Thom Scott-Phillips
@thomscottphillips.bsky.social
Language, Psychology, Culture, Philosophy, Society, Evolution • When not doing science I dance the lindy hop
https://www.thomscottphillips.com/
https://www.thomscottphillips.com/
Pinned
Happy In Theory
This is the short story of my long, 20 year search for a stable academic home. There is a lot of success and a lot of pain here, and no happy ending.
thomscottphillips.substack.com
New Substack post
It's very personal: my story of a 20-year academic career, and the many challenges of theoretical and cross-disciplinary work
As I put it in the subtitle: There is a lot of success and a lot of pain here, and no happy ending
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/happy-in-t...
It's very personal: my story of a 20-year academic career, and the many challenges of theoretical and cross-disciplinary work
As I put it in the subtitle: There is a lot of success and a lot of pain here, and no happy ending
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/happy-in-t...
New post:
How migration and technology enabled a special form of togetherness: A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/modernity-...
How migration and technology enabled a special form of togetherness: A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/modernity-...
Modernity In Rhythm
How migration and technology enabled a special form of togetherness: A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop.
thomscottphillips.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:07 AM
New post:
How migration and technology enabled a special form of togetherness: A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/modernity-...
How migration and technology enabled a special form of togetherness: A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/modernity-...
Just watched Traitors finale. Shocked at the lack of embarrassment expressed by David and especially Nick at the end. Like, do people not feel shame when they are incompetent??
November 8, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Just watched Traitors finale. Shocked at the lack of embarrassment expressed by David and especially Nick at the end. Like, do people not feel shame when they are incompetent??
New post: Modernity In Rhythm
A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop. Migration, technology and a special form of togetherness.
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/modernity-...
A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop. Migration, technology and a special form of togetherness.
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/modernity-...
November 7, 2025 at 8:56 AM
New post: Modernity In Rhythm
A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop. Migration, technology and a special form of togetherness.
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/modernity-...
A multimedia origins story for the lindy hop. Migration, technology and a special form of togetherness.
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/modernity-...
Why does Sally’s apartment have so many penguins?
October 14, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Why does Sally’s apartment have so many penguins?
Adding @plosone.org to my personal blacklist of journals
October 13, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Adding @plosone.org to my personal blacklist of journals
For any of my followers who are interested in football: Libero is the best football podcast out there, imo. Intelligent and analytical in ways others are not
New Libero
Is football too online?
@migueldelaney.bsky.social
@tariqpanja.bsky.social
@jameshorncastle.bsky.social
pod.fo/e/3362c0
Is football too online?
@migueldelaney.bsky.social
@tariqpanja.bsky.social
@jameshorncastle.bsky.social
pod.fo/e/3362c0
Libero: Libero 058: Is Football Too Online?
Dressing rooms sharing posts about refereeing decisions, managers complaining about their nicknames on X and social media troll campaigns, football is very online these days. Is this just another c...
pod.fo
October 11, 2025 at 6:45 AM
For any of my followers who are interested in football: Libero is the best football podcast out there, imo. Intelligent and analytical in ways others are not
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
Happy to share that our BBS target article has been accepted: “Core Perception”: Re-imagining Precocious Reasoning as Sophisticated Perceiving
With Alon Hafri, @veroniqueizard.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & Brent Strickland
Read it here: doi.org/10.1017/S014...
A short thread [1/5]👇
With Alon Hafri, @veroniqueizard.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & Brent Strickland
Read it here: doi.org/10.1017/S014...
A short thread [1/5]👇
October 9, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Happy to share that our BBS target article has been accepted: “Core Perception”: Re-imagining Precocious Reasoning as Sophisticated Perceiving
With Alon Hafri, @veroniqueizard.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & Brent Strickland
Read it here: doi.org/10.1017/S014...
A short thread [1/5]👇
With Alon Hafri, @veroniqueizard.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & Brent Strickland
Read it here: doi.org/10.1017/S014...
A short thread [1/5]👇
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
Very few Nobelists are eligible, I’m afraid. go.bsky.app/H61xswq
October 6, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Very few Nobelists are eligible, I’m afraid. go.bsky.app/H61xswq
Does anyone know of articles, or collections of articles, worrying about what the advent of the electronic calculator (especially the pocket calculator) might mean for citizens’ arithmetic and mathematical abilities?
Were such articles written? I assume so but I want to see what they said
Were such articles written? I assume so but I want to see what they said
October 2, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Does anyone know of articles, or collections of articles, worrying about what the advent of the electronic calculator (especially the pocket calculator) might mean for citizens’ arithmetic and mathematical abilities?
