Josh Rottman
@joshrottman.bsky.social
I work as a prof. of morality // ‘cause I think moral thought is a malady // We create black and white // and ignore distant plight // and have questionable thoughts of legality
www.joshuarottman.com
www.joshuarottman.com
Happy Thanksgiving, all! www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mora...
On Thanksgiving, Remember That Truth Is a Uniting Force
It’s easy to feel pessimistic about political conversations. But new research provides room for optimism, showing that striving for true beliefs is valued across partisan lines.
www.psychologytoday.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Happy Thanksgiving, all! www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mora...
Reposted by Josh Rottman
🚨🚨🚨
Our 52nd Annual Meeting will be held from June 18–20, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a pre-conference on Mental Control and Agency held at JHU on June 17
🚨🚨🚨
We are currently inviting submissions of papers (talks and posters)!
Our 52nd Annual Meeting will be held from June 18–20, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a pre-conference on Mental Control and Agency held at JHU on June 17
🚨🚨🚨
We are currently inviting submissions of papers (talks and posters)!
November 22, 2025 at 11:04 PM
🚨🚨🚨
Our 52nd Annual Meeting will be held from June 18–20, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a pre-conference on Mental Control and Agency held at JHU on June 17
🚨🚨🚨
We are currently inviting submissions of papers (talks and posters)!
Our 52nd Annual Meeting will be held from June 18–20, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a pre-conference on Mental Control and Agency held at JHU on June 17
🚨🚨🚨
We are currently inviting submissions of papers (talks and posters)!
Reposted by Josh Rottman
I'm recruiting a grad student! My lab at NYU (psych dept) studies the computational basis of moral cognition and aims to build AI systems that are aligned with human values. Now admitting a PhD student for Fall 2026. Apps due 12/1. sites.google.com/corp/site/sy...
Sydney Levine - Open Positions
Graduate Students (PhD program)
I will be accepting PhD students through the NYU psychology department for the current application cycle (for admission in Fall 2026). My lab is joint between the Co...
sites.google.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:18 AM
I'm recruiting a grad student! My lab at NYU (psych dept) studies the computational basis of moral cognition and aims to build AI systems that are aligned with human values. Now admitting a PhD student for Fall 2026. Apps due 12/1. sites.google.com/corp/site/sy...
Reposted by Josh Rottman
🚨New Paper!🚨
Do you love authenticity? @ledaberio.bsky.social and I argue that maybe you shouldn't!
We think that everything would be better if we all just got over the idea of true selves and were cooler with the fact that we all contain multitudes.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Do you love authenticity? @ledaberio.bsky.social and I argue that maybe you shouldn't!
We think that everything would be better if we all just got over the idea of true selves and were cooler with the fact that we all contain multitudes.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Challenges to Narrating a Multitudinous Self: Towards a Better Ethics of Code-switching - Topoi
We motivate and lay out the broad contours of a research program, namely that of developing a systematic ethics of code-switching. Such an ethics will articulate the values and norms that should gover...
link.springer.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:55 PM
🚨New Paper!🚨
Do you love authenticity? @ledaberio.bsky.social and I argue that maybe you shouldn't!
We think that everything would be better if we all just got over the idea of true selves and were cooler with the fact that we all contain multitudes.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Do you love authenticity? @ledaberio.bsky.social and I argue that maybe you shouldn't!
We think that everything would be better if we all just got over the idea of true selves and were cooler with the fact that we all contain multitudes.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🚨New publication in JEP:G!🚨 We find that, even when a belief serves as a marker of ideological identity, people do not think it is good to engage in partisan motivated reasoning. Instead, people endorse the pursuit of accuracy motives even if these lead to adopting outgroup beliefs. bit.ly/498S8Xk
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 7:09 PM
🚨New publication in JEP:G!🚨 We find that, even when a belief serves as a marker of ideological identity, people do not think it is good to engage in partisan motivated reasoning. Instead, people endorse the pursuit of accuracy motives even if these lead to adopting outgroup beliefs. bit.ly/498S8Xk
Reposted by Josh Rottman
wow this is super neat.
vision science is so cool.
vision science is so cool.
A nice shift in perceived colour between central and peripheral vision. The fixated disc looks purple while the others look blue.
The effect presumably comes from the absence of S-cones in the fovea.
From Hinnerk Schulz-Hildebrandt:
arxiv.org/pdf/2509.115...
The effect presumably comes from the absence of S-cones in the fovea.
From Hinnerk Schulz-Hildebrandt:
arxiv.org/pdf/2509.115...
September 26, 2025 at 2:42 AM
wow this is super neat.
vision science is so cool.
vision science is so cool.
