AI advocate Marc Andreessen joins us to clear up misconceptions about AI and discuss its potential impact on job creation, creativity, and moral reasoning. What We Discuss with Marc Andreessen: Will AI create new jobs , take our old ones outright, or amplify our ability to perform them better? What role will AI play in current and future US-China relations ? How might AI be used to shape (or manipulate) public opinion and the economy ? Does AI belong in creative industries , or does it challenge...
Aug 31, 2023•2 hr 36 min•Ep 888•Transcript available on Metacast University of Sussex cognitive philosophy professor Andy Clark joins us to discuss how our brains experience and manipulate the reality that surrounds us. What We Discuss with Andy Clark: How your brain operates as a prediction machine that constructs an estimation of reality based on available data rather than relaying an entirely precise narrative of the outside world. The problems that arise when the senses through which your brain gathers data don't always convey an accurate picture of reali...
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep 887•Transcript available on Metacast Why do some insist Earth is flat despite thousands of years of evidence to the contrary? Dave Farina joins us for Skeptical Sunday to round up some answers! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Belief in a flat Earth rejects historical knowledge , distorts observations, denies gravity, and originates from a mix of misguided ideas and online interactions. Flat Earth proponents misrepresent scale and ignore basic principles of grade school science in their arguments against a spherical Ear...
Aug 27, 2023•53 min•Ep 886•Transcript available on Metacast Are you right to cut ties with your grandpa now that his sociopathic, incestuous, and pedophilic history has come to light? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us...
Aug 25, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep 885•Transcript available on Metacast Join Jordan and Gabe for this deep dive into the lessons we can learn when we enlist envy as a teacher rather than a bitter reminder of what we don't have. What We Discuss: Merriam-Webster defines envy as "painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage." Envy is rooted in evolutionary psychology as an aid to our survival , but modern life amplifies and distorts it into an overwhelming compulsion that can hurt more than help. W...
Aug 24, 2023•56 min•Ep 884•Transcript available on Metacast Video editor Annie Ikpa explains how she galvanized a movement to ban child sacrifice in Uganda, and what's in store for the fight ahead. What We Discuss with Annie Ikpa: Why child sacrifice is so common in Uganda that Annie Ikpa had to spend seven years campaigning for a law against it. Who hires the exploitative witch doctors who perform these sacrifices in the name of fortune or other earthly delights? How children are selected for sacrifice because they're relatively easy to abduct, less lik...
Aug 22, 2023•58 min•Ep 883•Transcript available on Metacast Is homeopathy an effective alternative medicine or an unproven, unscientific sham? Comedian Michael Regilio joins us for Skeptical Sunday to find out! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Homeopathy is an alternative medicine with a long history , relying on the principle of "like cures like" and the idea that water has memory. Despite lacking scientific proof, homeopathic products are widely marketed and sold , even though they're required to carry warnings of unproven efficacy. Homeopa...
Aug 20, 2023•48 min•Ep 882•Transcript available on Metacast When the circle of trust between you, your best friend, and his girlfriend accidentally turns into a covert love triangle, it might be Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us...
Aug 18, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep 881•Transcript available on Metacast The Power of Crisis author Ian Bremmer rejoins us to assess the top threats facing our world today and the difficult choices they may force us to make. What We Discuss with Ian Bremmer: The effective unified Western response to Ukrainian invasion has transformed Russia from a would-be China into a massive Iran. China's Xi Jinping has been concentrating his power — which will allow him to make bigger mistakes that affect billions of people even more quickly. The unchecked proliferation of A...
Aug 17, 2023•2 hr 34 min•Ep 881•Transcript available on Metacast The Wisdom of Psychopaths author Kevin Dutton rejoins us to discuss how we can tell if we're psychopaths and why it might not be such a bad thing. What We Discuss with Kevin Dutton: What's the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath ? Society focuses on the negative qualities of psychopathy. But what are the upsides ? What career niches do psychopaths tend toward (and which ones should they avoid)? Can children be psychopaths? How can you tell if you're a psychopath? (Take the two-minute...
