Daniel Drucker
@danieldrucker.bsky.social
Philosophy professor at UT Austin who thinks about attitudes, epistemology, and communication. https://www.danieldrucker.info/
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
New paper coming out in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research: "Consciousness doesn't do that". I explain why I believe that animal sentience research is in large part built on sand. In my opinion, we should be skeptical of many of the claims made in this field. philpapers.org/rec/MICCDD
Matthias Michel, Consciousness doesn't do that - PhilPapers
The question of which mental functions require consciousness has recently come to the forefront because of its relevance for investigating animal consciousness. Finding out that an animal can perform ...
philpapers.org
January 14, 2026 at 6:05 PM
New paper coming out in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research: "Consciousness doesn't do that". I explain why I believe that animal sentience research is in large part built on sand. In my opinion, we should be skeptical of many of the claims made in this field. philpapers.org/rec/MICCDD
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
Elmar Unnsteinsson (@eunnsteins.bsky.social) and I have a new paper forthcoming in Noûs.
"Genre and Conversation"
We show how to generalize the classic pragmatic theories to conversational genres that aren't factual, cooperative, committal information exchanges.
philpapers.org/rec/ELMGAC-2
"Genre and Conversation"
We show how to generalize the classic pragmatic theories to conversational genres that aren't factual, cooperative, committal information exchanges.
philpapers.org/rec/ELMGAC-2
Unnsteinsson Elmar & Harris Daniel W., Genre and Conversation - PhilPapers
Conversations can belong to different types, or genres. We consider four dimensions of variation as case studies: Some conversations are about sharing information, others about making decisions; some ...
philpapers.org
January 7, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Elmar Unnsteinsson (@eunnsteins.bsky.social) and I have a new paper forthcoming in Noûs.
"Genre and Conversation"
We show how to generalize the classic pragmatic theories to conversational genres that aren't factual, cooperative, committal information exchanges.
philpapers.org/rec/ELMGAC-2
"Genre and Conversation"
We show how to generalize the classic pragmatic theories to conversational genres that aren't factual, cooperative, committal information exchanges.
philpapers.org/rec/ELMGAC-2
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
"Beliefs* drive behavior" stocks up big
*including ideological, political, identity-central, motivated, etc. beliefs
*including ideological, political, identity-central, motivated, etc. beliefs
Fascinating paper by Hood, McKee & Pittman demonstrating that election deniers were less likely to vote in the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff election.
If fewer GA Republicans believed the big lie, both GA Senate seats might still be in Republican control.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
If fewer GA Republicans believed the big lie, both GA Senate seats might still be in Republican control.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
January 2, 2026 at 6:35 PM
"Beliefs* drive behavior" stocks up big
*including ideological, political, identity-central, motivated, etc. beliefs
*including ideological, political, identity-central, motivated, etc. beliefs
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
Researchers had people do a memory task, take a 10-min break (rest, Twitter, YouTube, or TikTok), then resume.
Result? Only TikTok wrecked their ability to remember planned intentions. After scrolling, accuracy dropped from ~80% to basically coin-flip levels. Twitter & YouTube? No effect.
Result? Only TikTok wrecked their ability to remember planned intentions. After scrolling, accuracy dropped from ~80% to basically coin-flip levels. Twitter & YouTube? No effect.
Short-Form Videos Degrade Our Capacity to Retain Intentions: Effect of Context Switching On Prospective Memory
Social media platforms use short, highly engaging videos to catch users' attention. While the short-form video feeds popularized by TikTok are rapidly spreading to other platforms, we do not yet under...
arxiv.org
December 31, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Researchers had people do a memory task, take a 10-min break (rest, Twitter, YouTube, or TikTok), then resume.
Result? Only TikTok wrecked their ability to remember planned intentions. After scrolling, accuracy dropped from ~80% to basically coin-flip levels. Twitter & YouTube? No effect.
Result? Only TikTok wrecked their ability to remember planned intentions. After scrolling, accuracy dropped from ~80% to basically coin-flip levels. Twitter & YouTube? No effect.
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
A while ago, I posted a set of notes about the Bayesian approach to inquiry and how it can help us think about questions raised in the recent literature on zetetic epistemology. I’ve now corralled that material into something like a first draft of a book. I hope it might be of interest to others.
Richard Pettigrew, The value of information and the epistemology of inquiry - PhilArchive
In the analytic tradition, epistemology has typically begun at the point at which we have our evidence; it has then asked which beliefs or credences are justified or warranted by that ...
philarchive.org
December 30, 2025 at 11:22 AM
A while ago, I posted a set of notes about the Bayesian approach to inquiry and how it can help us think about questions raised in the recent literature on zetetic epistemology. I’ve now corralled that material into something like a first draft of a book. I hope it might be of interest to others.
