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David Webster @davidwebster

Philosopher. Educator. National Teaching Fellow & SFHEA. Interests: pedagogy; Artificial Intelligence in Education; Buddhist thought; phenomenology. #SAFC

Joined August 2008
  • Tweets 34,795
  • Following 3,126
  • Followers 4,660
1,742 Photos and videos
Check out my latest article: Thinking in an Age of AI Slop: Five Recent Pieces on Teaching, Attention and the University linkedin.com/pulse/thinking-…

Thinking in an Age of AI Slop: Five Recent Pieces on Teaching, Attention and the University

Over the past few weeks I have found myself writing more regularly about thinking, teaching, AI, and the university. Not as separate topics, exactly, but as parts of the same problem: what happens to...

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Brain Rot, AI Slop and the Work of Thinking davewebster.org/2026/05/12/b…

Brain Rot, AI Slop and the Work of Thinking

How can we teach and work in what Adam Aleksic calls our ‘hypermediated reality’? I spoke today at EdTech World Forum in London on Education in an Age of Brain Rot, AI Slop and Cognitive Offloading…

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Eating the tompouce davewebster.org/2026/04/29/e…

Eating the tompouce

There are some things that resist being done neatly. I am fond of sweet pastry-related offerings—to put it mildly. So, on my many trips to Groningen, when I saw something that looked (and largely b…

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I Taught Philosophy for 20 Years. Here’s What I Learned. davewebster.org/2026/04/28/i…

I Taught Philosophy for 20 Years. Here’s What I Learned.

[Apologies for the clickbait title!] I taught philosophy for at least 20 years. Long enough to become reasonably confident in what I was doing and then realise that at least some of that confidence…

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David Webster retweeted
David Storey@DavidStorey60
Apr 10
Replying to @davidwebster
@davidwebster on the need to view university education as a public good, not a private investment linkedin.com/pulse/problem-i…

The Problem Isn’t That Too Many People Go to University

There is an all-too familiar refrain in discussions about higher education:, or that one is liekly to overhear in any conversation that touches on Universities : “Too many people go to university...

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Against Nihilism, For Appetite: Why Teaching Still Matters davewebster.org/2026/04/21/a…

Against Nihilism, For Appetite: Why Teaching Still Matters

Cross-posted from my LinkedIn posts, where I mostly put stuff these days.. “In these troubled times” is a phrase we hear often, sometimes in a darkly humorous, sarcastic-not-sarcastic tone. At othe…

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Dead University Theory? You’ve heard of ‘dead internet theory’? Well what about.... davewebster.org/2025/10/09/d…

Dead University Theory?

This is a short LinkedIn post that I’ll post here as a reminder to expand! You’ve heard of ‘dead internet theory’?* Which seems to get more persuasive every day. The idea that the internet is…

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David Webster retweeted
Marc Watkins@Marc__Watkins
8 Oct 2025
I was on NPR Morning Edition to talk about the deeply troubling ethical issue of faculty using AI to grade student assignments. I'm glad this issue is getting more attention, but it is also one I don't see clear a path forward.
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David Webster@davidwebster
15 May 2025
Why Being Polite to AI Matters (And Not For the Reason You Think) davewebster.org/2025/05/15/w…

Why Being Polite to AI Matters (And Not For the Reason You Think)

Cross-Posted from where I put it on LinkedIn: I am writing a longer piece on politeness to AI and ethics, but in light of Sam Altman’s recent comments – I asked Claude GAI (very nicely)…

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David Webster retweeted
Marc Watkins@Marc__Watkins
22 Jun 2025
I spent two days with university leadership from across the country and expected university presidents to tell me why they're going all in on AI. Instead, they asked: How do we preserve our institution's values now that AI is here? ☝️link in bio
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Disciplinary Specificity and Domain Expertise: Why Generative AI systems need scholars. davewebster.org/2025/06/09/d…

Disciplinary Specificity and Domain Expertise: Why Generative AI systems need scholars.

Does anyone need to remember or know anything anymore? We carry the sum of all human knowledge in our pocket, so can’t we just look stuff up? But this atomised attitude towards knowledge as mere li…

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Thanks to Jay Thakkar for inviting me on his podcast: Buddhism Meets AI: Exploring Consciousness & Ethics, Learning and University Assessment youtu.be/Y7ERBp0GV8o?si=cVZd… via @YouTube
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The British Omani Society@BritishOmani
8 Nov 2024
Session 5 of #NGG24AI Thank you, @davidwebster of @LivUni for your inquisitive and philosophical presentation on #AI, #Academia and #UniversityLife. Will AI be an emotional, social and academic support? or a surveillance tool?
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On December 10th, I will be speaking at the Westminster Higher Education Forum policy conference: Next steps for AI in higher education event - online. @WHEFEvents westminsterforumprojects.co.…
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Looking forward to speaking at this next week!
The British Omani Society@BritishOmani
31 Oct 2024
Exciting Announcement🌟 🇴🇲🇬🇧 The British Omani Society is thrilled to announce the New Generation Group (NGG) happening from November 7th to 9th, 2024! This year's focus: "Future Skills: AI's Role in Transforming Education and Workforce Development."
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Tomorrow!
David Webster@davidwebster
25 Oct 2024
University of Liverpool presents Professor Beth Johnson: Class Dismissed? Work and Inequalities Behind the Scenes of British TV and Film, Wednesday 30th Oct. fact.co.uk/event/class-dismi… Last few (free!) tickets here. @LivUni
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University of Liverpool presents Professor Beth Johnson: Class Dismissed? Work and Inequalities Behind the Scenes of British TV and Film, Wednesday 30th Oct. fact.co.uk/event/class-dismi… Last few (free!) tickets here. @LivUni

University of Liverpool Lecture: Class Dismissed?

Join the University of Liverpool for an insightful lecture on inclusivity and representation in the British media industry.

fact.co.uk
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