Some personal news
Change is afoot at Reasonable People HQ
For the next year I’m taking a career break. I won’t do any work for the University of Sheffield, and they won’t pay me (but they are keeping my job open to go back to, so it’s a good deal all round).
I’m planning to spend the year thinking and writing, and keeping up with a few important projects, including my work with the Research on Research Institute (who have generously offered me paid work for 1.5 days a week).
I’ve put the answers to some questions below, but the upshot for you - dear reader of Reasonable People - is that I’ve potentially got more time to write. I’ve also turned on paid subscriptions, so if you want to encourage me to write more there’s now an easy way to do that. Your support is appreciated, but I don’t need to make a financial success of this newsletter. I’m also not going to be putting content behind paywalls, because I want to write for everyone.
For more background about me and my plans, read on.
But, in the meantime, I would appreciate it a lot if you could share this newsletter with those who might appreciate what I do. This button might help:
So what are you going to do?
I want to write more about the topics which interest me, the core of which are represented in this newsletter - reasoning, argument and persuasion; what we can learn from cognitive science about these topics and how they are affected by the new era of generative AI and large language models in particular.
So what are you actually going to do?
I also want a change of pace and space, so I’m looking into various options for visits and secondments.
I’m really happy that the first of these is the secondment to RoRI so we can continue the work on developing experiments - and a culture of experimentation - in research funding. Metascience is a bit off-topic for this newsletter (although see this edition), which will continue to focus on cognitive science, computer science and psychology. When I have metascience news I post it on LinkedIn and Mastodon.
The basic idea of the year off is a career break to create space to explore some new things. My fall back position will be to write more for a non-specialist audience, which I used to do more of.
If you’d like something written about, I’m open to suggestions. I’m also looking for new adventures of the mind and spirit, so if you have suggestions for collaborations or projects please get in touch.
So you’re on sabbatical?
No. Sabbaticals - at least in my experience of UK Universities - involve a reduction of duties in return for delivering some specified academic output (e.g. writing a book or a grant). As well as being increasingly rare, they are also often for a single semester, and paid. I am un-salaried, and free to do anything I want in the realm of “public engagement and knowledge exchange” (which is what I promised the University I would do, a form of words that helped them recognise the value to them of me taking leave). I am also free for an a entire year, until September 2026.
Is this allowed?
This is the most common question I’ve had from other academics. Yes, this is standard provision which all staff at the University can request. It’s the same arrangement they make for people who get seconded to industry or government jobs, except in this case I’ve seconded myself.
Isn’t it weird that you say you love writing and thinking and yet you have taken a year off from a job as a university professor?
Yes.
So Reasonable People will have paid subscribers now?
Yes, although what you get for a paid subscription is the knowledge that you are generating reinforcement for my writing habit. I am not going to put the newsletter behind a paywall. This is the model used by The Guardian as well as bloggers like ACX and Andrew Brown (to pick two who I recall have written about this model).
As I said, I don’t need to make a living from the newsletter. I have other work, and savings to live on. If people subscribe then I will take it as a signal that the world needs more of what I write, and I will be able to spend more time on it.
You know what to do:
(if I understand things right, if you are already a subscriber this button above should invite you to upgrade).
If you can’t subscribe, I would really appreciate it if you keep reading and share the posts when they hit the spot. I would also love feedback on what I could do more of, and less of. If you got this via email, you can just hit reply.
Otherwise, you can reach me at tom@idiolect.org.uk and on Mastodon at @tomstafford@mastodon.online. If you’ve ever had a glimmer of a thought that you should get in touch to tell me something, or ask me something, now is the time to do it. I’ve cleared the decks and have the free time and headspace for new things (and I’d love to hear from anyone who has read this far).
Onwards!
…And finally
Mariusz Lewandowski “Soul Hunter” (2015)
…which I saw via @migurski, and is part of a genre of fantasy art featuring people facing impossibly large monsters which I find strangely appealing.
Reddits full of impossibly large monsters here: r/ImaginaryBehemoths, r/ImaginaryGiants
END
Comments? Feedback? Recommendations for adventures of the mind and spirit for my year off? I am tom@idiolect.org.uk and on Mastodon at @tomstafford@mastodon.online
Baller move Tom. Good for you and good for metascience!
Success! Looking forward to seeing (or hearing about) the outcomes :-)