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Major new paper by finds implicit measures like the IAT are no better than asking people directly about their biases. After decades of avoiding self-reports, turns out our sophisticated replacement tools work no better than what we abandoned. New post!
The Great Implicit Bias Bamboozle
Where were you when you first learned about implicit bias?
open.substack.com
September 10, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Major new paper by finds implicit measures like the IAT are no better than asking people directly about their biases. After decades of avoiding self-reports, turns out our sophisticated replacement tools work no better than what we abandoned. New post!
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Short videos highlighting the science that is not getting done due to federal science cuts:
www.youtube.com/shorts/2J_BW...
Share them!
(Thanks to Timothy Wilson and his collaborators for making these!)
www.youtube.com/shorts/2J_BW...
Share them!
(Thanks to Timothy Wilson and his collaborators for making these!)
Preventing Misinformation @science
YouTube video by What We'll Never Know
www.youtube.com
September 4, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Short videos highlighting the science that is not getting done due to federal science cuts:
www.youtube.com/shorts/2J_BW...
Share them!
(Thanks to Timothy Wilson and his collaborators for making these!)
www.youtube.com/shorts/2J_BW...
Share them!
(Thanks to Timothy Wilson and his collaborators for making these!)
Discussions in my Psychology of Ideology class this week on what it would mean to be "non-ideological" have prompted some fun image creation with ChatGPT 😂 (Thanks to readings by @leorzmigrod.bsky.social & @mjbsp.bsky.social for inspiration)
September 2, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Discussions in my Psychology of Ideology class this week on what it would mean to be "non-ideological" have prompted some fun image creation with ChatGPT 😂 (Thanks to readings by @leorzmigrod.bsky.social & @mjbsp.bsky.social for inspiration)
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Vassar College is hiring a tenure track assistant professor in cognitive science. vassar.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Vassar...
I'll be at #CogSci2025 - happy to chat about the position and life at Vassar.
I'll be at #CogSci2025 - happy to chat about the position and life at Vassar.
Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science, Tenure Track
Department Cognitive Science Vassar College is dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds. Deci...
vassar.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
July 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Vassar College is hiring a tenure track assistant professor in cognitive science. vassar.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Vassar...
I'll be at #CogSci2025 - happy to chat about the position and life at Vassar.
I'll be at #CogSci2025 - happy to chat about the position and life at Vassar.
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Attention philosophers, x-philosophers and moral psychologists - I'm hiring! Two, 3-year research fellowships on an interdisciplinary project in the Philosophical Moral Psychology Lab at the Uehiro Institute, Oxford. Pass it on! For more info and to apply: tinyurl.com/mrwwuyaw
a penguin is sticking his head out of a hole next to a job application
ALT: a penguin is sticking his head out of a hole next to a job application
media.tenor.com
July 21, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Attention philosophers, x-philosophers and moral psychologists - I'm hiring! Two, 3-year research fellowships on an interdisciplinary project in the Philosophical Moral Psychology Lab at the Uehiro Institute, Oxford. Pass it on! For more info and to apply: tinyurl.com/mrwwuyaw
Reposted by Josh Rottman
🥳🥳 New paper in @nathumbehav.nature.com: “When development constricts our moral circle." Contrary to popular belief, younger kids may start out with broader moral circles than older ones. Check it out here 👉 rdcu.be/eoaSe
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
When development constricts our moral circle
Nature Human Behaviour - Although many believe our moral circles expand with age, this Perspective discusses an early-emerging tendency to care for others.
rdcu.be
May 28, 2025 at 5:49 PM
🥳🥳 New paper in @nathumbehav.nature.com: “When development constricts our moral circle." Contrary to popular belief, younger kids may start out with broader moral circles than older ones. Check it out here 👉 rdcu.be/eoaSe
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
Inspired by research from @mattiwilks.bsky.social @amormino.bsky.social @shawnrhoadsphd.bsky.social @eranhalperin75.bsky.social and others: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mora...
The Pope Intuitively Understood Aspects of Moral Psychology
J.D. Vance has promoted a parochial view of moral obligations. Pope Francis provided a corrective that also receives support from psychological science.
www.psychologytoday.com
April 25, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Inspired by research from @mattiwilks.bsky.social @amormino.bsky.social @shawnrhoadsphd.bsky.social @eranhalperin75.bsky.social and others: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mora...
Reposted by Josh Rottman
This statement from the NSF is insane.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
April 18, 2025 at 8:51 PM
This statement from the NSF is insane.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
Reposted by Josh Rottman
A recurring thought over the last few months -- creating something is very hard, and destruction is so much easier.
April 12, 2025 at 4:17 PM
A recurring thought over the last few months -- creating something is very hard, and destruction is so much easier.