Were such articles written? I assume so but I want to see what they said
Were such articles written? I assume so but I want to see what they said
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
A lot of psych is already conducted with online convenience samples & ppl are probably excited about silicon samples bc it would allow them to crank out more studies for even less 💸
How about we reconsider the idea that sciencey science involves collecting own data.
www.science.org/content/arti...
How about we reconsider the idea that sciencey science involves collecting own data.
www.science.org/content/arti...
AI-generated ‘participants’ can lead social science experiments astray, study finds
Data produced by “silicon samples” depends on researchers’ exact choice of models, prompts, and settings
www.science.org
October 1, 2025 at 4:17 AM
A lot of psych is already conducted with online convenience samples & ppl are probably excited about silicon samples bc it would allow them to crank out more studies for even less 💸
How about we reconsider the idea that sciencey science involves collecting own data.
www.science.org/content/arti...
How about we reconsider the idea that sciencey science involves collecting own data.
www.science.org/content/arti...
Went to see One Battle After Another yesterday at Corvin Mozi in Budapest. So we saw it with Hungarian subtitles
Funny detail: “Christmas Adventurer’s Club” translates into Hungarian as “Karácsonyi Kalandorok Klubja”, which has the initials KKK. So even more apt than the English name
Funny detail: “Christmas Adventurer’s Club” translates into Hungarian as “Karácsonyi Kalandorok Klubja”, which has the initials KKK. So even more apt than the English name
September 27, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Went to see One Battle After Another yesterday at Corvin Mozi in Budapest. So we saw it with Hungarian subtitles
Funny detail: “Christmas Adventurer’s Club” translates into Hungarian as “Karácsonyi Kalandorok Klubja”, which has the initials KKK. So even more apt than the English name
Funny detail: “Christmas Adventurer’s Club” translates into Hungarian as “Karácsonyi Kalandorok Klubja”, which has the initials KKK. So even more apt than the English name
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
The older I get and the more I listen to jazz, the closer my philosophy of science gets to Feyerabend. Anything goes
The only thing that ever holds it all together is scientists’ individual commitment to uncovering truths
The only thing that ever holds it all together is scientists’ individual commitment to uncovering truths
September 25, 2025 at 8:53 PM
The older I get and the more I listen to jazz, the closer my philosophy of science gets to Feyerabend. Anything goes
The only thing that ever holds it all together is scientists’ individual commitment to uncovering truths
The only thing that ever holds it all together is scientists’ individual commitment to uncovering truths
The older I get and the more I listen to jazz, the closer my philosophy of science gets to Feyerabend. Anything goes
The only thing that ever holds it all together is scientists’ individual commitment to uncovering truths
The only thing that ever holds it all together is scientists’ individual commitment to uncovering truths
September 25, 2025 at 8:53 PM
The older I get and the more I listen to jazz, the closer my philosophy of science gets to Feyerabend. Anything goes
The only thing that ever holds it all together is scientists’ individual commitment to uncovering truths
The only thing that ever holds it all together is scientists’ individual commitment to uncovering truths
I am not a golf fan at all, but once every two years it gives us a team representing Europe, which is cool
And this year it highlights a stark difference between European and US cultural attitudes to wealth. I think this contrast goes much deeper than golf
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...
And this year it highlights a stark difference between European and US cultural attitudes to wealth. I think this contrast goes much deeper than golf
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...
USA need Ryder Cup glory if they are to escape pay-free Europe’s money talk
Luke Donald can trumpet his side playing for love and glory while the hosts duck questions over their $500,000 each
www.theguardian.com
September 25, 2025 at 9:41 AM
I am not a golf fan at all, but once every two years it gives us a team representing Europe, which is cool
And this year it highlights a stark difference between European and US cultural attitudes to wealth. I think this contrast goes much deeper than golf
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...
And this year it highlights a stark difference between European and US cultural attitudes to wealth. I think this contrast goes much deeper than golf
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
Theoretical precision isn't everything and there's a lot of room for mistaking it for rigor in general. Regardless, a modicum of appreciation for precision is necessary to avoid the trap of abusing ambiguity to claim unearned epistemic status for methodological claims
September 24, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Theoretical precision isn't everything and there's a lot of room for mistaking it for rigor in general. Regardless, a modicum of appreciation for precision is necessary to avoid the trap of abusing ambiguity to claim unearned epistemic status for methodological claims
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
The Poznań #Linguistics Meeting 2025 Grand Debate: "Human #Language: is it unique?" feat. Wolfgang Dressler, Magdalena Wrembel, Raymond Hickey, Nikki Ritt, @thematzing.bsky.social and @neilcohn.bsky.social
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
The Poznań #Linguistics Meeting 2025 Grand Debate: "Human #Language: is it unique?" feat. Wolfgang Dressler, Magdalena Wrembel, Raymond Hickey, Nikki Ritt, @thematzing.bsky.social and @neilcohn.bsky.social
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
The thing with universities is that you cannot have professional staff trained to do one thing and then try and have institutions do something else entirely
September 21, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The thing with universities is that you cannot have professional staff trained to do one thing and then try and have institutions do something else entirely
Saw The Conversation last night. The 'small' film that Coppola made in between The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II
And its brilliant. I'm amazed it's not better known
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFgi...
