Kevin Zollman
@kevinzollman.com
Philosophy and Game Theory at Carnegie Mellon 🦚 Research the interface between philosophy, economics, and biology 💱 www.kevinzollman.com
Pinned
Kevin Zollman
@kevinzollman.com
· Jul 17
raw.githubusercontent.com
I did the thing you are never supposed to do. I wrote a (rough draft of a) textbook: Theories of Rational Decision
It's technical, but from a philosophical perspective. It focuses on the normative theory but touches on some behavioral issues as well.
raw.githubusercontent.com/kzollman/Rat...
It's technical, but from a philosophical perspective. It focuses on the normative theory but touches on some behavioral issues as well.
raw.githubusercontent.com/kzollman/Rat...
I got comments from a non-philosopher colleague on something I've written. He highlighted one thing and asked, "wouldn't philosophers argue about this?"
Yes. The answer is always yes.
Yes. The answer is always yes.
January 14, 2026 at 7:58 PM
I got comments from a non-philosopher colleague on something I've written. He highlighted one thing and asked, "wouldn't philosophers argue about this?"
Yes. The answer is always yes.
Yes. The answer is always yes.
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
🧵 The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union—the UAW. He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.
January 14, 2026 at 4:43 PM
🧵 The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union—the UAW. He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
This post suggesting Proud Boy leader Tarrio is an ICE agent is getting traction but please don't share it.
If he is an ICE agent then he's not been showing up to work lately —just look at his X account
This so-called leaked ICE list has not been verified, so please don't share until it is.
If he is an ICE agent then he's not been showing up to work lately —just look at his X account
This so-called leaked ICE list has not been verified, so please don't share until it is.
January 14, 2026 at 10:58 AM
This post suggesting Proud Boy leader Tarrio is an ICE agent is getting traction but please don't share it.
If he is an ICE agent then he's not been showing up to work lately —just look at his X account
This so-called leaked ICE list has not been verified, so please don't share until it is.
If he is an ICE agent then he's not been showing up to work lately —just look at his X account
This so-called leaked ICE list has not been verified, so please don't share until it is.
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
We are hiring a post-doc to study the impact of AI agents on complex social systems in Duke's Society-Centered AI Initiative and/or the Polarization Lab! Apply here:
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/314...
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/314...
January 13, 2026 at 2:01 PM
We are hiring a post-doc to study the impact of AI agents on complex social systems in Duke's Society-Centered AI Initiative and/or the Polarization Lab! Apply here:
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/314...
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/314...
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
"On the whole it's better for campaign slogans to clearly and unambiguously express what you're campaigning for, and less good when they're likely to be misunderstood by the public"
"Oh, so you're saying it should be impossible for someone to wilfully misinterpret your slogan?"
Every single time
"Oh, so you're saying it should be impossible for someone to wilfully misinterpret your slogan?"
Every single time
The problem with "abolish the police", "abolish prisons", and "abolish ice" as slogans is that they are easily misunderstood.
Most serious people who hold these positions, imagine replacing those with other things that serve the same function. That's not what people hear
Most serious people who hold these positions, imagine replacing those with other things that serve the same function. That's not what people hear
January 14, 2026 at 11:26 AM
"On the whole it's better for campaign slogans to clearly and unambiguously express what you're campaigning for, and less good when they're likely to be misunderstood by the public"
"Oh, so you're saying it should be impossible for someone to wilfully misinterpret your slogan?"
Every single time
"Oh, so you're saying it should be impossible for someone to wilfully misinterpret your slogan?"
Every single time
Get in, we're posting boardwalks
January 14, 2026 at 2:26 AM
Get in, we're posting boardwalks
I know someone who quit grad school and made literally millions of dollars playing online poker. He bought a house and started a family with that money
as prevalent as online gambling is, do you know a single person thats made money? enough to take a vacation?
All these Draft Kings and Fan Duel ads should be required to disclose that if you consistently win your bets you’ll get kicked off their platforms.
January 14, 2026 at 2:18 AM
I know someone who quit grad school and made literally millions of dollars playing online poker. He bought a house and started a family with that money
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Reminder 📢 We are advertising a postdoctoral position in #philbio or #philphysics to work on an interdisciplinary project that adopts the lens of self-organization & active matter to explore the boundary between living and nonliving systems👇 www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... #philjobs #philsci #evosky
January 13, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Reminder 📢 We are advertising a postdoctoral position in #philbio or #philphysics to work on an interdisciplinary project that adopts the lens of self-organization & active matter to explore the boundary between living and nonliving systems👇 www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... #philjobs #philsci #evosky
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
We must imagine Itsy Bitsy Spider happy
January 13, 2026 at 10:43 AM
We must imagine Itsy Bitsy Spider happy
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Rep. Crow: “As a three-time combat veteran, I get pretty damn hot when a five-time draft dodger like Donald Trump pounds his chest and bangs the war drums in Washington…America is over it. America is over…the sending of our sons and daughters and brothers and sisters to enrich oil executives.”
January 13, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Rep. Crow: “As a three-time combat veteran, I get pretty damn hot when a five-time draft dodger like Donald Trump pounds his chest and bangs the war drums in Washington…America is over it. America is over…the sending of our sons and daughters and brothers and sisters to enrich oil executives.”
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
I've been working for ages on a comprehensive revamp of the Stanford Encyclopedia Entry on "Animal Consciousness", with new sections on non-Western perspectives, methodological challenges and evolutionary big pictures, and it's out today: plato.stanford.edu/entries/cons.... Hope you find it useful!
