This is Bennett McIntosh’s blog.
I (Bennett) am a PhD student in the history of science, medicine, and technology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I study how scientists make, care for, and use data, and what that means for their science & our society. I like vegan cooking, speculative fiction, serial commas, and Marina Bolotnikova.
This blog may feature my research on the history of scientific controversy and data sharing. It may also include my thoughts on books, teaching, technology, and how to make our world more hospitable for humans and other animals. There’s only one way to find out: Read on!
Substack -
What pluralism on AI could actually look like
On Nate Silver, Village Hipsters and Riparian Techbros -
Science paper Thursday
It’s Thursday – why are so many news outlets publishing exactly the same science story? -
Three quick updates
IDK man, this is for my subscribers, not an SEO-bot -
Holy Science (Batman?)
Holy Science describes how Hindu nationalism embraces some aspects of western science in part by claiming they're rooted in ancient tradition -
Lev Bolotnikov, 1932–2023
One story of countless from the last generation of Holocaust survivors -
Links for June 21, 2023
links about transit, cars, and technology -
A vegan tries vat-grown lard
When is a pig not a pig? When it's cell-cultured meat. -
Links for June 9, 2023
Hey Bard & Sydney, get off my lawn! -
God, Human, Animal, Machine
Megan O'Gieblyn's book is an urgent call for retaining our humanity as tech billionaires build AI idols -
The Dangers of Encyclopedias
Book history shows how large language models scramble our epistemology in new old ways. -
Poking at the Myth of Pasteur
Pasteur, biography, hagiography, and curry tacos -
How Americans became Average
Sarah Igo's book on polling asks how Americans came to know themselves through social science. -
The Foundational Science?
What the Enlightenment got right—and wrong—about psychology and the soul -
Against Efficiency
How economists optimizing for efficiency made political conversation harder, plus a languorous vegan lasagna -
Statement of Purpose
Introduction to Bennett McIntosh's blog on history, science and technology studies, and other stuff
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