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Jophin Mathai

@jofmat.bsky.social
341 followers 300 following 819 posts

philanthropy, education, social mobility, careers, social change | I read, write, listen

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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“…we should be able to see ourselves as bound to the laws of the state by virtue of our own commitment to lead a free life, which requires that the laws of the state in turn are seen as contestable and transformable by us.”
"For Hegel, an actual free society is one in which we can recognize our commitment to the common good as the condition of possibility for our own freedom. __Rather than seeing the laws of the state as imposed on us and as coercively restricting our self-interest, we should be able to see ourselves as bound to the laws of the state by virtue of our own commitment to lead a free life, which requires that the laws of the state in turn are seen as contestable and transformable by us.__ This mutual recognition of the state and the individual is the condition for actual freedom. As Hegel emphasizes, “the Idea of freedom is truly present only as the state.”" (Martin Hägglund, This Life)
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“The psyche is our defence system – it makes sure we’ll never understand what’s going on around us…For it would be impossible to carry the weight of this knowledge. Because every tiny particle of the world is made of suffering."
"I spent ages pondering what the Grey Lady had said. And I think it tallies with one of my Theories – my belief that the human psyche evolved in order to defend us against seeing the truth. To prevent us from catching sight of the mechanism. The psyche is our defence system – it makes sure we’ll never understand what’s going on around us. Its main task is to filter information, even though the capabilities of our brains are enormous. For it would be impossible to carry the weight of this knowledge. Because every tiny particle of the world is made of suffering." (Olga Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead)
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Just watched Digger. Incredibly good movie. I don’t know what kind of people/critics didn’t like it. My inkling is that it has a mood and humour that can be deeply appreciated by folks from the Global South (and, of course, marginalised people in the imperial core).
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“If the coalition in End Times Fascism is defined by abandonment of a shared future, then the response cannot itself be a form of abandonment—not a smaller commune or a more righteous collapse. There’s little difference, after all, between a bunker and a tomb.”
dissentmagazine.org
Exit Strategy - Dissent Magazine
In End Times Fascism, Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor make the case that the ruling class is not lording over our future, but trying to escape it. How should the left resist doing the same?
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“What’s perhaps most important for understanding A.D.H.D. is to not allow its name to confuse us; it’s a poor guide to how the human mind works.”
nytimes.com
What if A.D.H.D. Isn’t About Attention at All? (Gift Article)
Evidence suggests that it really affects what psychiatrists like me call sustained engagement — an important difference in understanding how to think about the condition.
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Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"We observe how students actually used the AI tutor, and the answer is: not much." hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
hechingerreport.org
Students didn't get answers from Khanmigo. They didn't want its questions, either
A large study of Khan Academy’s math program found no extra benefits from AI
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“There are many people who should read but they write.” - Jaun Elia
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
“All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you.” - Octavia Butler
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Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Turnitin has long used its end user licence agreement to use students' work for product devt. Now it's trying to update it to use essays for AI devt too! Prime example of academic content assetization - turning student IP into a source of value codeactsineducation.wordpress.com/2026/04/29/a...
codeactsineducation.wordpress.com
AI and the amplification of academic content assetization
Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash A new AI-driven digital learning platform launched by Arizona State University has set off alarm bells among academics for its exploitation of scholarly work. AS…
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“Rising climate costs erode sovereign creditworthiness, which in turn limits the fiscal capacity to spend on adaptation and mitigation, leading to still larger costs in future.”
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Ingrid Srinath @ingridsrinath.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
India had one helpline that functioned well. It was shut down. Here’s what happened next.
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Indrapramit Das @indrapramitdas.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Hilarious that the Hindu right in India is trying to make an issue of protesters using foul language after spending 12+ years calling every Indian woman on social media every variation of 'bitch' 'slut' etc and making receiving rape & death threats a regular-ass part of online life in India.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
"When we use another, we have only the picture of the end to be gained. The end, the gain, prevents relationship, communion."
"When we use another, we have only the picture of the end to be gained. The end, the gain, prevents relationship, communion." (Jiddu Krishnamurti, The Book of Life)
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Himal Southasian @himalsouthasian.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
In July 1983, anti-Tamil pogroms engulfed Sri Lanka, killing and displacing Tamils and destroying homes and businesses. For many Tamil families, Black July transformed what it meant to call Sri Lanka home. www.himalmag.com/shakthidharan-sri-…
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Emily Johnston @enjohnston.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
100% this: "Real intelligence is inextricable from organic embodiment, from being a feeling organism passing through time and space shaped in every moment by its needs, fears, desires...“Artificial intelligence” is a highly consequential misnomer."
giftarticle.ft.com
Why this philosopher turned down Anthropic
The AI industry is courting the humanities — but it is asking the wrong questions
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
m.thewire.in/article/poli...
m.thewire.in
Students, Youth and Opposition Force Dharmendra Pradhan to Resign - The Wire
This is the first resignation under public pressure under Narendra Modis prime ministership.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
India’s Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has resigned.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
“Once citizens remember they have rights, the paternalistic illusion of a strongman state begins to unravel.”
bloomberg.com
India’s Gen Z Are Challenging Modi’s Strongman Image
Just when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political star seemed to be rising again, a brutal police crackdown on student protesters has darkened the horizon.
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Krittika @krittikaa.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Friends outside India, if you’re wondering why your favourite flower and nature posters are suddenly going a bit mad and have no clue who or what a Dharmendra Pradhan is, read the article below and watch the video from Cody Dahler
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Lol. The lack of critical mass here is frustrating (and I’ve had to rely on the hellsite for updates). But glad you’re sharing here 🙌🏼
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
As I see Gen Z fearlessly take to the streets in India, I also see each of them become ‘a small republic of unconquered spirit’, as @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social puts it. There are no guarantees, but oh—the joy of witnessing these republics!
Resistance is first of all a matter of principle and a way to live, to make yourself one small republic of unconquered spirit. You hope for results, but you don't depend on them.

