos... 1/
Event organized by @cbarzun.bsky.social www.law.virginia.edu/event/sympos... 1/
Later this month I am giving the 2025 Howison Lecture at UC Berkeley.
"Evolution and Animal Minds."
It will have quite a lot on recent work looking at play and dreams in nonhumans. 1/
"Evolution and Animal Minds."
It will have quite a lot on recent work looking at play and dreams in nonhumans. 1/
September 5, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Later this month I am giving the 2025 Howison Lecture at UC Berkeley.
"Evolution and Animal Minds."
It will have quite a lot on recent work looking at play and dreams in nonhumans. 1/
"Evolution and Animal Minds."
It will have quite a lot on recent work looking at play and dreams in nonhumans. 1/
One of a quartet of gang-gang cockatoos that came to visit last week. Very uncommon visitors, very welcome.
July 30, 2025 at 1:26 PM
One of a quartet of gang-gang cockatoos that came to visit last week. Very uncommon visitors, very welcome.
As a professor dealing with this right now, I am squarely in the 3rd category below. The destruction of the college essay as a format for thinking, learning, & assessing is awful to see. 2/
July 17, 2025 at 8:43 AM
As a professor dealing with this right now, I am squarely in the 3rd category below. The destruction of the college essay as a format for thinking, learning, & assessing is awful to see. 2/
A Giant Cuttlefish at Cabbage Tree Bay (the "Bower" dive site, Australia) last month. Perfect conditions that day.
I wrote a blog post about the encounters: metazoan.net/124-bower-cu...
One very relaxed cuttlefish, one very wild one.
I wrote a blog post about the encounters: metazoan.net/124-bower-cu...
One very relaxed cuttlefish, one very wild one.
July 13, 2025 at 2:25 AM
A Giant Cuttlefish at Cabbage Tree Bay (the "Bower" dive site, Australia) last month. Perfect conditions that day.
I wrote a blog post about the encounters: metazoan.net/124-bower-cu...
One very relaxed cuttlefish, one very wild one.
I wrote a blog post about the encounters: metazoan.net/124-bower-cu...
One very relaxed cuttlefish, one very wild one.
Summer reading from the radio station KQED (@kqedarts.bsky.social) – *all* of the 'Other Minds' trilogy.
www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
July 1, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Summer reading from the radio station KQED (@kqedarts.bsky.social) – *all* of the 'Other Minds' trilogy.
www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
I saw the movie "DJ Ahmet" the other day (part of Sydney Film Festival).
An absolute delight.
Made by Georgi Unkovski. About a world combining TikTok and techno with arranged marriage [what a blight that practice is], and the call to prayer.
Highly recommended if you get the chance.
An absolute delight.
Made by Georgi Unkovski. About a world combining TikTok and techno with arranged marriage [what a blight that practice is], and the call to prayer.
Highly recommended if you get the chance.
June 15, 2025 at 11:38 PM
I saw the movie "DJ Ahmet" the other day (part of Sydney Film Festival).
An absolute delight.
Made by Georgi Unkovski. About a world combining TikTok and techno with arranged marriage [what a blight that practice is], and the call to prayer.
Highly recommended if you get the chance.
An absolute delight.
Made by Georgi Unkovski. About a world combining TikTok and techno with arranged marriage [what a blight that practice is], and the call to prayer.
Highly recommended if you get the chance.
For more on how beagles have been treated in US labs, this article - mainly about commercial labs - is shocking.
theintercept.com/2018/05/17/i...
And also from my book's notes, below is more on those confinement/exercise rules.
Plus the first bit of the next (literally) nightmarish example. 3/
theintercept.com/2018/05/17/i...
And also from my book's notes, below is more on those confinement/exercise rules.
Plus the first bit of the next (literally) nightmarish example. 3/
May 10, 2025 at 3:26 AM
For more on how beagles have been treated in US labs, this article - mainly about commercial labs - is shocking.
theintercept.com/2018/05/17/i...
And also from my book's notes, below is more on those confinement/exercise rules.
Plus the first bit of the next (literally) nightmarish example. 3/
theintercept.com/2018/05/17/i...
And also from my book's notes, below is more on those confinement/exercise rules.
Plus the first bit of the next (literally) nightmarish example. 3/
The beagle lab has just been shut down by Jay Bhattacharya.
The lab should never have been there and it's a stain on the NIH's legacy.
Credit (and blame) where it's due. 2/
The lab should never have been there and it's a stain on the NIH's legacy.
