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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · 1d

Hey folks -- this is of "historical importance"!

Formal proof and epistemic value
open.substack.com/pub/siliconr...

Formal proof and epistemic value

A guest post by (philosopher) Jim Weatherall and (mathematician) Jesse Wolfson

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Jim Weatherall

Cailin O’Connor @cailinmeister.bsky.social · 18d

Hello! I just started at new center at UCI! Some main foci will be misinformation, metascience, and equity!

www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...

New UC Irvine Center for Socially Engaged Philosophy aims to address real world problems

www.socsci.uci.edu

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · 18d

Just had the surreal experience of finding my own (not very common) name in the von Neumann papers.

10 P.M. Called Walter Reed, talked to Dr. Weatherall

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · 19d

New Element just published! Philosophy of Cosmology and Astrophysics, by Siska De Baerdemaeker. Open access until 10/3. Tell your friends!

www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Philosophy of Cosmology and Astrophysics

Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - Philosophy of Cosmology and Astrophysics

www.cambridge.org

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Aug 28

Surely not. David Lewis uses it in his paper on Putnam's Paradox back in 1984. Does Wilson use it before Wandering Significance?

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Aug 27

Thanks! I haven't know where to get grounding since radio shack shut down.

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Aug 27

That sounds like semantic tape. I am asking about semantic glue.

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Aug 27

#philski #philsci Quick Q: anyone know what semantic glue is supposed to be? Can I get it on Amazon or do I have to go to like a crafts store?

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Aug 26

#philsci #philsky

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Aug 26

I love this interview Nathan Ballantyne just posted with Pen Maddy. Pen is one of my all-time favorite philosophers (and most influential mentors). This captures her outlook and personality beautifully.

www.the-workbench.ca/interviews/p...

Penelope Maddy’s Workbench - The Workbench

A writer’s world is often invisible from the outside unless they let you in. Sometimes when a sentence, paragraph, or essay strikes you as forceful or elegant, you might try to reverse engineer the au...

www.the-workbench.ca

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Aug 26

new motto for zfc just dropped

For use in any non-structural construction project.

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jul 26

I keep coming back to the Gaetz nomination for AG in light of all this Epstein stuff.

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Reposted by Jim Weatherall

Andrew Zeppa @andrewzeppa.bsky.social · Jul 18

Have you ever wanted to visualize how belief polarization might occur in scientific communities? Then check out this simulator, based on the model developed by @cailinmeister.bsky.social and @jamesowenweatherall.com in their (2018) paper on polarization

#philsci #philsky #metasci

Epistemic Community Simulation

zeppaphisci.github.io

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jul 22

Tell me you've never cared for a toddler without telling me you've never cared for a toddler. (Descartes' fourth rule governing collisions, from Principles of Philosophy [1644].)

A statement of Descartes' fourth rule of motion, which states that a smaller body can never move a stationary larger body, no matter its speed

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jun 25

Thank you @michelamassimi.bsky.social ! We will send it in a month or two.

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jun 25

That would be so helpful! We will send it in a month or two. Thanks @miguelohn.bsky.social !

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jun 23

Very excited for this summer school on my forthcoming book with Chris Smeenk, The Aims and Structure of Cosmological Theory!!

The book is very nearly finished. Let us know if you'd like to give feedback on a draft.

www.usi.ch/en/education...

Summer School: The Aim and Structure of Cosmological Theory

A number of challenging questions arise in contemporary cosmology, and philosophers can contribute constructively to answering them. Over the past century cosmologists have debated whether, for exampl...

www.usi.ch

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jun 21

Information dynamics on Twitter are incredible right now. Israel and Iran are both very good at viral disinformation, and it is easy to find bubbles where everyone is convinced each side is definitely winning. Plus the red-pilled, conspiracy-curious right is split in two and arguing like mad.

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jun 21

Lachrymos

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jun 19

I am most puzzled by Macedo and Lee's insistence that there was no "robust and healthy" debate about COVID policy in the U.S. in spring and summer 2020! I feel like everywhere I turned there was debate -- on social media, yes, but also on college campuses, at local school boards, etc.

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jun 19

@bostonreview.bsky.social just published a Forum on a recent (critical) post-mortem of US COVID policy, with responses from me and @cailinmeister.bsky.social, along with @adamjkucharski.bsky.social, Adam Gaffney, and @jonathanpjwhite.bsky.social. V. interesting!

www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-di...

How Did We Fare on COVID-19? - Boston Review

To restore public trust and prepare for the next pandemic, we need a reckoning with the U.S. experience—what worked, and what didn’t.

www.bostonreview.net

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · Jun 2

Honestly, this is as bad as Obama's "if you like your insurance you can keep it" line, which obviously backfired tremendously. Maybe this will do the same.

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · May 15

Great guesses. Actually, it was said of Norbert Weiner, by Warren Weaver advising the Navy.

Anyway, terrific language for letters of recommendation. Feel free to use.

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · May 15

Who was this said about?

"He is undoubtedly a genius, but he is also exceedingly temperamental and has almost ludicrously bad judgment."

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Jim Weatherall @jamesowenweatherall.com · May 14

Richard L. Garwin, a Creator of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dies at 97 www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/s...

Dick Garwin was such an incredible scientist and engineer, but he was very often in the shadows. Though I am very sorry to hear he has passed, I love the long and well-deserved obit from NYT.

Richard L. Garwin, a Creator of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dies at 97

www.nytimes.com

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