Nolen Gertz
@ethicistforhire.bsky.social
Philosophy professor @utwentephilosophy.bsky.social
Author of #NihilismAndTechnology (RLI 2018), #Nihilism (MIT 2019), #PhilosophyOfWarAndExile (Palgrave 2014)
https://www.nolengertz.com
#Philsky #Philtech #Existentialism #Phenomenology #Filmsky
Author of #NihilismAndTechnology (RLI 2018), #Nihilism (MIT 2019), #PhilosophyOfWarAndExile (Palgrave 2014)
https://www.nolengertz.com
#Philsky #Philtech #Existentialism #Phenomenology #Filmsky
Pinned
Nolen Gertz
@ethicistforhire.bsky.social
· Dec 27
Nihilism and Technology, Updated Edition
Investigating how human values mediate the design and use of new technologies, the updated edition of Nolen Gertz’s Nihilism and Technology explores the ramifications of artificial intelligence. G...
rowman.com
Thread of things I wrote this year:
1) Updated edition of my #NihilismAndTechnology book with new chapters about why AI doesn't exist, why ChatGPT shouldn't exist, and why climate change can't be solved by nihilism...
rowman.com/ISBN/9781538...
1) Updated edition of my #NihilismAndTechnology book with new chapters about why AI doesn't exist, why ChatGPT shouldn't exist, and why climate change can't be solved by nihilism...
rowman.com/ISBN/9781538...
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
“The researchers observed what’s called a ‘dose response,’ meaning the more frequently someone used AI, the stronger their symptoms were.”
Using AI for advice or other personal reasons is linked to depression and anxiety
A new survey found that people who spend more time with chatbots for social interactions or emotional support were likelier to report mental health symptoms.
www.nbcnews.com
January 25, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
This moment in history provides us with incontrovertible evidence that all the conservatives who claim to be extremely devoted to freedom of speech and the right to bear arms, and opposed to the encroachment of tyranny, are completely and totally full of shit.
It's all white supremacy and greed.
It's all white supremacy and greed.
January 25, 2026 at 2:03 AM
This moment in history provides us with incontrovertible evidence that all the conservatives who claim to be extremely devoted to freedom of speech and the right to bear arms, and opposed to the encroachment of tyranny, are completely and totally full of shit.
It's all white supremacy and greed.
It's all white supremacy and greed.
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
give us what we want or we kill another hostage
Pam Bondi's conditions for Minnesota: 1) give us all your state data on your food programs, including SNAP 2) repeal all your sanctuary policies in the state (since it has led to "so much crime and violence") and 3) hand over your state voting rolls. Letter here: www.fox9.com/news/minneap...
Minneapolis shooting: AG Pam Bondi gives Gov. Walz conditions for ICE to leave Minnesota
www.fox9.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:49 AM
give us what we want or we kill another hostage
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
Ultimately you're not supposed to believe it. It not mattering is the point. The bolder the lie, the greater the impunity. The ultimate victory for evil is not convincing you, it's the truth being irrelevant.
We’re supposed to believe this is a domestic terrorist attacking ICE with a gun
January 24, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Ultimately you're not supposed to believe it. It not mattering is the point. The bolder the lie, the greater the impunity. The ultimate victory for evil is not convincing you, it's the truth being irrelevant.
Visited a local high school today and found that students had made their own Philosophy card game...
January 24, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Visited a local high school today and found that students had made their own Philosophy card game...
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
ICE is going to continue abducting children until they're compelled not to. You'd think a court order would be enough compellance but not if we're already in the ~state of exception~ www.startribune.com/agents-detai...
Agents detain and send 2-year-old girl and her father to Texas despite court order to release toddler
Attorneys for the family say they were asylum-seekers who were pulled over without a warrant and did not have a final order for removal.
www.startribune.com
January 24, 2026 at 1:52 AM
ICE is going to continue abducting children until they're compelled not to. You'd think a court order would be enough compellance but not if we're already in the ~state of exception~ www.startribune.com/agents-detai...
TikTok is now under US ownership and their new ToS reads like a guide to giving fascists everything they need to put you on a list.
They’re collecting information about immigration status, citizenship, sexual orientation, whether you’re trans or non binary and physical or mental disabilities.
They’re collecting information about immigration status, citizenship, sexual orientation, whether you’re trans or non binary and physical or mental disabilities.
January 23, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
It's a snitch app
BREAKING: Now that TikTok is under US-based ownership, the social media app potentially collects more detailed information about its users, including precise location data.
My latest for @wired.com:
www.wired.com/story/tiktok...
