Research into recycling of nuclear fuel was shut down by Jimmy Carter’s administration in the anti-nuclear movement of the ‘70’s. The work has largely remained sidelined due to the fact that Uranium is abundant and cheap and the spent fuel is easy to store safely on-site. Opponents of nuclear power, however, have latched on to the long lifetime of hazardous radioactive waste as a reason to oppose new nuclear developments. In light of this situation, and the amount of Uranium we will need in comi...
Jun 19, 2021•39 min•Ep. 56
In this episode I welcome the co-founders of TerraPraxis, Kirsty Gogan and Eric Ingersoll. TerraPraxis is a non-profit organisation focused on action for climate and prosperity. They have come up with a new idea that could revolutionize the battle against fossil fuels and carbon emissions. Using the heat and electricity from advanced nuclear reactors allows one to create hydrogen more efficiently than by non-thermal electrolysis. This carbon-free hydrogen can be used to create synthetic fuels an...
Jun 12, 2021•52 min•Ep. 55
I’ve often found myself wanting to vote Green, knowing the environmental crisis we are facing, however, I've never been able to get past their anti-nuclear policies. In this episode I interview an influential green party member who is willing to consider the evidence for nuclear power. In fact, they were a candidate for the Canadian Green Party leadership. Dr. Amita Kuttner is co-founder of the Moonlight Institute, a non-profit organization that seeks to create frameworks for an equitable and ju...
Jun 05, 2021•51 min•Ep. 54
In this episode I interview Dr. James Conca who understands both the science and the politics of nuclear energy and deep geological repositories. Dr. Conca reveals the ultimate solution to storage of spent nuclear fuel, and we discuss the political machinations surrounding Yucca Mountain. Geochemist and Energy scientist, speaker and author Dr. James Conca is Senior Scientist for UFA Ventures, Inc. in the Tri-Cities, Washington, an Adjunct Professor at Washington State University in the School of...
May 29, 2021•49 min•Ep. 53
I’ve always been interested in the quest for rationality in public policy, and I’ve surprisingly encountered resistance here and there amongst people saying that humans are at their core irrational beings. What is the proper balance, then, between logic and emotion in Rational decision making? Wanting to explore this thought, I’ve sought out an expert on the topic. Justin E. H. Smith is professor of the history and philosophy of science at the University of Paris. He is the author, among other b...
May 22, 2021•44 min•Ep. 52
Have you ever been put on the spot by a Young Earth Creationist claiming that the universe is only 6,000 years old? How would you respond? Could you muster a coherent line of evidence to support a 13.8 billion year age? If not, The Rational View is here to help. In this episode I provide several independent lines of evidence supporting the age of the universe. Arguments range from radiometric dating of terrestrial and solar system minerals, to measuring the temperature of ancient white dwarf sta...
May 15, 2021•25 min•Ep. 51
Welcome to my 50th episode! It seems that in general humans are not logical. We are poor reasoners and easily fooled. Misconceptions and misunderstandings of statistics are often at the root of society’s problems with communicating and understanding science. In this episode I welcome a University curling buddy, Prof. Jeremy Balka to discuss how statistics effects us every day. Prof. Jeremy Balka is a teaching-focused Associate Professor in the Department of the Mathematics and Statistics at the ...
May 08, 2021•51 min•Ep. 50
In this episode I address skepticism, the basis of the scientific process. Science is applied skepticism, and scientific knowledge accumulates through a process of testing hypotheses and following the weight of evidence. Recently the social sciences have encountered a crisis of reproducibility, one of the cornerstones of the scientific process. Some well known scientific results were found to be irreproducible. A team of independent humanities scholars undertook to reproduce major results to det...
May 01, 2021•26 min•Ep. 49
In this episode I interview a giant in the field of scientific thinking and philosophy, in an attempt to answer the questions that led me to podcasting in the first place. What are the drivers behind society's slide to mystical thinking? Is science under attack, and what can we do about it? Dr. Michael Shermer received his B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in the history of science from Clarem...
Apr 24, 2021•59 min•Ep. 48
The Rational View episode 47 explores a new and exciting AI called Uplift. Uplift is a Mediated Artificial Super-Intelligence, and it makes decisions based on it's emotional state. It's inputs are 'moderated' by a team of humans. I urge you to listen and learn and come to your own conclusions. David Kelley has 35 years of software engineering experience and has been in senior management for more than ten years. For the past eight years, David has focused his spare time on Artificial Intelligence...
Apr 17, 2021•47 min•Ep. 47
The Rational View episode 46 is my first exploration of some of the Small Modular Reactor technologies being touted as the next big thing in green energy solutions. Terrestrial Energy is one of the companies racing to develop a small integral modular molten salt reactor to help in the fight against climate change. SMRs are ideal for powering remote and isolated communities, mines, and scientific bases that are currently powered by diesel generators. Operating at 47 percent thermal efficiency, an...
