Dr. Richard Carrier is best known for defending a thesis most of his field rejects but few can ignore: that the figure of Jesus may have originated as myth rather than history. The Columbia-trained historian of antiquity joined Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour for a conversation that is less about religion than about how anyone decides what is true.
Across nearly eighty minutes, Carrier explains why he believes 'doing your own research' often backfires, how verification bias and AI-generated content mislead people at scale, and which single question he thinks does the most to keep a mind honest — with his Jesus myth argument serving as one extended test of method.
About Dr Richard Carrier
Dr. Richard Carrier holds a PhD in ancient history from Columbia University and has spent his career writing on the ancient Mediterranean world, historical method, and the origins of Christianity. He is best known for On the Historicity of Jesus, which argues that Jesus began as a mythic figure — a minority position Carrier defends within an ongoing scholarly debate.
Beyond that thesis, Carrier lectures and writes widely on critical thinking, Bayesian reasoning in history, and the mechanics of misinformation — the real focus of this episode, recorded at a moment when AI has made convincing falsehoods cheaper to produce than ever.
What Dr Richard Carrier and Sean Kelly Talked About
- Why Carrier argues 'doing your own research' can leave people more misinformed
- How verification bias tricks the brain into confirming what it already believes
- The dangers he sees in leaning on AI as a research shortcut
- His view of the post-truth era — why repeated lies start to feel believable
- How he frames the Jesus myth theory as a question of evidence and method
- Why he believes public debate has drifted from truth-seeking toward performance
- The single question he says does the most to improve your thinking
- What he considers the biggest threat to society in an age of misinformation
Why This Conversation Matters
You don't need to share Carrier's conclusions about religion — or anything else — to get value from this episode. Its real subject is method: how a professional historian decides what counts as evidence, and how anyone can apply that same discipline to a feed full of confident claims. At a moment when AI makes misinformation effortless, that skill set is anything but academic.
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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