Philip Loring
@philiploring.com
Human ecologist and storyteller. Regeneration and Social Justice. Global Director @nature_org. Author: FINDING OUR NICHE. Stubbornly optimistic that radical change is closer than we think. Opinions mine (but science-based). 🏳️🌈
Pinned
Philip Loring
@philiploring.com
· Feb 25
I believe in unicorns
If you want to change the world, you should too.
conservechange.medium.com
“When we put into the world an alternative notion of how it could or should be, we take a little bit of power away from the people who tell us that this is all we can have.”
Why I want you to believe in unicorns:
conservechange.medium.com/i-believe-in...
Why I want you to believe in unicorns:
conservechange.medium.com/i-believe-in...
Reposted by Philip Loring
Use your judgement about whether to watch videos of state violence. Don't shame people who find it traumatic. Don't demand that others don't share them.
I've covered enough of these to know how important video (and its dissemination) is in the possibility of accountability.
I've covered enough of these to know how important video (and its dissemination) is in the possibility of accountability.
January 7, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Use your judgement about whether to watch videos of state violence. Don't shame people who find it traumatic. Don't demand that others don't share them.
I've covered enough of these to know how important video (and its dissemination) is in the possibility of accountability.
I've covered enough of these to know how important video (and its dissemination) is in the possibility of accountability.
Yungblud’s “Zombie” with Smashing Pumpkins is hitting just the right spot for me rn
youtu.be/pf3KyEnacJ8
youtu.be/pf3KyEnacJ8
YUNGBLUD, The Smashing Pumpkins - Zombie (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by YUNGBLUDVEVO
youtu.be
January 7, 2026 at 2:12 AM
Yungblud’s “Zombie” with Smashing Pumpkins is hitting just the right spot for me rn
youtu.be/pf3KyEnacJ8
youtu.be/pf3KyEnacJ8
Exactly! The skilled and creative bits are the best bits, the reason we get into careers we love.
And that’s exactly why corporate loves the prospect of eliminating these roles with LLMs, because skilled and creative work garners a premium. Stacking shelves does not.
medium.com/age-of-aware...
And that’s exactly why corporate loves the prospect of eliminating these roles with LLMs, because skilled and creative work garners a premium. Stacking shelves does not.
medium.com/age-of-aware...
January 6, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Exactly! The skilled and creative bits are the best bits, the reason we get into careers we love.
And that’s exactly why corporate loves the prospect of eliminating these roles with LLMs, because skilled and creative work garners a premium. Stacking shelves does not.
medium.com/age-of-aware...
And that’s exactly why corporate loves the prospect of eliminating these roles with LLMs, because skilled and creative work garners a premium. Stacking shelves does not.
medium.com/age-of-aware...
Reposted by Philip Loring
The rise of deepfakes and AI CSAM prove public and private sectors don’t actually care about abuse, but still punish sex workers, queer people, and women under that guise. Credit cards companies and law enforcement punish consensual sex and sexuality, but ignore and therefore encourage abuse
January 6, 2026 at 1:52 PM
The rise of deepfakes and AI CSAM prove public and private sectors don’t actually care about abuse, but still punish sex workers, queer people, and women under that guise. Credit cards companies and law enforcement punish consensual sex and sexuality, but ignore and therefore encourage abuse
Reposted by Philip Loring
I think @philiploring.com is on to something essential: demoralizing and painful and driven by nothing but ugly feelings and thoughts corrodes those who lack the light, love and warmth, the curiosity and instinct to do good that makes our lives worth living, and that we find in the great majority.
This is so painful and demoralizing, but it also reinforces something I keep saying. All they know how to do is tear good and beautiful things down. And that strategy is limited. It has an end point. We have to out endure them. And we do that by continuing to create good and beautiful things.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been dissolved, ending its 58 years as the primary funder for PBS, NPR and local TV and radio stations
January 6, 2026 at 4:50 AM
I think @philiploring.com is on to something essential: demoralizing and painful and driven by nothing but ugly feelings and thoughts corrodes those who lack the light, love and warmth, the curiosity and instinct to do good that makes our lives worth living, and that we find in the great majority.
