Tom Pepinsky
@tompepinsky.com
Teacher, researcher, internationalist, republican.
tompepinsky.com
tompepinsky.com
The Moral Economy of the Death Star: On the Institutional Foundations of Imperial Decay
What’s your fake starwars academic paper
September 22, 2026 at 10:19 AM
The Moral Economy of the Death Star: On the Institutional Foundations of Imperial Decay
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
The provost of Dartmouth, at which I teach, has been using AI to write both academic papers & national op-eds, according to brave reporting by @thedartmouth.bsky.social. Many students are already bitter about AI. This leaves us as faculty no ground to stand on. www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026...
Op-eds, academic articles by Provost Santiago Schnell flagged as ‘AI-written’ by ‘near-zero error’ AI detector Pangram
Schnell said he used artificial intelligence for “making writing processes more efficient,” but that AI was not a “substitute” for his own “intellectual judgment or authorship.”
www.thedartmouth.com
September 21, 2026 at 4:26 PM
The provost of Dartmouth, at which I teach, has been using AI to write both academic papers & national op-eds, according to brave reporting by @thedartmouth.bsky.social. Many students are already bitter about AI. This leaves us as faculty no ground to stand on. www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026...
lol they larded this document with references to "viewpoint discrimination" and you love to see it
JUST IN: POLITICO's joint lawsuit with CNN and MSNOW to lift the White House ban is now live. Read it here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
September 21, 2026 at 2:43 PM
lol they larded this document with references to "viewpoint discrimination" and you love to see it
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
1/3 How can Europe thrive in a fragmenting world and reform despite political divisions between and within countries? In our @cepr.org Europe 2050 contribution, @jafrieden.bsky.social & I argue that political feasibility must be a central consideration in any reform design.
cepr.org/publications...
cepr.org/publications...
September 21, 2026 at 2:14 PM
1/3 How can Europe thrive in a fragmenting world and reform despite political divisions between and within countries? In our @cepr.org Europe 2050 contribution, @jafrieden.bsky.social & I argue that political feasibility must be a central consideration in any reform design.
cepr.org/publications...
cepr.org/publications...
Russia goes with Iran. Iran and Saudi are enemies. So who is supporting Saudi? You see my point here?
September 21, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Russia goes with Iran. Iran and Saudi are enemies. So who is supporting Saudi? You see my point here?
The Middle East is a complex web of alliances and interests that defies simple analyses of us-vs.-them and good-vs.-evil.
Amidst all that noise, you can still count on DJT to screw over anyone he can, just because that is his one true and enduring personal trait.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
Amidst all that noise, you can still count on DJT to screw over anyone he can, just because that is his one true and enduring personal trait.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
Trump Gets Caught in a Dilemma Over a Saudi Plea for Military Help
The president vacillated but decided on Sunday not to join Saudi Arabia, for now, in joint strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. But he also needs the kingdom’s cooperation in his war against Iran.
www.nytimes.com
September 21, 2026 at 11:34 AM
The Middle East is a complex web of alliances and interests that defies simple analyses of us-vs.-them and good-vs.-evil.
Amidst all that noise, you can still count on DJT to screw over anyone he can, just because that is his one true and enduring personal trait.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
Amidst all that noise, you can still count on DJT to screw over anyone he can, just because that is his one true and enduring personal trait.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
A Prussian province out there still mattering for things
Es gibt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Aber es gibt auch Mecklenburg und Vorpommern. Wie wir heute Abend voraussichtlich wieder sehen werden, unterscheiden sich beide Regionen deutlich in ihrem Wahlverhalten. Woher kommen diese Unterschiede? Ein Thread mit Daten aus dem Kaiserreich bis heute. 🧵
September 20, 2026 at 1:42 PM
A Prussian province out there still mattering for things
"59 top cities and capitals"
September 20, 2026 at 1:27 PM
"59 top cities and capitals"
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
This thing I made two years ago continues to hold up pretty well
September 20, 2026 at 12:22 PM
This thing I made two years ago continues to hold up pretty well
I hate the University of Mississippi (I won’t call it that name) with the grim focus of an Auburn/Mississippi State family. But I hate Lane Kiffin more
September 20, 2026 at 1:24 AM
I hate the University of Mississippi (I won’t call it that name) with the grim focus of an Auburn/Mississippi State family. But I hate Lane Kiffin more
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
Thanks @tompepinsky.com. I think the finding about potential offline social isolation combined with online friends is particularly important.
