The hottest Academia Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top News Topics

Why I Ran Away from Philosophy Because of Sam Bankman-Fried

The Honest Broker • 26862 implied HN points • 04 Nov 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Academia Logic Utilitarianism
  1. The philosophy of Effective Altruism may prioritize long-term consequences over immediate actions, leading to risky ethical decisions.
  2. Analytic philosophy, specifically of the Anglo-American variety, can promote perspectives that prioritize maximizing pleasure, potentially leading to damaging outcomes.
  3. Beware of philosophical systems that justify harmful actions by focusing on a 'larger context' and be cautious of practitioners who calculate consequences before performing acts of kindness or generosity.

Weekend Listening: From McDonalds Drive-Through to Star Harvard Professor

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 3292 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🚌 Education University Research Challenges Academia Personal journey
  1. UATX, a new university founded by Pano Kanelos, has proven to be a real institution set to accept its inaugural class of students in 2024.
  2. Harvard economist Roland Fryer embodies academic excellence, emphasizing the pursuit of truth, admitting his mistakes, and overcoming obstacles.
  3. Fryer's life story showcases resilience, determination, and the importance of staying true to one's mission in the face of controversies and challenges.

The new academy: modern intellectuals are writing their best ideas on Substack

read • 19320 implied HN points • 01 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Academia Intellectuals Education Writing
  1. Substack provides a platform for academics to share their ideas more freely and immediately with a wider audience than traditional academic journals.
  2. Substack allows scholars to earn revenue from their publications and engage with readers in a more personal and direct manner.
  3. It offers a space for academics to innovate, challenge traditional academic norms, and explore intellectual contributions outside the constraints of conventional academia.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Freedom to write, freedom to research, to do something together: An interview with Ruth Ben-Ghiat 

read • 10220 implied HN points • 31 Jul 23
🚌 Education Academia Research Writing Income Feedback
  1. Scholars on Substack are reaching new audiences and earning income for their research and writing.
  2. Substack provides academics like Ruth Ben-Ghiat with financial freedom to pursue public-interfacing research.
  3. Academic writers use Substack for engaging with readers, testing new ideas, and shaping their research through feedback.

A retracted paper tells us something important about academia

The Path Not Taken • 418 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🚌 Education Academia Standards
  1. A retracted paper revealed resistance in academia to the idea of certain subjects or institutions having more merit than others, especially regarding external hierarchies.
  2. In academia, there appears to be a growing trend of reluctance towards acknowledging external hierarchies, potentially leading to declining standards and subjects being vulnerable to market pressures.
  3. Editorial actions and societal trends reflect a shift towards more egalitarian philosophies in academia, raising concerns about defending academic standards and traditional disciplines against cost-cutting measures.

Misinformation Researcher Sander van der Linden Caught Lying and Spreading Misinformation

The DisInformation Chronicle • 670 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Misinformation Research Academia Controversies Propaganda
  1. Misinformation researcher Sander van der Linden was caught lying and spreading misinformation, tarnishing his credibility.
  2. The incident sheds light on the concern that 'misinformation research' might be used for political purposes to silence dissent on controversial topics.
  3. Van der Linden's behavior on social media and Wikipedia highlights potential manipulation to create a false image of credibility and promote personal research.

The RCT Agenda

Bet On It • 352 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🚌 Education Economics Research Science Academia
  1. The book highlights how the randomistas in economics might have a political agenda of serving government rather than challenging it, focusing on randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  2. Many economists focus on RCTs to measure causal effects of variables, emphasizing laboratory, field, and natural experiments in research, with randomization as the core of experimentation.
  3. Randomistas often avoid engaging in the debate of free markets vs. government, favoring government-centered policies in their research strategies, leading to limited exploration of free-market economics.

Fired by Pfizer: Former Harvard prof reveals he was dismissed from CDC committee for promoting a non-mRNA vaccine

The Dossier • 290 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🏥 Health Politics Vaccines Pharma CDC Mandates Academia
  1. Martin Kulldorff was fired from the CDC committee for promoting a non-mRNA vaccine and disagreeing with the decision to pause the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine.
  2. Kulldorff's experience highlights the powerful influence of the Pharma-Government Health system in America.
  3. Kulldorff's stance against vaccine mandates and his opposition to Pharma influence showcases his courage and bravery in the scientific community.

Friday Thread: Can a PhD be "just a job"?

The Recovering Academic • 435 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🚌 Education Academia University Jobs Transition
  1. Academia being viewed as a business can help job seekers transition to industry with a new mindset.
  2. The perception of a PhD as 'just a job' and academic institutions as commercial entities is crucial for adapting academic experience to industry expectations.
  3. For many faculty members, especially non-tenure track ones, the idea of a PhD as merely a job no longer aligns due to low pay and challenging work conditions.

