Johannes Richter
@jgmrichter.bsky.social
Wine industry journalist and generalist with interests in the critical study of religion, philosophy, complex systems and Oxford commas.
Reposted by Johannes Richter
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found it is small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
November 13, 2025 at 9:12 AM
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found it is small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
Reposted by Johannes Richter
1. We ( @jbakcoleman.bsky.social, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, and I) have a new preprint up on the arXiv.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
October 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
1. We ( @jbakcoleman.bsky.social, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, and I) have a new preprint up on the arXiv.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
Reposted by Johannes Richter
Reposted by Johannes Richter
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition globally. It’s estimated that 4% to 5% of people in the world have an anxiety disorder at any given time.
Long-term surveys in the United States suggest that around one-third of people experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
Long-term surveys in the United States suggest that around one-third of people experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
November 10, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition globally. It’s estimated that 4% to 5% of people in the world have an anxiety disorder at any given time.
Long-term surveys in the United States suggest that around one-third of people experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
Long-term surveys in the United States suggest that around one-third of people experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
Reposted by Johannes Richter
This morning I spoke with Lester Kiewiet on CapeTalk about how Donald #Trump is instrumentalising Nigerian suffering to pander to his populist voter base. This has very little to do with #Nigeria it is a populist tactic that is dangerous and ill-informed.
Read here: doi.org/10.5117/KT20...
Read here: doi.org/10.5117/KT20...
November 4, 2025 at 6:06 AM
This morning I spoke with Lester Kiewiet on CapeTalk about how Donald #Trump is instrumentalising Nigerian suffering to pander to his populist voter base. This has very little to do with #Nigeria it is a populist tactic that is dangerous and ill-informed.
Read here: doi.org/10.5117/KT20...
Read here: doi.org/10.5117/KT20...
Reposted by Johannes Richter
Here is a copy of the interview on Cape Talk on Donald Trump's threat to send the military into Nigeria, supposedly to protect Christians.
I would be grateful for your thoughts and feedback:
youtu.be/qywlFDXf_p0?...
I would be grateful for your thoughts and feedback:
youtu.be/qywlFDXf_p0?...
Trump’s Christian crusade in Nigeria
YouTube video by CapeTalk
youtu.be
November 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Here is a copy of the interview on Cape Talk on Donald Trump's threat to send the military into Nigeria, supposedly to protect Christians.
I would be grateful for your thoughts and feedback:
youtu.be/qywlFDXf_p0?...
I would be grateful for your thoughts and feedback:
youtu.be/qywlFDXf_p0?...
New favourite podcast historiansplaining.com/bio-of-dr-sam/
Bio of Dr. Sam - Historiansplaining - A Podcast
Samuel Biagetti holds a doctorate in early American history from Columbia University. He uses his knowledge & insights to produce the Historiansplaining Podcast, to be an expert guest on other podcast...
historiansplaining.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:06 AM
New favourite podcast historiansplaining.com/bio-of-dr-sam/
Reposted by Johannes Richter
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
October 8, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
Reposted by Johannes Richter
All Royal Society journal content is freely available this week for open access week @royalsocietypublishing.org
October 20, 2025 at 9:14 AM
All Royal Society journal content is freely available this week for open access week @royalsocietypublishing.org
Reposted by Johannes Richter
2/ In 2001, Borsook said tech "libertarianism" reflected an adolescent mindset, with a craving for unchecked independence & resistance to constraint.
She warned that tech libertarians wanted an anti-human world that worked more like a computer. From "Cyberselfish," a book based on her 90s writing:
She warned that tech libertarians wanted an anti-human world that worked more like a computer. From "Cyberselfish," a book based on her 90s writing:
September 24, 2025 at 6:36 PM
2/ In 2001, Borsook said tech "libertarianism" reflected an adolescent mindset, with a craving for unchecked independence & resistance to constraint.
She warned that tech libertarians wanted an anti-human world that worked more like a computer. From "Cyberselfish," a book based on her 90s writing:
She warned that tech libertarians wanted an anti-human world that worked more like a computer. From "Cyberselfish," a book based on her 90s writing:
Reposted by Johannes Richter
OBAMA: It's fair to say that 80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go. They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything. They get very anxious about it.
September 25, 2025 at 6:02 PM
OBAMA: It's fair to say that 80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go. They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything. They get very anxious about it.
Reposted by Johannes Richter
"We are belongers before we are believers."
@profsamperry.bsky.social on how, rather than driving behavior, religious beliefs often act as group identity signalers... "who is in, who is out, who I interact with, who I know, who I value.”
via @rickpidcock.bsky.social
baptistnews.com/article/thes...