lnkd.in/p/gUJAxsP9
lnkd.in/p/gUJAxsP9
White Nationalism Support Found in 5% of US Adults, Higher Among Young White Men | Joshua Tucker posted on the topic | LinkedIn
White nationalism has become more visible in American life, especially in online spaces where young white men spend their time. In a new publication at Nature with Patrick Egan & Jim Bisbee, we examin...
lnkd.in
September 19, 2026 at 3:04 AM
Thanks @tompepinsky.com. I think the finding about potential offline social isolation combined with online friends is particularly important.
lnkd.in/p/gUJAxsP9
lnkd.in/p/gUJAxsP9
Read this and understand the longtermist position on Dyson spheres, the light cone, and why you don’t actually have to help any actually existing human right now
September 19, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Read this and understand the longtermist position on Dyson spheres, the light cone, and why you don’t actually have to help any actually existing human right now
time for my all-time favorite gif
September 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM
time for my all-time favorite gif
As an American watching the UK Labour Party squander its historic parliamentary majority through aimless, rudderless, poll-driven governance, I hope the U.S. Democratic Party takes note that U.S. voters in 2026 do not want a Democrat-controlled Congress because they want tepid Republican governance
September 18, 2026 at 10:40 AM
As an American watching the UK Labour Party squander its historic parliamentary majority through aimless, rudderless, poll-driven governance, I hope the U.S. Democratic Party takes note that U.S. voters in 2026 do not want a Democrat-controlled Congress because they want tepid Republican governance
real "here, YOU throw this away" energy
The US Department of State has approved the potential sale of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $24.3 billion, it says in a notice.-Al Arabiya
September 17, 2026 at 7:30 PM
real "here, YOU throw this away" energy
👇
Democrat strategists/pundits who sided with the admin on immigration should wear a T on their shirt for the rest of their lives.
It is the rarest of issues, a trifecta: opposing violent and illegal detention and deportation is morally correct, constitutionally valid, and an electoral winner
Democrat strategists/pundits who sided with the admin on immigration should wear a T on their shirt for the rest of their lives.
It is the rarest of issues, a trifecta: opposing violent and illegal detention and deportation is morally correct, constitutionally valid, and an electoral winner
When will the people who argued in April 2025 that Democrats should stay silent on immigration own up to being frankly just disastrously wrong about the politics of mass deportations? Their punditry basically bordered on enablement
Florida GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar to Trump: "Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far ... The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today"
September 17, 2026 at 3:24 PM
👇
Democrat strategists/pundits who sided with the admin on immigration should wear a T on their shirt for the rest of their lives.
It is the rarest of issues, a trifecta: opposing violent and illegal detention and deportation is morally correct, constitutionally valid, and an electoral winner
Democrat strategists/pundits who sided with the admin on immigration should wear a T on their shirt for the rest of their lives.
It is the rarest of issues, a trifecta: opposing violent and illegal detention and deportation is morally correct, constitutionally valid, and an electoral winner
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
Great paper. And very interesting to reflect on the value of a "correlates of Y" paper that makes no causal claim but establishes patterns that are informative on some theories anyway.
It’s young (white) men.
New study in @nature.com by @jatucker.bsky.social et al looks at the predictors of white nationalist attitudes across an array of survey data.
🔑 Findings:
—5% of white adults hold such views
—13.5% of white men age 18-29
—Political ideology matters but it’s not just that
New study in @nature.com by @jatucker.bsky.social et al looks at the predictors of white nationalist attitudes across an array of survey data.
