Mark William Westmoreland
Memphis native working in Philosophy of Race, Political Phil, & Henri Bergson. PhD from Villanova. Teaching Applied Ethics, Phil of Law, & Phil of Tech. Director of Free School in Ocean County NJ. Longing for a TT job. (Carpenter, Hiker, Musician)
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandDear all! I'm happy to report that my book: Bergson and Affect is now available for pre-order from @edinburghup.bsky.social ! For those interested on #affect, #intensity, #embodiment, #virtuality, or in #Bergson, #philosophy, and #phenomenology in general. Check it out! Discount code attached ⬇️
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandJoin the APS and the Library Company of Philadelphia for a free conference on "Black Declarations of Independence." This conference will explore how Black people have articulated, enacted, and reimagined freedom before and after 1776. Learn more and register here: bit.ly/4qYH9Wv
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandYou think LLM-based chatbots can help students learn? Think again. Take a few minutes to listen to Dr. @drtanksley.bsky.social clear explanation why this is very bad, harmful idea, especially for Black students. #Critical_AI_Literacy www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mtc...
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandDoes studying philosophy make you a better thinker? 🤔 A new study finds philosophy majors outperform all other majors in reasoning, curiosity, and open-mindedness—even after controlling for differences at the start of college. What are your thoughts? 💭 #philsky #philosophy #betterthinker
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandIn January 2026, we had over 88,000 views and over 46,000 visitors. Our goal is helping people better learn about & think about important issues that are both timely & timeless! You can help by sharing our essays! Thanks! #philosophy #ethics #logic #teaching #education
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandReimagining the Landscape of Identity: Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Approaches | Keynote Speaker: Lewis R. Gordon | February 3-5, 2026 | University of West Indies, Mona | Kingston, Jamaica | For more info, visit: www.mona.uwi.edu/dllp/C2026-r...
- Reposted by Mark William Westmoreland🔓 Kasagi, J. (2022). Ontologie et société : étude comparée de Henri Bergson et de Gabriel Tarde [Doctoral dissertation, École des hautes études en sciences sociales]. theses.fr. theses.fr/2022EHES0012
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandGroupe de lecture bergsonien organisé par @doudjabmz.bsky.social Programme 2025-2026 bergson.hypotheses.org/4508
- Reposted by Mark William Westmoreland@hugeraproject.bsky.social is back with its Online Talks! This Tuesday, Feb 3rd, Duana Fullwiley (Stanford) presents on Racial World Building. Registration at HUGERA.org #genomics #popgen #STS #philsky
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandI'm so excited about the launch of the International Society for Philosophy as a Way of Life (ISPWL). It's an awesome resource for scholarly work about the tradition of philosophy done for the sake of an immediately wiser and happier life. #philsky www.ispwl.com
- #PhilSky I’ve never had a dog. The four of us welcomed the newest member of our family yesterday. His name is Gambit. I’m curious if there is literature about philosophy of dogs or how a dog might affect the way one practices philosophy.
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandWhat is social constructionism about race? This #OpenAccess article from @springer.springernature.com reframes SCR as a shared investigative practice, not just a metaphysical claim—responding directly to Adam Hochman’s critique. bit.ly/3Yi5t93 @celsoneto.bsky.social #philsky #STS
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandEin Vordenker der politischen Philosophie: über das Vermächtnis von Charles W. Mills. transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-7715-7/ #Rassismus #PolitischePhilosophie #CharlesMills
- Hopefully tonight confirms for all the non-boxing fans that Jake Paul should’ve never pursued a career in boxing.
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandBoth volumes are now available for pre-order! If you're in North America, you should get the first volume in December, early enough to incorporate some texts into your Spring semester classes. The second should be available about a month later. global.oup.com/academic/pro... #philsky #slavery
- I and a wonderful team set up a 2+2 program between a community college and a 4yr. The articulation agreement should support our efforts to increase philosophy majors/minors. DM if you’re interested in how this might work at your institution. #PhilSky
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandPaperback day for Liberalism as a Way of Life, @princetonupress.bsky.social I’ve been moved and amazed by the book’s reception—thank you to everyone who’s read, taught, or shared it. If you’re so inclined, give it one more repost for the road.
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandDear friends, I'm very happy to share the link to my upcoming book on Bergson and Affect published with @edinburghup.bsky.social ! Those interested in #Bergson, #affect, #virtuality, #embodiment, or even #philosophy in general might find it interesting. Forthcoming March or so next year!
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandA lovely review of my biography of Henri Bergson in the @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social by @lefebvrealex.bsky.social lareviewofbooks.org/article/when...
- Reposted by Mark William Westmoreland"Bergson and Intuitive Knowledge" by Alan Shepherd (Keywords: Intuition, Time, Truth, Memory, Metaphysics) www.thephilosopher1923.org/post/bergson... #Bergson #intuitive #knowledge #philosophy #philsky
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandCheck out this episode of @philosophybites.bsky.social in which I discuss the life and philosophy of Henri Bergson with Nigel Warburton philosophybites.com/podcast/emil...
- If you’re near the Jersey Shore this fall, check out the next series of The Free School: “The Faces of Faiths: A Journey through World Religions.” The series is free. Seats are limited and registration is required. occfoundation.org/event/the-fr... #PhilSky #Religion #JerseyShore
- Instead of ethics across the curriculum, character across the curriculum seems to be lacking. College president asked me to think about how to expand character education on campus. Anyone had success doing such at a community college? #PhilSky
- My college near the Jersey Shore is looking for a philosophy adjunct. #PhilSky www.schooljobs.com/careers/ocea...
