Simon Gray
@protexblue.bsky.social
Part-time philosopher & historian.
Full-time Student Adviser at University College Dublin. 🇮🇪
Blogger 🖊 / Podcaster 🎤
Husband, brother, playlist-&-bad-jokes lover
(he/him; all views my own)
Full-time Student Adviser at University College Dublin. 🇮🇪
Blogger 🖊 / Podcaster 🎤
Husband, brother, playlist-&-bad-jokes lover
(he/him; all views my own)
(“Nudging” is not a Hayekian idea. It was formalised by Thaler & Sunstein, 2008. It seems to broadly allow for justice to exist without coercion – but it also seems to rely on manipulating people subconsciously.)
[9/14]
[9/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:55 PM
(“Nudging” is not a Hayekian idea. It was formalised by Thaler & Sunstein, 2008. It seems to broadly allow for justice to exist without coercion – but it also seems to rely on manipulating people subconsciously.)
[9/14]
[9/14]
The Missive rests mostly on Hayek’s two books, “The Road to Serfdom” and “The Constitution of Liberty”. Here, Hayek lays out his “free society”: a market-driven entity which is free, and therefore just (so his logic goes), but not equal.
[5/15]
[5/15]
November 1, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The Missive rests mostly on Hayek’s two books, “The Road to Serfdom” and “The Constitution of Liberty”. Here, Hayek lays out his “free society”: a market-driven entity which is free, and therefore just (so his logic goes), but not equal.
[5/15]
[5/15]
Driving is a liberating experience. (Even in my old Renault Clio I feel like Ryan Gosling in “Drive” or Steve McQueen in “Bullit”. Comedic but true.)
Driving encapsulates the idea of positive freedom: you are (usually) free *to* drive wherever you want, and to decide what route to take.
[3/14]
Driving encapsulates the idea of positive freedom: you are (usually) free *to* drive wherever you want, and to decide what route to take.
[3/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Driving is a liberating experience. (Even in my old Renault Clio I feel like Ryan Gosling in “Drive” or Steve McQueen in “Bullit”. Comedic but true.)
Driving encapsulates the idea of positive freedom: you are (usually) free *to* drive wherever you want, and to decide what route to take.
[3/14]
Driving encapsulates the idea of positive freedom: you are (usually) free *to* drive wherever you want, and to decide what route to take.
[3/14]
I've been spoiling my vote since I started The Missives*.
Now, the one time I actually vote for a candidate (in Ireland's presidential election) loads of people spoil their votes.
This is a fairly resounding victory for Connolly -- but that 7%? All spoiled votes.
* my blog; see pinned post
Now, the one time I actually vote for a candidate (in Ireland's presidential election) loads of people spoil their votes.
This is a fairly resounding victory for Connolly -- but that 7%? All spoiled votes.
* my blog; see pinned post
October 25, 2025 at 4:05 PM
I've been spoiling my vote since I started The Missives*.
Now, the one time I actually vote for a candidate (in Ireland's presidential election) loads of people spoil their votes.
This is a fairly resounding victory for Connolly -- but that 7%? All spoiled votes.
* my blog; see pinned post
Now, the one time I actually vote for a candidate (in Ireland's presidential election) loads of people spoil their votes.
This is a fairly resounding victory for Connolly -- but that 7%? All spoiled votes.
* my blog; see pinned post
Friedrich Hayek explains MAGA:
"Much of our occasional impetuous desire to smash the whole entangling machinery of civilisation is due to the inability of man to understand what he is doing."
"Much of our occasional impetuous desire to smash the whole entangling machinery of civilisation is due to the inability of man to understand what he is doing."
October 3, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Friedrich Hayek explains MAGA:
"Much of our occasional impetuous desire to smash the whole entangling machinery of civilisation is due to the inability of man to understand what he is doing."
"Much of our occasional impetuous desire to smash the whole entangling machinery of civilisation is due to the inability of man to understand what he is doing."
I do love getting old books out of the library.
Here a spiffy undergrad, circa 1980, says what they really think of Hayek's (admittedly cranky) idea for democratic representation.
Here a spiffy undergrad, circa 1980, says what they really think of Hayek's (admittedly cranky) idea for democratic representation.
September 13, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I do love getting old books out of the library.
Here a spiffy undergrad, circa 1980, says what they really think of Hayek's (admittedly cranky) idea for democratic representation.
Here a spiffy undergrad, circa 1980, says what they really think of Hayek's (admittedly cranky) idea for democratic representation.
Wicklow Wolf x Gubeen Farmhouse, Mór Bier
(6% ABV)
7/10
This “big beer” packs a punch. The marketing says it contains “aromas of dark bread, caramel and subtle dried fruit”. And yeah, you can taste most of these. I love everything Gubeen so I'm biased. This beer lives up to most of my hype.
#BeerSky
(6% ABV)
7/10
This “big beer” packs a punch. The marketing says it contains “aromas of dark bread, caramel and subtle dried fruit”. And yeah, you can taste most of these. I love everything Gubeen so I'm biased. This beer lives up to most of my hype.
