Uğur Aytaç
@uguraytac.bsky.social
980 followers 290 following 25 posts
Political philosopher, Utrecht University | Interests: democracy, legitimacy, power & domination, ideology, resistance
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uguraytac.bsky.social
Individuals' motivated reasoning can be entirely compatible with epistemic virtues at the system level, depending on the incentive structures and intersubjective norms of discursive conduct. I think each of us is getting a tiny portion of things right, and that's fine.
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
timchristiaens.bsky.social
A good day for preparing my slides for next week's conference presentation on the democratization of the workplace, and Robert Michels' iron law of oligarchy, and plebeian democracy. Looking forward to seeing @uguraytac.bsky.social and @tatianallaguno.bsky.social.

More info: ecpr.eu/Events/Event...
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
mpatberg.bsky.social
NEW SPECIAL ISSUE: Much of political theory today is informed, explicitly or implicitly, by the model of the democratic underlabourer, which, however, assumes the political context of the (democratic) nation-state. journals.sagepub.com/toc/iptb/21/2
Cover of the most recent issue (2/2025) of the Journal of International Political Theory.
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
amadeusulrich.bsky.social
Excited to share that my article “Ideology and Suffering: What Is Realistic about Critical Theory?”has just been published (open access) in EJPT. I bring radical realism into dialogue with Adorno, exploring both productive common ground and instructive tensions. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
uguraytac.bsky.social
Political philosophers! Please consider encouraging your students to apply for this PhD position on the global governance of technology. The Ethics Institute is a great place to work! It hosts one of the largest and most international group of practical philosophers in Europe.
uguraytac.bsky.social
We're hiring! I'll be co-supervising a PhD at Utrecht University on the global governance of socially disruptive technologies. Political philosophy/ethics project focused on legitimacy & good governance.

More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
edu.nl
uguraytac.bsky.social
Political philosophers! Please consider encouraging your students to apply for this PhD position on the global governance of technology. The Ethics Institute is a great place to work! It hosts one of the largest and most international group of practical philosophers in Europe.
uguraytac.bsky.social
We're hiring! I'll be co-supervising a PhD at Utrecht University on the global governance of socially disruptive technologies. Political philosophy/ethics project focused on legitimacy & good governance.

More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
edu.nl
uguraytac.bsky.social
Today we concluded the ERC project "The Business Corporation as a Political Actor" with its final conference. End of an era!
uguraytac.bsky.social
We're hiring! I'll be co-supervising a PhD at Utrecht University on the global governance of socially disruptive technologies. Political philosophy/ethics project focused on legitimacy & good governance.

More info: edu.nl/9admd
Deadline: June 3, 2025 (apologies for the short notice!)
edu.nl
uguraytac.bsky.social
Fantastic paper by @faikkurtulmus.bsky.social!
bjpols.bsky.social
From February 2025 -

The British Academy Brian Barry Prize Essay: Learning From the Enemies of Freedom: Freedom of Expression and Collective Power - cup.org/3Eqpgwp

- @faikkurtulmus.bsky.social

#OpenAccess
BJPolS abstract discussing the strategic logic of China's censorship regime, arguing that freedom of expression aids in overcoming coordination problems and enhancing collective power, but requires reliable public sources of information and equal opportunities for public participation.
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
enzoreds.bsky.social
Looking at the tariff debate and I reckon it's excellent that we managed to preserve normative theory in polisci, and that we still think about the fact-value distinction. Economists make moral & political judgments and pretend they're just scientific predictions, or mix predictions and politics.
uguraytac.bsky.social
Shame on you for instrumentalizing an autocrat's self-coup to make a point. Millions are fighting against brutal state violence and a regime where one man controls the media, judiciary, and law enforcement. We are not your rhetorical toy!
yanisvaroufakis.bsky.social
When Turkey's courts ban Erdogan's frontrunning Presidential opponent, the liberal mind rebels and rejects forthwith Erdogan's argument that the law is the law. When France's courts do they same, the liberal mind rejoices & parrots the law is the law. Mind-boggling hypocrisy!
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
ingridrobeyns.bsky.social
Today the Dutch Higher Education Relay Strike happened in Twente. Once more, a massive turn-out and strong protest against the announced budget cuts that are unnecessary, illegitimate, unjustified, and irrational.
#WOinActie #Doehetniet
uguraytac.bsky.social
Transition to full authoritarianism is inevitable unless this attack on free elections is reversed through large-scale resistance from a broad coalition.
euronews.com
Turkish police have detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key opposition figure and rival of President Erdogan, as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links.