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep 879•Transcript available on Metacast Can we accurately read someone's body language to gain access to their innermost thoughts? Andrew Gold joins us on this Skeptical Sunday to find out! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Body language research has found that indicators of deception may include eye movements, blinking, posture shifts, and word choice , but these cues can vary widely and require careful consideration. Body language can be influenced by various factors , making it challenging to precisely interpret. The use...
Aug 13, 2023•57 min•Ep 878•Transcript available on Metacast Can a happy life with your BPD-addled wife ever be possible if she won't take responsibility for the chaos she causes? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a li...
Aug 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep 877•Transcript available on Metacast Fool Me Once author Kelly Richmond Pope explains how fraud became a trillion-dollar industry and helps us avoid becoming its latest victims. What We Discuss with Kelly Richmond Pope: What types of people commit fraud , and what — beyond simple greed — tends to motivate them? What is the fraud triangle , and how does it explain the factors that contribute to the occurrence of occupational fraud or white-collar crime? Why fraud seems more common and more severe these days than ev...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep 876•Transcript available on Metacast Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues author Jonathan Kennedy joins us to discuss how microscopic pathogens have shaped our world. What We Discuss with Jonathan Kennedy: If we were to weigh all the bacteria on Earth, their mass would be about 1,000 times more than all humans. If all of the viruses on the planet were laid end to end, they would stretch for 100 million light years. About eight percent of the human genome's DNA comes from retroviral infections we've endured over our...
Aug 08, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep 875•Transcript available on Metacast Is there scientific legitimacy to the ancient Indian medicinal practice of Ayurveda? Dave Farina joins us on this Skeptical Sunday to find out! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medicinal practice based on balancing doshas (life forces) and natural therapies like diet, yoga, and meditation. The belief in ancient wisdom's superiority to modern medicine and the allure of nature attract some people — especially those with anti-pharmaceutical sentiments...
Aug 06, 2023•46 min•Ep 874•Transcript available on Metacast Co-parenting with your stepson's chaotic mom is challenging when she invents reasons she should have custody. Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at fri...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep 873•Transcript available on Metacast Sound of Freedom executive producer Paul Hutchinson joins us for a politics-free conversation about the horrible truth behind modern child trafficking. What We Discuss with Paul Hutchinson: How did successful investor Paul Hutchinson get personally involved in undercover work to rescue victims of child trafficking? How does someone working undercover to bust child traffickers gain the trust of the world's worst people without losing themselves along the way? How do sting operations navigat...
Aug 03, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep 872•Transcript available on Metacast Conspirituality co-author Julian Walker joins us to discuss how influencers have curdled New Age spirituality and wellness with the politics of paranoia. What We Discuss with Julian Walker: Why have so many wellness influencers gone off the conspiracy deep end since COVID began? What do these conspiracies have in common, and who benefits from their proliferation? How do otherwise reasonable people get sucked down conspiracy rabbit holes? How "The female-dominated New Age (with its positive focus...
Aug 01, 2023•2 hr 33 min•Ep 871•Transcript available on Metacast Are personality tests valuable tools based on science, or just horoscopes in a lab coat? Comedian Michael Regilio joins us for Skeptical Sunday to find out! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Personality tests, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, are widely used by individuals and organizations as a way to understand who we are and how we interact with one another. But how accurate are they? The Myers-Briggs test was developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs M...
Jul 30, 2023•42 min•Ep 870•Transcript available on Metacast Your boyfriend's not been the same since accidentally killing his mother's assailant. What can you do to help him? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line a...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep 869•Transcript available on Metacast Ex-royal/Ex-SEAL Remi Adeleke shares an adventurous life spent between two continents and his efforts to end human trafficking and illegal organ harvesting. What We Discuss with Remi Adeleke: How Remi Adeleke's royal Nigerian family lost everything to the corrupt government when his father passed away. What it was like growing up in the Bronx , where drugs and drive-bys were plentiful. The unlikely movie that catalyzed Remi's decision to pursue a career as a US Navy SEAL. How Remi managed to pas...