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Honest people don’t lie. Or do they? Liars aren’t honest. Or are they?
One puzzling conundrum in contemporary politics is that politicians who seem to be estranged from facts and evidence are nonetheless considered honest by their followers.
1/n
One puzzling conundrum in contemporary politics is that politicians who seem to be estranged from facts and evidence are nonetheless considered honest by their followers.
1/n
April 10, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Honest people don’t lie. Or do they? Liars aren’t honest. Or are they?
One puzzling conundrum in contemporary politics is that politicians who seem to be estranged from facts and evidence are nonetheless considered honest by their followers.
1/n
One puzzling conundrum in contemporary politics is that politicians who seem to be estranged from facts and evidence are nonetheless considered honest by their followers.
1/n
Reposted by Josh Rottman
📰 Interview about The Ideological Brain for The New York Times @nytimes.com just released!
Really enjoyed this conversation with Matt Richtel about ideologies, neuroscience, and our capacity for change
Check it out:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/s...
Really enjoyed this conversation with Matt Richtel about ideologies, neuroscience, and our capacity for change
Check it out:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/s...
April 8, 2025 at 11:52 AM
📰 Interview about The Ideological Brain for The New York Times @nytimes.com just released!
Really enjoyed this conversation with Matt Richtel about ideologies, neuroscience, and our capacity for change
Check it out:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/s...
Really enjoyed this conversation with Matt Richtel about ideologies, neuroscience, and our capacity for change
Check it out:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/s...
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Really proud of this new work out @psychscience.bsky.social. Led by the amazing but bluesky-less Amanda Geiser and with @deborahsmall.bsky.social.
We show that when comparing moral wrongs, people are (much) more willing to “scale up” than to “scale down” condemnation and punishment…
We show that when comparing moral wrongs, people are (much) more willing to “scale up” than to “scale down” condemnation and punishment…
March 22, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Really proud of this new work out @psychscience.bsky.social. Led by the amazing but bluesky-less Amanda Geiser and with @deborahsmall.bsky.social.
We show that when comparing moral wrongs, people are (much) more willing to “scale up” than to “scale down” condemnation and punishment…
We show that when comparing moral wrongs, people are (much) more willing to “scale up” than to “scale down” condemnation and punishment…
Reposted by Josh Rottman
uhhhh it looks like Dems just flipped a R+17 Pennsylvania State Senate seat in Amish country…
March 26, 2025 at 1:59 AM
uhhhh it looks like Dems just flipped a R+17 Pennsylvania State Senate seat in Amish country…
Reposted by Josh Rottman
I'm hiring a lab manager to start this summer/fall, to work on transformative experience, identity change, and empathy in the digital age.
Details here:
www.crockettlab.org/research-spe...
Please share!
Details here:
www.crockettlab.org/research-spe...
Please share!
Research Specialist 2025 — Crockett Lab
www.crockettlab.org
February 6, 2025 at 3:56 PM
I'm hiring a lab manager to start this summer/fall, to work on transformative experience, identity change, and empathy in the digital age.
Details here:
www.crockettlab.org/research-spe...
Please share!
Details here:
www.crockettlab.org/research-spe...
Please share!
The joys of chatting with the Xfinity Virtual Assistant are unparalleled
December 22, 2024 at 4:44 PM
The joys of chatting with the Xfinity Virtual Assistant are unparalleled
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Here's a post I wrote arguing against bucket lists (I think they are simply not useful, contribute to harmful mass tourism without enriching people's experience, encouraging people to put off goals for play and recreation until retirement.
helendecruz.substack.com/p/against-bu...
helendecruz.substack.com/p/against-bu...
Against bucket lists
This picture shows a line of climbers attempting to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
helendecruz.substack.com
November 30, 2024 at 2:55 AM
Here's a post I wrote arguing against bucket lists (I think they are simply not useful, contribute to harmful mass tourism without enriching people's experience, encouraging people to put off goals for play and recreation until retirement.
helendecruz.substack.com/p/against-bu...
helendecruz.substack.com/p/against-bu...
Reposted by Josh Rottman
Society for Philosophy and Psychology 2025 (June 19-21, 2025 at Cornell) is going to be 🔥🔥🔥 and the submission portal is now live! Submit abstracts of 750 words+1 figure by Jan 24, 2025 at 11:59pm EST easychair.org/my/conferenc....
Log in to EasyChair for SPP2025
easychair.org
November 19, 2024 at 8:09 PM
Society for Philosophy and Psychology 2025 (June 19-21, 2025 at Cornell) is going to be 🔥🔥🔥 and the submission portal is now live! Submit abstracts of 750 words+1 figure by Jan 24, 2025 at 11:59pm EST easychair.org/my/conferenc....