Another argument against Hamblin's idea of questions as sets of their possible answers. Consider (i) the question asked by 'were dogs domesticated once or more than once times?', and (ii) the set {<dogs were domesticated once>, <dogs were domesticated more than once>}.
December 27, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Another argument against Hamblin's idea of questions as sets of their possible answers. Consider (i) the question asked by 'were dogs domesticated once or more than once times?', and (ii) the set {<dogs were domesticated once>, <dogs were domesticated more than once>}.
Consider "is the correct answer to this question 'no'?". If 'yes' is correct, then the correct answer to it is 'yes' and 'no', which seems like a contradiction. If 'no', then 'no' is and isn't the correct answer to the question, once again a contradiction. Is the question ill-formed, or what?
December 26, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Consider "is the correct answer to this question 'no'?". If 'yes' is correct, then the correct answer to it is 'yes' and 'no', which seems like a contradiction. If 'no', then 'no' is and isn't the correct answer to the question, once again a contradiction. Is the question ill-formed, or what?
Is it analytic that every puzzle has a solution? (Kuhn, SSR: "On the contrary, the really pressing problems, e.g., a cure for cancer or the design of a lasting peace are often not puzzles at all ... Though intrinsic value is no criterion for a puzzle, the assured existence of a solution is.")
December 23, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Is it analytic that every puzzle has a solution? (Kuhn, SSR: "On the contrary, the really pressing problems, e.g., a cure for cancer or the design of a lasting peace are often not puzzles at all ... Though intrinsic value is no criterion for a puzzle, the assured existence of a solution is.")
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
i teach a seminar on the Imagination, that I split into 5 Acts, e.g. 'Act 1: Imagery, Scene 1: The Imagery Debate'. A nonsense challenge for myself is to find a somewhat-related quote from Shakespeare for the topic, from any play, but it has to be that Act/Scene combo
December 17, 2025 at 2:04 PM
i teach a seminar on the Imagination, that I split into 5 Acts, e.g. 'Act 1: Imagery, Scene 1: The Imagery Debate'. A nonsense challenge for myself is to find a somewhat-related quote from Shakespeare for the topic, from any play, but it has to be that Act/Scene combo
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
Can't say I ever expected to see a "That Font was No Angel" headline. But here we are.
December 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Can't say I ever expected to see a "That Font was No Angel" headline. But here we are.
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
This paper with @aaronstevenwhite.io is finally published! Check it out here: doi.org/10.1007/s110...
(Or, if you don't have institutional access, you can download it from lingbuzz: ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/007...)
(Or, if you don't have institutional access, you can download it from lingbuzz: ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/007...)
December 2, 2025 at 8:29 PM
This paper with @aaronstevenwhite.io is finally published! Check it out here: doi.org/10.1007/s110...
(Or, if you don't have institutional access, you can download it from lingbuzz: ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/007...)
(Or, if you don't have institutional access, you can download it from lingbuzz: ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/007...)
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Bookselling is like the most "people go to the store and buy what looks cool to them without a particular agenda" type business left, and your purchases have a huge influence on what is ordered, what is displayed, and what is recommended.
November 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
And Putnam's paper comparing Rorty and Quine has one of my favourite titles.
November 20, 2025 at 10:03 PM
And Putnam's paper comparing Rorty and Quine has one of my favourite titles.
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
a new paper on mind, computation, and identity in large language models. with inspiration from raymond carver (title) and severance (thought experiments).
i'll be talking about this on saturday at the eleos AI conference on AI consciousness and welfare in berkeley.
philpapers.org/rec/CHAWWT-8
i'll be talking about this on saturday at the eleos AI conference on AI consciousness and welfare in berkeley.
philpapers.org/rec/CHAWWT-8
David J. Chalmers, What we talk to when we talk to language models - PhilPapers
When we talk to large language models, who or what is our interlocutor? First, I address some issues about how best to characterize the interlocutor in terms of mental states. Second, ...
philpapers.org
November 20, 2025 at 8:41 PM
a new paper on mind, computation, and identity in large language models. with inspiration from raymond carver (title) and severance (thought experiments).
i'll be talking about this on saturday at the eleos AI conference on AI consciousness and welfare in berkeley.
philpapers.org/rec/CHAWWT-8
i'll be talking about this on saturday at the eleos AI conference on AI consciousness and welfare in berkeley.
philpapers.org/rec/CHAWWT-8
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
Put writing high quality literary text on the list of things that AIs used to not be able to do but now can do
With fine-tuning, now outperforming MFA-trained expert writers at emulating award-winning authors when rated blindly by MFA-trained experts papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
With fine-tuning, now outperforming MFA-trained expert writers at emulating award-winning authors when rated blindly by MFA-trained experts papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
November 19, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Put writing high quality literary text on the list of things that AIs used to not be able to do but now can do
With fine-tuning, now outperforming MFA-trained expert writers at emulating award-winning authors when rated blindly by MFA-trained experts papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
With fine-tuning, now outperforming MFA-trained expert writers at emulating award-winning authors when rated blindly by MFA-trained experts papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Quick argument against Hamblin's view of questions (a question is a partition of its possible answers). Suppose p possibly answers Q iff in some world w, p is the correct answer to Q. Consider "is 'this sentence isn't true' true?". "Yes": then it's not true. Contradiction.
