Donovan Schaefer
@feelingtheory.bsky.social
West coast soul in Philly. Theory prof teaching/writing about emotion, secularism, & power.
Current projects: Conspiracy theory, secular artifacts, Confederate commemoration.
🐱🐱 Brighton & Bristol
🌱 ⓥ food
📚✍️: http://donovanschaefer.com/research
Current projects: Conspiracy theory, secular artifacts, Confederate commemoration.
🐱🐱 Brighton & Bristol
🌱 ⓥ food
📚✍️: http://donovanschaefer.com/research
Pinned
Very excited to have a short chapter out in this just-published edited volume: "Affect as Method: Against the Numb View of Embodiment"! 1/4
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
Not wrong, but another angle on this is that Bondi's top priority is not offending Trump between now and January 19, 2029, so she can guarantee herself a preemptive pardon. All of her actions can be viewed as oriented to that one goal--flattering Trump so she can stay out of jail.
You can joke about Pam Bondi’s ridiculous unprofessionalism all you want, but I’m deeply shocked by it: She acts as if she fears absolutely no consequences, convinced that there will be no more political power transfers. — This should shake everyone to their core.
February 11, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Not wrong, but another angle on this is that Bondi's top priority is not offending Trump between now and January 19, 2029, so she can guarantee herself a preemptive pardon. All of her actions can be viewed as oriented to that one goal--flattering Trump so she can stay out of jail.
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
It’s a predictive text engine, lads. It’s vomiting up the statistical probabilities of a billion stolen blog posts and 10 million pieces of fiction. We’ve been writing about therapy, the nature of self, and introspection forever. Of course it sounds real. Humans are good at producing narratives.
Experiments conducted with the A.I. system Claude are producing fascinating results—and raising questions about the nature of selfhood. Gideon Lewis-Kraus reports from inside the company that designed it, Anthropic. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/rOfXjg
February 11, 2026 at 11:43 PM
It’s a predictive text engine, lads. It’s vomiting up the statistical probabilities of a billion stolen blog posts and 10 million pieces of fiction. We’ve been writing about therapy, the nature of self, and introspection forever. Of course it sounds real. Humans are good at producing narratives.
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
Not wrong, but another angle on this is that Bondi's top priority is not offending Trump between now and January 19, 2029, so she can guarantee herself a preemptive pardon. All of her actions can be viewed as oriented to that one goal--flattering Trump so she can stay out of jail.
You can joke about Pam Bondi’s ridiculous unprofessionalism all you want, but I’m deeply shocked by it: She acts as if she fears absolutely no consequences, convinced that there will be no more political power transfers. — This should shake everyone to their core.
February 11, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Not wrong, but another angle on this is that Bondi's top priority is not offending Trump between now and January 19, 2029, so she can guarantee herself a preemptive pardon. All of her actions can be viewed as oriented to that one goal--flattering Trump so she can stay out of jail.
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
“…universities are becoming more reliant on wealthy benefactors. But the networks that fund research and programs can also entangle top universities with morally compromised figures… complicity and compromised institutional integrity.”
www.chronicle.com/article/a-mo...
www.chronicle.com/article/a-mo...
‘A Moment of Reckoning’: After Epstein, Higher Ed Faces Hard Questions About Its Proximity to Power
Weeks after the release of a new cache of files about Jeffrey Epstein, the fallout on campuses nationwide is coming into focus.
www.chronicle.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:43 PM
“…universities are becoming more reliant on wealthy benefactors. But the networks that fund research and programs can also entangle top universities with morally compromised figures… complicity and compromised institutional integrity.”
www.chronicle.com/article/a-mo...
www.chronicle.com/article/a-mo...
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
They tell me that we don't need my field of Religious Studies, only STEM, just at the time that a lot of the leading STEM figures are creating a new religious identity for themselves without even realizing it.
February 10, 2026 at 8:50 PM
They tell me that we don't need my field of Religious Studies, only STEM, just at the time that a lot of the leading STEM figures are creating a new religious identity for themselves without even realizing it.
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
Avian flu is still out there churning away, churning away, causing suffering and deaths in millions of birds and mammals, and threatening a possible pandemic in our own species. Abolish animal agriculture.
telanganatoday.com/tamil-nadu-s...
telanganatoday.com/tamil-nadu-s...
Tamil Nadu sounds high alert after crow deaths raise avian flu fears
The Tamil Nadu government has sounded a high alert after reports of large-scale crow deaths raised fears of avian influenza. Authorities have issued advisories, stepped up surveillance and urged the p...
telanganatoday.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:27 AM
Avian flu is still out there churning away, churning away, causing suffering and deaths in millions of birds and mammals, and threatening a possible pandemic in our own species. Abolish animal agriculture.
telanganatoday.com/tamil-nadu-s...
telanganatoday.com/tamil-nadu-s...
Trapped in a vicious cycle of falling asleep early then waking up at a reasonable hour the next morning
February 11, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Trapped in a vicious cycle of falling asleep early then waking up at a reasonable hour the next morning
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
Reminds me of that time three years ago when
February 10, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Reminds me of that time three years ago when
Looking forward to this conversation with the esteemed members of The Polanyi Society about my book (in which it is argued that everyone should have listened to Polanyi instead of Kuhn) on Saturday! Tune in if your weekend needs more Polanyi.
polanyisociety.org/passion-know...
polanyisociety.org/passion-know...
