Jim Weatherall

I keep coming back to the Gaetz nomination for AG in light of all this Epstein stuff.

Have you ever wanted to visualize how belief polarization might occur in scientific communities? Then check out this simulator, based on the model developed by @cailinmeister.bsky.social and @jamesowenweatherall.com in their (2018) paper on polarization

#philsci #philsky #metasci

A statement of Descartes' fourth rule of motion, which states that a smaller body can never move a stationary larger body, no matter its speed

Tell me you've never cared for a toddler without telling me you've never cared for a toddler. (Descartes' fourth rule governing collisions, from Principles of Philosophy [1644].)

Thank you @michelamassimi.bsky.social ! We will send it in a month or two.

That would be so helpful! We will send it in a month or two. Thanks @miguelohn.bsky.social !

Summer School: The Aim and Structure of Cosmological Theory A number of challenging questions arise in contemporary cosmology, and philosophers can contribute constructively to answering them. Over the past century cosmologists have debated whether, for exampl...

Very excited for this summer school on my forthcoming book with Chris Smeenk, The Aims and Structure of Cosmological Theory!!

The book is very nearly finished. Let us know if you'd like to give feedback on a draft.

www.usi.ch/en/education...

Information dynamics on Twitter are incredible right now. Israel and Iran are both very good at viral disinformation, and it is easy to find bubbles where everyone is convinced each side is definitely winning. Plus the red-pilled, conspiracy-curious right is split in two and arguing like mad.

Lachrymos

I am most puzzled by Macedo and Lee's insistence that there was no "robust and healthy" debate about COVID policy in the U.S. in spring and summer 2020! I feel like everywhere I turned there was debate -- on social media, yes, but also on college campuses, at local school boards, etc.

How Did We Fare on COVID-19? - Boston Review To restore public trust and prepare for the next pandemic, we need a reckoning with the U.S. experience—what worked, and what didn’t.

@bostonreview.bsky.social just published a Forum on a recent (critical) post-mortem of US COVID policy, with responses from me and @cailinmeister.bsky.social, along with @adamjkucharski.bsky.social, Adam Gaffney, and @jonathanpjwhite.bsky.social. V. interesting!

www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-di...

Honestly, this is as bad as Obama's "if you like your insurance you can keep it" line, which obviously backfired tremendously. Maybe this will do the same.

Great guesses. Actually, it was said of Norbert Weiner, by Warren Weaver advising the Navy.

Anyway, terrific language for letters of recommendation. Feel free to use.

Who was this said about?

"He is undoubtedly a genius, but he is also exceedingly temperamental and has almost ludicrously bad judgment."

Richard L. Garwin, a Creator of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dies at 97

Richard L. Garwin, a Creator of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dies at 97 www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/s...

Dick Garwin was such an incredible scientist and engineer, but he was very often in the shadows. Though I am very sorry to hear he has passed, I love the long and well-deserved obit from NYT.

I was also just correcting missing and easily verifiable matters of fact. I didn't make the page, and I didn't add my co-star Stephen.

I am dismayed to report that @cailinmeister.bsky.social now has a lower Erdos-Bacon number than me. There are no words. I appreciate privacy during this difficult period.

That said, if anyone is looking for a young Tom Selleck in an upcoming Kevin Bacon film pls DM me.

Three new papers out on the philsci archive!

Natural Theories, with Eleanor March (philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25019/)

Spacetime Models for Cosmology (CLMPST 23, for Roberto Torretti -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25018/)

On (Some) Gauge Theories of Gravity (PSA 24 -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25017/)

Trump Is Gaslighting Us Trump is an agent of chaos, and chaos has a human cost.

@cailinmeister.bsky.social

Nice mention in the Atlantic today!

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Cailin O'Connor on the front page of UCI's website

Anyone been to uci.edu lately?

Counterpoint: this would shift incentives even further towards catchy, high engagement articles that our own modeling has suggested drive polarization. It would also erode subscriptions and make it harder to support professional newsrooms.

Undergrads interested in philosophy of science? Please share that applications are open for our summer development program! lpssdp.com?fbclid=IwY2x...

Surprised by this Munich to London leg of my trip from Irvine to Bangalore.

Two new papers out today on "determinism" co-authored with the foundations of (a)symmetries dream team: @jimweatherall.bsky.social, Hans Halvorson, and Thomas Barrett. #philsci #philsky

philsci-archive.pitt.edu/24881/

philsci-archive.pitt.edu/24883/

Foundations of Physics 2025 - Philosophy of Physics Society The International Centre for Theory of Quantum Technologies (ICTQT) at […]

The deadline to register for Foundations of Physics 2025, in Gdansk Poland, is coming up next week!

The process is confusing. To submit your abstract, you need to register for the meeting (no fee is charged!). Abstract submission is part of that process.

philosophyofphysics.org/2024/11/foun...

Symmetry and Structure, UCI Workshop October 2023 - YouTube Talks from the workshop "Symmetry and Structure", hosted by the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine. 27-28 ...

#philsky #philsci

Videos from the workshop on Symmetry and Structure that Clara Bradley and I organized in Irvine in September 2023 are now available online. Some very interesting stuff there! Enjoy!

jamesowenweatherall.com/symmetry-and...

youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Poster for talk "Curation as Misinformation" by Cailin O'Connor and James Weatherall, for the series Kaapi with Kuriosity at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences in Bangaluru.

#ai #philsky #philsci #math

Our workshop Humans, Math, and Machines is coming up this weekend. In-person registration is closed (because we are full!), but you can still register for remote participation. The event will not be recorded. I will distribute a Zoom link prior to the meeting.

www.lps.uci.edu/workshops/ai...

Why Do We Want a Theory of Quantum Gravity? Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - Why Do We Want a Theory of Quantum Gravity?

New Element in Philosophy of Physics just published!

Karen Crowther's "Why Do We Want a Theory of Quantum Gravity?" is available for free online for two weeks.

www.cambridge.org/core/element...