- Anyone know of fully-funded research grants/visiting opportunities at unis that are encouraging to community college faculty and are short term—think 6-8 weeks over the summer. PhD here with a 5/5/2 (36 credits) teaching load. #PhilSky
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandThis is a professional piece I wrote for The Philosopher's Shirt, in which I discuss one of my (and the company's) basic beliefs: Philosophy is for everyone. Feel free to look. They are also having a Buy 4 shirts, pay for 3 sale! #philsky the-philosophers-shirt.com/blogs/philos...
- Reposted by Mark William Westmoreland. . Happy *100th* birthday, Frantz Fanon! . . To celebrate, here is Rethinking Existentialism Chapter 8 –– Black Skin, White Masks –– free to download for one week only :: bit.ly/RethExistFan... . . #philsky
- This Is Who’s Really Driving the Decline in Interest in Liberal Arts Education www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/o...
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandWe are grateful to the @apaphilosophy.bsky.social for sharing our pages on their "Teaching Resources" page! www.apaonline.org/page/teachin...
- Writing an encyclopedia entry for Henri Bergson and staying within word limit proves to be a memorable matter that requires a good amount of intellectual effort, time, free will, and mind-energy. The creative evolution of the task has brought laughter. I’m glad it has more than two sources. #PhilSky
- It appears that my work on #HenriBergson has now qualified me to write about otorhonolaryngology—SMH. “… publishing your research in our journals on immune system or otorhonolaryngology related fields. Your work will contribute to important discussions within the medical sciences….” #PhilSky
- Anyone had success making a philosophy 2+2 program between a community college and a 4-year? #PhilSky. This might help save some 4-year programs that on the chopping block.
- Been in the US northeast for almost 18 years and I’m finally at The Met in NYC. Here’s me standing in front of Frank Bowling’s “Night Journey,” which is the cover of my co-edited book on Henri Bergson: Beyond Bergson: Examining Race and Colonialism. #PhilSky
- I did a teach-in in the student center titled “Misology: How to Avoid Avoiding Dialogue.” We explored Plato’s Phaedo. It was packed! During Q&A, a student asked “where are the booze? Let’s talk liquor.” The crowd cheered. They were there for mixology. I don’t know who was more disappointed. #PhilSky
- Don’t count the losses. They make one look bad. If we don’t count the losses, then they don’t exist. Maybe this is some kind of quasi-Berkeley-style experiment. To be is to be perceived. #PhilSky
- Continuing the random analogies…. Socrates tells Meno that we don’t know what we don’t know. I’ve known the we spend taxes on a lot of good stuff. I had no idea just how productive my tax dollars have been. The amount of medical and environmental research now lost will put us in the cave basement.
- Baseball is known to be “America’s Pastime.” This season, we will learn the real meaning of “unforced error.”
- Doing trim on a bookcase I’m installing in the basement and keep getting distracted by some of the books. This one is by far my favorite one about Henri Bergson. #PhilSky @lefebvrealex.bsky.social
- Anyone else have productive philosophical thoughts at unexpected times? #PhilSky I’m doing trim work around this pocket door and I’ve written a whole paper in my head.
- Asking for a friend: Is Columbia now just a med school?
- When Higher Ed admin closes a philosophy department, it’s sort of kicking away the ladder of what makes a college a college. #PhilSky
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandPhilosophy at SUNY Fredonia is dead.
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandHello bsky! Hire me to edit for you! I provide fast, professional, and personalised proofreading, copy editing, and developmental editing services. wellreadherring.com/editing Reposts appreciated!
- One of my colleagues brings me breakfast once a week. She’s close to retirement. Was this normal for an older generation or is she just the best? #PhilSky
- Listening to @alfamistsekito.bsky.social in the office. A student asked “is that philosopher music?” I said “this is music. The good kind.” He replied “does it participate in Plato’s form of beauty?” I have never had such an affirmation of my job as professor. It’s a win for this semester. #PhilSky
- Friend and mentor George Yancy (Emory) won the 2024 Public Philosophy Network Leadership Award! #PhilSky www.publicphilosophynetwork.net/news/2025/2/...
- Helped a student with drafts for a summer program at Princeton. Told him to say “my professor wants a TT job.” He started typing. I said it was just a joke. He asked “do you want me to delete that?” I said “no, but you need to delete it.” He gave me a smirk. I don’t know what it meant. #PhilSky
- Another night of Free School (consciousness) and never had such a lively crowd. Retirees make amazing philosophers. I wish I had their passion when I was 16-22. How life would be different. #WastedYouth #PhilSky They connected Parmenides to Bergman’s Shame and Descartes to Kubrick’s 2001.
- That time Parmenides stumped Socrates. That was a good time. #PhilSky
- The piano has moved into the main living room. The house will not experience silence for quite some time. #Parenting
- Reposted by Mark William WestmorelandPosters! "Faculty and students majoring in liberal arts fields have consistently had to fight back against the idea that these majors are career dead-ends, or, worse. ... [If] you care about the humanities, you need to push back." humanitiesworks.org/posters/
- When I installed a tankless water heater and said we wouldn’t run out of hot water, I didn’t mean to suggest that we should experiment and test my claim. #Parenting
- I’m no techno-pessimist but if I hear one more administrator tell faculty that using AI for papers is no different than using a calculator in maths, I’ll… …just weep. Nothing more. #PhilSky
- #PhilSky What is something people say that lets you know that they know nothing about philosophy?
- I typically do my own taxes, but this year I’m thinking about hiring someone with expertise in financials. Do you recommend an accountant or a teenage tech bro/hacker/dog walker (with no accounting experience)? What would you do for yourself? Your family? Your country? What would a Musk do?
