Samantha Brennan
banner
samanthabrennan.bsky.social
Samantha Brennan
@samanthabrennan.bsky.social

Philosopher, feminist, ethicist, cyclist.
Dean of Arts, University of Guelph.
My Erdős number is 3.
My pronouns are she/her.🌈

http://linktr.ee/sjbrennan

Samantha Jane Brennan is a British-born philosopher and scholar of women's studies who is currently dean of the College of Arts and faculty member in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph. She was previously a professor in the Department of Women's Studies and Feminist Research at Western University, Canada. Brennan was Department Chair of Philosophy at Western from 2002 to 2007, and 2008–2011. She is a past president of the Canadian Philosophical Association (2017–18). .. more

Political science 53%
Sociology 13%
Pinned
For new followers: My main bluesky themes are the College of Arts at Guelph where I'm Dean, philosophy (my home academic discipline), feminism and fitness (connected to my book and blog), and all things bike-related.
“WASHINGTON—Citing that a majority of Americans are irresponsible, easily distracted people who have little regard for other human beings, a new Dept of Transportation report revealed that it’s ‘actually kind of crazy’ that U.S. citizens are allowed to drive automobiles.”

The Onion strikes again.
Report: It Pretty Incredible That Americans Entrusted With Driving Cars
WASHINGTON—Citing that a majority of Americans are irresponsible, easily distracted people who have little regard for other human beings, a new Department of Transportation report revealed Wednesday t...
theonion.com

ICE Detains University of Oklahoma Professor With H-1B Visa, Colleague Says

www.newsweek.com/ice-detains-...
ICE detains University of Oklahoma professor with H-1B visa, colleague says
The professor was detained on his way to an academic conference in Washington DC.
www.newsweek.com

4. “Fundamentally Incompetent, Homophobia, Religion, and the Right to Parent, “ by Samantha Brennan and Colin Macleod, in Procreation, Parenthood, and Educational Rights, 2017.

Ch11_Brennan_McLeod_201601.pdf share.google/GyXxFMPY0xeA...
share.google

2. Millum, Joseph (2024). Lying to our children. Journal of Practical Ethics 11 (2).

3. de Vries, B. (2025). Mommy’s favorite: should parents try to love their children equally? Philosophical Psychology, 1–22. https://
doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2024.2421785 (doi.org/10.1080/0951...)
Mommy’s favorite: should parents try to love their children equally?
Scholars such as S. Matthew Liao have argued that parents have a moral duty to love their children. However, there exists an important related parental duty that has not been defended yet. Besides ...
doi.org

This week in my seminar on feminist perspectives on family ethics we are reading:

1. Connor K. Kianpour, THE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT: Expanding the Role of the State in Parenting, Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy https://
doi.org/10.26556/jesp.v25i3.2109, Vol. 25, No. 3 · September 2023
Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy
I first argue that forms of regulated parenting are presumptively justified whereas private parenting is not. Then, I argue that the reasons we have to believe that regulated parenting is justified gi...
doi.org

Military considers a volunteer force to help defend Canada
With rising global and climate threats, the Canadian Armed Forces are proposing a civil force of 300,000 volunteers to boost national defence.

www.ctvnews.ca/video/2025/1...
Military considers a volunteer force to help defend Canada
With rising global and climate threats, the Canadian Armed Forces are proposing a civil force of 300,000 volunteers to boost national defence.
www.ctvnews.ca

Oh good God. Please don't ask me to watch a video. Love video transcripts.
The real generational divide is people who refuse to watch a video if it could be an article versus people who refuse to read an article if it could be a video

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

Young adult queer winter retreat. Friends, help me spread the word!

#queersky

Project BoldFire - YA Winter 2026 share.google/c36CeVQSt9xT...
Project BoldFire - YA Winter 2026
Winter Retreat: February 27-March 1
share.google

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Injunction sought over Ontario’s international medical graduate residency rule — called ‘unlawful, unreasonable, unintelligible’
Injunction sought over Ontario’s international medical graduate residency rule — called ‘unlawful, unreasonable, unintelligible’
The rule requires candidates to have at least two years of high school in Ontario to be in the first round of matching for medical placements.
www.thestar.com

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Building a Thriving Canadian Economy?
A dispatch from a recent CSA Policy Pathways Conference

ccsip.substack.com/p/building-a...
Building a Thriving Canadian Economy?
A dispatch from a recent CSA Policy Pathways Conference
ccsip.substack.com