@profsamperry.bsky.social on how, rather than driving behavior, religious beliefs often act as group identity signalers... "who is in, who is out, who I interact with, who I know, who I value.”
via @rickpidcock.bsky.social
baptistnews.com/article/thes...
These are the helpful conversations about religion we need – Baptist News Global
“A remedy to this partisan sorting where we hate each other and don’t understand each other is by getting involved with local politics."
baptistnews.com
September 16, 2025 at 11:46 PM
"We are belongers before we are believers."
@profsamperry.bsky.social on how, rather than driving behavior, religious beliefs often act as group identity signalers... "who is in, who is out, who I interact with, who I know, who I value.”
via @rickpidcock.bsky.social
baptistnews.com/article/thes...
@profsamperry.bsky.social on how, rather than driving behavior, religious beliefs often act as group identity signalers... "who is in, who is out, who I interact with, who I know, who I value.”
via @rickpidcock.bsky.social
baptistnews.com/article/thes...
Reposted by Johannes Richter
Yet again, the zombie myth of Bruno (among other things). Just seeing this image alone alerts you to what will inevitably follow ("Bruno, martyr to science!"). Fortunately we have Thony to put things right - a Sisyphean task, I fear.
A historian of science and New York Times reporter tries his hand at the 17th century Church and heliocentricity controversy and fails dismally. #histsci
thonyc.wordpress.com/2025/09/03/a...
thonyc.wordpress.com/2025/09/03/a...
A historian of science and New York Times reporter tries his hand at the 17th century Church and heliocentricity controversy and fails dismally.
On 31 August the New York Times published an opinion piece under the following title: Historians See Autocratic Playbook in Trump’s Attacks on Science From the headline illustration it was very obv…
thonyc.wordpress.com
September 3, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Yet again, the zombie myth of Bruno (among other things). Just seeing this image alone alerts you to what will inevitably follow ("Bruno, martyr to science!"). Fortunately we have Thony to put things right - a Sisyphean task, I fear.
Reposted by Johannes Richter
My next interview on the History for Atheists channel will be with Dr Dan McClellan @maklelan.bsky.social on things atheists get wrong about the Hebrew Bible/OT, early Jewish beliefs, the history of ancient Israel etc. What would you like me to ask Dan about?
August 1, 2025 at 9:38 PM
My next interview on the History for Atheists channel will be with Dr Dan McClellan @maklelan.bsky.social on things atheists get wrong about the Hebrew Bible/OT, early Jewish beliefs, the history of ancient Israel etc. What would you like me to ask Dan about?
Reposted by Johannes Richter
Meta fired its fact-checkers, citing concerns of liberal bias, and replaced them with a version of X's "Community Notes." How's that going?
Well, my coworker @geoffreyfowler.bsky.social proposed 65 fact-checks debunking false posts... and only 3 got approved. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Well, my coworker @geoffreyfowler.bsky.social proposed 65 fact-checks debunking false posts... and only 3 got approved. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Column | Zuckerberg fired the fact-checkers. We tested their replacement.
Our tech columnist drafted 65 community notes, Meta’s new crowdsourced system to fight falsehoods. It failed to make a dent.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 4, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Meta fired its fact-checkers, citing concerns of liberal bias, and replaced them with a version of X's "Community Notes." How's that going?
Well, my coworker @geoffreyfowler.bsky.social proposed 65 fact-checks debunking false posts... and only 3 got approved. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Well, my coworker @geoffreyfowler.bsky.social proposed 65 fact-checks debunking false posts... and only 3 got approved. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Johannes Richter
If you have ever wondered what difference does disinformation really make, please read this:
www.kff.org/health-infor...
The kicker is not this chart, but the finding that fully 40% of Republicans think more people died from the Covid vaccine than the disease, up from 25% in 2023.
www.kff.org/health-infor...
The kicker is not this chart, but the finding that fully 40% of Republicans think more people died from the Covid vaccine than the disease, up from 25% in 2023.
KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: January 2025 | KFF
As Senate hearings begin for President Trump’s health nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust shows a decline in public trust for govern...
www.kff.org
August 11, 2025 at 9:52 PM
If you have ever wondered what difference does disinformation really make, please read this:
www.kff.org/health-infor...
The kicker is not this chart, but the finding that fully 40% of Republicans think more people died from the Covid vaccine than the disease, up from 25% in 2023.
www.kff.org/health-infor...
The kicker is not this chart, but the finding that fully 40% of Republicans think more people died from the Covid vaccine than the disease, up from 25% in 2023.
