Ira Allen
@rhetlab.bsky.social
Dr. Ira Allen's Rhetorical & Ethical Theory Lab at NAU: studying places where persuasion and the good intersect
Thinking about the crisis of meaning imposed on us all with the RhetAI Coalition here. Hope it can be useful!
rhetaicoalition.substack.com/p/ai-revolut...
rhetaicoalition.substack.com/p/ai-revolut...
AI Revolution as Crisis of Meaning, and More
AI continues to be deeply panickable because it disrupts human meaning-making.
rhetaicoalition.substack.com
September 5, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Thinking about the crisis of meaning imposed on us all with the RhetAI Coalition here. Hope it can be useful!
rhetaicoalition.substack.com/p/ai-revolut...
rhetaicoalition.substack.com/p/ai-revolut...
Reposted by Ira Allen
it's actually worse than it sounds because not only does the informant get their complaint sent to the previously strictly internal OERC, if you combine this with another provision they actually get the instructor in trouble with the feds. it's a government informant system
hoo boy. my first thought is that this in effect means that at brown, you can now complain about your enemies internally and have that automatically get shot up to the government. it's informing with plausible deniability
July 31, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Reposted by Ira Allen
Here's an update on the accelerating decline of global sea-ice extent. This graphic shows the 3-year running average, Jan. 1, 1991 - July 27, 2025, as well as a quadratic trend line.
What is the future of global sea-ice? The climate 8-ball says: "F&%kery ahead!"
What is the future of global sea-ice? The climate 8-ball says: "F&%kery ahead!"
July 28, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Here's an update on the accelerating decline of global sea-ice extent. This graphic shows the 3-year running average, Jan. 1, 1991 - July 27, 2025, as well as a quadratic trend line.
What is the future of global sea-ice? The climate 8-ball says: "F&%kery ahead!"
What is the future of global sea-ice? The climate 8-ball says: "F&%kery ahead!"
Reposted by Ira Allen
A worker was killed. Dozens detained.
Dr. Jonathan Caravello, A CSU faculty member and US citizen, was brutalized & disappeared by ICE for observing.
Trump’s ICE thugs are escalating terror in our communities. Release them ALL.
seiuca.org/press-releas...
Dr. Jonathan Caravello, A CSU faculty member and US citizen, was brutalized & disappeared by ICE for observing.
Trump’s ICE thugs are escalating terror in our communities. Release them ALL.
seiuca.org/press-releas...
SEIU California | SEIU California Demands Release of CSU Faculty Member Brutalized By ICE
SEIU California members call for the immediate release of our brother Jonathan Caravello, PhD, a U.S. citizen and union member, who was brutally assaulted and detained by federal agents as he…
seiuca.org
July 12, 2025 at 12:20 AM
A worker was killed. Dozens detained.
Dr. Jonathan Caravello, A CSU faculty member and US citizen, was brutalized & disappeared by ICE for observing.
Trump’s ICE thugs are escalating terror in our communities. Release them ALL.
seiuca.org/press-releas...
Dr. Jonathan Caravello, A CSU faculty member and US citizen, was brutalized & disappeared by ICE for observing.
Trump’s ICE thugs are escalating terror in our communities. Release them ALL.
seiuca.org/press-releas...
Reposted by Ira Allen
This is going to be a busy weekend. Probably not a bad idea to figure out how much panic you should bring with you into it!
Check out the new @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social episode, where we talk to @rhetlab.bsky.social about whether or not it's time to panic NOW.
hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/pani...
Check out the new @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social episode, where we talk to @rhetlab.bsky.social about whether or not it's time to panic NOW.
hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/pani...
Episode 186: Panic Now? (with Ira Allen) - Hotel Bar Podcast
The rise of AI, the decay of democracy, colonial legacies, climate disaster, Is it time to panic now?
hotelbarpodcast.com
June 13, 2025 at 7:02 PM
This is going to be a busy weekend. Probably not a bad idea to figure out how much panic you should bring with you into it!
Check out the new @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social episode, where we talk to @rhetlab.bsky.social about whether or not it's time to panic NOW.
hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/pani...