Jul 27, 2023•2 hr 40 min•Ep 868•Transcript available on Metacast GiveDirectly President Rory Stewart talks about "mad" politics, long walks in warzones, and ensuring our charitable donations actually aid people in need. What We Discuss with Rory Stewart: What makes the UK's system of government "slightly mad" (even when compared to that of the US)? How the kind of skills that get someone elected as a politician can get in the way of governing well. How did Rory survive a walk across post-9/11 Afghanistan — just weeks after the fall of the Taliban, in th...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep 867•Transcript available on Metacast Do zodiac signs dictate demeanors and destinies, or are horoscopes hogwash? Dave Farina consults the stars about astrology with us here on Skeptical Sunday! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: The pseudoscience of astrology (not to be confused with astronomy — the legitimate study of space) purports that the position of celestial bodies relative to Earth influences events and human behavior. Initially designed as calendrical systems for predicting seasonal shifts and divining the ...
Jul 23, 2023•45 min•Ep 866•Transcript available on Metacast How can you convince your politically active girlfriend to flee with you to safety should China ever invade Taiwan? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line ...
Jul 21, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep 865•Transcript available on Metacast New Lines Institute's Caroline Rose explains how captagon, a drug you may have never heard of, is propping up genocidal regimes in the Middle East. What We Discuss with Caroline Rose: What is captagon? Where did it originate, what are its effects, and why don't we hear about it in the United States? How captagon — with a potential trade value of over $5.7 billion annually — has transformed Assad's Syria into a Mediterranean narco-state. Who uses captagon on such a massive scale , and...
Jul 20, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep 864•Transcript available on Metacast Treasury's War author Juan Zarate joins us to discuss how the US wields its financial power against terrorism, rogue states, and global crime syndicates. What We Discuss with Juan Zarate: Why the Treasury Department became part of the intelligence apparatus of the United States post-9/11 — after resisting such integration for years. Sanctions : what are they good for and how do they work? How and why criminals (whether they're of the independent, organized, or state-sponsored variety) need banks...
Jul 18, 2023•2 hr 33 min•Ep 863•Transcript available on Metacast Do personalized ads enhance our online experience or intolerably invade our privacy? Andrew Gold joins us on this Skeptical Sunday to uncover the truth! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday: Personalized advertising relies on algorithms that collect and analyze user data to tailor ads to individual preferences. While personalized ads can be effective in engaging users and providing relevant content, they raise concerns about privacy invasion and potential manipulation. Voice-activated devices like Am...
Jul 16, 2023•53 min•Ep 862•Transcript available on Metacast At 35, how do you disclose your virginity on a date that might lead to sex without ensuring the continuation of said virginity? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, dro...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep 861•Transcript available on Metacast Project Brazen 's Mitchell Prothero reveals Europe’s cocaine crisis through the stories of cartel thugs, cops, journalists, and victims caught in the middle. What We Discuss with Mitchell Prothero: Why European law enforcement is ill-prepared to deal with the influx of crime and violence associated with a cocaine trade that has grown to rival that of the US. How European ports that have been historically instrumental in the development of international trade have become thriving modern hub...
Jul 13, 2023•2 hr 38 min•Ep 860•Transcript available on Metacast Demographic futurist Bradley Schurman joins us to explore a future where over-65s outnumber under-18s — and the changes society will have to face. What We Discuss with Bradley Schurman: In the not-too-distant future, a staggering shift looms over the developed world: at least 20 percent of national populations will surpass 65 years of age , outnumbering those 18 years of age and younger. Termed the Super Age by Bradley Schurman , this demographic transformation carries immense potential fo...
Jul 11, 2023•2 hr 36 min•Ep 859•Transcript available on Metacast 