#BeerSky
August 30, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Wicklow Wolf x Gubeen Farmhouse, Mór Bier
(6% ABV)
7/10
This “big beer” packs a punch. The marketing says it contains “aromas of dark bread, caramel and subtle dried fruit”. And yeah, you can taste most of these. I love everything Gubeen so I'm biased. This beer lives up to most of my hype.
#BeerSky
(6% ABV)
7/10
This “big beer” packs a punch. The marketing says it contains “aromas of dark bread, caramel and subtle dried fruit”. And yeah, you can taste most of these. I love everything Gubeen so I'm biased. This beer lives up to most of my hype.
#BeerSky
I'm often criticised for being too strict at gigs. But here's a picture of a woman at a Father John Misty gig looking up "Father John Misty" on AI while Father John Misty is introducing a song about the effects of capitalism on mental health.
August 24, 2025 at 10:46 PM
I'm often criticised for being too strict at gigs. But here's a picture of a woman at a Father John Misty gig looking up "Father John Misty" on AI while Father John Misty is introducing a song about the effects of capitalism on mental health.
The first was the Magdalene laundries. Unwed mothers were a bastardisation of the republican orthodoxy, so thousands were shut away in sweat shops, where they gave birth. Their babies died or were sold for foreign adoption. The laundries were run by the Church and covered up by the state.
[14/18]
[14/18]
August 6, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The first was the Magdalene laundries. Unwed mothers were a bastardisation of the republican orthodoxy, so thousands were shut away in sweat shops, where they gave birth. Their babies died or were sold for foreign adoption. The laundries were run by the Church and covered up by the state.
[14/18]
[14/18]
Camus, in The Rebel, argues that the revolution which demands absolute freedom ends up with concentration camps; the revolution which demands absolute justice ends up with “formal morality”. Both must instead be relative, “set against” each other. Irish republicans completely botched this.
[12/18]
[12/18]
August 6, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Camus, in The Rebel, argues that the revolution which demands absolute freedom ends up with concentration camps; the revolution which demands absolute justice ends up with “formal morality”. Both must instead be relative, “set against” each other. Irish republicans completely botched this.
[12/18]
[12/18]
Phase 3 began in 1921, with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The Treaty offered Ireland limited independence from Britain, but enough for it to be considered a republic of sorts. It split the IRA and the country alike. A civil war began.
[8/18]
[8/18]
August 6, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Phase 3 began in 1921, with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The Treaty offered Ireland limited independence from Britain, but enough for it to be considered a republic of sorts. It split the IRA and the country alike. A civil war began.
[8/18]
[8/18]
The second was paramilitary. The newly-formed Irish Republican Army began a guerilla war against occupying British forces, ultimately nullifying them. Whether these rebels were guerillas or terrorists depends on whether you think their violence was justifiable. Camus provides a test of this.
[6/18]
[6/18]
August 6, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The second was paramilitary. The newly-formed Irish Republican Army began a guerilla war against occupying British forces, ultimately nullifying them. Whether these rebels were guerillas or terrorists depends on whether you think their violence was justifiable. Camus provides a test of this.
[6/18]
[6/18]
The Irish Republic was born on 24 April 1916 when a cosmopolitan group of rebels – socialists, women, republicans and more – stormed the General Post Office in Dublin. They represented different visions for Ireland, but they shared the desire to create a republic free from the British Empire.
[3/18]
[3/18]
August 6, 2025 at 6:32 PM
The Irish Republic was born on 24 April 1916 when a cosmopolitan group of rebels – socialists, women, republicans and more – stormed the General Post Office in Dublin. They represented different visions for Ireland, but they shared the desire to create a republic free from the British Empire.
[3/18]
[3/18]
Her work with the Manic Street Preachers -- in particular this album -- taught me that art isn't what I thought (was taught) it should be. I'll be forever in her debt for that lesson.
August 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Her work with the Manic Street Preachers -- in particular this album -- taught me that art isn't what I thought (was taught) it should be. I'll be forever in her debt for that lesson.
I'm about halfway through my holiday read, Andrew O'Hagan's "Caledonian Road".
Very redolent of Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full": both are sprawling novels about rich people who slowly fall from grace. Very slowly.
Another 300 pages to go...
#booksky 📚
Very redolent of Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full": both are sprawling novels about rich people who slowly fall from grace. Very slowly.
Another 300 pages to go...
#booksky 📚
July 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I'm about halfway through my holiday read, Andrew O'Hagan's "Caledonian Road".
Very redolent of Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full": both are sprawling novels about rich people who slowly fall from grace. Very slowly.
Another 300 pages to go...
#booksky 📚
Very redolent of Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full": both are sprawling novels about rich people who slowly fall from grace. Very slowly.
Another 300 pages to go...
