iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Just gave a talk to a great group of students at Notre Dame High School in Sheffield! So nice to be around young people who are interested in philosophy

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

As any philosopher will tell you, the way to get the job is to be the man with ten coins in his pocket

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Bluesky academics: tips for what I could spend research funds on? Excluding travelling to or organising conferences (and not lab/fieldwork stuff; I'm an armchair philosopher)

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Inspired by a Jacobin headline on recent mayoral elections, becoming obsessed with this song (again) open.spotify.com/track/6UEzGV...

open.spotify.com

First We Take Manhattan

Leonard Cohen · I'm Your Man · Song · 1988

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Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

after consideration, I have produced this necessary reference guide, perhaps @sundersays.bsky.social may be interested. If someone wants to provide funding after the fact, I can promise it won't constitute a donation in kind to Reform.

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LRB Bookshop @londonreviewbookshop.co.uk · 23/09/2026

this is daft. driving passengers away is the whole point of a bus

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Ersatz Doctor @ersatzdoctor.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Every semester: “I took on way too much. Never again!” The next semester with my goldfish brain: “Yes of course I’ll take on that new project. Why not?”

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

From the people I follow on here I see the outlines of a political programme that nobody in politics caters to, a kind of anti-populism: Higher taxes, higher immigration, heavy regulation of big tech, less regulation on other markets (esp building), anti-fascist but sceptical of woke shibboleths

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a rare photo of sean connery signed by roger moore @steamedhamms.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

it’s actually good for your everyday behaviour to be pro-social

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I grew up in almost all-white areas, rural and then suburban. Very few complaints about racism in my childhood. But recently things are happening that make me very glad that I moved to London

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Chris Dillow @chrisdillow.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

New substack: You can marginalize Marxism, but you cannot marginalize the facts. chrisdillow.substack.com/p/marx-on-ai

chrisdillow.substack.com

Marx on AI

Technical change is an issue of what capitalism does to workers.

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Why would you do work that you think has a significant chance of wiping out humanity? The answer is capitalism!

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Help! Went to pick up my phone and the screen came clean off! this black tape thing seems to have snapped. phone still working underneath (buzzes when called etc.) but without screen it's useless. any tips?

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This is exactly how *I* get out playing fast bowling. You don't expect it of someone whose full-time job is playing cricket www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke...

bbc.co.uk

England v Pakistan Third Test: Jofra Archer removes Shan Masood in an easy wicket

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Bonnicula | Vampire Vtuber ⚧ @bonnicula.bsky.social · 27/06/2024

the ancient texts speak of the "Philosopher's Mayo",

Heinz's EVERY SAUCE, placed on a podium surrounded by it's constituent component sauces

a list of the sauces in Heinz's EVERY SAUCE, listing Burger Sauce, Garlic, Aioli, Smokey Baconnaise, Sweet Chilli, Chip, Saucy, Mayoracha, Mayomust, Truffle Mayo, Garlic & Caramelised Onion Mayo, Curry Ketchup, Pickle Ketchup, and Smokey Bacon Ketchup

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

The degree to which PhD students are dependent on their supervisors is terrible and opens the door to all kinds of abuse

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Dr Dion Georgiou 🇨🇾❤️🇬🇾 @drdiongeorgiou.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Fundamentally, no social democratic party worth its salt and with any sort of historical memory should be incapable of, when seeing fascism re-rear its head, instantly recognising it as the greatest evil, the most existential threat, there is.

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Between Stock, Cofnas and Orr philosophers are certainly having ~impact~ on politics at the moment!

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Gordon Brown comes across very well in this interview, though I do feel the journalist has a duty to tell us what exactly these jokes were www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Screenshot of text reading: He listens to podcasts and participates in philosophical discussion. His jokes are highbrow and niche. There’s one about 1960s Labour party entryism, another about Austrian economists, and one about 1970s rock bands I didn’t understand. I notice he has a slightly seesawing walk as we return from the charity, but remarkable stamina given we haven’t had lunch (he demolished a Tunnock’s teacake, scrunching the foil into his pocket).

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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Pretty sad commentary on this website that this has 400+ reposts and AFAICS no one has pointed out that it is obviously completely invented. The "average person" (median world income) is up more than 3-fold (200+%). World GDP per capita also up a lot but by less.