How STEM is Sleepwalking into Wokery

Heterodox STEM • 270 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🚌 Education STEM Academia Science Identity politics
  1. STEM education is facing challenges with the introduction of ideologies like 'Indigenous science', leading to a shift in traditional approaches.
  2. University environments are becoming increasingly focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion, which can sometimes lead to conflict with academic freedom and rational discourse.
  3. There is a concern among some STEM professors about the impact of ideological pressures on teaching quality, mental health, and innovation within academic environments.

Are experts useless?

Samstack • 1422 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
🔬 Science Research Replication Experts Predictions Academia
  1. Experts may not be as reliable as we think, with evidence showing they often fare poorly compared to ordinary individuals in making predictions.
  2. There's a growing concern about fraud and publication bias in scientific journals, undermining the credibility of experts' work.
  3. While skepticism towards expertise is warranted, there are strategies for the average person to evaluate research validity and experts can still provide valuable insights.

The Path of Heterodoxy

A Biologist's Guide to Life • 87 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🔬 Science Research Academia Pandemic Immunity
  1. Being unconventional in the academic world can lead to resistance and pushback from those in power, but staying true to your discoveries and principles is important.
  2. Challenging orthodox beliefs and standing by your heterodox views may result in alienation and hostility, but it can also lead to personal growth and self-discovery.
  3. Navigating the path of heterodoxy requires courage, resilience, and a willingness to face criticism and rejection, but in the end, it can lead to finding a community of like-minded individuals and true allies.

HOISTED FROM THE ARCHIVES: DeLong: "The Economist as...?: The Public Square & Economics"

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 138 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🚌 Education Philosophy Literature Books Academia Research
  1. The post discusses the role of economists in the public square and compares different views on the matter.
  2. It delves into a defense of economists against certain criticisms from other thinkers.
  3. There are references to interesting literary preferences and reading lists of some philosophers mentioned.

DEI Is Destroying My University

Reality's Last Stand • 1965 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23
🚌 Education Academia Ideology Diversity Professional development Teaching
  1. The author expresses concerns about DEI initiatives impacting academic freedom and professional standing in universities.
  2. The author discusses the pressure to conform to diversity requirements in academic curricula, leading to challenges in maintaining academic integrity.
  3. The author highlights instances of intolerant behavior and ideological conflict in academia related to DEI measures.

The state of The Path Not Taken

The Path Not Taken • 220 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
📰 News Current Events Opinion Media Academia Social media
  1. The author has gained over 1,200 subscribers from 58 countries for their Substack on politics and academics.
  2. In 2023, the author focused on topics like low liberalism, freedom of speech, and reviewed books on academia.
  3. The author plans to continue writing about politics with a focus on institutional theory in 2024 and asks for recommendations to help grow their Substack.

SPSP Censorship 2.0: "We Are Above the Rules"

Unsafe Science • 79 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🚌 Education Academia Research Publication Ethics Social media
  1. Individuals who believe they are above the rules can be harmful to society or organizations.
  2. SPSP did not abide by professional guidelines for retraction, choosing to make up reasons to retract papers.
  3. There was a discrepancy in how SPSP handled different posters, allowing some politically motivated content while taking down others.

The crisis of scholar-activism

The Path Not Taken • 264 implied HN points • 18 Dec 23
🚌 Education Activism Scholarship Academia Research
  1. Scholar-activism has faced a crisis lately, especially concerning left-wing positions like support for Palestine.
  2. There is tension between the original ideal of activism and its progression into institutionalized careerism.
  3. The future of scholar-activism is uncertain, with some scholar-activists falling silent and facing challenges in balancing their activism with their academic careers.

That Might Have Been The Strangest Thing That Has Ever Happened To Me On Twitter

Singal-Minded • 1670 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
📰 News Social media Ethics Academia Transparency
  1. A controversy on Twitter erupted when a researcher accused a writer of misinterpreting a sentence in the Standards of Care document
  2. The writer engaged in a debate on social media to defend their interpretation of the sentence
  3. The controversy reached a dramatic conclusion when it was revealed that the writer was falsely accused, leading to public embarrassment for the accuser

A Crusading Clerisy

Not On Your Team, But Always Fair • 963 implied HN points • 13 Jul 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Religion Bureaucracy Academia Identity politics Law
  1. Marxism is not a religion, but post-Enlightenment progressivism ('Wokery') can be considered as one.
  2. The growth of the human-and-cultural capital class, along with technological evolution, has led to a shift towards jobs less grounded in physical reality, especially in entertainment, media, and education.
  3. Post-Enlightenment Progressivism (

Tenure Is a Total Scam

Bet On It • 644 implied HN points • 05 Sep 23
🚌 Education Research Teaching Academia
  1. Getting tenure involves a complex process of academic achievements and connections.
  2. Tenured professors have minimal job responsibilities and are difficult to fire.
  3. The tenure system in academia may be sustained by perverse incentives and weak selection pressure.