Passion, Knowledge and Social Order in Contemporary Society: Michael Polanyi and Donovan Schaefer | The Polanyi Society
polanyisociety.org
February 10, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Looking forward to this conversation with the esteemed members of The Polanyi Society about my book (in which it is argued that everyone should have listened to Polanyi instead of Kuhn) on Saturday! Tune in if your weekend needs more Polanyi.
polanyisociety.org/passion-know...
polanyisociety.org/passion-know...
Killing Eve is such a hot mess of a show. Feel like they completely lose their sense of any kind of plot arc at the beginning of S2 and never got it back.
(Still insanely watchable. You can do a lot with two powerhouse lead actors and some clever, frothy dialogue.)
(Still insanely watchable. You can do a lot with two powerhouse lead actors and some clever, frothy dialogue.)
February 10, 2026 at 3:05 AM
Killing Eve is such a hot mess of a show. Feel like they completely lose their sense of any kind of plot arc at the beginning of S2 and never got it back.
(Still insanely watchable. You can do a lot with two powerhouse lead actors and some clever, frothy dialogue.)
(Still insanely watchable. You can do a lot with two powerhouse lead actors and some clever, frothy dialogue.)
when you're rejected from Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" video and you become The Joker
February 9, 2026 at 2:56 PM
when you're rejected from Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" video and you become The Joker
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
i'll save you the trouble of clicking through: at no point does the article explain what the hell the guy in this photo is wearing
Schools across the country are offering courses and retreats for people 50+ who want to reinvent themselves and embrace lifelong learning and discovery. n.pr/4qol820
Need a new path in midlife? There's a school for that and a quiz to kickstart it
Schools across the country are offering courses and retreats for people 50+ who want to reinvent themselves and embrace lifelong learning and discovery.
n.pr
February 9, 2026 at 12:40 PM
i'll save you the trouble of clicking through: at no point does the article explain what the hell the guy in this photo is wearing
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
As with the historians who advised Ryan Coogler on Sinners, I truly think advising an artist like this is the highest vocation a historian can achieve
February 9, 2026 at 4:06 AM
As with the historians who advised Ryan Coogler on Sinners, I truly think advising an artist like this is the highest vocation a historian can achieve
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
Bob Orsi about to drop a whole chapter on this headline
February 9, 2026 at 4:04 AM
Bob Orsi about to drop a whole chapter on this headline
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
Good thing Virginia Tech ended its religion department! Nothing to see here!
I love that half the ads now are about trying to find meaning in our existential hell world and the product at the end is either AI or Jesus
February 9, 2026 at 3:18 AM
Good thing Virginia Tech ended its religion department! Nothing to see here!
Bob Orsi about to drop a whole chapter on this headline
February 9, 2026 at 4:04 AM
Bob Orsi about to drop a whole chapter on this headline
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from narrating romance books in the past couple years, it’s that romance fans are loyal, particular, and far smarter than anyone thinks. This is going to feel like they’re being condescended to, because it is. I don’t think they’ll take it well! And they shouldn’t!
“If I can generate a book in a day, and you need six months to write a book, who’s going to win the race?” God this is bleak
The New Fabio Is Claude
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:07 PM
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from narrating romance books in the past couple years, it’s that romance fans are loyal, particular, and far smarter than anyone thinks. This is going to feel like they’re being condescended to, because it is. I don’t think they’ll take it well! And they shouldn’t!
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
Shammai for my real friends, real AI for my sham friends
It's a mystery why they wouldn't run my Super Bowl commercial for ShammAI, the only LLM that tells you that your question is stupid and you should be able to figure this out yourself
February 9, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Shammai for my real friends, real AI for my sham friends
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
As a totally anecdotal measure of how normies are fed up: I’m on a peloton Super Bowl ride right now where 80 people are riding with #AbolishICE as their leaderboard tag
February 8, 2026 at 3:19 PM
As a totally anecdotal measure of how normies are fed up: I’m on a peloton Super Bowl ride right now where 80 people are riding with #AbolishICE as their leaderboard tag
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff. Founded in the 6th century, rebuilt in 1120, with significant restoration between 1840 and 1869. Its roof was destroyed during a German air raid in 1941, leading to major restoration. It remains a magnificent example of Norman and Gothic architecture.
February 8, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff. Founded in the 6th century, rebuilt in 1120, with significant restoration between 1840 and 1869. Its roof was destroyed during a German air raid in 1941, leading to major restoration. It remains a magnificent example of Norman and Gothic architecture.
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
"By erasing Black resistance and minimizing slavery, historical writing became, in Woodson’s words, a tool that 'enslaves the mind.' Correcting the record was therefore not merely academic. It was a political and moral necessity."
Carter G. Woodson and the Politics of Civil War Memory #BlackHistoryMonth 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...
Carter G. Woodson and the Politics of Civil War Memory
His scholarship and understanding of the connection between history and politics has never been more important.
open.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:39 PM
"By erasing Black resistance and minimizing slavery, historical writing became, in Woodson’s words, a tool that 'enslaves the mind.' Correcting the record was therefore not merely academic. It was a political and moral necessity."
Reposted by Donovan Schaefer
This is a joke, right? This is a joke. There's no way
February 8, 2026 at 7:41 AM
This is a joke, right? This is a joke. There's no way