- Rebecca Solnit, ‘Hope in the Dark’
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
As I see Gen Z fearlessly take to the streets in India, I also see each of them become ‘a small republic of unconquered spirit’, as @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social puts it. There are no guarantees, but oh—the joy of witnessing these republics!
Resistance is first of all a matter of principle and a way to live, to make yourself one small republic of unconquered spirit. You hope for results, but you don't depend on them.

- Rebecca Solnit, ‘Hope in the Dark’
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 24/07/2026
One of my former grad students has related research showing that, when young people get involved in political organizations, it's often because those organizations have events with free food and a chance to hang out with friends. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Mobilizing Potential: Pathways to Engaged Citizenship - Qualitative Sociology
Conventional wisdom assumes that people participate in democracy because they care about politics. However, this is not always the case. This article illustrates how civic associations mobilize divers...
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
“Twelve years ago, Modi rode to power and pioneered in many ways, leveraging social media platforms to reach the masses. Today, Gen Z is flipping his Hindu majoritarian party’s dominance on social platforms, weaponising against it the very tools the Bharatiya Janata Party has long relied on.”
aljazeera.com
‘Televising our revolution’: India’s Gen Z flips Modi’s social media game
For 12 years, Modi and his party have dominated Indian social media. Now, youth use the same platforms against him.
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Sushant Singh @sushantsingh.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
"But the bubble eventually burst because Hindutva cannot feed the stomach with flags. It has bred a deep discontent because its economic model inherently favours cronyism while leaving a vast majority of the population to scramble over a few crumbs." www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/youn...
telegraphindia.com
Young guns
By occupying the streets, by demanding administrative accountability, and by forcing the government to look them in the eye, the youth are reclaiming the very definition of popular sovereignty
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
“The spontaneous rage we are witnessing will dissipate unless some real political work begins. Unless adults and opposition parties stop their jockeying and petty squabbling and show some solidarity.“ Arundhati Roy on the perils and promise of the student protests in India.
m.thewire.in
Cockroach Democracy: Unarmed and Dangerous - The Wire
Can all the people be fooled all the time? Can a country with a population of a billion-and-a-half be dragged around like a corpse forever? It cannot. The Cockroaches are out and about.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Unfortunately, Bluesky not the place to keep track. We need to share/amplify where we can.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
“The spontaneous rage we are witnessing will dissipate unless some real political work begins. Unless adults and opposition parties stop their jockeying and petty squabbling and show some solidarity.“ Arundhati Roy on the perils and promise of the student protests in India.
m.thewire.in
Cockroach Democracy: Unarmed and Dangerous - The Wire
Can all the people be fooled all the time? Can a country with a population of a billion-and-a-half be dragged around like a corpse forever? It cannot. The Cockroaches are out and about.
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charlescearl.bsky.social @charlescearl.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Democracy is not a staged “election” when the oppressed provide legitimacy to ruling class tyranny. It is when millions converge and physically de-install fascism. South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, perhaps now India) revealing what mutual aid and democracy could mean.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