🔑 Findings:
—5% of white adults hold such views
—13.5% of white men age 18-29
—Political ideology matters but it’s not just that
September 17, 2026 at 2:18 AM
Great paper. And very interesting to reflect on the value of a "correlates of Y" paper that makes no causal claim but establishes patterns that are informative on some theories anyway.
- Just give it away. And then you watch. And you watch and you see who comes back for more.
- And then I start charging.
- And then I start charging.
September 17, 2026 at 11:41 AM
- Just give it away. And then you watch. And you watch and you see who comes back for more.
- And then I start charging.
- And then I start charging.
Read this thread
🧵 Today I was charged under Singapore's Public Order Act for “taking part in a public assembly within a prohibited area”. 3 friends were also charged for the same offence.
The assembly in question? Posing for photos outside the State Courts after my friend Jolovan Wham's court mentions in Feb 2025.
The assembly in question? Posing for photos outside the State Courts after my friend Jolovan Wham's court mentions in Feb 2025.
September 17, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Read this thread
Great paper. And very interesting to reflect on the value of a "correlates of Y" paper that makes no causal claim but establishes patterns that are informative on some theories anyway.
It’s young (white) men.
New study in @nature.com by @jatucker.bsky.social et al looks at the predictors of white nationalist attitudes across an array of survey data.
🔑 Findings:
—5% of white adults hold such views
—13.5% of white men age 18-29
—Political ideology matters but it’s not just that
New study in @nature.com by @jatucker.bsky.social et al looks at the predictors of white nationalist attitudes across an array of survey data.
🔑 Findings:
—5% of white adults hold such views
—13.5% of white men age 18-29
—Political ideology matters but it’s not just that
September 17, 2026 at 2:18 AM
Great paper. And very interesting to reflect on the value of a "correlates of Y" paper that makes no causal claim but establishes patterns that are informative on some theories anyway.
the hardest thing for the politician-bureaucrats to understand -- but which NSF staff *absolutely do* understand and always have -- is that you actually make scientific progress by giving young people money and promising not to bother them
Scientist here:
It is widely known inside science that this—top-down imposition of a research agenda—leads to mostly rote, boring, non-innovative work.
Building an institute to do discovery science is hard: you hire young people, put them together, hope synergies arise and ideas fall out.
It is widely known inside science that this—top-down imposition of a research agenda—leads to mostly rote, boring, non-innovative work.
Building an institute to do discovery science is hard: you hire young people, put them together, hope synergies arise and ideas fall out.
A deep dive into the memo that marks the end of how NSF has done business for 76 years www.science.org/content/arti...
September 16, 2026 at 1:41 AM
the hardest thing for the politician-bureaucrats to understand -- but which NSF staff *absolutely do* understand and always have -- is that you actually make scientific progress by giving young people money and promising not to bother them
thought 1: "Wait, hold on. what does this mean?"
thought 2: "Nope, don't think about it, Pepinsky"
thought 2: "Nope, don't think about it, Pepinsky"
Kash Patel: "Applicants who have engaged in beastiliaty means they were victims of beastility because they were forced to do so. At this FBI we are not going to criminalize and prevent victims from serving."
September 15, 2026 at 2:41 PM
thought 1: "Wait, hold on. what does this mean?"
thought 2: "Nope, don't think about it, Pepinsky"
thought 2: "Nope, don't think about it, Pepinsky"
I am enjoying a snicker at the thought that, in addition to their regular task of calculating the probability that they end humanity, the AI giants now have to *also* deal with the fact that Trump publicly likes them.
Bear-hugging data centers remains the funniest part of his midterms strategy
September 14, 2026 at 3:42 PM
I am enjoying a snicker at the thought that, in addition to their regular task of calculating the probability that they end humanity, the AI giants now have to *also* deal with the fact that Trump publicly likes them.
For those about to rock! IYKYK.
September 14, 2026 at 2:40 PM
For those about to rock! IYKYK.