Check out the new @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social episode, where we talk to @rhetlab.bsky.social about whether or not it's time to panic NOW.
hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/pani...
Reposted by Ira Allen
@rhetlab.bsky.social's book _Panic Now_ has forced me to revise a mantra I've held dear for decades. New version: "The urge to freak out and the urge to organize are the same urge."
February 4, 2025 at 4:53 PM
@rhetlab.bsky.social's book _Panic Now_ has forced me to revise a mantra I've held dear for decades. New version: "The urge to freak out and the urge to organize are the same urge."
Reposted by Ira Allen
Bring in the New Year with fresh panic!
Panic Now?: Tools For Humanizing by @rhetlab.bsky.social has undone and remade my thinking about our world’s crises. You should read this. From @utpress.bsky.social.
“Panic is not a replacement for loving the world, but a way into doing so very differently."
Panic Now?: Tools For Humanizing by @rhetlab.bsky.social has undone and remade my thinking about our world’s crises. You should read this. From @utpress.bsky.social.
“Panic is not a replacement for loving the world, but a way into doing so very differently."
December 31, 2024 at 8:42 PM
Bring in the New Year with fresh panic!
Panic Now?: Tools For Humanizing by @rhetlab.bsky.social has undone and remade my thinking about our world’s crises. You should read this. From @utpress.bsky.social.
“Panic is not a replacement for loving the world, but a way into doing so very differently."
Panic Now?: Tools For Humanizing by @rhetlab.bsky.social has undone and remade my thinking about our world’s crises. You should read this. From @utpress.bsky.social.
“Panic is not a replacement for loving the world, but a way into doing so very differently."
Reposted by Ira Allen
Why practice mindfulness? A primary reason is for direct insight into paticcasamuppada, interdependent coarising — as Stephen Batchelor translates it, “contingency.” An infinity of things that had to happen just as they did for this moment to exist. To see this is to see reality in a new way.
December 19, 2024 at 4:20 PM
Why practice mindfulness? A primary reason is for direct insight into paticcasamuppada, interdependent coarising — as Stephen Batchelor translates it, “contingency.” An infinity of things that had to happen just as they did for this moment to exist. To see this is to see reality in a new way.
Reposted by Ira Allen
The climate crisis through the lens of non-renewals of home insurance - the map tells the tale.
Don't believe the science? Tell that to your home insurer.
To quote Prof. Ira Allen @rhetlab.bsky.social from his new book, yes, "Panic Now."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Don't believe the science? Tell that to your home insurer.
To quote Prof. Ira Allen @rhetlab.bsky.social from his new book, yes, "Panic Now."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Insurers Are Dropping Homeowners as Climate Shocks Worsen
Without insurance, it’s impossible to get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home.
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2024 at 1:31 PM
The climate crisis through the lens of non-renewals of home insurance - the map tells the tale.
Don't believe the science? Tell that to your home insurer.
To quote Prof. Ira Allen @rhetlab.bsky.social from his new book, yes, "Panic Now."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Don't believe the science? Tell that to your home insurer.
To quote Prof. Ira Allen @rhetlab.bsky.social from his new book, yes, "Panic Now."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Truly excited and honored to announce that my new crypto, dronecoin, soft launched last week and the buzz has been incredible
December 15, 2024 at 5:37 AM
Truly excited and honored to announce that my new crypto, dronecoin, soft launched last week and the buzz has been incredible
Reposted by Ira Allen
"There is no plan to stabilize the climate" - James Hansen's shocking statement.
www.collapse2050.com/6-gut-wrench...
www.collapse2050.com/6-gut-wrench...
6 Gut Wrenching Quotes from James Hansen's Climate Justice Paper
Climate Change at the International Court of Justice
www.collapse2050.com
December 10, 2024 at 5:09 AM
"There is no plan to stabilize the climate" - James Hansen's shocking statement.
www.collapse2050.com/6-gut-wrench...
www.collapse2050.com/6-gut-wrench...