And its brilliant. I'm amazed it's not better known
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFgi...
THE CONVERSATION - Official Trailer - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gene Hackman
YouTube video by StudiocanalUK
www.youtube.com
September 21, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Saw The Conversation last night. The 'small' film that Coppola made in between The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II
And its brilliant. I'm amazed it's not better known
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFgi...
And its brilliant. I'm amazed it's not better known
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFgi...
Mel speaks for me. And many others too, no doubt
In place of the lofty pursuit of producing knowledge we were promised we’re trapped playing 3-dimensional chess against some of the most regressive institutions in existence.
September 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Mel speaks for me. And many others too, no doubt
A perfect example. We all live in bespoke realities now
The end of mass media is a transformational moment
The end of mass media is a transformational moment
September 15, 2025 at 8:55 AM
A perfect example. We all live in bespoke realities now
The end of mass media is a transformational moment
The end of mass media is a transformational moment
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
The FT has, among the media, the best incentives to be sensitive to reality.
It is a bit odd that the FT is so far to the left of the UK government, the BBC and most other political outlets (eg the Graun)
The FT writers moved, en masse, to bluesky, which is where you'll see them engage with people.
See also the writers for the Economist.
/1
The FT writers moved, en masse, to bluesky, which is where you'll see them engage with people.
See also the writers for the Economist.
/1
Musk told a large crowd + a larger offline audience that they would risk death & erasure if they did not support pre-emptive political violence.
"You will have no choice. Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die, that’s the truth, I think.”
"You will have no choice. Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die, that’s the truth, I think.”
September 14, 2025 at 6:45 PM
The FT has, among the media, the best incentives to be sensitive to reality.
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
I poke around Reddit a fair bit, including topics on Psychology. Every other week a high schooler or undergrad is asking for a primer on the discipline. There is no, agreed-upon, singular 'go to' book.
Psychology really needs an accessible history, with simple take-aways and frames-of-reference.
Psychology really needs an accessible history, with simple take-aways and frames-of-reference.
September 11, 2025 at 11:59 AM
I poke around Reddit a fair bit, including topics on Psychology. Every other week a high schooler or undergrad is asking for a primer on the discipline. There is no, agreed-upon, singular 'go to' book.
Psychology really needs an accessible history, with simple take-aways and frames-of-reference.
Psychology really needs an accessible history, with simple take-aways and frames-of-reference.
Possibly unpopular opinion: One reason students use chatgpt to give them summaries of assigned readings may be that the assigned readings are often boring and/or poorly written. It's not the only issue, of course, but I suspect it's more of an issue than we like to imagine
September 10, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Possibly unpopular opinion: One reason students use chatgpt to give them summaries of assigned readings may be that the assigned readings are often boring and/or poorly written. It's not the only issue, of course, but I suspect it's more of an issue than we like to imagine
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
Although it's rarely expressed in outright terms, people often use a very simple heuristic when solving fashion problems: they wish to look rich, which is often disguised as "respectable."
I will show you why this rarely leads to good outfits. 🧵
I will show you why this rarely leads to good outfits. 🧵
September 10, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Although it's rarely expressed in outright terms, people often use a very simple heuristic when solving fashion problems: they wish to look rich, which is often disguised as "respectable."
I will show you why this rarely leads to good outfits. 🧵
I will show you why this rarely leads to good outfits. 🧵
Great content starting at 29m30s, where @jonawils.bsky.social explains how football tactics are presently at a moment akin to the 19th century / Victorian crisis of faith, with connections to Nietzsche and Darwin among others. And I think he's right
Libero returns with its smuggest and most chin-strokey lineup ever, as @jameshorncastle.bsky.social, @jonawils.bsky.social and @rorysmith.bsky.social discuss the evolution of tactics while failing to avoid references to Pep Guardiola
Libero: Libero 051: Long Throws And Set Pieces... Is Football Going Back To The Mixer?
Libero returns with its smuggest and most chin-strokey lineup ever, as the first-time combination of Rory Smith, Jonathan Wilson and James Horncastle talk about the evolution of tactics. Have we se...
pod.fo
September 10, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Great content starting at 29m30s, where @jonawils.bsky.social explains how football tactics are presently at a moment akin to the 19th century / Victorian crisis of faith, with connections to Nietzsche and Darwin among others. And I think he's right