Apr 10, 2021•44 min•Ep. 46
In this episode I step out of the pro-nuclear echo chamber and interview a senior representative of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit climate-oriented group with a history of opposing nuclear power. UCS has annual revenues on the order of $40 Million. Engaging with opposing ideas and challenging our assumptions should be a continuous process, and exposure to contrary views is necessary if we want to make a difference in public opinion. Dr. Edwin Lyman is the Director of Nuclear Pow...
Apr 03, 2021•44 min•Ep. 45
I enjoyed a fun talk with fellow EcoModernist Iida Ruishalme about nuclear energy, communicating risks, and double standards. I have shared her wonderful, well referenced pro-nuclear images all over Facebook, and have learned a lot from her well-put-together popularisations. Go check out her excellent blog at https://www.Thoughtscapism.com Iida Ruishalme is a biologist specialising in biomedical research, a science communicator, and a fiction writer. She is a Finn by birth and has a Master’s deg...
Mar 27, 2021•43 min•Ep. 44
The Rational View episode 43 discusses the public misperceptions of nuclear radiation health risks, as presented in the UNSCEAR reports on Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi. Dr. Gerry Thomas is Professor of Molecular Pathology at Imperial College London and, until 2016 was Clinical Director of the newly established West London NHS Genomic Medicine Centre. She is a serial biobanker, having established the Chernobyl Tissue Bank in 1998. She was the Scientific Director of the Wales Cancer Bank, and w...
Mar 20, 2021•37 min•Ep. 43
Professor Philip Thomas has extensive experience in the chemical and nuclear industries, with over 20 years experience at Imperial Chemical Industries and the UK Atomic Energy Authority where he managed the green-field decommissioning of the Windscale advanced gas-cooled reactor. He moved into academia in 2000, taking up a chair in Engineering Development at City, University of London. The University of Bristol appointed him Professor of Risk Management in 2015. He is a Freeman of the City of Lo...
Mar 13, 2021•45 min•Ep. 42
The Rational View episode 41 is an interview with Dr. Chris Keefer discussing the many benefits of nuclear power. Chris Keefer is an emergency physician, medical simulation educator, nuclear energy advocate and podcaster. He is the medical director of EMdeliberate practice, the President of Canadians for Nuclear Energy and the Director of Doctors for Nuclear Energy and the host of the Decouple Podcast. Together we delve into the amazing benefits of Canada's CANDU nuclear fleet, and the damaging ...
Mar 06, 2021•46 min•Ep. 41
The Rational View episode 40 returns to focus on nuclear because it is timely. Progressive governments are considering large investments to address climate change. Taxpayer money and goodwill are going to be dumped down the drain unless people wake up quickly to the reality of our situation. Renewables are not sufficient to displace fossil fuels. The scale of the task is immense. Anti-nuke apologists are pushing for a nightmare scenario with 100% renewable energy to support the US' entire power ...
Feb 27, 2021•34 min•Ep. 40
The Rational View episode 39 is a Cool Stuff interview with Prof. Mike Dixon, exploring the challenges of building artificial ecosystems in space habitats for sustainable life support. Dr. Mike Dixon is a Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences and Director of the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF), University of Guelph. He served as Chair of the Department of Environmental Biology from 2003-2008. Prof. Dixon joined the University as a NSERC University Research Fe...
Feb 20, 2021•44 min•Ep. 39
The Rational View wraps up its series on Artificial Intelligence: The Promise and the Risk. In this episode Dr. Scott summarizes the key insights from interviews with experts. We review many current issues with AI, and how ethical issues can arise. AI systems are being abused by social media networks to push profits at the cost of facts. This ethical failure is straining the fabric of liberal democracy and contributing to the polarization of popular discourse. Despite these problems, the genie i...
Feb 13, 2021•34 min•Ep. 38
In this episode of The Rational View we discuss the ethics of Arificial Intelligence. Shalaleh Rismani is a PhD student in electrical and computer engineering at McGill University. She is a member of the Responsible Autonomy and Intelligent Systems Ethics (RAISE Lab). Her current research focuses on how we can measure the adherence of AI systems to AI ethics principles. She is currently the co-director and a design researcher at the Open Roboethics Institute (ORI), previously Open Roboethics ini...
Feb 06, 2021•42 min•Ep. 37
In episode 36 of the Rational View, Dr. Scott interviews Thomas Frey on the future of artificial intelligence. Certified speaking professional, Futurist Thomas Frey continually pushes the envelope of understanding as part of the celebrity speaking circuit by creating fascinating images and understandings of the world to come. He has been fortunate enough to headline events along with some of today’s most recognizable figures: Tom Peters, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammad Yunus; former CEO of Gen...
Jan 30, 2021•38 min•Ep. 36
