Have you paused to listen lately? Chiffchaffs calling, Blackbirds in full song, and the first Swallows on the wing.

Which spring sound always makes you smile? 🎵

📰 I have a new paper out with Peter Sands @anthropocenebio.bsky.social in Society & Animals - setting out the idea of a #PoliticalEcology of reanimating to understand current trends in #rewilding through the lens of individual animal lives brill.com/view/journal...

📆 are you interested in working with a team on understanding animal-human interactions and health? There is just under one week left to apply for these post doc roles.
🐦‍⬛🐄🐴🐕‍🦺

There's also the problem that any inference we make about mental states (whether human or not) necessarily relies on analogy with our own mental states and concepts. And it's often taught that we should be deeply wary of that anthropomorphism. But why? It seems obvs false that is always a bad thing

It seems to come from a strict use of a "null hypothesis" – that unless we have clear evidence that some trait or behaviour is present, we should assume it is not. Mental states are particularly tricky for this though, because we can't ever be sure that they are present, even in other humans

This is the exact approach to animal minds that I have a paper that argues against. I think it's deeply unfair given how differently we think of other humans. Kristin Andrews work on anthropomorphism is excellent on this front too (check out Anthropectomy as a concept, if you don't know it already).

Why Our Attitudes to Animal Minds Matter for Justice In human relationships, we often operate with the ‘benefit of the doubt’. When a friend cancels a plan or a family member behaves differently to normal, we might assume there is something going on …

A couple thoughts on some of my latest work concerning our attitudes to animal minds. The post tries to convey why this is an issue that goes beyond a concern with sentience-based interests. Opinions welcome. And more definitely coming on this topic in future!

Painfully true about academic writing too. More true even.

More MANCEPT promotion! It’s such a wonderful conference in an awesome city. I don’t go any more because my university is broke & so I don’t have a research budget, but if you can get there it’s brilliant.

‘We Are Still a Society Where the Postcode of the Bed You Are Born In, Sadly, Still Pretty Much Determines Where You End Up in Life’ – Byline Times Digital / Print Edition Last month, Byline Times was invited to the launch of ‘Class Ceiling’ – a new report reviewing working-class participation in the arts across Greater Manchester. A day after he was blocked from standing as the Labour candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham gave the opening address

🟨 Print Edition — ‘We Are Still a Society Where the Postcode of the Bed You Are Born In, Sadly, Still Pretty Much Determines Where You End Up in Life’

Last month, Byline Times was invited to the launch of ‘Class Ceiling’ – a new report reviewing working-class participation in the arts across…

MANCEPT Workshop - Speciesism, Power and Human Prejudice Speciesism has become a central concept in moral, social and political scholarship and movements concerning animals. Broadly understood, speciesism refers to discrimination based on species-membership...

Call for abstracts! MANCEPT panel on 'Speciesism, Power and Prejudice' co-organised by me, @drhannahbattersby.bsky.social, and Valérie Topf. Dates: 2nd-4th September 2026. Will feature great talks by @francoisjaquet.bsky.social and @ccfaria.bsky.social. Details here: philevents.org/event/show/1...

This year's Warrender Lecture will be given by Professor Duncan Ivison ( @duncanivison.bsky.social ), President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester (and political philosopher!).

Deatails of the lecture can be found at the below link.

sheffield.ac.uk/spir/school/...

Multispecies Mutualisms - Join Our Research Team! We’re hiring 4 Postdoctoral Research Associates (PDRAs) In this video, members of the team share insights into four exciting PDRA opportunities currently available. If you are ready to take the next s...

1/ Calling all ECRS - we have 4x 3 year post docs on Multispecies Mutualisms working with us at Sheffield. Don't want to read through all the stuff to work out if its right for you? Here is a short video explainer 🎥
digitalmedia.sheffield.ac.uk/media/Multis...

Excited to be co-organising this again, and this time at University of Sheffield. Please send in your abstracts and spread the word!

Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity Social and political relationships constitute the foundation of our shared communities. Yet, scholars working in the field of animal politics have not had these social ties as their primary focus. The...

Conference announcement/CFP:

Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity
University of Sheffield
8-9 September 2026

This is the latest installment in the long-running Animal Politics series. Abstracts due 12 June. Spread the word!

Excited to read this!

Ideology, Red in Tooth and Claw: Realist Ideology Critique and Animals Click on the article title to read more.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Political realists believe that we shouldn’t criticize political phenomena on moral grounds. If they are right, are animal ethicists in trouble? Can we still criticize speciesist social orders? In this new paper, I argue that we can.

Excited for this! Presenting some fresh work from my new project on the social status of animals. The talk is open to everyone so please come along if you want to hear more :)

I am extremely happy to share this! Here are my thoughts on what an appropriate international regime of human rights should like today - and it is also in open access

degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/1…

How much is too much? Why defining ‘mass incarceration’ is important – and isn’t as easy as it seems In this post, Vincent Chiao, discusses his article recently published in the Journal of Applied Philosophy on how to understand the “mass” part of “mass incarceration.” By Our World In Data. See En…

How much incarceration is too much? Vincent Chiao (Toronto) discusses the insights from his recently published article in @the-joap.bsky.social justice-everywhere.org/general/how-...

It's that time of year! If you are a new PhD student in philosophy starting this fall, please let me know to add you to the starter pack!

Alternatively, add the starter pack to get some fresh perspectives. :-)

I'm speaking at the next Talking Animals, Law & Philosophy event at the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law in 10 days time! Excited and grateful for the opportunity to share my work

Thanks for joining us Josh! Looking forward to reading your book.

Before the world wakes, the birds are already singing…

This week, we’re celebrating the dawn chorus at its peak. 😍

Each day, we’ll be spotlighting a few of the voices, building up to #InternationalDawnChorusDay this Sunday 4th May.

Who'll be getting up early with us to catch the magic? 🎵

Are you writing on animals and (non)violence? Are you interested in getting it published in the Journal of Pacifism and Nonviolence?
If so, I have brilliant news for you: I'm putting together a Special Issue on Animals and (Non)violence!
Details here: brill.com/fileasset/do...
#polisky #animalsky

Beyond the Ivory Tower Interview with Toby Buckle This is the latest interview in our Beyond the Ivory Tower series, a conversation between Sara van Goozen and Toby Buckle. Toby Buckle runs the popular Political Philosophy Podcast. He has a BA in …

Real pleasure to be interviewed by @drsvg.bsky.social for @justiceeverywhere.bsky.social

How to start a podcast, how academics can build a public profile, & how Mill relates to the manosphere

justice-everywhere.org/general/beyo...

Call for papers: Forgotten Animals, 17th-18th September 2025, University of Leicester. Political philosophy conference on nonhuman animals, send me your abstracts! More details here: stevecooke.org?p=290

With @stevecooke.org, @drsvg.bsky.social, @mattwperry.bsky.social, and others I'm organizing the latest conference in the 'Animal Politics' series, this time hosted in Leicester. The theme is 'Forgotten Animals', and we're now accepting abstracts. Spread the word!

philevents.org/event/show/1...

What Are Zoos For? What Are Zoos For?; Heather Browning and Walter Veit test the common justifications for zoos (entertainment, education, research, conservation) against the evidence and suggest what the best zoos of t...

Our book came out today 🥳
In 'What Are Zoos For?' we examine the common justifications for zoos and argue that zoos are (or should be) for animals, placing animal welfare at the centre of their operations.
Order here, or through most online booksellers:
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-a...

Justice and Security-based Attachment, which I co authored with Stephanie Collins (Monash) is out in the Journal of Moral Philosophy now.

brill.com/view/journal...