Please join The University of Guelph's, Industry Skills Ensemble to spend the evening celebrating diverse musical styles!
Don't miss out on this magical event which will leave you with lasting memories and inspire a newfound love for music of all kinds!

www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-indust...
The Industry Skills Ensemble Winter Concert
Please join The University of Guelph's, Industry Skills Ensemble to spend the evening celebrating diverse musical styles!
www.eventbrite.ca

Real estate website names Guelph 'best place to live in Canada'
Factors considered include home prices, crime rate, sunny days, walkability and more

www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/r...
Real estate website names Guelph 'best place to live in Canada'
Factors considered include home prices, crime rate, sunny days, walkability and more
www.guelphtoday.com

‘The arts and humanities celebrate what makes us human’

As deepfakes blur truth and political divides widen, the arts and humanities offer essential skills such as reflection and resilience. And, of course, they provide respite and balance.

www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/arts-...
‘The arts and humanities celebrate what makes us human’
As deepfakes blur truth and political divides widen, the arts and humanities offer essential skills such as reflection and resilience. And, of course, they provide respite and balance. Patty Raun expl...
www.timeshighereducation.com

The ultra-processed foods problem is driven by commercial interests, not individual weakness. Here’s how to fix it

theconversation.com/the-ultra-pr...
The ultra-processed foods problem is driven by commercial interests, not individual weakness. Here’s how to fix it
Without policy action and a coordinated global response, ultra-processed foods will continue to rise in human diets, harming health, economies. It’s time to act.
theconversation.com

The world lost the climate gamble. Now it faces a dangerous new reality

theconversation.com/the-world-lo...
The world lost the climate gamble. Now it faces a dangerous new reality
The world bet on collective but voluntary action to keep global warming at a safe level.
theconversation.com

"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees

UC Berkeley, where the arts and humanities are thriving. They're hiring like crazy, and classes are full.

ls.berkeley.edu/news/humanit...
"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees
This interview originally appeared on the Division of Arts
ls.berkeley.edu

The Trump administration has said that the U.S. passports of transgender people must now reflect the sex on their original birth certificate, reversing a decades-old policy.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
New Passport Rule Sends Blunt and Sweeping Message to Trans Americans
www.nytimes.com

In normal democracy terms, we've in bad shape and things are getting worse.

In consolidated authoritarianism terms, we're doing pretty well, as the regime is haphazard, meeting resistance, and growing increasingly unpopular.

Depends on one's perspective. I started using the latter standard in Jan.
It is good to see the pushback on Trump lead to real losses for him. But it's hard to be optimistic when he still wields the enormous power of the presidency. ICE is still rampaging, HHS is harming people, the U.S. may be about to sell out Ukraine, the boat strikes...he's still doing so much damage.

Universities blame ‘societal shift’ for axing foreign language degrees

Numbers taking languages at A-level and beyond has been falling for decades, although Duolingo says young people are using its app more than their elders

www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Universities blame ‘societal shift’ for axing foreign language degrees
Numbers taking languages at A-level and beyond has been falling for decades, although Duolingo says its app is most popular with young people
www.theguardian.com

Mind-altering ‘brain weapons’ no longer only science fiction, say researchers

UK academics say latest chemicals are ‘wake-up call’ and urge global action to stop weaponisation of neuroscience

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Mind-altering ‘brain weapons’ no longer only science fiction, say researchers
UK academics say latest chemicals are ‘wake-up call’ and urge global action to stop weaponisation of neuroscience
www.theguardian.com

She Says Trump Raped Her When She Was a Child

The Andy Borowitz Show

www.borowitzreport.com/p/she-says-t...
She Says Trump Raped Her When She Was a Child
The Andy Borowitz Show
www.borowitzreport.com

They Tried to Bury the Katie Johnson Story

And we, the public, let them convince us it was bogus.

open.substack.com/pub/katemann...
They Tried to Bury the Katie Johnson Story
And we, the public, let them convince us it was bogus.
open.substack.com

Listen to what they say and believe them.
A reporter asks if Mamdani stands by calling Trump a fascist. Mamdani starts to give a delicate answer.

Trump (smiles, pats Mamdani's arm): "That's OK, you can just say yes. It's easier. I don't mind."