Marcus Arvan
@marcusarvan.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Philosophy: ethics, social-political philosophy, cognitive science, philosophy of AI, mind, and metaphysics
Reposted by Marcus Arvan
I wrote a short summary of the below recently published paper for the New Work in Philosophy blog.
open.substack.com/pub/newworki...
Thanks @marcusarvan.bsky.social for hosting this!
open.substack.com/pub/newworki...
Thanks @marcusarvan.bsky.social for hosting this!
October 27, 2025 at 2:46 PM
I wrote a short summary of the below recently published paper for the New Work in Philosophy blog.
open.substack.com/pub/newworki...
Thanks @marcusarvan.bsky.social for hosting this!
open.substack.com/pub/newworki...
Thanks @marcusarvan.bsky.social for hosting this!
Reposted by Marcus Arvan
Read “Ignorance Is the Foundation of Justice” in Too Weird to Believe, Too Plausible to Deny!
@amazon: a.co/d/chdPsv4
#philosophy #justice #ethics
@amazon: a.co/d/chdPsv4
#philosophy #justice #ethics
October 24, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Read “Ignorance Is the Foundation of Justice” in Too Weird to Believe, Too Plausible to Deny!
@amazon: a.co/d/chdPsv4
#philosophy #justice #ethics
@amazon: a.co/d/chdPsv4
#philosophy #justice #ethics
Happy to see this first review of "Why It's OK to be a Moderate" today. interpretationjournal.com/shop/mcgowan...
"Arvan makes a well-reasoned, well-researched, and well-written case for viewing political moderates as the unsung heroes of democratic societies for well over a century...
"Arvan makes a well-reasoned, well-researched, and well-written case for viewing political moderates as the unsung heroes of democratic societies for well over a century...
Michael McGowan: Marcus Arvan, Why It’s OK to Be a Moderate – Interpretation Journal
interpretationjournal.com
October 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Happy to see this first review of "Why It's OK to be a Moderate" today. interpretationjournal.com/shop/mcgowan...
"Arvan makes a well-reasoned, well-researched, and well-written case for viewing political moderates as the unsung heroes of democratic societies for well over a century...
"Arvan makes a well-reasoned, well-researched, and well-written case for viewing political moderates as the unsung heroes of democratic societies for well over a century...
I recently went on Academic Edgelords, a leftist podcast, to discuss my new book, Why It's OK to be a Moderate.
Much to my delight, all three hosts indicated that they enjoyed the book, and we had a fantastic discussion!
If you're curious, check it out: www.academicedgelords.com/2025/07/08/e...
Much to my delight, all three hosts indicated that they enjoyed the book, and we had a fantastic discussion!
If you're curious, check it out: www.academicedgelords.com/2025/07/08/e...
EP28: Is it Okay to be a Moderate? (On Marcus Arvan’s “Why it’s OK to Be a Moderate”) - Academic Edgelords
Is moderation just fence-sitting, or is it a forgotten virtue? In this episode, we sit down with philosopher Marcus Arvan to discuss his new book…
www.academicedgelords.com
July 8, 2025 at 12:59 PM
I recently went on Academic Edgelords, a leftist podcast, to discuss my new book, Why It's OK to be a Moderate.
Much to my delight, all three hosts indicated that they enjoyed the book, and we had a fantastic discussion!
If you're curious, check it out: www.academicedgelords.com/2025/07/08/e...
Much to my delight, all three hosts indicated that they enjoyed the book, and we had a fantastic discussion!
If you're curious, check it out: www.academicedgelords.com/2025/07/08/e...
I am devastated to learn of my dear friend and fellow philosopher Helen De Cruz’s passing.
With Helen's blessing, her husband Johan and I agreed to circulate a GoFundMe on their children’s behalf.
Please feel free to share and circulate widely.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-he...
With Helen's blessing, her husband Johan and I agreed to circulate a GoFundMe on their children’s behalf.
Please feel free to share and circulate widely.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-he...
Donate to Support Helen's Children After Her Passing, organized by Marcus Arvan
Help provide Helen De Cruz's children with a better start in life after her un… Marcus Arvan needs your support for Support Helen's Children After Her Passing
www.gofundme.com
June 21, 2025 at 12:30 AM
I am devastated to learn of my dear friend and fellow philosopher Helen De Cruz’s passing.
With Helen's blessing, her husband Johan and I agreed to circulate a GoFundMe on their children’s behalf.
Please feel free to share and circulate widely.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-he...
With Helen's blessing, her husband Johan and I agreed to circulate a GoFundMe on their children’s behalf.
Please feel free to share and circulate widely.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-he...
Reposted by Marcus Arvan
"How to do philosophy with (science) fiction"
Here are some reflections on writing weird novels as scholarly outputs (with thanks to @marcusarvan.bsky.social).
>> newworkinphilosophy.substack.com/p/giacomo-pe... <<
Here are some reflections on writing weird novels as scholarly outputs (with thanks to @marcusarvan.bsky.social).
