Thom Scott-Phillips
@thomscottphillips.bsky.social
Language, Psychology, Culture, Philosophy, Society, Evolution • When not doing science I dance the lindy hop
https://linktr.ee/thomscottphillips
https://linktr.ee/thomscottphillips
Another victim of the lack of clarity at the very top about what this govt believes in and what it wants to do
January 24, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Another victim of the lack of clarity at the very top about what this govt believes in and what it wants to do
Nice idea! I will be listening. (And I'd be happy to talk about my own painful experiences if you're interested.)
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/happy-in-t...
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/happy-in-t...
Happy In Theory
This is the short story of my long search for a stable academic home. There is a lot of success and a lot of pain here, and no happy ending.
thomscottphillips.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Nice idea! I will be listening. (And I'd be happy to talk about my own painful experiences if you're interested.)
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/happy-in-t...
thomscottphillips.substack.com/p/happy-in-t...
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
There’s an old piece of wisdom about progress in science and ideas: you can’t fully understand what someone is saying until you know who it is they’re disagreeing with
General lesson is that even if unconscious, almost all agendas are motivated in part by (perceived) failings of previous generation
General lesson is that even if unconscious, almost all agendas are motivated in part by (perceived) failings of previous generation
January 20, 2026 at 11:39 AM
There’s an old piece of wisdom about progress in science and ideas: you can’t fully understand what someone is saying until you know who it is they’re disagreeing with
General lesson is that even if unconscious, almost all agendas are motivated in part by (perceived) failings of previous generation
General lesson is that even if unconscious, almost all agendas are motivated in part by (perceived) failings of previous generation
There’s an old piece of wisdom about progress in science and ideas: you can’t fully understand what someone is saying until you know who it is they’re disagreeing with
General lesson is that even if unconscious, almost all agendas are motivated in part by (perceived) failings of previous generation
General lesson is that even if unconscious, almost all agendas are motivated in part by (perceived) failings of previous generation
January 20, 2026 at 11:39 AM
There’s an old piece of wisdom about progress in science and ideas: you can’t fully understand what someone is saying until you know who it is they’re disagreeing with
General lesson is that even if unconscious, almost all agendas are motivated in part by (perceived) failings of previous generation
General lesson is that even if unconscious, almost all agendas are motivated in part by (perceived) failings of previous generation
You know the expression Zone Of Latent Solutions? I think you are saying the same or similar (and I think something like this must be right)
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The zone of latent solutions and its relevance to understanding ape cultures - Biology & Philosophy
The zone of latent solutions (ZLS) hypothesis provides an alternative approach to explaining cultural patterns in primates and many other animals. According to the ZLS hypothesis, non-human great ape ...
link.springer.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:48 AM
You know the expression Zone Of Latent Solutions? I think you are saying the same or similar (and I think something like this must be right)
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Why do they do this? It would be very useful to know the DK numbers, and to include them on graphs of change over time
January 20, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Why do they do this? It would be very useful to know the DK numbers, and to include them on graphs of change over time
Yeah
In a case like Riad I understand an attitude of "ideally not yet but if we really need it he's here", but equally it's clear Glasner likes controls and is cautious to trust players
But truly great managers (in sport and elsewhere) balance systems with trust in individuals
In a case like Riad I understand an attitude of "ideally not yet but if we really need it he's here", but equally it's clear Glasner likes controls and is cautious to trust players
But truly great managers (in sport and elsewhere) balance systems with trust in individuals
January 17, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Yeah
In a case like Riad I understand an attitude of "ideally not yet but if we really need it he's here", but equally it's clear Glasner likes controls and is cautious to trust players
But truly great managers (in sport and elsewhere) balance systems with trust in individuals
In a case like Riad I understand an attitude of "ideally not yet but if we really need it he's here", but equally it's clear Glasner likes controls and is cautious to trust players
But truly great managers (in sport and elsewhere) balance systems with trust in individuals
Indeed, poor again. Why not give Imray 10 minutes when we are chasing the game? Why not use Canvot, put Lerma in midfield and give Hughes a rest (midfield runs much more than the CBs). Just to mix things up!
January 17, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Indeed, poor again. Why not give Imray 10 minutes when we are chasing the game? Why not use Canvot, put Lerma in midfield and give Hughes a rest (midfield runs much more than the CBs). Just to mix things up!
Yep. Being uncertain about behavioural norms is genuinely and legitimately scary
The best thing to do is not to laugh at or mock others, but to demonstrate how ordinary decency is still rewarded
The best thing to do is not to laugh at or mock others, but to demonstrate how ordinary decency is still rewarded
January 17, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Yep. Being uncertain about behavioural norms is genuinely and legitimately scary
The best thing to do is not to laugh at or mock others, but to demonstrate how ordinary decency is still rewarded
The best thing to do is not to laugh at or mock others, but to demonstrate how ordinary decency is still rewarded
Unlettered is quite good in capturing the phenomenon. But it’s also an opaque mouthful and won’t catch on
January 16, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Unlettered is quite good in capturing the phenomenon. But it’s also an opaque mouthful and won’t catch on
Bad in both those senses, and a third: failure to do things that would be good for the country
January 16, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Bad in both those senses, and a third: failure to do things that would be good for the country
The phenomenon is also connected to changing media landscape. No reading of newspapers and no shared news sources
But I don’t have the right collective term for these developments yet
But I don’t have the right collective term for these developments yet
January 16, 2026 at 9:57 AM
The phenomenon is also connected to changing media landscape. No reading of newspapers and no shared news sources
But I don’t have the right collective term for these developments yet
But I don’t have the right collective term for these developments yet
Absolutely. Any journal asking me this question loses my confidence
January 16, 2026 at 6:56 AM
Absolutely. Any journal asking me this question loses my confidence
It's intriguing, and makes sense given health advances allowing longer working lives
One obvious problem would be overseas students. If you charge them upfront, what if they then settle in the UK? Messy at least. (And this would be further complicated if we rejoined the EU.)