#booksky 📚
Today I made a pilgrimage to the grave of a personal hero. In lieu of praying (for he was an atheist) I gazed at the pens, cigarettes and thank-you cards left by other acolytes. I fixated on a bright insect flying away. I went home and wrote about him.
#PhilSky
#PhilSky
July 25, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Today I made a pilgrimage to the grave of a personal hero. In lieu of praying (for he was an atheist) I gazed at the pens, cigarettes and thank-you cards left by other acolytes. I fixated on a bright insect flying away. I went home and wrote about him.
#PhilSky
#PhilSky
Rousseau wrote of the Pont du Gard, "One asks oneself what force has transported these enormous stones so far [...] and what brought together the arms of so many thousands of men in a place where none of them live."
The answer: Rome, under the orders of Agrippa, in 40AD. And it still stands.
The answer: Rome, under the orders of Agrippa, in 40AD. And it still stands.
July 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Rousseau wrote of the Pont du Gard, "One asks oneself what force has transported these enormous stones so far [...] and what brought together the arms of so many thousands of men in a place where none of them live."
The answer: Rome, under the orders of Agrippa, in 40AD. And it still stands.
The answer: Rome, under the orders of Agrippa, in 40AD. And it still stands.
Dot Brew Cold IPA
(4%APV)
Imagine my delight on finding this in my fridge on this punishingly hot day. This so-called “IPA” is much closer to a lager, and is packaged as such. It’s light and inoffensive – which uncharacteristically is exactly what I need today.
7/10 (6 on a normal day)
#BeerSky
(4%APV)
Imagine my delight on finding this in my fridge on this punishingly hot day. This so-called “IPA” is much closer to a lager, and is packaged as such. It’s light and inoffensive – which uncharacteristically is exactly what I need today.
7/10 (6 on a normal day)
#BeerSky
July 10, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Dot Brew Cold IPA
(4%APV)
Imagine my delight on finding this in my fridge on this punishingly hot day. This so-called “IPA” is much closer to a lager, and is packaged as such. It’s light and inoffensive – which uncharacteristically is exactly what I need today.
7/10 (6 on a normal day)
#BeerSky
(4%APV)
Imagine my delight on finding this in my fridge on this punishingly hot day. This so-called “IPA” is much closer to a lager, and is packaged as such. It’s light and inoffensive – which uncharacteristically is exactly what I need today.
7/10 (6 on a normal day)
#BeerSky
This account is either
(a) an exercise in spamming
or
(b) a nascent third party even more nefarious than the standard fare.
I looked at their website and still can't figure it out.
Either way, watch out.
(a) an exercise in spamming
or
(b) a nascent third party even more nefarious than the standard fare.
I looked at their website and still can't figure it out.
Either way, watch out.
July 8, 2025 at 5:19 PM
This account is either
(a) an exercise in spamming
or
(b) a nascent third party even more nefarious than the standard fare.
I looked at their website and still can't figure it out.
Either way, watch out.
(a) an exercise in spamming
or
(b) a nascent third party even more nefarious than the standard fare.
I looked at their website and still can't figure it out.
Either way, watch out.
A hell of an editorial snafu in the print version of the @financialtimes.com (1st image) which i just had to check in the online version (2nd image).
#PalestineAction
#PalestineAction
July 6, 2025 at 8:47 AM
A hell of an editorial snafu in the print version of the @financialtimes.com (1st image) which i just had to check in the online version (2nd image).
#PalestineAction
#PalestineAction
Is it a bad day to talk about this artwork?
(Victor Lindt, 'USA', 1971)
(Victor Lindt, 'USA', 1971)
July 4, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Is it a bad day to talk about this artwork?
(Victor Lindt, 'USA', 1971)
(Victor Lindt, 'USA', 1971)
Not me absolutely terrified to be on stage talking to *actual people* about Immanuel Kant today. My first public appearance as a philosopher.
#collab2025
#collab2025
June 19, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Not me absolutely terrified to be on stage talking to *actual people* about Immanuel Kant today. My first public appearance as a philosopher.
#collab2025
#collab2025
*Very* practical advice about theoretical models: how to use them to enhance problem-solving initiatives.
Very relatable to project-management and academic applications (specifically the business case).
I'm definitely bringing this all back home to UCD.
#collab2025
Very relatable to project-management and academic applications (specifically the business case).
I'm definitely bringing this all back home to UCD.
#collab2025
![2 speakers stand in front of a slide entitled "Defining Problems to Reveal Purpose [of a project]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3jt5cniqzfu6tg55xdiq2oel/bafkreigqxj3zcffde4fosqp5b6swuk2klsnhouvbyeayu7k7jiw76dztae@jpeg)
June 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
*Very* practical advice about theoretical models: how to use them to enhance problem-solving initiatives.
Very relatable to project-management and academic applications (specifically the business case).
I'm definitely bringing this all back home to UCD.
#collab2025
Very relatable to project-management and academic applications (specifically the business case).
I'm definitely bringing this all back home to UCD.
#collab2025