Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Allyn Fives

@allynfives.bsky.social

110 followers 220 following 7 posts

Senior Lecturer University of Galway - political theory - value pluralism - authority - rationality - moral freedom

Videos

Political science 59%

Philosophy 11%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Jonathan Hopkin, Allyn Fives

The Onion @theonion.com · Aug 25

Guy In Philosophy Class Needs To Shut The Fuck Up https://theonion.com/guy-in-philosophy-class-needs-to-shut-the-fuck-up-1819568055/

72 580 4.3K

Anna Kornbluh @annakornbluh.bsky.social · Aug 15

teachers!

excited to share a new website at this late date of Aug 15 to try to help us collectively prepare for back to school in the interpretative humanities classroom assaulted by the AI grift, so we don't have to go it alone.

take a look, share, + most importantly: CONTRIBUTE
against-a-i.com

AGAINST AI

against-a-i.com

42 430 750

Reposted by David Armitage, Fabián Muniesa, Margot C. Finn , and 2 more David Armitage, Fabián Muniesa, Margot C. Finn, Allyn Fives, Anthony Burke

The Historical Journal @historicaljnl.bsky.social · Aug 15

📣John Locke’s Forgotten Manuscript

We are thrilled to announce that @davidrarmitage.bsky.social's
article on his discovery of a new John Locke manuscript is out now👇

It sheds new light on Locke's practical involvement in political economy & his engagement with Ireland 📜🗃️

John Locke and Irish Linen Manufacture: A New Manuscript | The Historical Journal | Cambridge Core

John Locke and Irish Linen Manufacture: A New Manuscript

www.cambridge.org

3 36 66

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · Aug 13

AI as corrosive personalised groupthink.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · Aug 12

“The AI in the study probably prompted doctors to become over-reliant on its recommendations, ‘leading to clinicians becoming less motivated, less focused, and less responsible when making cognitive decisions without AI assistance,’ the scientists said in the paper.”

AI Eroded Doctors’ Ability to Spot Cancer Within Months in Study

Artificial intelligence, touted for its potential to transform medicine, led to some doctors losing skills after just a few months in a new study.

www.bloomberg.com

8 21 63

Reposted by Allyn Fives

David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · Jul 30

Should be required of all education administrators tempted to go all-in on AI. (Hint: it is kryptonite to the learning process.)

Meta brought AI to rural Colombia. Now students are failing exams

When Meta embedded AI bots in its apps, even students in the most remote corners of Colombia gained access. But rather than boosting learning, it’s getting in the way.

restofworld.org

1 1 1

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Chain of Flowers @craigatcof.bsky.social · Jul 26

From @julianneregan.bsky.social:

Highly recommended memoir from Budgie - I don't usually well up at the end of a book. I'm not usually able to taste maraschino cherries by just reading / thinking about them either.

1 2 15

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Nina Markl 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @ninamarkl.bsky.social · Jun 25

i’m increasingly realising that even in rooms where i am the only person saying ‘we should simply refuse AI and reassert the intrinsic value of (higher) education if indeed we think it has any’, lots of people agree with me even as they say ‘well we have no choice’

we do. ai is not inevitable.

Nina Markl 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @ninamarkl.bsky.social · Mar 3

i've written a blog post about why I think we should reject generative AI in the university: languagemechanics.neocities.org/no-gen-ai

2 7 47

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Fiona Moore 🇨🇦 @drfionamoore.bsky.social · Jun 19

A warning to people with Academia.edu accounts (as most academics do): if you don't know it yet, they've turned into AI shills. As well as this "podcast", they've also tried to sell me AI-compiled bibliographies. You can go to settings and opt out easily, and I recommend you do.

Screengrab of an email from Academia.edu, saying "listen to an AI podcast of your paper" and containing a link to a short audio file of my paper on colonialism and postcolonialism in the Cartmel and Davies eras of Doctor Who. This is a 10,000 word paper, you can't do a 5-minute podcast on it that makes any sense.

7 51 61

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · Jun 13

Exactly. No one is above the law, so maybe these agents should be investigated for excessive force against a Senator.

8 36 200

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Grumpy Philosopher @stevecooke.org · Jun 11

It feels like AI is at the centre of a clash between people who see university as an awarding business and those who see it as a place of learning and personal growth.

1 3 9

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Carissa Véliz @carissaveliz.bsky.social · Jun 11

On the one hand, this paper is novel: by framing the challenge in terms of complexity, the authors are offering an original argument. 1/

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Advanced AI suffers ‘complete accuracy collapse’ in face of complex problems, study finds

‘Pretty devastating’ Apple paper raises doubts about race to reach stage of AI at which it matches human intelligence

www.theguardian.com

2 8 24

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Marylin Delgado @philosophypills.bsky.social · May 27

'Bernard Williams, however, called After Virtue "a brilliant nostalgic fantasy", arguing that the socially distinct moral self, rather than being a product of the Enlightenment, was already present in Plato and Christianity.'

#philsky #Moralphil

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...

Alasdair MacIntyre obituary

Provocative philosopher who argued that current morality has been cut off from its roots ‘largely thanks to the Enlightenment’

www.theguardian.com

6 19

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · May 27

If we're going to save the university, we have to start remaking the humane case for learning - as something we do, not because we are future earners or contributors to GDP, but because we are curious, imaginative & want to expand our understanding; because we are citizens, neighbours & human beings

4 22 70

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · May 26

A nice write-up in the Chronicle that follows up on the Bluesky discussion a couple weeks ago about in-class writing, AI, and that New York magazine article.

www.chronicle.com/newsletter/t...