“We understand [politics] every time a school has no teacher, a hospital has no doctor, or a recruitment exam is cancelled. Politics is not something we watch on television. It decides whether we get an education, a job or a chance to build a better life”.
ruralindiaonline.org
'I came to remind Parliament that we exist’
Many thousands of young people from small towns and villages across the country came to Delhi to join the protest at Jantar Mantar, and the march to Parliament
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
“Who said one can't make a hole in the sky? Throw at least one stone with the right intention, friends”
Sher (by Dushyant Kumar)
kaise aakash mein suraakh nahin ho sakta ek patthar toh tabiyat se uchhalo yaaron


Who said one can't make a hole in the sky?
Throw at least one stone with the right intention, friends
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
“The police reportedly used unnecessary and excessive force against peaceful protesters and installed barricades to prevent them from reaching parliament. Authorities also suspended metro services and mobile internet, further restricting the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly.”
amnesty.org
India: Crackdown on peaceful protesters in New Delhi raises serious human rights concerns
Responding to the crackdown on protestors in New Delhi demanding accountability in the Indian education system, Aakar Patel, Amnesty International India’s Chair of Board, said, “The images and reports...
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
“There are systems in place that cannot get us a good seat in college or good marks. I told my mother that it is my right to protest. We need to be here, else we will not get this chance again.” www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/...
aljazeera.com
‘Now or never’: Students defy Delhi lockdown to march on India’s parliament
Youth-led protesters answer call of Cockroach Janta Party to demand accountability, sweeping reforms after exam scandal.
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article-14.com @article-14.com · 17/07/2026
"Apparently innocuous developments... are all converging on a common purpose." Changes to citizenship law, NRC, & SIR and even questions over passports are not isolated events but part of a broader citizenship project, writes Prof Niraja Jayal Subscribe to read: article-14.com/subscribe
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
If you were lucky enough to finish most of your cognitive development before widespread GPS adoption ? Try to use a paper map now as often as you can so that you keep that ability. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Habitual use of GPS negatively impacts spatial memory during self-guided navigation - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Habitual use of GPS negatively impacts spatial memory during self-guided navigation
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Congratulations, Rhodri!
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Talks about reading in America. Not sure if it applies equally everywhere, but something to be wary about.
theatlantic.com
The End of Reading Is Here
Optimists once believed that universal literacy was inevitable. Now it seems that the age of reading might be a short anomaly in human history.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Reading (beyond the ability to decode individual words and sentences) is not a natural, easy achievement. This is also known as the cognitive maturity fallacy. It develops along levels of capacity that are all nurtured along ethical, epistemic and political lines.
From the Atlantic article: The Age of Reading Is Over

Reading has never been natural. Humans have no innate cognitive machinery designed to string letters into words and connect them to their real-world analogues. To read, people had to repurpose regions of their brain used for speech and object recognition.
The practice first emerged 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. For millennia afterward, most of the population was illiterate.
Literacy became a mass phenomenon relatively recently, after Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440.

