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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑

@abizadeh.bsky.social

7.7K followers 540 following 480 posts

Political philosophy prof at McGill https://abizadeh.wixsite.com/arash

abizadeh.wixsite.com

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Nov 11

I often tell my advanced graduate students who are looking to get their work published that, if you're not getting multiple journal rejections, you're not doing your job right. So, to provide continuing inspiration, I've uploaded the annual update to my CV of Journal Article Rejections:

CV of Journal Article Rejections

abizadeh.wixsite.com

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · 8h

Super interesting challenge to the current banking regime by Aaron James:

𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · 8h

In “Money as 𝘙𝘦𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢,” @aaronjames.bsky.social proposes a conception of money as “common credit.” Private banks‘ powers of lending (and hence money creation/allocation) must be held in trust and subject to regulations in the service of public purposes to be legitimate.

#poliphil #PolTheory

Money as <em>Res Publica</em>

Our current monetary system is a public-private banking hybrid dominated by private interest, often at the expense of public purpose. This article proposes a conception of money as a “common credit” r...

doi.org

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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 19d

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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Reposted by 𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑

Jan Dutkiewicz @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social · 19d

Institutional food policy matters. When it comes to addressing food insecurity, school lunches matter most. But I would be remiss not to note mine and my co-authors' article from Lancet Planetary Health arguing that universities should lead on food sustainability.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Universities should lead on the plant-based dietary transition

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change1 and the EAT–Lancet Commission2 have pointed out in recent reports, substantial reductions in demand for animal-based foods are vital for achieving cli...

www.thelancet.com

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · 22d

“My standing piece of advice for those who live in North America who pine to see the best-practice streets of dozens of places in Europe or want to educate colleagues/friends what’s possible: just go to Montreal. It’s much closer. They really have it all.”

Montreal Makes People Feel Welcome With Safe Streets, Happy Places & Green Spaces — Streetfilms

My standing piece of advice for those who live in North America who pine to see the best-practice streets of dozens of places in Europe or want to educate colleague/friends what’s possible: just go to...

www.streetfilms.org

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · 22d

it serves the purposes of determining how to fulfil our aims; of assigning responsibility and blame; and of critically assessing a society’s normative standing in light of its power structure. /5

𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · 22d

Recognizing non-decisive, elicitory and structural, and non-causal categories of power is practically, morally, and evaluatively significant: /4

𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · 22d

It defends the idea that one can play a causal role without making a difference; structural power as a species of “elicitory” power, which does not operate by way of one’s intentional actions; and a non-causal category of power, whereby outcomes obtain without one playing a causal role. /3

𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · 22d

Abstract: Many theorists assume that social power operates only by way of agents’ intentional actions and their causal influence on outcomes—where causality is understood to imply making a difference. This paper challenges all three assumptions. /2

𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Sep 8

I’m thrilled that my paper “Elicitory Structural Power and Agential Power” has been accepted for publication at 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺. It’s taken over 5y of rejections, so I’m especially pleased.

#poliphil #PolTheory #socialphil

Article: Elicitory Structural Power and Agential Power

Arash Abizadeh. "Elicitory Structural Power and Agential Power: An Outline and Defense." Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, forthcoming.Abstract: Many theorists assume that social power operates...

abizadeh.wixsite.com

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Sep 2

An Albertan Tale: “They never picked their noses or had bowel movements or zits.”

Margaret Atwood releases short story critiquing book bans in Canada

Author quipped she wrote ‘suitable’ piece after Alberta school ban included her novel The Handmaid’s Tale

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by 𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑

Community Bikeways - TCBC @bikewaysto.bsky.social · Aug 16

"bike lanes are still used as political scapegoats. But to what end? ...To deflect attention from real government failures – or from the inconvenient truth that bike lanes do not increase traffic congestion?"

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Opinion: The premiers are using bike lanes as a political scapegoat

Safe cycling infrastructure saves lives, but sadly, many politicians are ignoring the facts

www.theglobeandmail.com

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jul 31

Ontario premier says he was elected by the people of Ontario to remove bike lanes in Toronto put in by the city council elected by the people of Toronto.

Ontario court strikes down Ford government's plan to remove Toronto bike lanes | CBC News

An Ontario court has deemed the province's plan to remove three major Toronto bike lanes unconstitutional. In response, the premier told CBC News: "I believe, and the people of Ontario believe, that t...

www.cbc.ca

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jul 16

Shopkeepers in Montreal ordered to greet clients with “Goeiedag, Bonjour” instead of “Bonjour-Hi.”

The truth is in my neighbourhood we actually just say the ambiguous “Allô”

Complaint upheld against Belgian ticket inspector who said ‘bonjour’ in Flanders

Ilyass Alba also said ‘goeiedag’ on train in Dutch-speaking region but he breached country’s strict language rules

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by 𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · Jul 12

"Jonathan Caravello...was reportedly “piled on by multiple agents all at once” as “he tried to help a man in a wheelchair” who was having difficulty moving after...[ICE] agents threw canisters of tear gas"

our colleague is still missing as of the last info I got

dailynous.com/2025/07/12/p...

Philosophy Professor Reportedly Assaulted & Abducted During ICE Raid on Farm - Daily Nous

Jonathan Caravello, a lecturer in philosophy at California State University Channel Islands, was reportedly "piled on by multiple agents all at once" as "he tried to help a man in a wheelchair" who wa...

dailynous.com

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 30

😮 did not know this one

𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 30

If you’re dealing with a transactional adversary, you had better game this out—elbows down capitulation at first bark could just be an invitation for more threats

/4

𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 30

This means A has an incentive to make threats if A thinks B is likely to bend, but make offers if A thinks B likely won’t.

This is why elbows up makes sense:

B has lots of reasons to respond to threats with intransigeance.

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 30

But there’s a basic asymmetry b/w these from A’s perspective:

A pays the cost of an offer if and only if B *complies*

whereas

A pays the enforcement cost of a threat (e.g. impose tariffs that hurt A too) if and only if B *doesn’t* comply

/2

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 30

The Digital Tax capitulation has longterm consequences. One is to reduce Cdn bargaining power. Reminder to gov about bargaining power:

If A is trying to get B to do X, A can either:

threaten: “if you don’t do X, we impose big tariffs”

Or:

make an offer: "if you do X, we scratch your back”

/1

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jan 3

Not only has the language evolved from “based on” to “based off of,” we now have “spaced off” for “spaced out.”

So ‘out’ and ‘on’ are out, ‘off’ is in.

Or rather: ‘Out’ and ‘on’ are off, ‘off’ is on.

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 27

“Don’t find too many slaves”

Harvard hired a researcher to uncover its ties to slavery. He says the results cost him his job: ‘We found too many slaves’

When the extent of the university’s involvement with slavery was unearthed, a scholar tracking descendants of enslaved workers was suddenly fired

www.theguardian.com

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 26

Some reflections by @ancagheaus.bsky.social on essay writing in age of AI

What we train need not be the same as what we assess: AI damage limitation in higher education

The introduction of ChatGPT poses significant challenges for higher education by potentially encouraging cheating and hindering the development of essential writing and thinking skills. Studies ind…

justice-everywhere.org

𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 20

Sorry I meant otherwise UNinteresting

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 20

Yes! Just posted something to that effect!

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𝙰𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙰𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚑 @abizadeh.bsky.social · Jun 20

As for the “chiefly”: surely it’s true of historians, but I doubt it’s quite true for someone taking a substantive philosophical approach. Causation is complicated: some are influential bc they are such powerful thinkers, which may explain both why they’re influential and why one is interested

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