How One Professor Got Students Excited About Writing

In-class structured essays and no-tech classrooms helped build confidence and skills.

www.chronicle.com

5 12 41

Allyn Fives @allynfives.bsky.social · May 23

Could the term ‘thick’ come from Geertz (even if the idea might be closer to Anscombe)?

Anna Alexandrova @annaalexandrova.bsky.social · Nov 14

Great find, Tvrtko! Thank you. I love the possibility of that connection.

1 1

Reposted by Jurgita Ovadnevaitė, Allyn Fives, Jeremy J. Schmidt

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · May 22

So…about AI’s energy use…

“…to create a five-second video, a newer AI model uses ‘about 3.4 million joules, more than 700 times the energy required to generate a high-quality image’. That's the equivalent of running a microwave for over an hour.”

Report: Creating a 5-second AI video is like running a microwave for an hour

That's a long time in the microwave.

mashable.com

99 2.2K 3.4K

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Dan Hassler-Forest @danhf.bsky.social · May 7

6. NEVER USE IT YOURSELF. EVER! The most common issue I hear from students is that some of their lecturers use ChatGPT for feedback, syllabus creation, etc., so why shouldn't they? Of course I'm not the boss of you, but as soon as you use it for ANYTHING, you're giving students implicit permission.

11 36 570

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · May 7

This is the language I put on all of my syllabi this year regarding the use of AI. At this point I don't see any reason to change it.

Use of Generative Al (this statement is specific only to this class)
The use of generative Al is not permitted. The college classroom offers an opportunity to find your authentic voice as a writer. Al substitutes the voice of a computer-generated, mediocre, and often inaccurate hive-mind for the uniqueness of your human mind. Al may have uses for mundane tasks like writing low-stakes corporate email copy, but it has no place in a college classroom dedicated to generating compelling and original insight in community with other human beings. In addition, a new study has found that frequent use of Al tools encourages offloading cognitive tasks and reduces critical thinking. Higher AI usage correlated with lower critical thinking skills, which are precisely the skills you came to college to develop.

31 190 820

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Apr 21

'when AI generates summaries, students bypass the cognitive engagement required to actively interpret academic work.

It is precisely this engagement – the effort to comprehend, synthesise and relate ideas – that catalyses learning.' 1/3

AI risks undermining the heart of higher education

If students don’t make the effort to comprehend, synthesise and relate ideas for themselves, they will miss out on meaningful academic growth, says Zahid Naz

www.timeshighereducation.com

4 63 170

Ben Ross @benross.bsky.social · Apr 16

Steve Kerr wore a Harvard basketball shirt after the Warriors’ win tonight: “Yes, this is me supporting Harvard. Way to go. Way to stand up to the bully.”

1.1K 11K 67K

Reposted by Ralf Martin, Jenny Pickerill, Allyn Fives

Sam Halpert @samhalpert.bsky.social · Apr 15

Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.

110 3.4K 11K

Allyn Fives @allynfives.bsky.social · Apr 7

Blessed are the cheese makers

Agatha Chocolats @agathachocolats.bsky.social · Apr 6

In six words or fewer, write a story about this photo.
#sixwordstory #WritingCommmunity #writing #prompt

Reposted by Dennis D. Murphy, Allyn Fives, Michael Westphal , and 1 more Dennis D. Murphy, Allyn Fives, Michael Westphal, Jonathan Marks

Agatha Chocolats @agathachocolats.bsky.social · Apr 6

In six words or fewer, write a story about this photo.
#sixwordstory #WritingCommmunity #writing #prompt

1.3K 78 850

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Éric Gilbert, Olivier Klein , and 12 more Simon L. Lewis, Éric Gilbert, Olivier Klein, Helen Gunter, Bulgaria, Aaron Gerow, Allyn Fives, Jen Schneider, Thijs Heus, Steffen Ganghof, Christian Rauh, Travis Longcore, Duncan Morrow, Konrad J. Kuhn, Raphaël Soubeyran

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · Apr 3

Those trying to understand the tariffs as economic policy are dangerously naive.

No, the tariffs are a tool to collapse our democracy. A means to compel loyalty from every business that will need to petition Trump for relief.

1/ A 🧵 to explain his plan and how we fight back.

930 14K 28K

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Kristin Gjesdal @kristingjesdal.bsky.social · Mar 29

Assuming a book about a woman philosopher – for @lydiamoland.bsky.social’s #womenshistorymonth-challenge - can be written by the philosopher herself. Mary Midgley’s memoir is a favorite. 230 pages packed with wisdom. Her view of philosophy? Not a luxury but a necessity.

#philsky #booksky

12 46

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Laura D'Olimpio @lauradol4.bsky.social · Mar 28

The 60th anniversary of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain is being celebrated with a conference in Oxford, opened by Yuriko Saito, & her talk 'the role of aesthetic education in everyday life' #philsky #academicsky #philofed #education #art #philosophymatters

3 10

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · Mar 28

A.I. will not "replace" professiounes. If and onlye if good people do not stoppe thys ridiculous trende, A.I. will *dismantle* professiouns, leavinge chaos and tomfoolerye in its wake.

8 54 360

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Dan Hassler-Forest @danhf.bsky.social · Mar 27

Attended a departmental workshop on "AI and the future of the university" today where one of the scenarios we were invited to "engage positively" with was (I shit you not) a Humanities degree in which students are no longer required to do writing of any kind.

2 1 7

Reposted by Allyn Fives

Andrew Sabl @andysabl.bsky.social · Mar 22

Those wondering why Princeton’s president has spoken out while other U.S. university presidents haven’t are missing something obvious:

Princeton doesn’t have a medical school. It relies very minimally on federal science funding.

Your ethical conclusions may vary, but that’s the reality.

5 9 42