Lived in Beirut for 3 yrs of the Syrian civil war (14-17). Watching Atassi's film, Our Terrible Country, open there remains one of the most affecting collective experiences I've had. I wrote an article about the film/revolution/proxy war.
And I am *very* puzzled by this week's events.
And I am *very* puzzled by this week's events.
Assad has left Damascus
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has boarded a plane and left Damascus to an unknown destination, Reuters news agency has just reported quoting two senior Syrian officers. www.bbc.com/news/live/cw...
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has boarded a plane and left Damascus to an unknown destination, Reuters news agency has just reported quoting two senior Syrian officers. www.bbc.com/news/live/cw...
Syria rebellion: Anti-government forces say they are in Damascus
Reports from Syria say President Bashar al-Assad has left the country as anti-government forces enter the capital.
www.bbc.com
December 8, 2024 at 3:15 AM
Lived in Beirut for 3 yrs of the Syrian civil war (14-17). Watching Atassi's film, Our Terrible Country, open there remains one of the most affecting collective experiences I've had. I wrote an article about the film/revolution/proxy war.
And I am *very* puzzled by this week's events.
And I am *very* puzzled by this week's events.
Anybody know how much THIS SPECIFIC investigation is costing vs avg cost per murder? How about per rape investigation?
Tell me again how cops are public service.
Tell me again how cops are public service.
“This isn’t ‘Blue Bloods.’ We’re not going to solve this in 60 minutes. We’re painstakingly going through every bit of evidence that we can come across,” Kenny said.”
www.cnn.com/2024/12/07/u...
www.cnn.com/2024/12/07/u...
NYPD divers search Central Park waters for gun used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO, source says | CNN
NYPD divers were searching a body of water in New York’s Central Park on Saturday for the firearm used in the fatal shooting of a health care executive in Manhattan, a law enforcement official told CN...
www.cnn.com
December 8, 2024 at 12:24 AM
Anybody know how much THIS SPECIFIC investigation is costing vs avg cost per murder? How about per rape investigation?
Tell me again how cops are public service.
Tell me again how cops are public service.
Broke: ppl working from home being more productive and converting office space into residential to solve the housing crisis
Woke: sacrificing productivity via RTO to artificially prop up commercial real estate and restrict housing supply, but with living room wallpaper and couches at the office
Woke: sacrificing productivity via RTO to artificially prop up commercial real estate and restrict housing supply, but with living room wallpaper and couches at the office
lmao what kind of wiley e coyote ass painted tunnel on a wall scheme is this
December 8, 2024 at 12:20 AM
Broke: ppl working from home being more productive and converting office space into residential to solve the housing crisis
Woke: sacrificing productivity via RTO to artificially prop up commercial real estate and restrict housing supply, but with living room wallpaper and couches at the office
Woke: sacrificing productivity via RTO to artificially prop up commercial real estate and restrict housing supply, but with living room wallpaper and couches at the office
Reposted by Ira Allen
No genocide has been so confessed to as it actually happened.
No genocide has been so evidenced by both victims and perpetrators as it actually happened.
This devastating report underlines why every facilitator, every cheerleader, of Israel's genocide must be held to account.
No genocide has been so evidenced by both victims and perpetrators as it actually happened.
This devastating report underlines why every facilitator, every cheerleader, of Israel's genocide must be held to account.
1/5 A groundbreaking Amnesty report published today concludes Israeli authorities are committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. www.amnesty.org.uk/genocide-rep...
December 5, 2024 at 6:25 PM
No genocide has been so confessed to as it actually happened.
No genocide has been so evidenced by both victims and perpetrators as it actually happened.
This devastating report underlines why every facilitator, every cheerleader, of Israel's genocide must be held to account.
No genocide has been so evidenced by both victims and perpetrators as it actually happened.
This devastating report underlines why every facilitator, every cheerleader, of Israel's genocide must be held to account.
Reposted by Ira Allen
Trying out a new general approach to building skepticism of AI outputs while supporting existing learning goals. Contradictory Chatbot gives three mutually incompatible answers to every question. What if students ask it subject-matter questions and reflect on the options? bit.ly/Contradictor...