Rose Horowitch
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Nome @nome.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
I have been doing entirely too much earnest posting about deep things recently, I need to do a proper thread about hippo testicles or something just to keep myself sane. Oh by the way hippos have migratory testicles.
media.tenor.com
a statue of a hippopotamus with its mouth open and teeth showing .
Alt: A hippo being tossed a watermelon, which it crushes in its massive jaws.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Wow. This is incredible. A delightful read!
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Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
"why do fossil fuel companies plan to pump more than ever?" Sick of articles deploring growth in oil production without mentioning rich-world demand. One reason they pump more is we -- with our refusal to change our carbon-intensive ways -- ask them to. Don't ask oil firms to change if you won't.
theguardian.com
Fuel on the fire: why oil companies are profiting as the world gets dangerously hot
The scientific consensus is that burning fossil fuels drives the climate crisis, yet the world’s biggest oil companies are planning to increase production
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"Remaining neutral has always been a game outside of time. I don’t dance to your time—for a certain time, at least…” Georgi Gospodinov, Time Shelter
"Remaining neutral has always been a game outside of time. I don’t dance to your time—for a certain time, at least. But I can measure it out for you, if you’re willing to pay, I’ll time it with a stopwatch (Swiss-made, of course) and I’ll sell you clocks, I’ll guard your paintings, rings, diamonds, and all your baggage, while you’re off playing or fighting. No objection could be made to that." (Georgi Gospodinov, Time Shelter)
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
No app has provided wise companionship like Readwise. The best kind of streak I’ve sustained. If you love reading, I cannot recommend Readwise highly enough.
Review streak of 2000 days on the Readwise app.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
The context: After criticism, NCERT to restore original 'Dancing Girl' image in school textbook. www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...
thehindu.com
After criticism, NCERT to restore original 'Dancing Girl' image in school textbook
NCERT alters the iconic 'Dancing Girl' image in a new Class 9 textbook, covering parts and changing its shade.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Thankfully, beyond the textbooks, she is left alone. For now.
The ‘Dancing Girl’, a 2600 BCE bronze figurine from the Harappan civilisation, on display at the National Museum, Delhi.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Wow. People are trusting snicko. VAR: Video Assisted Robbery This World Cup really sucks.
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Nanjala @nanjala.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
ICYMI, Canada also rejected 50% of all visa applications for the World Cup. For Kenya the rejection rate was 91%, for the DRC it was 96%. About 4300 applications were filed in African countries and rounding up a visa application fee of USD 200 that’s just under 1 million dollars netted by Canada.
BUSINESS INSIDER
AFRICA
Highest visa rejection rates (2026 World Cup)

Country
Approved
Refused
Total
Processed
Refusal
Rate


15
370
385
96.1
2
Kenya
20
205
225
91.1

Ghana 3
185
1,540
1,725
89.3
4
Cameroon
15
100
115
87.0
5
Nigeria 11
110
675
785
86.0

Senegal H
25
145
170
85.3

Ethiopia
30
110
140
78.6

Algeria
65
180
245
73.5
9
Egypt -
225
325
550
59.1
Table: Solomon Ekanem • Source: CTVNews/Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada • Created with Datawrapper
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Also, Vanderbilt money ran out by the time Anderson Cooper came onto the scene.
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Jophin Mathai @jofmat.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Random fact I came across researching family offices: Anderson Cooper is a member of the Vanderbilt family, son of Gloria Vanderbilt.
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Gautam Bhatia @gautambhatia88.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
72-hour-update: At $12095, we are under $10K away from meeting our base goal, which will allow us to continue publishing in 2027 - and less than $500 away from hitting our next milestone, and unlocking a fantastic essay on worldbuilding! Support us here: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...
backerkit.com
Strange Horizons 2027 Fundraiser
The annual Strange Horizons fundraiser! Support this free, online, award-winning, weekly magazine of SFFH, which runs entirely on reader - YOUR - donations!
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