>> newworkinphilosophy.substack.com/p/giacomo-pe... <<
Giacomo Pezzano (Università di Torino) & Stefano Gualeni (University of Malta), “How to Do Philosophy with Sci-Fiction: A Case of Hybrid Textuality”
Filosofia, 2024.
newworkinphilosophy.substack.com
May 12, 2025 at 3:37 PM
"How to do philosophy with (science) fiction"
Here are some reflections on writing weird novels as scholarly outputs (with thanks to @marcusarvan.bsky.social).
>> newworkinphilosophy.substack.com/p/giacomo-pe... <<
Here are some reflections on writing weird novels as scholarly outputs (with thanks to @marcusarvan.bsky.social).
>> newworkinphilosophy.substack.com/p/giacomo-pe... <<
“As they try to tackle a problem step by step, they run the risk of hallucinating at each step. The errors can compound as they spend more time thinking.”
Your daily reminder that “aligning” LLMs with what we want them to do is a fool’s errand.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/t...
Your daily reminder that “aligning” LLMs with what we want them to do is a fool’s errand.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/t...
A.I. Hallucinations Are Getting Worse, Even as New Systems Become More Powerful
A new wave of “reasoning” systems from companies like OpenAI is producing incorrect information more often. Even the companies don’t know why.
www.nytimes.com
May 5, 2025 at 11:39 PM
“As they try to tackle a problem step by step, they run the risk of hallucinating at each step. The errors can compound as they spend more time thinking.”
Your daily reminder that “aligning” LLMs with what we want them to do is a fool’s errand.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/t...
Your daily reminder that “aligning” LLMs with what we want them to do is a fool’s errand.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/t...
Reposted by Marcus Arvan
I made a video for New Work in Philosophy on mind and self, from Descartes to the anti-Cartesians. Thanks @marcusarvan.bsky.social for the invite! youtu.be/tPXbnketu8I
Joseph Gough (Oxford), "The embodied, relational self: extending or rejecting the mind?"
YouTube video by New Work in Philosophy
youtu.be
March 26, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I made a video for New Work in Philosophy on mind and self, from Descartes to the anti-Cartesians. Thanks @marcusarvan.bsky.social for the invite! youtu.be/tPXbnketu8I
A fun, short interview at "Why Philosophy?" on my path into philosophy, what philosophy means to me, etc.
Many thanks to Céline Leboeuf for the invitation. It's a great series, and I highly recommend subscribing to her substack!
celineleboeuf.substack.com/p/why-philos...
Many thanks to Céline Leboeuf for the invitation. It's a great series, and I highly recommend subscribing to her substack!
celineleboeuf.substack.com/p/why-philos...
Why Philosophy? Marcus Arvan
Good philosophies make our lives and the world better.
celineleboeuf.substack.com
March 26, 2025 at 1:09 PM
A fun, short interview at "Why Philosophy?" on my path into philosophy, what philosophy means to me, etc.
Many thanks to Céline Leboeuf for the invitation. It's a great series, and I highly recommend subscribing to her substack!
celineleboeuf.substack.com/p/why-philos...
Many thanks to Céline Leboeuf for the invitation. It's a great series, and I highly recommend subscribing to her substack!
celineleboeuf.substack.com/p/why-philos...
New podcast interview with Reid Blackman on whether AI control and alignment are possible. Thanks so much to Reid for having me on--it was a fun discussion! open.spotify.com/episode/5rdh...
AI is Uncontrollable
Ethical Machines · Episode
open.spotify.com
March 26, 2025 at 1:01 PM
New podcast interview with Reid Blackman on whether AI control and alignment are possible. Thanks so much to Reid for having me on--it was a fun discussion! open.spotify.com/episode/5rdh...
I am excited to report that my new book, "Why It's OK to be a Moderate", is now available for purchase ($24.99 paperback / $14.74 Kindle). www.amazon.com/Why-Its-OK-B...
From the book's jacket synopsis: "Arvan shows that it’s OK to be a moderate precisely because not everyone should be one...
From the book's jacket synopsis: "Arvan shows that it’s OK to be a moderate precisely because not everyone should be one...
Why It's OK to Be a Moderate
Amazon.com: Why It's OK to Be a Moderate: 9781032613864: Arvan, Marcus: Books
www.amazon.com
March 21, 2025 at 7:43 PM
I am excited to report that my new book, "Why It's OK to be a Moderate", is now available for purchase ($24.99 paperback / $14.74 Kindle). www.amazon.com/Why-Its-OK-B...
From the book's jacket synopsis: "Arvan shows that it’s OK to be a moderate precisely because not everyone should be one...
From the book's jacket synopsis: "Arvan shows that it’s OK to be a moderate precisely because not everyone should be one...
New paper in Journal of Moral Philosophy: philpapers.org/rec/ARVMLO
Marcus Arvan, Metaethical Lessons of a Failed Ontological Proof of Robust Moral Realism - PhilPapers
Michael Huemer claims to give an ontological proof of robust moral realism, the influential view that we have non-selfish, categorical, observer-independent reasons for action. This paper argues that ...
philpapers.org
February 27, 2025 at 8:24 PM
New paper in Journal of Moral Philosophy: philpapers.org/rec/ARVMLO
Gossip about disastrous interviews?
In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks: I'm an ABD person on the job market for the first time. I had a fair number of first round interviews this cycle--some went well, some were com...
philosopherscocoon.typepad.com
February 20, 2025 at 12:49 PM