<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Justin McBrayer]]></title><description><![CDATA[I'm a philosopher. That means I think about important human questions that can't be answered by the methods of science. ]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:26:35 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Should we trust a hunch?]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of my students has this patch on her backpack: It's a familiar thought: deep-down, you have a sense for what's true and what's false....]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/should-we-trust-a-hunch</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63dd4b6afde0195eeca71132</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:27:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eda8a3_1bbf549152d34909b49c9cfb81192e44~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_568,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[State-Sponsored Segregation]]></title><description><![CDATA[The State of California has started a political protest that threatens to split higher education into two factions: red vs. blue.  It's a...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/state-sponsored-cancellation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">638a8904c2d79a532900ca3e</guid><pubDate>Tue, 15 Oct 2024 10:59:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_a26dbcf31bc74d608e14d8fd83f98f84~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_301,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[AI now works alongside us. Is it conservative or liberal?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I know more and more people in my personal and work life who are using ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and other AI programs.  We are trusting...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/ai-now-works-alongside-us-is-it-conservative-or-liberal</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66c65a74413fbb12a6e98368</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:04:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_6826c8392e7f490796d4d3027b822519~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don't Fear the Science: Empirical Equality and Moral Equality are Two Different Things]]></title><description><![CDATA[A colleague of mine in the social sciences recently bemoaned the fact that data on her recent study shows a significant average...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/don-t-fear-the-science-empirical-equality-and-moral-equality-are-two-different-things</link><guid isPermaLink="false">65552007c76f86f2f02acebd</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2024 11:02:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_7732981b081f48e4a1d099a57bbb4231~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Real Problem with Deepfakes and Elections]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hint: it has nothing to do with our inability to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake. A deepfake is a manufactured...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/the-real-problem-with-deepfakes-and-elections</link><guid isPermaLink="false">65d51102a1122218b51613bb</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Feb 2024 14:17:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_a26dbcf31bc74d608e14d8fd83f98f84~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_301,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why it's Rational to Trust Today's Media Less]]></title><description><![CDATA[This fall, Gallup reported that American trust in the media is at an all time low, matching the nadir of presidential election year 2016....]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/why-it-s-rational-to-trust-today-s-media-less</link><guid isPermaLink="false">654be5eb294cbfd826dd9271</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jan 2024 20:16:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_f14abcce74dc458a919924f7ab30a09b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Google Pixel 8: Cameras Now Shoot Fiction]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you've watched TV at all in the last couple of months, you've seen the ads for the newest Google smart phone, the Pixel 8.  Most of...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/google-pixel-8-cameras-now-shoot-fiction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">656df503cfc5f4f385de5f9d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Dec 2023 13:16:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_2d0ffafad3c748cf857d3db0dbd8b496~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nasty Politics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Florida Governor Ron DeSantis debated California Governor Gavin Newsom last night.  For your own sanity and for the sake of the country,...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/nasty-politics</link><guid isPermaLink="false">656a091afb72626f859b7314</guid><pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:22:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_a26dbcf31bc74d608e14d8fd83f98f84~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_301,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Freedom of Speech on Campus and Outsourcing Decision-making]]></title><description><![CDATA[Do most Americans think we should have freedom of speech on college campuses?  A recent survey by the University of Chicago paints an...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/freedom-of-speech-on-campus-and-outsourcing-decision-making</link><guid isPermaLink="false">651d8491c1bf5229354fbab1</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 17:14:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_6ec36e24b9a6494f8fc46af756c6729c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_301,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[RIP: Fairness Doctrine]]></title><description><![CDATA[There are no obvious solutions to the fake news problem.  Or, better, the obvious solutions are bad ones.  The bluntest instrument is...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/rip-fairness-doctrine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63f6d507fc75de6694d6dc25</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Mar 2023 12:45:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_ad07911e0ee7443a81d421d352245201~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Risk of News Censorship]]></title><description><![CDATA[The world is confronting higher rates of misinformation and disinformation than ever before (for a primer on the difference between the...