Credit (and blame) where it's due. 2/
May 10, 2025 at 3:26 AM
The beagle lab has just been shut down by Jay Bhattacharya.
The lab should never have been there and it's a stain on the NIH's legacy.
Credit (and blame) where it's due. 2/
The lab should never have been there and it's a stain on the NIH's legacy.
Credit (and blame) where it's due. 2/
In ch.7 of "Living on Earth," I single out US beagle experiments (toxicology especially) as among the worst forms of abuse of animals in science. Some discussion in the main text, more in the notes (see below). I didn't realize then that the NIH itself had a beagle lab on its main campus.. 🧵 1/
May 10, 2025 at 3:26 AM
In ch.7 of "Living on Earth," I single out US beagle experiments (toxicology especially) as among the worst forms of abuse of animals in science. Some discussion in the main text, more in the notes (see below). I didn't realize then that the NIH itself had a beagle lab on its main campus.. 🧵 1/
A photo from my Royce Lectures at Brown (taken by Alison Simmons) that has the outline of all three lectures in the background.
Life & Mind; Evolution & Goals; Biology & Idealism.
Life & Mind; Evolution & Goals; Biology & Idealism.
May 7, 2025 at 5:58 AM
A photo from my Royce Lectures at Brown (taken by Alison Simmons) that has the outline of all three lectures in the background.
Life & Mind; Evolution & Goals; Biology & Idealism.
Life & Mind; Evolution & Goals; Biology & Idealism.
This, however, will be remembered for a long time.
May 6, 2025 at 5:10 AM
This, however, will be remembered for a long time.
One of the outcomes of the Australian federal election.
Much credit to @animalsaustralia.org.
They worked hard for this.
Much credit to @animalsaustralia.org.
They worked hard for this.
May 6, 2025 at 2:55 AM
One of the outcomes of the Australian federal election.
Much credit to @animalsaustralia.org.
They worked hard for this.
Much credit to @animalsaustralia.org.
They worked hard for this.
Royce Lecture 3 - the last one. Collage of some slides.
The role of (metabolic) life in consequence etiologies; information as an ingredient; panpsychism; the objective idealist tradition & Dewey's critique.
Thanks again to Brown U. Philosophy.
The role of (metabolic) life in consequence etiologies; information as an ingredient; panpsychism; the objective idealist tradition & Dewey's critique.
Thanks again to Brown U. Philosophy.
April 29, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Royce Lecture 3 - the last one. Collage of some slides.
The role of (metabolic) life in consequence etiologies; information as an ingredient; panpsychism; the objective idealist tradition & Dewey's critique.
Thanks again to Brown U. Philosophy.
The role of (metabolic) life in consequence etiologies; information as an ingredient; panpsychism; the objective idealist tradition & Dewey's critique.
Thanks again to Brown U. Philosophy.
Royce Lecture 2: "Evolution and Goals." A collage of some slides. "Consequence etiologies" in minimal and richer forms, feedback, and a bit of bee sentience continuing from lecture 1.
April 26, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Royce Lecture 2: "Evolution and Goals." A collage of some slides. "Consequence etiologies" in minimal and richer forms, feedback, and a bit of bee sentience continuing from lecture 1.
.. and a slide summarizing the week's themes:
April 24, 2025 at 3:57 AM
.. and a slide summarizing the week's themes:
Royce Lecture 1, "Life and Mind." A collage of some slides. Haeckel (and a seeing cyanobacterium) on the left; Hans Jonas on the right. ...
April 24, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Royce Lecture 1, "Life and Mind." A collage of some slides. Haeckel (and a seeing cyanobacterium) on the left; Hans Jonas on the right. ...
From tomorrow - the Josiah Royce Lectures at Brown.
Apt choice by Brown Philosophy of the photo of me in a western shirt. Royce was born in Grass Valley in the Sierra foothills (California), in 1855.
Apt choice by Brown Philosophy of the photo of me in a western shirt. Royce was born in Grass Valley in the Sierra foothills (California), in 1855.
April 21, 2025 at 3:17 PM
From tomorrow - the Josiah Royce Lectures at Brown.
Apt choice by Brown Philosophy of the photo of me in a western shirt. Royce was born in Grass Valley in the Sierra foothills (California), in 1855.
Apt choice by Brown Philosophy of the photo of me in a western shirt. Royce was born in Grass Valley in the Sierra foothills (California), in 1855.