Reposted by Philip Loring
January 5, 2026 at 8:05 PM
This is so painful and demoralizing, but it also reinforces something I keep saying. All they know how to do is tear good and beautiful things down. And that strategy is limited. It has an end point. We have to out endure them. And we do that by continuing to create good and beautiful things.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been dissolved, ending its 58 years as the primary funder for PBS, NPR and local TV and radio stations
Corporation For Public Broadcasting Is Dissolved After 58 Years Of Service
www.huffpost.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM
This is so painful and demoralizing, but it also reinforces something I keep saying. All they know how to do is tear good and beautiful things down. And that strategy is limited. It has an end point. We have to out endure them. And we do that by continuing to create good and beautiful things.
“Trump wouldn’t have bombes Venezuela if we didn’t have such harsh regulations on fossil fuel development in the US” — Ezra Klein, tomorrow, probably
January 3, 2026 at 9:09 AM
“Trump wouldn’t have bombes Venezuela if we didn’t have such harsh regulations on fossil fuel development in the US” — Ezra Klein, tomorrow, probably
Reposted by Philip Loring
I'm deeply sorry to the people of Venezuela. There is no opposition party in the United States to counter the fascist regime's actions and the population is easily demagogued.
January 3, 2026 at 7:53 AM
I'm deeply sorry to the people of Venezuela. There is no opposition party in the United States to counter the fascist regime's actions and the population is easily demagogued.
Poverty is created by people.
That’s it. That’s the post.
That’s it. That’s the post.
January 2, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Poverty is created by people.
That’s it. That’s the post.
That’s it. That’s the post.
Infrequent reminder (including to myself) that we do not, in fact, have to try to educate the person vying to be the main character on this website today.
January 2, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Infrequent reminder (including to myself) that we do not, in fact, have to try to educate the person vying to be the main character on this website today.
So many people have an enormous collective blind spot when it comes to the role of the private sector in the current state of the world and what they love is that we’ve tricked ourselves into believing everything wrong is our own failing.
"For years, going to the movies was an almost definitionally American habit," Caitlin Flanagan writes. She reflects on her childhood spent growing up at the movies and what it means that "we're running out of stories to tell one another." theatln.tc/fpW29PVe
January 2, 2026 at 2:03 PM
So many people have an enormous collective blind spot when it comes to the role of the private sector in the current state of the world and what they love is that we’ve tricked ourselves into believing everything wrong is our own failing.
I know a lot of self styled centrists are going to have their inner Ayn Rand triggered by @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s invocation of “collectivism” in his excellent inaugural speech, but don’t be tricked: they’re responding to a caricature of what he is saying.
January 2, 2026 at 1:58 PM
I know a lot of self styled centrists are going to have their inner Ayn Rand triggered by @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s invocation of “collectivism” in his excellent inaugural speech, but don’t be tricked: they’re responding to a caricature of what he is saying.
The Russos are really pulling all the “haven’t they been through enough” heartstrings with these Doomsday trailers, and I’m not sure that bodes well for the movie.
January 1, 2026 at 8:43 PM
The Russos are really pulling all the “haven’t they been through enough” heartstrings with these Doomsday trailers, and I’m not sure that bodes well for the movie.
We’re getting a new Muppet Show!?
kermit the frog from the muppet show is standing in front of a red curtain .
Alt: kermit the frog from the muppet show is standing in front of a red curtain saying “yay”
media.tenor.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:32 PM
We’re getting a new Muppet Show!?
Billionaires out there spending billions to try and live for ever and meanwhile Diana Ross is doing it apparently just by being awesome
January 1, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Billionaires out there spending billions to try and live for ever and meanwhile Diana Ross is doing it apparently just by being awesome
Reposted by Philip Loring
Environmental and Indigenous activists were being labeled terrorists years before Trump took office. We tried to warn you, then…
Have you heard of Jessica Reznicek?
(from the vault: 2023:
youtu.be/1ZDXJjFa7Gw)
Have you heard of Jessica Reznicek?
(from the vault: 2023:
youtu.be/1ZDXJjFa7Gw)
December 28, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Environmental and Indigenous activists were being labeled terrorists years before Trump took office. We tried to warn you, then…
Have you heard of Jessica Reznicek?