Contradictory Chatbot
bit.ly
December 7, 2024 at 2:04 AM
Trying out a new general approach to building skepticism of AI outputs while supporting existing learning goals. Contradictory Chatbot gives three mutually incompatible answers to every question. What if students ask it subject-matter questions and reflect on the options? bit.ly/Contradictor...
It is, ultimately, heartbreaking that so many smart, kind, sincere people start out critical and, in "making it," are turned into complete idiots.
Anyway, here's a little dose of reality about the climate collapse, contra the hope peddlers: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
Anyway, here's a little dose of reality about the climate collapse, contra the hope peddlers: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
The first ice-free day in the Arctic Ocean could occur before 2030 - Nature Communications
The first day with no sea ice in the Arctic will be a visible sign of climate change. This work reveals that this could occur before 2030 already and becomes more likely as the world warms. As the ice...
www.nature.com
December 7, 2024 at 2:34 AM
It is, ultimately, heartbreaking that so many smart, kind, sincere people start out critical and, in "making it," are turned into complete idiots.
Anyway, here's a little dose of reality about the climate collapse, contra the hope peddlers: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
Anyway, here's a little dose of reality about the climate collapse, contra the hope peddlers: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
Reposted by Ira Allen
"AI is an automated amplifier of social norms and assumptions"
- well put by Selena Savić, speaking at "Rethinking the Inevitability of AI" conference today. Such a productive series of talks.
- well put by Selena Savić, speaking at "Rethinking the Inevitability of AI" conference today. Such a productive series of talks.
December 6, 2024 at 9:31 PM
"AI is an automated amplifier of social norms and assumptions"
- well put by Selena Savić, speaking at "Rethinking the Inevitability of AI" conference today. Such a productive series of talks.
- well put by Selena Savić, speaking at "Rethinking the Inevitability of AI" conference today. Such a productive series of talks.
The worst unforced error of contemporary liberals is a refusal to actually hear hard criticism. It makes many smart people fundamentally incapable of learning, on a deep level.
December 6, 2024 at 2:50 AM
The worst unforced error of contemporary liberals is a refusal to actually hear hard criticism. It makes many smart people fundamentally incapable of learning, on a deep level.
I'm certainly not saying he should have been shot, but the fact that he was makes me wonder how many avoidable deaths that United Healthcare CEO was personally culpable for or substantially complicit in. 100,000? A million? Somewhere in between?
December 4, 2024 at 5:44 PM
I'm certainly not saying he should have been shot, but the fact that he was makes me wonder how many avoidable deaths that United Healthcare CEO was personally culpable for or substantially complicit in. 100,000? A million? Somewhere in between?
Good thread.
There are so many good researchers of the far right that I will not try to list them all. But here are some of the ones I follow. First, for the West, you can't beat Left Coast Right Watch @lcrw.bsky.social. They're on the scene at major right events--and they carry excellent long-form stories. /1
December 2, 2024 at 10:09 PM
Good thread.
I like Bluesky, anthropologically speaking, because it makes shitlib Discourse easier to study without any distractions.
December 1, 2024 at 8:27 PM
I like Bluesky, anthropologically speaking, because it makes shitlib Discourse easier to study without any distractions.
Jim Croce > Benedetto Croce
This is my most room-temperature take.
This is my most room-temperature take.
December 1, 2024 at 7:22 PM
Jim Croce > Benedetto Croce
This is my most room-temperature take.
This is my most room-temperature take.
It's Raskolnikovs all the way down.
December 1, 2024 at 7:14 PM
It's Raskolnikovs all the way down.
Really fantastic book, excited to listen to this interview on it!
Had the chance to talk to Vatsal Naresh about my book for @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social. Its one of the best, and definitely the most thorough, conversation I have had about the book so far.
open.spotify.com/episode/2n9S...
open.spotify.com/episode/2n9S...
Sandipto Dasgupta, "Legalizing the Revolution: India and the Constitution of the Postcolony" (Cambridge UP, 2024)
New Books in Political Science · Episode
open.spotify.com
November 28, 2024 at 3:17 AM
Really fantastic book, excited to listen to this interview on it!