Zoe Drayson
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zoedrayson.bsky.social
Zoe Drayson
@zoedrayson.bsky.social
2.3K followers 310 following 440 posts
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Cognitive Science at UC Davis. Philosophical Shark Jumper ®️ 🦈
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zoedrayson.bsky.social
I just can’t sorry
October 24, 2025 at 8:13 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
I asked AI about Saul Kripke's take on the "would you still love me if I was a worm?" thing
Applying Kripke's logic to the worm question From a Kripkean perspective, the prompt presents a scenario that is not a possible world for the original person. The "you" who is a worm is a fundamentally different being, and not a possible version of the "you" who is human. This is known as the "Humphrey objection," named for an example Kripke used to illustrate the philosophical problem of identifying an individual across possible worlds. Instead of a partner loving a human-turned-worm, Kripke's philosophy suggests we are imagining two separate beings in two different possible worlds: The actual world: A person you love. Another possible world: A worm with the characteristics you asked about. Kripke would say that the question "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" fails because the premise is impossible. It is not a test of unconditional love, but rather a category error. A worm could not be you, so your partner could not love you as a worm. Kripke's likely position While Kripke didn't discuss the metaphysics of romantic love, his work on personal identity and essentialism provides strong clues to his likely position. He argued that we can stipulate what we are talking about in a counterfactual world. If your beloved says, "I would still love you if you were a worm," they are stipulating that their love follows you through any changes. They are not talking about some other, worm-like individual. Therefore, the Kripkean approach would likely validate the enduring nature of love, so long as the speaker's intention is to refer to the same rigid designator ("you"). Love, in this metaphysical analysis, would track the identity of the person, not their contingent biological features. The statement "Kripke loves you" would be necessarily true, because "Kripke" and "you" would both be rigid designators referring to the same two individuals in any possible world, regardless of whether one of them happens to be a worm.
October 8, 2025 at 8:45 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
I read this as Pigeon Street Detectives and thought you meant these guys
Mr Baskerville and Mr Jupiter from 1980s BBC children’s animation Pigeon Street
October 6, 2025 at 3:05 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
This one's for you @aidanmcglynn.bsky.social
Some AI generated nonsense about Lunchables and epistemic injustice
September 23, 2025 at 4:51 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
There's more
Screenshot of a research article published in 1953 titled "Realism in the Surgery of the Tonsils and Adenoids"
September 23, 2025 at 12:03 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Ah yes, the medieval puzzle of Socrates' fingernail...
The fingernail in ontology Ontology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of being, and the fingernail's existence raises questions about what constitutes a discrete "part" of a human being. A "thing" versus a "process": Philosopher Thomas Nail argues that nothing is a static "thing," but rather a dynamic process in constant motion. A fingernail embodies this idea perfectly; it is not a static object but a continuous flow of keratinized skin cells produced by the nail matrix. The very moment we identify it as a "thing," it is already in the process of growing, shedding, and changing. The puzzle of detached parts: The fingernail's ontology becomes complicated once it is clipped. Is a discarded fingernail still "Socrates's fingernail," as medieval mereology might question, or does it lose its identity once it's separated from the whole person?. The fact that it is dead, and no longer part of the living being, suggests its status changes significantly upon detachment.
September 22, 2025 at 11:55 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
"a dentist's duty to a "real" tooth might be viewed differently than a duty to a "perceived" tooth" 🦷 💭
Philosophical implications: Ontology (the study of being): "Dental realism" explores whether teeth are "things-in-themselves" (Kant's concept) or simply phenomena within our experience. Epistemology (the study of knowledge): The debate questions how we know about teeth and how our knowledge relates to their reality. If teeth are objective, we discover them; if they are ideal, we create them through perception. Ethics: The philosophical status of teeth affects ethical discussions surrounding dental procedures. For example, a dentist's duty to a "real" tooth might be viewed differently than a duty to a "perceived" tooth.
September 22, 2025 at 9:32 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions
AI Overview: "Dental realism"refers to the philosophical debate about whether teeth exist independently of human perception, a concept rooted in metaphysical realism. While realism asserts an objective reality for teeth, idealist philosophies contend that teeth's existence is tied to our consciousness and perception. Philosophers use this idea, for example, to discuss the ethics of tooth extraction, examining whether a procedure impacts a real entity or merely a subjective experience.
September 22, 2025 at 9:25 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Feel free to correct my arithmetic, but I make that only 361 possibilities
Ad for shoes which come in 19 different colored pairs, claiming that the 19 colors lead to infinite possibilities.
September 15, 2025 at 3:27 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
I just tried to send a colleague a Zoom link but accidently sent that Hello Kitty Roblox video instead. So professional.
Email: "Hi Zoe, Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on short notice and during your sabbatical. Here's my Zoom info (you sent me a Hello Kitty YouTube link)
September 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Thanks to The Hunting Wives, my new response to anyone mentioning Ockham’s razor is to say “Who’s the fuck what now?” in a southern drawl
September 9, 2025 at 4:03 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Still my finest moment: I got a reference to Meat Loaf's autobiography into Mind.
(in much the same way as Meat Loaf's autobiography describes his meeting John F. Kennedy in Dallas just hours before the assassination, and picking up a hitch-hiker on Sunset Boulevard who turned out to be Charles Manson (Meat Loaf and David Dalton, To Hell and Back: The Autobiography, London: Virgin Publishing Ltd., 1999)).
September 9, 2025 at 12:25 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
This is my villain origin story 😂
Angus Council in Scotland has asked people not to leave bottles of alcohol on graves (a thing that the people of Angus do) because children are stealing them (another thing that the people of Angus do). This is where I grew up up.
September 8, 2025 at 8:05 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
September 7, 2025 at 2:57 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
September 7, 2025 at 2:55 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Exhibit A
Screenshot of an email from Dr Squatch with the header "Yo Zoe, ready to Squatch?"
September 2, 2025 at 9:11 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
The people need to know
Google screenshot listing the question "Is Lowly Worm an adult?" under questions that people also ask
August 26, 2025 at 6:06 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Some of y’all are like “ugh, first day back teaching” and I’m just here stalking the Weinermobile #sabbatical
Large yellow and orange vehicle shaped like a hotdog parked in a Sacramento city street
August 26, 2025 at 2:18 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
This is what philosophy professors on sabbatical do
August 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
August 22, 2025 at 6:01 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
I wouldn’t tell anyone if I were in charge of fundraising for my local soccer team’s new stadium but there would be signs
Fundraising ad for Sacramento Republic FC’s new stadium, with tagline “where belief becomes concrete”
August 19, 2025 at 8:33 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
It’s uncanny
Youthful vibrant glossy haired and bright eyed Zo in 2015 Some old lady idk
August 19, 2025 at 7:57 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Showing my age here, but I remember when Kelso's finger-wagging data was taken to be SOLID PROOF that cognition had a non-computational explanation 😂
Literally people would just start waggling their fingers in and out of phase in front of me like it would actually persuade me of anything
August 13, 2025 at 4:39 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
I was 8 or 9 years old. 😳
The cover of a Mills & Boon romance novel called (yeeesh) Enter My Jungle
August 12, 2025 at 5:02 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
"In essence, you are comparing a historical architectural marvel with a local food truck. If your priorities are historical significance, scenic beauty, and engineering fascination, the Clifton Suspension Bridge is likely "better". If you're looking for late-night food after a night out, Jason Donervan is the clear winner." - AI summary from Google on which is better, the Clifton Suspension Bridge or the Jason Donervan
August 11, 2025 at 12:49 AM