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/the-risk-of-news-censorship</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63e53be9d4824ae682f3b8e6</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:39:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_2d0ffafad3c748cf857d3db0dbd8b496~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Man Bites Dog]]></title><description><![CDATA[There's an old saying in journalism: "Dog bites man, who cares?  Man bites dog, now that's news." The aphorism captures the idea that...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/man-bites-dog</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63dad615d5a48318843a1d8f</guid><category><![CDATA[Fake News]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2023 12:10:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eda8a3_1d8adb8a53a5492e8204385d80cfd05c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_555,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Angertainment Industry]]></title><description><![CDATA[I read the news almost every morning.  I start with my local paper, The Durango Herald, then move to a statewide, non-profit, politically...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/the-angertainment-industry</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6377e73b3eebc2b08d978cf3</guid><pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 2022 14:21:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_2d0ffafad3c748cf857d3db0dbd8b496~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Election Results Surprise You?  Stop Listening to Predictions by the Experts.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most of the people I know were surprised by last week's midterm election results.  Friends both liberal and conservative were pretty much...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/election-results-surprise-you-stop-listening-to-predictions-by-the-experts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6372863f579312cbeb86cd9e</guid><pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2022 13:28:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_02253913a2454c5d82eeec610f112b45~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_312,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Information Ecosystem is a Tragedy of the Commons]]></title><description><![CDATA[Information (and misinformation) doesn't exist in a static state.  Instead, it lives in an ever-changing flux that we can think of like...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/the-information-ecosystem-is-a-tragedy-of-the-commons</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63225c1d06e2609297a5daa3</guid><pubDate>Mon, 19 Sep 2022 13:06:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_2d0ffafad3c748cf857d3db0dbd8b496~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[More is Less: How the Internet Makes us Informationally Worse Off]]></title><description><![CDATA[Since the first university opened its doors in Bologna, Italy, libraries have been front-and-center of the academic enterprise.  Scrolls...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/more-is-less-how-the-internet-makes-us-informationally-worse-off</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62e4121f3eabf53f0c1b3f21</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Aug 2022 12:54:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_6826c8392e7f490796d4d3027b822519~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Tale of Two Reflexes: Cultural Egoism vs. Cultural Relativism]]></title><description><![CDATA[I teach ethics to wide-eyed freshman at least once every year.  It's one of my favorite classes to teach.  We start the term by talking...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/a-tale-of-two-reflexes-cultural-egoism-vs-cultural-relativism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6046ccf79bbc8600156c6bd3</guid><category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jun 2022 14:35:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_7732981b081f48e4a1d099a57bbb4231~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[There's No Such Thing as Your Truth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some people talk about truth as if it's personal.  They say things like "Speak your truth" or "That's my truth."  US officials say that...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/there-s-no-such-thing-as-your-truth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">618da47440f7d000169eee85</guid><category><![CDATA[Epistemology]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 10 May 2022 12:57:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_edc283ec6d164ce49d489aa9c3fc5fc1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_314,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When You Won't Change Your Mind]]></title><description><![CDATA[Humans are tribal thinkers.  Our minds aren't wired to get to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  That's not to say...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/when-you-won-t-change-your-mind</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6233a79d5e48e6d2daf64aca</guid><category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category><category><![CDATA[Epistemology]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:44:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_6826c8392e7f490796d4d3027b822519~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Link Between Postmodernism and Fake News, Part Two]]></title><description><![CDATA[In my last post, I gave a high-level overview of the philosophical worldview known as postmodernism.  Postmodern (PoMo) thought says that...]]></description><link>https://www.justinmcbrayer.com/post/the-link-between-postmodernism-and-fake-news-part-two</link><guid isPermaLink="false">621573117f05dc3475752aef</guid><pubDate>Mon, 14 Mar 2022 11:40:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08c259_2d0ffafad3c748cf857d3db0dbd8b496~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>justinpatrickmcbrayer</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>