Michael Brownstein

My new book--with Alex Madva and @dryan149.bsky.social--has a cover! In print 9.16.25, but why not preorder a copy now? mitpress.mit.edu/978026204978... @mitpress.bsky.social #CoverReveal #Bookstagram Thanks to Frank Augugliaro for the cover design

The achievement of Serbian students overthrowing Aleksandar Vučić can't be overstated. In 2024, they began protesting. In 2025, they transformed a protest movement into civil dissidence. In 2026, they became a political party — and two months later, crushed a corrupt state-entrenched authoritarian.

Thank you, ladies.

Some paper should back that! www.somebody-book.com @mitpress.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social

Hard to get used to the feeling of my jaw hitting the floor over and over again while reading this amazing article. An illustration of @joehenrich.bsky.social's ideas about collective brains unlike any I've encountered.

Pretty damn impressive

Nobody told me this, but sometimes books get you into parties.

I'll be door-knocking Sunday with Canvassing Connectors. Join us! www.canvassingconnectors.com

Ezra Klein @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social did the country 2 big favors this week His talk with the Nvidia CEO revealed a shallow, glib, defensive man (and thus a technology) nowhere near safe maturity His talk with Abdul El-Sayed revealed a humane, responsive, and morally rich man ready for leadership

Chuffed to learn that my book with @dryan149.bsky.social and @madva.bsky.social has been shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Book Prize for Social Justice. The winner will be announced Oct 7th. @mitpress.bsky.social @goddardriverside.bsky.social

I am sad to share that Project Implicit, my first non-profit and foundation of my career, is closing. The IAT website will continue, managed by the next generation of leaders in implicit bias research. Here's the statement I posted to LinkedIn. It didn't vibe right as a bsky thread.

Today Lottie and Hayden covered the book Somebody Should Do Something by @madva.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social & @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social from the lens of #animaljustice. Think about how YOU can encourage #vegan ethics to the people around you #systemchange www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspe...

trump now underwater on every policy issue, including border security. dems drawing even on handling deportations, immigration, and crime -- the GOP's last significant issue advantages. is that bad? seems bad www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-08-25...

So awesome that this book now is in paperback. Consider listening to CASBS's podcast episode about the book with two of its coauthors, @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social (CASBS fellow 2019-20) & @dryan149.bsky.social (CASBS fellow 2018-19) 🎙️🎧 ➡️ bsky.app/profile/casb...

Newly released in paperback, @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social, @madva.bsky.social, and @dryan149.bsky.social's “Somebody Should Do Something” provides a novel approach to creating transformative social change—and the ways that each of us can help make a difference: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204978...

Prof. @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social explains how ‘structure-facing virtues’ tie the personal to the big picture psyche.co/ideas/mother...

In July, on ABC, CBS, and NBC, there were 194 segments on the extreme heat waves rolling across the US. Number that mentioned climate change: 0.

The paperback edition of "Somebody Should Do Something" set to publish on August 11! mitpress.mit.edu/978026204978...

There’s more to virtue than how we treat other individuals. ‘Structure-facing virtues’ tie the personal to the big picture. An Idea by @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social & @madva.bsky.social

Great piece by @leahstokes.bsky.social dispelling two myths: that Trump killed the full IRA and that the political theory behind it was proven wrong.

Mother Teresa was virtuous, but she was wrong about virtue 🧵 “If there are people who feel that God wants them to change the structures of society, that is something between them and their God,” Mother Teresa wrote in 1975... psyche.co/ideas/mother...

Our book's final chapter explores how people can focus on the social roles they already occupy—in their jobs, families, pastimes, and friend networks—to find opportunities to make a difference. We begin with a profile of Nigerian feminist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. 🧵 www.youtube.com/shorts/q6N1e...

Spent the last 2 days bingeing all 8 episodes of the latest season of The UnMute Podcast with Myisha Cherry, and every one is a banger! Honored to be interviewed on one of the OG philosophy podcasts, "where philosophy and real-world issues collide" www.unmutepodcast.com/all-episodes...

Too cool to be part of this event at @molimuseum.bsky.social! Amazing commentators who share the commitment to merge scholarship with public engagement and civic activism (... and who were also very careful readers of our work for @mitpress.bsky.social!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVqp...

Not every day that you get to give a talk with an opener, the opener plays 17th century Irish folk music, and previous speakers in the series were Thoreau and Emerson. Bet those chumps didn't even have good slides. @madva.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social

Four philosophers on social change and why our personal choices still matter in the face of intractable, global, wickedly complex problems @madva.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social

Fox News Poll: Voters say Democrats can better handle income inequality (+22 points), healthcare (+21), inflation (+10), the economy (+9), and foreign policy (+7). More, via Opinion Today: opiniontoday.substack.com/p/260723

AQI in ft. greene is 278. Looks and feels awful outside.

New podcast appearance! (Recorded in December, but still.) @madva.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social

Journalists: please, please get ready for this in ADVANCE. We know Trump's going to claim "new evidence shows the 2020 election was stolen". You've got 3 days to write a story that confronts that lie head-on before he says it - pre-write this like an obit. America is begging you: plan ahead. 1/

Good thread

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Generally speaking, polls have shown the Democratic Party's problem is not being seen as too woke, but weak and ineffective. Judging by tonight's primary results, Democratic Primary voters are intent on fixing this www.gelliottmorris.com/p/new-poll-d...

newbooksnetwork.com/somebody-sho... News Books Network!

Mamdani's speech at the Knicks parade was easily the best I've ever heard at an event of that sort. I posted the whole thing on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Highly recommended.

Who made the call to swap out bologna sandwiches for PB&J at the March on Washington? I found out from Tom Discenna for the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social as we shared stories of social change newbooksnetwork.com/somebody-sho... @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social

Bad day for the manifest image

Every single refugee we've let in since December is supposedly fleeing white genocide.

DC always clutch

Got to visit my grad school alma mater for a book talk and conversation about "moral fragmentation" with @dryan149.bsky.social, @dcameron.bsky.social, @mattlindauer.bsky.social and other terrific scholars. Good times! @madva.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social

"Meaningful change happens when individuals work with others to challenge and reshape existing structures" Had a wonderful conversation with Dr Waseem Akhtar for the podcast, Bridging the Gaps: A Portal for Curious Minds www.bridgingthegaps.ie/2026/05/some...

Episode of @goodisinthedetails.bsky.social with me and @dryan149.bsky.social is 1 of 3 finalists (out of 155 submissions) for Episode of the Year for HigherEd PodCon! www.edupexperience.com/podconawardf... @mitpress.bsky.social @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social

In Slate, Prof. @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social explains how virtue signaling can often be virtuous slate.com/news-and-pol...

Slate hooked us up with the non-paywalled link too: slate.com/news-and-pol...

"It may feel like nothing we can do as individuals will make a difference to stem the climate crisis. But this is a mistake. Individual actions do matter, just not the way we usually think." Check out my new piece with @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social for @slate.com slate.com/news-and-pol...

Short essay in @slate.com today with @madva.bsky.social on using social influence for good. Draws from ideas in our recent book with @dryan149.bsky.social. Check it out!