October 26, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Quick argument against Hamblin's view of questions (a question is a partition of its possible answers). Suppose p possibly answers Q iff in some world w, p is the correct answer to Q. Consider "is 'this sentence isn't true' true?". "Yes": then it's not true. Contradiction.
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
Why do we derogate effective altruists, activists, & other radically prosocial individuals? In new work, we discuss how doing good that deviates from social norms gets stigmatized. New preprint w/ @dcameron.bsky.social @tlau.bsky.social @desmond-ong.bsky.social: osf.io/preprints/ps...
October 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Why do we derogate effective altruists, activists, & other radically prosocial individuals? In new work, we discuss how doing good that deviates from social norms gets stigmatized. New preprint w/ @dcameron.bsky.social @tlau.bsky.social @desmond-ong.bsky.social: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Why did PPR ruin its layout so badly?? philpapers.org/go.pl?aid=RO... (the paper looks interesting, no shade to the paper)
philpapers.org
October 3, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Why did PPR ruin its layout so badly?? philpapers.org/go.pl?aid=RO... (the paper looks interesting, no shade to the paper)
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
SALT 36 will be held at my alma mater, the University of Buenos Aires, on July 29-31 2026. This will be the first time the conference takes place in South America.
Abstract deadline: Dec 15, 2025
Link: saltconf.github.io/salt36/
Abstract deadline: Dec 15, 2025
Link: saltconf.github.io/salt36/
October 2, 2025 at 9:21 AM
SALT 36 will be held at my alma mater, the University of Buenos Aires, on July 29-31 2026. This will be the first time the conference takes place in South America.
Abstract deadline: Dec 15, 2025
Link: saltconf.github.io/salt36/
Abstract deadline: Dec 15, 2025
Link: saltconf.github.io/salt36/
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
This is my regular reminder to everyone that jstor is open to the general public now; a free account there will give you access to 100 papers a year.
regrettably if you try to point this out online you'll get yelled out by 79208 journalists going OH SO YOU WANT JOURNALISTS TO STARVE??? even if you're, say, a journalist yourself, and point out that while there are clearly no easy answers, the status quo isn't exactly working for society
September 29, 2025 at 1:19 PM
This is my regular reminder to everyone that jstor is open to the general public now; a free account there will give you access to 100 papers a year.
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
This is huge: “A drug that provides near-perfect protection against H.I.V. with shots just twice a year will be made available at $40 per patient annually in low- and middle-income countries, offering new hope… making lenacapavir a realistic choice in countries with constrained resources.”
Philanthropies Strike a Promising Deal to Turn Back H.I.V.
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
This is huge: “A drug that provides near-perfect protection against H.I.V. with shots just twice a year will be made available at $40 per patient annually in low- and middle-income countries, offering new hope… making lenacapavir a realistic choice in countries with constrained resources.”
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
📣@futrell.bsky.social and I have a BBS target article with an optimistic take on LLMs + linguistics. Commentary proposals (just need a few hundred words) are OPEN until Oct 8. If we are too optimistic for you (or not optimistic enough!) or you have anything to say: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
How Linguistics Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Language Models
How Linguistics Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Language Models
www.cambridge.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:46 PM
📣@futrell.bsky.social and I have a BBS target article with an optimistic take on LLMs + linguistics. Commentary proposals (just need a few hundred words) are OPEN until Oct 8. If we are too optimistic for you (or not optimistic enough!) or you have anything to say: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
What's been the most philosophically substantive and interesting change of mind that someone has had recently? (As with, say, Russell or Putnam.) Do any come to people's minds? I realized it was very hard for me to think of major cases, but that could be my own limitation.
September 10, 2025 at 1:01 PM
What's been the most philosophically substantive and interesting change of mind that someone has had recently? (As with, say, Russell or Putnam.) Do any come to people's minds? I realized it was very hard for me to think of major cases, but that could be my own limitation.
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
70 years ago yesterday, they applied for summer money.
September 1, 2025 at 7:23 PM
70 years ago yesterday, they applied for summer money.
Reposted by Daniel Drucker
where do they FIND these people?!
July 22, 2025 at 12:54 PM
where do they FIND these people?!