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Barry Lam

@hiphination.bsky.social

1.9K followers 530 following 480 posts

Philosophy professor at UCR. Podcast at Slate. Associate director at Marc Sanders Foundation. hiphination.org

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Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Dec 9

Announcing my first book, with my style of longform narrative journalism and philosophy with @wwnorton.bsky.social. It's about the clash between governing by top-down rules versus discretionary decision-making, in law, in sports, in the household. Pre-order now here! wwnorton.com/books/fewer-...

Fewer Rules, Better People

A philosopher argues that the proliferation of rules and mandates is making us dumber, less moral, more deceptive, and less able to govern important institutions., Fewer Rules, Better People, The Case...

wwnorton.com

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Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 2d

This looks like a hell of a job and a hell of a salary. Mellon Foundation Program Officer $300K. workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...

Recruitment

workforcenow.adp.com

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 12d

In 2022, philosopher Erin Kelly won a Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Last year Kate Manne was a finalist for a National Book Award. As a field, some of us should strive to win these things. It would be particularly amazing if we ever won any of these specifically for philosophy.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 14d

Why I Hate how PE is taught in Public Schools, and how what it says about the philosophy of education. open.substack.com/pub/hiphinat...

Why I Hate how PE is taught in Public Schools

What P.E. tells us about the Philosophy of Education

open.substack.com

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 14d

Sinclair and Nexstar thing is all chest-thumping. If those stations could develop regular local programming that could beat Kimmel in synchronous ratings, let them have at it. Give them a week and a half and they'll have to go back. How many instapot infomercials will people watch?

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 14d

The whole “low ratings” thing is like saying some pop star has low album sales. It’s a different media space and Kimmel was ahead of it over a decade ago. It’s about streaming watches, clip views, and monetizing the phone viewing space. Network synchronous ratings are low across the board.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 14d

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 15d

Journalists are much worse.

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Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 17d

Wouldn’t it be funny if these AI-polyamorous people, people with many different AI-companions, decide after a couple months that it’s just too high maintenance?

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 19d

I’m so old Im asleep by 10:30pm, and have been for years. But I do watch bits and clips, and I have to say, even independent of all the current events, it’s been a really good era for late night. I think it’s been a golden age.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 19d

Congratulations!

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 29d

Turns out they were all podcasting studios.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 29d

This piece is amazing. Incredible. Couldn't agree with it more. What insightful and provocative source material. Bravo.

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 29d

The rules seem broken: we’ve installed too many in the wrong places, and too few in the right ones. Maybe, Joshua Rothman writes, it’s worth asking whether we’ve forgotten what makes rules effective.

Does Society Have Too Many Rules?

When regular people seem burdened by bureaucracy, and the powerful act as they choose, it’s worth asking whether we’ve forgotten what makes rules effective.

www.newyorker.com

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Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 29d

From a chair’s perspective, this is what the politics of course scheduling feels like.
open.substack.com/pub/hiphinat...

I Don't Have Kids. Why Should I Always Cover for You?

The Politics of University Course Scheduling

open.substack.com

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Sep 4

Every “the problem with college these days” thinkpiece cites all these practices only the Yales, Stanfords, and Dukes of the world can afford to do. The modal college student commutes into a state school, does some classes online, majors in business, health, or engineering, and finishes in 6 years.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Sep 3

Join me and friends at NYU for an afternoon about podcasting as scholarship. Everyone welcome but must RSVP w/

Fanny Gribinski, Mara Mills, Benjamen Walker, @chenjerai.bsky.social Barry Lam, @bartona104.bsky.social, Joy Connolly, Robert Boynton. 10/10/25.

www.paperlesspost.com/go/BBrDGDgfL...

You're invited to "Producing original scholarship in audio." Tap here to RSVP - Paperless Post Flyer

SCHEDULE 1-2 pm - Lunch and Listening Session 2:-3 pm - NYU’s Podcast Intellectuals. Fanny Gribinski and Mara Mills, Benjamen Walker 3-4 pm - How Do Scholar…

www.paperlesspost.com

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Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 30

Quietly without any fanfare or hype or endless profiles across more that three decades, Mike Judge has got to be the greatest comedy mind of this generation. If you just look at the entire body of work and its quality and impact and social commentary, it’s so impressive.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 28

Gil Harman had a very 1960s conception of graduate studies. A PhD is like a second college BA, your advisor calls someone up to get you a job, and you learned how to do philosophy and start publishing on the job. I went to Princeton with three people who finished in four. He loved them.

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Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 22

“Her tumor turned out to be benign, but her anger was malignant.” Can’t tell if I should learn to write like Dateline NBC or learn to do the opposite.

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Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 19

Are your invitations to speak or participate in events ramping up? Here is a guide to best practices I wrote, for both people being invited and also people doing to inviting, including everything you wanted to know about money. open.substack.com/pub/hiphinat...

Invited to Speak? Here’s What You Should Know Before Accepting

The Hidden Economy of Being in Demand

open.substack.com

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Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 17

Oh you definitely have to watch all of them. Cathartic.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 16

Such a beautiful history of art, philosophy, literature, drama, dance, and music. In all matters of the arts and humanities, Russia is one of the greats. Doesn’t seem to temper its politics. Makes you think.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 15

When you’re in one of those moods, so you put on “Con te partiro” on Spotify, and a Gen X on the train happens to look over, and sees the Bocelli on the screen, so I quickly switch it to Rage Against the Machine to keep my cred.

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 13

Gonna read these. He's in the building right now, his center is two floors down! Who knew???

Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · Aug 13

Oh shit, just realized that the Nobel Laureate who came to my talk last week was John Coetzee. Funny how things don't register until way later! Where to start with his books? connect.adelaide.edu.au/nodes/view/2...

John Maxwell Coetzee

Date of Birth: 9 February 1940 | Read the full record details for People or Position: John Maxwell Coetzee

connect.adelaide.edu.au

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Reposted by Barry Lam

Alex Madva @madva.bsky.social · Aug 11

So grateful to Frank Augugliaro for designing the cover of our new book!

Available everywhere on Sep 16 but never too early to preorder: somebody-book.com

@dryan149.bsky.social @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social

#SocialChange

Book cover for Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change, by Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva, and Daniel Kelly

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