(from the vault: 2023:
youtu.be/1ZDXJjFa7Gw)
Have you heard of Jessica Reznicek?
(from the vault: 2023:
youtu.be/1ZDXJjFa7Gw)
Clearly the author of this column has never read Shakespeare. Or Mary Shelley. Or spoken to any Indigenous person.
You might ask yourself, as I did, if this piece will prove to be a pretentiously justified rejection of empathy and a denial of the trauma of rape.
The answer is yes.
(Paywall free link in replies.)
The answer is yes.
(Paywall free link in replies.)
A common assumption is that throughout history, people have experienced the same basic range of emotions. A radical field of history now challenges this assumption, Gal Beckerman reports. theatln.tc/KD2QRX9Y
🎨: Nicolás Ortega
🎨: Nicolás Ortega
December 28, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Clearly the author of this column has never read Shakespeare. Or Mary Shelley. Or spoken to any Indigenous person.
Once again: See Plur1bus episode 2.
I’m only two episodes in so maybe I’m late to the game but so far it seems to be pretty clearly an allegory about genAI
I’m only two episodes in so maybe I’m late to the game but so far it seems to be pretty clearly an allegory about genAI
They're enabling creepy lonely men to create submissive "AI companions" that can be modeled on whatever real-life woman they're obsessed with and made to do whatever they want and, Jesus Christ, I need to wash my hands just typing that.
"And I never say no"
We need to have a serious talk about the way "AI companion" apps not only prey on the vulnerable, but are priming their users to ignore consent and to conflate love with control.
We need AI regulations across so many sectors, but this area is particularly horrifying.
We need to have a serious talk about the way "AI companion" apps not only prey on the vulnerable, but are priming their users to ignore consent and to conflate love with control.
We need AI regulations across so many sectors, but this area is particularly horrifying.
December 28, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Once again: See Plur1bus episode 2.
I’m only two episodes in so maybe I’m late to the game but so far it seems to be pretty clearly an allegory about genAI
I’m only two episodes in so maybe I’m late to the game but so far it seems to be pretty clearly an allegory about genAI
Good thread
It is EXHAUSTING not only being made responsible for coming up with new kinds of assignments for our students; it's also tedious reading op-eds that suggest the core problem is a crisis in teaching. But, as Chris and I lay out here, this isn't a crisis in teaching; it's an attack on learning.
"We envision a resistance that is...a repudiation of the efficiencies that automated algorithmic education falsely promises: a resistance comprising the collective force of small acts of friction."
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
December 28, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Good thread
This is Pluribus episode 2
Could AI relationships actually be good for us?
Could AI relationships actually be good for us?
From companionship to psychotherapy, technology could meet unmet needs – but it needs to be handled responsibly
www.theguardian.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:33 PM
This is Pluribus episode 2
This is true. Also strategists refuse to admit how progressive the core actually is
Republicans motivate their core voters to show up every cycle and they do. Democrats just assume their equivalent will do the same and spend the entire cycle pursuing swing voters, meanwhile depressing core turnout. Then they blame those core voters when they lose. The cycle must be broken.
What got us Trump was the GOP being a malevolent force for evil and the Democrats at every turn refusing to fire full blast at the right (including before Trump). It’s obviously not all on Harris but a cycle with Democrats assuming the left would just show up without any motivation is a big reason.
December 28, 2025 at 1:31 PM
This is true. Also strategists refuse to admit how progressive the core actually is
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t nirvana, pearl jam, sounds garden, or Alice in Chains
December 27, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t nirvana, pearl jam, sounds garden, or Alice in Chains
Reposted by Philip Loring
AI and Race Science: How plans for “racial hierarchy”, “genetic optimisation” and “population culling” are circulating inside the billionaire Epstein and Big Tech networks
How Epstein Channelled Race Science and 'Climate Culling' Into Silicon Valley’s AI Elite
The Epstein files expose how racial hierarchy, genetic “optimisation” and even climate-driven population culling circulated inside Big Tech circles
bylinetimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
AI and Race Science: How plans for “racial hierarchy”, “genetic optimisation” and “population culling” are circulating inside the billionaire Epstein and Big Tech networks
Jingle Jangle is criminally underrated
December 25, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Jingle Jangle is criminally underrated