It is seen as a major escalation in the government’s crackdown on opposition and dissent.
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
faisalhamadah.bsky.social
Garbage. Utter garbage.
premthakker.bsky.social
NEW from Columbia: the school has issued multi-year suspensions, “temporary” degree revocations, and expulsions related to the student occupation of Hamilton Hall (Hind’s Hall).

The school often invokes its history of student demonstration—including the 1968 occupation of the same hall.
Columbia email announcing punishment of students occupying Hamilton Hall (Hind’s Hall)
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
uguraytac.bsky.social
Join us for a lively discussion on our work-in-progress (co-authored with Ozan N. Alakavuklar). What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than giving me a hard time with tough questions?
uguraytac.bsky.social
Join us for a lively discussion on our work-in-progress (co-authored with Ozan N. Alakavuklar). What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than giving me a hard time with tough questions?
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
tomoshea.org
Good discussion at @uguraytac.bsky.social's talk in Barcelona this afternoon.
Poster for Ugur's talk with cartoon figures holding placards and the title, "Justifying a labour right to counterpublics".
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
enzoreds.bsky.social
Foucault basically reinvented Hume on artificial virtues [ducks for cover]
lastpositivist.bsky.social
This story of sceptical eye towards one's own cultural mores is generally useful for thought methinks.
"Before leaving Ill i l, we may well reflect how Hume's sceptical temper has led him to make a significant advance in thought. Whereas Locke and many others thought that there is a natural law of property to be found out by reason, and Clarke thought that honesty is evidently more fitting than dishonesty, and Wollaston thought that to invade property rights is implicitly to deny that things are as they are, and even Hutcheson thought that the rules of justice are easily covered by the general notion of benevolence, Hume had the sharpness of mind to see how odd and initially inexplicable the ordinarily established rules and practices about property are, and how much they are in need of some further, more elaborate, explanation, which essentially involves interrelations within a general scheme. This is the real insight summed up in the phrase 'artificial virtue. Those who came closest to anticipating this insight were other sceptically inclined writers like Mandeville and Hobbes. But in some ways Hume's thought is subtler than that of either of these predecessors."
uguraytac.bsky.social
Happy to share that my paper "What is the Point of Social Media?" is available online in Philosophy & Technology! In it, I offer a new normative lens to think about Big Tech reform, proposing to transform the corporate purpose of social media companies.

doi.org/10.1007/s133...
What is the Point of Social Media? Corporate Purpose and Digital Democratization - Philosophy & Technology
This paper proposes a new normative framework to think about Big Tech reform. Focusing on the case of digital communication, I argue that rethinking the corporate purpose of social media companies is ...
doi.org
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
gabrielwinant.bsky.social
The way that university officials have begun to treat “peaceful” and “disruptive” as antonyms, when they in fact are not antonyms, is the kind of violence to language that one expects of authoritarians
uguraytac.bsky.social
Last two days for submissions! Join us at the ECPR General Conference in Thessaloniki in August 2025. @tatianallaguno.bsky.social and I are convening a panel on how digital tech transforms work and the economy. Submit your abstract to us by Dec 15.
tatianallaguno.bsky.social
⚡️Along with Uğur Aytaç, we're convening a panel on technology, work, and the prospects of democratizing the economy as part of the 2025 @ecpr.bsky.social General Conference. Check the CfP here philevents.org/event/show/1... & send us your abstracts! Thanks for sharing!
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
enzoreds.bsky.social
Day two of the strike!
Picket line at UvA PCH
uguraytac.bsky.social
Could be an excellent dorky conference outfit with a blazer!
uguraytac.bsky.social
Cons is not necessarily a cons, I thrive on desk rejection drama! :)
Reposted by Uğur Aytaç
sbvanoosten.bsky.social
A lot of "civilisationism" flying around left and right: where politicians use gender equality, gay rights and anti-Semitism to discredit cultural others, particularly Muslims.

Politicians on the Right, and the their advisors, have admitted to using this strategy as a weapon against the Left 🧵