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Show 596: Skeptic, Bob Novella

Jessica Schab interviews skeptic podcaster, Bob Novella!

Bob Novella, is a co-founder and Vice-President of the New England Skeptical Society. He co-hosts along side his brothers Steven and Jay Novella the very popular Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast – the show is dedicated to promoting critical thinking and science literacy through insightful content and resources including an award-winning weekly podcast.

Bob is the writer of the blogs for SGU’s Rogues Gallery, a Youtube channel called Alpha Quadrant 6 and he is a speaker at NECSS -New York City’s Biggest Celebration of Science & Skepticism. He has also written numerous articles that are widely published in skeptical literature.

Bob’s scientific interests lie in the extremes, from the gargantuan to the infinitesimal: astronomy and cosmology to particle physics and quantum mechanics. He is especially fascinated by the human capacity for self-deception and anticipated future technologies such as nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and human augmentation.

Listen to the show here!

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Show 583: Matt Berkowitz

Matt Berkowitz: The the creator of the “Science Literacy” video series, a YouTube video project dedicated to improving public science literacy. A key focus is giving people the tool set to think skeptically and be able to competently evaluate scientific claims. Topics explored include science denialism and conspiracy theories, and the cognitive biases that fuel them, as well as how to think about evidence, and principles of rational thought.

Listen to Show HERE!

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Show 562: The Journey of Chad White: From True Believer to Scientific Skeptic

The Journey of Chad White: From True Believer to Scientific Skeptic

Chad White went from a being a spiritual believer to an atheist after an encounter with a non believer at a Rainbow Tribe Gathering. This led to him questioning more of his beliefs, even the ones that were near and dear to him. In this interview we will discuss Chad’s story…and his disillusionment. We will also talk about how he went from being anti-GMO to Pro-GMO, and what happened after he started to go public with his discoveries.

Audio can be found here!

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Show 424: Robert Jensen on Arguing for Our Lives

Robert Jensen on Arguing for Our Lives

Audio here!

Why is being neutral – as regards politics and religion – not acceptable in a democracy? How can we engage in meaningful public or personal dialogue about politics and religion in a deeply polarized society? How do we engage people who can’t (or won’t) discern facts and evidence from opinions and beliefs? And what can we do toward creating a more educated, more intellectual, and more empathic society?

We will address these vital questions and more as we discuss with Robert Jensen his new book: Arguing for Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialog.

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Show 254: Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age with Maggie Jackson

Audio here!

From the Publisher:

We have oceans of information at our fingertips, yet we seek knowledge in Yahoo headlines glimpsed on the run. We are networked as never before, but we connect with friends and family via email and fleeting face-to-face moments that are rescheduled a dozen times. Distracted is a gripping exposé of this hyper-mobile, cyber-centric, attention-deficient life. Day by day, we are eroding our capacity for deep attention— the building block of intimacy, wisdom and cultural progress. The implications for a healthy society are stark.

And yet we can recover our powers of focus through a renaissance of attention. Neuroscience is just now decoding the workings of attention, with its three pillars of focus, awareness and judgment, and revealing how these skills can be shaped and taught. This is exciting news for all of us living in an age of overload. In her sweeping quest to unravel the nature of attention and detail its losses, Maggie Jackson introduces us to scientists, cartographers, marketers, educators, wired teens, and even roboticists. She offers us a compelling wake-up call, an adventure story, and reasons for hope.

Continue reading “Show 254: Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age with Maggie Jackson”

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Show 236: Edward Trippel on Antioch College

Michael O’Neil talks to Edward Trippel of the Antioch College Action Network (ACAN) about the corporatization and sabotage of one higher education’s most forward-thinking and progressive institutions.

Audio here!

From ACAN:

“The Antioch College Action Network (ACAN) is a coalition of Antioch College Community Members—students, faculty, staff, alumni, villagers and friends—dedicated to a vibrant, humane, self-governing and self-sustaining Antioch College. Operating on principles of direct participatory democracy, ACAN continues to work towards a true Non-Stop Antioch, uncompromised in its academic integrity and commitment to social justice. To this end, ACAN advocates autonomy, independence, participatory community governance; open, public and accountable decision-making processes, faculty tenure, respect for students and employees, sustainable student services, aggressive admissions, and faculty-driven curriculum for Antioch College.”

Click here for info about the struggle of Antioch College against Antioch University…