Paul Bloom
@paulbloomatyale
Psychologist who studies and writes about human nature—including morality, pleasure, and religion (Artwork by MK Wynn: http://mkwynn.com)
Check out my new Substack "Small Potatoes". New articles every Friday (or sometimes more often); click below to subscribe for free! smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net
Not bad, thanks. I'll talk about the whole thing in my first post-surgery podcast, which I'm taping with Paul Bloom on Tuesday.
Coming up on @philtalkradio: Is it weird to want to do things that are bad for us? Josh & Ray unravel our weird wants with @paulbloomatyale from the @UofT, author of "The Sweet Spot" – Sunday 11 am on @KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco & kalw.org/show/philosoph….
Jeffrey Epstein, MechaHitler, and Other Ills | @robertwrighter and psychologist @paulbloomatyale discuss the Epstein files, Bob’s AI-guided (and misguided?) cancer journey, Grok’s Nazi-pornbot turn, AI companions, and more. youtu.be/CoJw3RuVN5A?fe…
This is a terrific article by @jenszalai about the use and misuse of arguments against empathy. (And I’m not just saying this because it ends with a quote by me.) nytimes.com/2025/07/18/boo…
Excellent piece by @jenszalai. She & @paulbloomatyale are right. Empathy unfettered can be a problem. But this is why religions tend to cultivate it, but also put guardrails around it. Empathy is the fire, but principles constrain its focus & limits.🧵 nytimes.com/2025/07/18/boo…
I absolutely loved @paulbloomatyale's article. It starts one way and ends in another. Beautifully written, and as usual with Paul, reveals something interesting and true. Read it!
open.substack.com/pub/paulbloom/…
As someone who has severe bouts of insomnia, I usually avoid reading about sleep--but this one, by the extraordinary @JenSeniorNY, is REALLY GOOD and I learned a lot from it. theatlantic.com/magazihttps://…
New Substack. If you read it and agree, please spread the word. substack.com/home/post/p-16…
We generally think of pain and suffering as something to be avoided. See a sharp thorn on a bush? Don't touch it. Scary movie on tv? Change the channel. A menu item with five peppers in front of it? No thanks. Psychologist @paulbloomatyale says that as much as we're wired to…
Linking a great post on this by @paulbloomatyale : smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net/p/psychology-i… (which is itself a reply to a more pessimistic take on psychology by @a_m_mastroianni , also worth reading)
Few series have captured loss and longing with the grace of The Leftovers. One of the greatest shows ever made.
define ‘masterpiece’
1/ Can AI be conscious? My @BBSjournal target article on ‘Conscious AI and biological naturalism’ is now open for commentary proposals. Deadline is June 12. Take-home: real artificial consciousness is very unlikely along current trajectories. cambridge.org/core/journals/…
I’m writing a book for general readers presenting new scientific and philosophical approaches that reshape our understanding of mental disorders, and it will be published by @Harvard_Press