January 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
I've been working for ages on a comprehensive revamp of the Stanford Encyclopedia Entry on "Animal Consciousness", with new sections on non-Western perspectives, methodological challenges and evolutionary big pictures, and it's out today: plato.stanford.edu/entries/cons.... Hope you find it useful!
Meanwhile, on philosky
wait, really
January 13, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Meanwhile, on philosky
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Never underestimate the quest for knowledge no matter how irrelevant it may seem in the moment
If I hadn’t gone to a public university, I honestly wouldn’t have ever bothered to watch a basketball game. But now? “Boxing out” is a top ten skills for boarding public transportation
If I hadn’t gone to a public university, I honestly wouldn’t have ever bothered to watch a basketball game. But now? “Boxing out” is a top ten skills for boarding public transportation
January 13, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Never underestimate the quest for knowledge no matter how irrelevant it may seem in the moment
If I hadn’t gone to a public university, I honestly wouldn’t have ever bothered to watch a basketball game. But now? “Boxing out” is a top ten skills for boarding public transportation
If I hadn’t gone to a public university, I honestly wouldn’t have ever bothered to watch a basketball game. But now? “Boxing out” is a top ten skills for boarding public transportation
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
sort of an obvious trade-off here: people who are firmly in the "abolish ICE" camp won't know your intentions for sure, but in exchange you don't spook the status quo moderates. i'm not some politics genius, just sort of floating my gut instinct.
January 12, 2026 at 8:53 PM
sort of an obvious trade-off here: people who are firmly in the "abolish ICE" camp won't know your intentions for sure, but in exchange you don't spook the status quo moderates. i'm not some politics genius, just sort of floating my gut instinct.
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
i think the public-facing message re: ICE needs to be something like “let’s pump the brakes and investigate these bad apples” and then you take power and wipe the whole thing out
January 12, 2026 at 8:17 PM
i think the public-facing message re: ICE needs to be something like “let’s pump the brakes and investigate these bad apples” and then you take power and wipe the whole thing out
But it's also worth remembering that our immigration system was well fucked long before 2003. ICE is a symptom, not the disease
semi-regular reminder that ICE was only created in 2003
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
January 12, 2026 at 11:50 PM
But it's also worth remembering that our immigration system was well fucked long before 2003. ICE is a symptom, not the disease
I remember at some point being asked to tick a box declaring that I wasn't a terrorist. I wondered who they imagined that they would catch with this.
Bessent: "For individuals who want to wire money out of the country, they're gonna have to tick a box whether they are or are not on public assistance. Then we're going to start pushing over the coming days and weeks that if you're on public assistance, you cannot wire money out of the country."
January 12, 2026 at 11:48 PM
I remember at some point being asked to tick a box declaring that I wasn't a terrorist. I wondered who they imagined that they would catch with this.
Seen outside the philosophy department. No one disagreed
January 12, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Seen outside the philosophy department. No one disagreed
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Scientific American has welcomed several new writers and editors in the past few weeks--make sure you're following our whole Bluesky crew with this starter pack!
January 12, 2026 at 8:43 PM
Scientific American has welcomed several new writers and editors in the past few weeks--make sure you're following our whole Bluesky crew with this starter pack!
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
There is a Grokipedia article about me (and I assume anyone else who has a Wikipedia page about them) and well that was quite an interesting read (over 5,000 words).
Let's fact check it, shall we...
Let's fact check it, shall we...
January 12, 2026 at 5:16 PM
There is a Grokipedia article about me (and I assume anyone else who has a Wikipedia page about them) and well that was quite an interesting read (over 5,000 words).
Let's fact check it, shall we...
Let's fact check it, shall we...
The problem with "abolish the police", "abolish prisons", and "abolish ice" as slogans is that they are easily misunderstood.
Most serious people who hold these positions, imagine replacing those with other things that serve the same function. That's not what people hear
Most serious people who hold these positions, imagine replacing those with other things that serve the same function. That's not what people hear
January 12, 2026 at 5:36 PM
The problem with "abolish the police", "abolish prisons", and "abolish ice" as slogans is that they are easily misunderstood.
Most serious people who hold these positions, imagine replacing those with other things that serve the same function. That's not what people hear
Most serious people who hold these positions, imagine replacing those with other things that serve the same function. That's not what people hear
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
✨Reminder✨ The symposia deadline for PSA 2026 is 15 January (this Thursday!)
Submissions for PSA 2026 in San Diego are now open! ☀️ Link and deadlines below
Symposia ✨ 15 January 2026
Papers ✨ 15 March 2026
Posters ✨ 1 June 2026
psa26.oa-event.com/c...
Symposia ✨ 15 January 2026
Papers ✨ 15 March 2026
Posters ✨ 1 June 2026
psa26.oa-event.com/c...
January 12, 2026 at 4:18 PM
✨Reminder✨ The symposia deadline for PSA 2026 is 15 January (this Thursday!)
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
i always imagine people using other procedural rules of evidence the same way, and refusing to consider evidence that was unduly prejudicial, or hearsay, or acquired as a result of having seen something you weren't supposed to see
January 12, 2026 at 2:14 PM
i always imagine people using other procedural rules of evidence the same way, and refusing to consider evidence that was unduly prejudicial, or hearsay, or acquired as a result of having seen something you weren't supposed to see
Reposted by Kevin Zollman
Attempting to criminalize the actions of an independent public servant, Fed Chair Jay Powell, for the sin of acting independently is an outrage. It's bad economics, bad politics, bad for the rule of law, bad for the public sector, bad for American credibility and bad for Americans.
January 12, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Attempting to criminalize the actions of an independent public servant, Fed Chair Jay Powell, for the sin of acting independently is an outrage. It's bad economics, bad politics, bad for the rule of law, bad for the public sector, bad for American credibility and bad for Americans.