My latest for @wired.com:
www.wired.com/story/tiktok...
TikTok Is Now Collecting Even More Data About Its Users. Here Are the 3 Biggest Changes
According to its new privacy policy, TikTok now collects more data on its users, including their precise location, after majority ownership officially switched to a group based in the US.
www.wired.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:28 PM
It's a snitch app
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
The US government was worried China would abuse the personal data of Americans using TikTok, so required US ownership - and now Americans on TikTok will have data collected about their trans/non-binary status and immigration status. It’s in the new terms of service for the US version.
January 23, 2026 at 6:39 PM
The US government was worried China would abuse the personal data of Americans using TikTok, so required US ownership - and now Americans on TikTok will have data collected about their trans/non-binary status and immigration status. It’s in the new terms of service for the US version.
America wouldn't exist if it wasn't for France but that'll probably be left out of this year's 250th anniversary celebrations...
Rep. Greg Steube: "You see Macron and the French sending troops to Greenland. I would love to see the US military up against French troops in Greenland, because it would not last very long. It would be a very small skirmish ... we don't care about what Macron and the French want."
January 23, 2026 at 7:57 PM
America wouldn't exist if it wasn't for France but that'll probably be left out of this year's 250th anniversary celebrations...
🫧🚨🫧🚨
Technology companies issued a record $108.7 billion in corporate bonds in the last three months of 2025, according to Moody’s Analytics.
That’s the largest total for any quarter and roughly double that of the previous three months.
That’s the largest total for any quarter and roughly double that of the previous three months.
Big Tech is taking on more debt than ever to fund its AI aspirations
Technology companies issued a record $108.7 billion in bonds in the fourth quarter, a proliferation that some analysts say puts the broader economy at risk.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 23, 2026 at 7:13 PM
🫧🚨🫧🚨
They put me on the front page! Now I see why people were looking at me funny today...
January 23, 2026 at 5:56 PM
They put me on the front page! Now I see why people were looking at me funny today...
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
If you have read even a single history of fascism, you are already aware that one thing that its rise has in common in every case is an opposition party that refuses to intervene for fear of looking weak or putting the left into power
To quote one source:
“They’re terrified of being labeled anti–law enforcement. They want this to go away so they can talk about the cost of living more. Problem is, it’s not going away.”
prospect.org/2026/01/21/j...
“They’re terrified of being labeled anti–law enforcement. They want this to go away so they can talk about the cost of living more. Problem is, it’s not going away.”
prospect.org/2026/01/21/j...
Jeffries Won’t Whip Vote Against ICE Funding - The American Prospect
While the House Democratic leader announced personal opposition to a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, he won’t pressure his colleagues to do the same.
prospect.org
January 21, 2026 at 8:46 PM
If you have read even a single history of fascism, you are already aware that one thing that its rise has in common in every case is an opposition party that refuses to intervene for fear of looking weak or putting the left into power
"The drives necessitate us in the sexual order—they come from the heart. To our great surprise, [Freud] tells us that love, on the other hand, comes from the belly, from the world of yum-yum." - Lacan (Seminar 11: 189)
January 23, 2026 at 10:42 AM
"The drives necessitate us in the sexual order—they come from the heart. To our great surprise, [Freud] tells us that love, on the other hand, comes from the belly, from the world of yum-yum." - Lacan (Seminar 11: 189)
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
ok it is easy to dunk on this,
but, we must remember, it is also v v important to do so
but, we must remember, it is also v v important to do so
January 23, 2026 at 6:59 AM
ok it is easy to dunk on this,
but, we must remember, it is also v v important to do so
but, we must remember, it is also v v important to do so
January 22, 2026 at 11:05 PM
not surprising and yet still jarring to read ex-FBI agents describing how Kash Patel and Bongino reacted to Charlie Kirk's murder while running the agency. truly the content creator administration/podcast govt www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
January 22, 2026 at 11:02 PM
It's always fun when I get asked to be the local "Trump explainer"...
New interview with me about Trump and about what it's like to be an American in Europe nowadays...
January 22, 2026 at 7:06 PM
It's always fun when I get asked to be the local "Trump explainer"...
New interview with me about Trump and about what it's like to be an American in Europe nowadays...
January 22, 2026 at 6:48 PM
New interview with me about Trump and about what it's like to be an American in Europe nowadays...
Reposted by Nolen Gertz
Interview with UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz (@ethicistforhire.bsky.social) about Trump, ICE, NATO, and Greenland:
January 22, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Interview with UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz (@ethicistforhire.bsky.social) about Trump, ICE, NATO, and Greenland: