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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦

@neufeld.bsky.social

2K followers 510 following 290 posts

Political philosopher. Fantasy enthusiast. Torontonian. Anti-AI zealot. My book: Public Reason and Political Autonomy (Routledge, 2022). My work: https://uwm.edu/philosophy/people/neufeld-blain/ My hobby: https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · Feb 25

NDPR has posted Andrew Lister's insightful review of my book, "Public Reason and Political Autonomy" (Routledge, 2022).

#philsky
#philosophy
#poltheory
#polphil

Public Reason and Political Autonomy: Realizing the Ideal of a Civic People

Blain Neufeld claims that public reason makes possible political autonomy in a pluralistic society. His starting point is an ideal of democratic freedom...

ndpr.nd.edu

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · Aug 27

"I became a hater by doing ... those things AI cannot do: reading and understanding...; thinking and reasoning about ideas; considering the meaning of my words and their context;... AI cannot be a hater, because AI does not feel, or know, or care. Only humans can be haters. I celebrate my humanity."

I Am An AI Hater

I am an AI hater. This is considered rude, but I do not care, because I am a hater.

anthonymoser.github.io

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 2d

The advice I give young people on choice of degree programme. Choose something you love. You’ve got the rest of your life to be frustrated and miserable.

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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 3d

Yankees fans still booing in vain hopes of overturning Jays victory

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 3d

I feel like I'm seeing this all the time now: A Reddit post, a YouTube video, etc. lamenting the dire effects of the proliferation of AI (in this case a teacher talking about their students being rendered unable to think and learn) followed directly by an ad for an AI product

Reddit post from a teacher lamenting that AI is making their students unable to learn, followed directly by an ad for Microsoft's AI product

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 3d

You still can! (It took me 20 years to publish something from my dissertation…)

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 3d

… (unlike, say, the basic liberties). /4

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 3d

Nothing stops political liberals from advocating for liberal socialism, or even arguing (”as theorists”) that it is the most effective way to counter right-wing populism. They just can’t override democratic decision-making processes in claiming that it is *required* for liberal justice… /3

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 3d

“But this doesn’t rule out the possibility that socialism is the strongest response to right-wing populism. All it means is that, whether or not that is true, political liberals (speaking as theorists) cannot say it.“ Nothing stops political liberals from advocating for liberal socialism… /2

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 3d

A solid review of an important book.
But I found the claim at the end of the review rather puzzling… /1

Politicizing Political Liberalism: On the Containment of Illiberal and Antidemocratic Views

Right-wing populists are gaining support in liberal democracies around the world. In considering how to respond to the spread of illiberal and antidemoc...

ndpr.nd.edu

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 10d

A minor thing, given everything that is happening in the world, but I'm sad to learn that the Imperial Pub is closing.
Even though I haven't been there in years, I have many fond memories of this place. *sigh*

Toronto's iconic Imperial Pub to close after decades in business

The Imperial Pub, located on Dundas Street East near Yonge, confirmed the closure on its official website with a simple farewell.

toronto.citynews.ca

Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 10d

I can't believe it. It's been years since I've been there, but I have many fond memories of that place... *sniff*

Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 10d

Heh, that's how I feel about Locke! Rousseau and Hobbes are my absolute favourites to teach.

Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 10d

This looks great! I look forward to reading it when it comes out (and I find some time).

Reposted by Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦

Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 10d

One for the "AI is not sentient you idiot" files

Halloween name @bootsmcgoot.bsky.social · 11d

"i just use it to generate ideas"

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 12d

www.thebeaverton.com/2025/09/riya...

Riyadh Comedy Festival opens with up-and-coming executioner

RIYADH, KSA – As Saudi Arabia’s new comedy festival welcomes talent from around the world, local executioner Imad Usman is excited for the opportunity to perform in front of larger audiences.

www.thebeaverton.com

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 17d

Per John Stuart Mill in his Chapters on Socialism, the three main sources of wealth are luck, vices like "hard-hearted, cold-fisted selfishness" and sycophancy, and "downright knavery."

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 18d

"Protestant Franco" strikes me as a decent indie band name.

Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 18d

“It would be ideal if Klein felt the burning commitment to justice that [Bertrand] Russell felt [...]
But if he can’t manage that, he could still spare us the sanctimony. [...] He could, if nothing else, have the common decency to be ashamed.”

How Can We Live Together? - Boston Review

Ezra Klein is wrong: shame is essential.

www.bostonreview.net

Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 21d

Somewhat surprising: “This year, the United Kingdom has emerged as Canada's second-largest export market…”
Not surprising: Canadians are avoiding the US & US products (I would myself if my job weren’t there… *sigh*)
US alcohol especially hard hit.

Canadians are taking a big step back from the U.S. — and here's the data to prove it | CBC News

In the weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with his punishing tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada’s "old relationship" with the U.S. would be "over" soon — and now ...

www.cbc.ca

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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 22d

US Ambassador threatens to tariff, annex, and bomb Canada if anti-American sentiment doesn't improve

OTTAWA - U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has vowed to improve anti-American sentiment he sees in Canada, no matter how many illegal tariffs, forced annexations, or literal bombs it takes to do it.

www.thebeaverton.com

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 23d

“Where are we now with AI?”

“Well, we’re eating up the whole world in order to put a few million middle-ranking white collar workers out of work.”

“Ah, progress is a wonderful thing!”

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 24d

I feel like I've taken crazy pills.
A huge portion of the US news media is "sane washing" CK, treating him like he's the reincarnation of JS Mill, a "free speech" champion, while at the same time the GOP and MAGAts are punishing people who express any view critical of CK, including quoting him. FFS

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Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 24d

Rawls's political theory can be criticized, but it should be criticized for what it actually says. To propose that R thought the post-WW2 era was normal is false. To propose that he was a "centrist" is false. R argued that the only just regimes were "property-owning democracy" & "liberal socialism."

Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 24d

In Political Liberalism Rawls writes: “A cause of the fall of Weimar’s constitutional regime was that none of the traditional elites of Germany supported its constitution or were willing to cooperate to make it work. They no longer believed a decent liberal parliamentary regime was possible.” (lix)

Blain Neufeld 🇨🇦 @neufeld.bsky.social · 24d

This claim about Rawls is 100% incorrect. Rawls served in WW2 & was fully aware of the fragility of democracy, esp. b/c of the collapse of Weimar. His project was devoted to defending liberalism. He was *never* "neutral" about liberalism itself (its conception of citizens as "free and equal"). 1

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