Reposted by Johannes Richter
I've wanted to write this article for years. About my and other's struggles to even survive sometime in #academia. Thank you to the amazing editors at @plosbiology.org that gave me the forum to write this piece. #science
Too poor to science: How wealth determines who succeeds in STEM
From student to researcher, a career in science can come with a high price tag. This Perspective explores how persistent financial barriers limit who can succeed in science, revealing how wealth shape...
journals.plos.org
June 24, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I've wanted to write this article for years. About my and other's struggles to even survive sometime in #academia. Thank you to the amazing editors at @plosbiology.org that gave me the forum to write this piece. #science
Reposted by Johannes Richter
From claims about the pagan origins of Easter traditions to biblical literalists asserting that the miraculous darkness at the crucifixion is historically provable, I explode all kinds of myths in this holiday special. megaphone.link/ARML7228019606
April 23, 2025 at 12:24 AM
From claims about the pagan origins of Easter traditions to biblical literalists asserting that the miraculous darkness at the crucifixion is historically provable, I explode all kinds of myths in this holiday special. megaphone.link/ARML7228019606
Reposted by Johannes Richter
"An exceptionally clear and engaging account of how scientists demonstrate truth and falsity...this book ought to be on the reading list of policy makers everywhere, and should help any reader make more informed judgements in their lives"
Review by @philipcball.bsky.social of my book in The Lancet:
Review by @philipcball.bsky.social of my book in The Lancet:
Uncertainty and proof
The COVID-19 pandemic showed in real time, and with the highest of stakes, how hard
it can be to decide if something is true. Was the virus transmitted via surfaces or
airborne particles? Which drugs ...
www.thelancet.com
March 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM
"An exceptionally clear and engaging account of how scientists demonstrate truth and falsity...this book ought to be on the reading list of policy makers everywhere, and should help any reader make more informed judgements in their lives"
Review by @philipcball.bsky.social of my book in The Lancet:
Review by @philipcball.bsky.social of my book in The Lancet:
Reposted by Johannes Richter
“What the people in the White House are now [again] doing is an act of premeditated murder on 40-million people living with #HIV around the world.” - @markhar77.bsky.social of @treatmentactiongroup.org in @bhekisisa.org: bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
A frightening glimpse into the future of HIV research under Trump - Bhekisisa
There were empty seats in San Francisco last week at an annual international science conference which has delivered some of the world’s most groundbreaking HIV research. It was a throwback to another ...
bhekisisa.org
March 18, 2025 at 2:06 PM
“What the people in the White House are now [again] doing is an act of premeditated murder on 40-million people living with #HIV around the world.” - @markhar77.bsky.social of @treatmentactiongroup.org in @bhekisisa.org: bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
Reposted by Johannes Richter
Last week the Your Local Epidemiologist team released a survey on how the federal freezes are impacting your work.
The survey received over 3,000 responses, here are a few stories that were shared. See the full report here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
The survey received over 3,000 responses, here are a few stories that were shared. See the full report here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
February 7, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Last week the Your Local Epidemiologist team released a survey on how the federal freezes are impacting your work.
The survey received over 3,000 responses, here are a few stories that were shared. See the full report here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
The survey received over 3,000 responses, here are a few stories that were shared. See the full report here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by Johannes Richter
A false claim about USAID was viewed ~80 million times on X before there was a correction just 10 hours later. How many more people saw the falsehood compared to the correction?
February 8, 2025 at 5:09 AM
A false claim about USAID was viewed ~80 million times on X before there was a correction just 10 hours later. How many more people saw the falsehood compared to the correction?
#ordoamoris Pope Pius XI (quoted by Carlton JH Hayes in 'Patriotism, nationalism and the brotherhood of man', 1937.)
February 7, 2025 at 10:07 AM
#ordoamoris Pope Pius XI (quoted by Carlton JH Hayes in 'Patriotism, nationalism and the brotherhood of man', 1937.)
Reposted by Johannes Richter
"When politicians start talking theology, Christians should be on high alert for distortions of their faith that serve the interests of the powerful."
from me in Sojourners: the Augustinian order of loves Vance says is the basis for his preference of citizens over immigrants is in fact one of the many threads of Christian theology that condemns this administration’s vile anti-migrant stance sojo.net/articles/opi...
Wait. What Does Vance Think Augustine Said About Love?
If the vice president is interested in Christianity's teachings on compassion for migrants, he's in for a surprise.
sojo.net
February 5, 2025 at 4:44 PM
"When politicians start talking theology, Christians should be on high alert for distortions of their faith that serve the interests of the powerful."