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Derbyshire's Mohammed Abbas ❤️

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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Top-tip: if anyone wants to give you the kind of "mentorship" that you being unionised would prevent, get a new mentor fast.

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Derbyshire's Mohammed Abbas ❤️

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ergopraxis @ergopraxis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I happen to know Byas, and I think he is a very intellectually honest person that reliably approaches discussions in good faith and has reasonably self-consistent, liberal views. I disagree with a few of those positions, but I think some of you should be approaching him with a lot more courtesy.

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

One thing philosophy has taught me is that questions that are very important and very emotive can also be very difficult to get right, with a range of reasonable answers. Another is that somethings that sound terrible on first hearing turn out to be amongst those reasonable answers on reflection

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Just one way in which cricket is actually an anti-imperialist sport

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Mark Pendleton @markpendleton.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

84% of staff and research students at Sheffield Uni vote no confidence in the current leadership. This is no surprise after years of upheaval, lack of direction and “change” for the sake of change. Nobody, least of all the VC, knows what he’s doing or why. @sheffielducu.bsky.social

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Liberalism is when you give loads of money and power to people who want to destroy you

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Chris Hanretty @chanret.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

"X is a social construct" does not mean "X is not real". Anyone who disagrees with me is welcome to give me all their money.

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

One week to go! Enter the Philosophy Fantasy Premier League now!

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Just got IDed to buy non-alcoholic beer I'm 31, I have a kid and a PhD

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Philosophers often bring up the "principle of charity": a willingness to assume good faith in an interlocutor and treat them accordingly. It's good to do in many circumstances. But it is worth formulating a principle of not being a fucking mark. If not during the rise of fascism, then when? 12/

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Plenty to reflect about re: the Arday affair, but I'm going to repeat this one thing. The playbook the right used here is effective even though it's not especially sophisticated, as it relies on the audience to do the dirty work. I've been calling it "Trojan horse propaganda", let's go with that. 1/

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I choose to believe that Farage did it as a fitting tribute to his hero, Bobby Sands

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Pol Niuman @pol-niuman.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Wassily Kandinsky (1929)

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Kevin Zollman @kevinzollman.com · 13/08/2026

I'm sure it was a little uncomfortable for Socrates to eat poison. But the bitterness of hemlock is nothing compared to the bitterness from having to admit you might have benefitted from racial privilege

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Hugh Brechin @hughrbrechin.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Hey girl, I saw the news and wanted to reach out on hearing that your engagement didn't work out - I hope you know that's sad for progressives worldwide. No need for you to reply, given that you don't know me and you’re the US Representative for the 14th congressional district of New York, but-

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Cricket this weekend: fell over taking my fielding position before the game started, injured my hand meaning I bowled horribly (still took a wicket from a long hop hit straight to a fielder). Came into bat at the end, almost ran out our captain and lost us the game, but ultimately we made it

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

'Transcribe Bentham began in 2010, and another 20,000 or so manuscript pages require transcription. We’d like to invite your readers to help us complete the project and to explore the writings and correspondence of a figure of enormous historical importance.' #Skystorians

theguardian.com

Join the crowd digitising Jeremy Bentham | Letter

Letter: Dr Tim Causer invites readers to help complete a transcription project and to explore the writings and correspondence of the philosopher and reformer Jeremy Bentham

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Ersatz Doctor @ersatzdoctor.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

The cool thing about having an existential crisis as a philosopher is that it technically counts as research

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Amrk @amrk.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

The improvements over Starmer have been very real but this is a failing and he should say something about it

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Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Always worth remembering that - despite the disproportionate media coverage and vocal supporters - most Brits fucking hate Reform.

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Brett Karlan @oldjerryfodor.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The obvious upshot of recent improvements in LLMs is that things we always knew were easy (theoretical physics, Fields-level mathematics, engineering and computer programming) are, in fact, easy, while the things we knew were hard (writing 8000 words on one sentence from David Lewis) remain hard

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Paying my respects on a visit home. Let's hope we can still be proud of Derby County going forward

A mural painted underneath a concrete road bridge. In the mural a man in blue, yellow and brown football kit stands next to a sketch of a town and a coat of arms. Text reads "We are Derby County / A founder member of the football league"

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Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Now I'm cooking for a small child with minimal salt and chilli, hot sauce (to add to my portion) is coming into its own. Got to get me some of this

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