One obvious problem would be overseas students. If you charge them upfront, what if they then settle in the UK? Messy at least. (And this would be further complicated if we rejoined the EU.)
January 15, 2026 at 10:58 AM
It's intriguing, and makes sense given health advances allowing longer working lives
One obvious problem would be overseas students. If you charge them upfront, what if they then settle in the UK? Messy at least. (And this would be further complicated if we rejoined the EU.)
One obvious problem would be overseas students. If you charge them upfront, what if they then settle in the UK? Messy at least. (And this would be further complicated if we rejoined the EU.)
Yep
Tbf I saw a marked improvement in already good players the first six months. Olise, Eze, Mateta, Richards, Mitchell (especially!) and others all went up another level. Equally, there haven't really been any stories of young promise being taken to a mature level
Tbf I saw a marked improvement in already good players the first six months. Olise, Eze, Mateta, Richards, Mitchell (especially!) and others all went up another level. Equally, there haven't really been any stories of young promise being taken to a mature level
January 14, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Yep
Tbf I saw a marked improvement in already good players the first six months. Olise, Eze, Mateta, Richards, Mitchell (especially!) and others all went up another level. Equally, there haven't really been any stories of young promise being taken to a mature level
Tbf I saw a marked improvement in already good players the first six months. Olise, Eze, Mateta, Richards, Mitchell (especially!) and others all went up another level. Equally, there haven't really been any stories of young promise being taken to a mature level
Totally reasonable for Glasner to say Palace should be aiming to join the list of clubs who choose (a). But in that case he's gotta show the skill and flexibility to rotate a squad
January 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Totally reasonable for Glasner to say Palace should be aiming to join the list of clubs who choose (a). But in that case he's gotta show the skill and flexibility to rotate a squad
Quite. He can't reasonably say both (a) I want 16-20 ready made players and (b) I want to play the same first XI when everybody is fit. That is cake and eat it stuff
At elite clubs they choose (a) and compromise on (b); at less rich clubs they choose (b) by necessity
At elite clubs they choose (a) and compromise on (b); at less rich clubs they choose (b) by necessity
January 14, 2026 at 10:59 AM
Quite. He can't reasonably say both (a) I want 16-20 ready made players and (b) I want to play the same first XI when everybody is fit. That is cake and eat it stuff
At elite clubs they choose (a) and compromise on (b); at less rich clubs they choose (b) by necessity
At elite clubs they choose (a) and compromise on (b); at less rich clubs they choose (b) by necessity
They are right, of course, but how?
We have a collective action problem and it can only be solved by leadership (job panels, grant panels) changing what they reward. Everything else is commentary
We have a collective action problem and it can only be solved by leadership (job panels, grant panels) changing what they reward. Everything else is commentary
January 11, 2026 at 10:57 AM
They are right, of course, but how?
We have a collective action problem and it can only be solved by leadership (job panels, grant panels) changing what they reward. Everything else is commentary
We have a collective action problem and it can only be solved by leadership (job panels, grant panels) changing what they reward. Everything else is commentary
Reposted by Thom Scott-Phillips
You're right. @trinityhallcamb.bsky.social is damaging its own reputation and that of the wider university. Oxbridge has moved in the right direction over the past two decades, creating a positive impression to the wider sector. This news undoes that
January 7, 2026 at 9:41 PM
You're right. @trinityhallcamb.bsky.social is damaging its own reputation and that of the wider university. Oxbridge has moved in the right direction over the past two decades, creating a positive impression to the wider sector. This news undoes that
You're right. @trinityhallcamb.bsky.social is damaging its own reputation and that of the wider university. Oxbridge has moved in the right direction over the past two decades, creating a positive impression to the wider sector. This news undoes that
January 7, 2026 at 9:41 PM
You're right. @trinityhallcamb.bsky.social is damaging its own reputation and that of the wider university. Oxbridge has moved in the right direction over the past two decades, creating a positive impression to the wider sector. This news undoes that
I was approached by (I presume) the same research team
Thing is, in my case, the preprint they used is a reply to commentaries, and hence has all sorts of directions mentioned in it. Unsurprisingly, the new ideas the LLM generates bare no relation to ideas in the original research
Thing is, in my case, the preprint they used is a reply to commentaries, and hence has all sorts of directions mentioned in it. Unsurprisingly, the new ideas the LLM generates bare no relation to ideas in the original research
January 6, 2026 at 5:08 PM
I was approached by (I presume) the same research team
Thing is, in my case, the preprint they used is a reply to commentaries, and hence has all sorts of directions mentioned in it. Unsurprisingly, the new ideas the LLM generates bare no relation to ideas in the original research
Thing is, in my case, the preprint they used is a reply to commentaries, and hence has all sorts of directions mentioned in it. Unsurprisingly, the new ideas the LLM generates bare no relation to ideas in the original research