I’ve recently begun to suspect that we, as a society, favour competition over cooperation to our detriment. As children we are trained to compete. We play competitive board games like Sorry, and Monopoly where you win by sabotaging the other players. We fetishize competitive sports, spending 100’s of billions of dollars watching athletes violently punish each other. It would seem that these attitudes carry over into the political arena. States and religions and corporations all compete for power...
Aug 27, 2022•50 min•Ep. 116
In this episode I’m exploring the story of the father of atomic power, Admiral Hyman Rickover. This was based on a suggestion from a listener. Thanks Loki! Rickover is best known for his role in developing the US nuclear submarine program in the 1950’s. His ground-breaking work demonstrates that Small Modular Reactors are a safe and effective method of generating clean carbon-free energy. Today I will be interviewing an author who has recently published a biography of Rickover. Marc Wortman rece...
Aug 20, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 115
This is a fun joint podcast with co-host Andy Vasily of the successful ‘Run your life’ podcast. Andy is a friend from way back. We went to public school together. Andy helped me set up my podcast a couple years ago and get started with a few helpful hints. His Run Your Life podcast is focused on physical fitness and self realization. In this episode we reminisce a bit and share the wisdom we have gathered over the forty or so years since our last meeting. We chat about how we both ended up in po...
Aug 13, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 114
In this episode I book-end my two episode investigation on the impacts of bullying with someone who has interviewed victims of bullying to attempt to characterize the impacts. I recently did a podcast that reviewed my experiences with bullying as a child and how it seemed to have impacted my personality and my life. From a high level, Dr. deLara’s results resonated with me. It felt good to identify an external reason for why I found it hard to interact with others. But let’s be careful and quest...
Aug 06, 2022•48 min•Ep. 113
In this episode I want to share something personal about my life. This episode is about bullying and its lifelong effects. My bully made me who I am today. I hope if you are experiencing bullying that you take the time to listen. I learned a lot in school, and most of it in the schoolyard. I learned to run fast, and dodge. I learned that there is no justice in the world. I learned the world is a harsh place and the good guys lose. I learned to be self sufficient. I learned to escape into fantasy...
Jul 30, 2022•14 min•Ep. 112
In this episode I summarize my investigation of consciousness. I’ve been interviewing several experts and there is a huge diversity of thought on the topic of thought. It is called ‘the hard problem of consciousness’ to explain why we have a subjective experience of existence. What have I learned? The problem is hard because people don’t agree on an objective set of criteria about what consciousness entails. If there is no clear definition, it is no surprise it is hard to explain. Philosophers f...
Jul 23, 2022•32 min•Ep. 111
In this episode I am interviewing a fellow supporter of nuclear energy who, although not a Canadian, she posted an article on Canada Day singing the praises of the CANDU reactor. I think CANDU is an underappreciated technological wonder, similar to the Avro Arrow. It is also at risk of going down that same path unless Canadians rise up and tell their MPs and MPPs that we need more of them. Angelica Oung is a journalist specializing in Asia and energy matters living in Taipei, Taiwan. In her spar...
Jul 16, 2022•48 min•Ep. 110
In this episode I return to my investigation of the physical and philosophical bases of consciousness. Today I will be taking on a new perspective from a leading expert in both philosophy and artificial intelligence. Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of Essentia Foundation. His work has been leading the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy and another Ph.D. in computer engineering specializing in artific...
Jul 09, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 109
In this episode I am returning to one of my favourite topics—the clean energy transition. Today I wanted to explore the life cycle greenhouse gas footprint of the shift to electric vehicles. Many governments are using a transition to electrified transportation as the foundation of their GHG emissions reduction programs. Today I’m going to an expert to find out how effective this transition will be on our society’s GHG emissions profile. Dr. Gerfried Jungmeier holds a Master’s degree in mechanica...
Jul 02, 2022•43 min•Ep. 108
On my episode today I will be exploring a fun topic—science fiction, with a friend an colleague who is also an up and coming science fiction author. We will discuss themes of communicating science and our shared love of science fiction. Eric Choi is a writer, editor, and aerospace engineer in Toronto. He has twice won the Prix Aurora Award – Canada’s national prize for excellence in science fiction and fantasy – for his short story “Crimson Sky” and for the anthology The Dragon and the Stars, an...
Jun 25, 2022•40 min•Ep. 107
In this episode I am continuing my investigation into the so-called hard problem of consciousness. I’ve spoken to several people who believe that consciousness arose in single celled organisms and is somehow integrated at higher levels through electrical synchronization or intercellular molecular transport into a unified experience. Hindus and Buddhists believe that there is a Universal consciousness of which we all partake. This is similar in some ways to Sir Roger Penrose’ theory of consciousn...
Jun 18, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 106
In this episode I continue my exploration into the nature of consciousness and awareness. I’ve learned a lot in my exploration to date. I’ve learned about Hindu and Buddhist ideas on awareness, and I’ve delved into the underlying quantum mechanical nature of reality. I’ve discussed ideas of quantum computing and biological links to the mysteries of quantum mechanics. My guest today is an expert on the cellular basis of memory and cognition. Michael Levin received dual B.S. degrees (computer scie...
Jun 11, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 105
In this episode I continue my exploration of consciousness, exploring a field of enquiry that has focused almost exclusively on consciousness and awareness for hundreds of years. Although it is not science, Buddhism has a uniquely close relation with physics and physicists being oft quoted. 'The Tao of Physics' comes to mind, as well as ‘The Dancing Wu Li Masters’ as examples. I hope you enjoy this foray into the Buddhist mind. Dr. John Dunne serves on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-...
Jun 04, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 104
Quantum Mechanics is a strange theory. Richard Feynman said “I think it is safe to say nobody understands quantum mechanics”. So why is it so popular if nobody understands it? How is this the basis for all of our physical knowledge of particles and their interactions? A recent innovative experiment fires neutrons through a double slit and proves that each neutron goes through both slits at the same time. Prof. Holger Hofmann, studied physics in his hometown of Stuttgart, Germany, then went to To...
May 28, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 103
In this episode I am lucky to be able to talk to an expert in the lifeblood of modern civilization, our electrical grid. The grid is the pulse that sustains civilization. It provides us with the energy to run our labour-saving appliances, it provides us with lights, it empowers our computers, it heats our homes, it refrigerates our food. Without it we would be tossed back to 19th century living conditions. It powers all of modern technology and allows us to communicate around the globe. The grid...
May 21, 2022•53 min•Ep. 102
In this episode I am looking forward to exploring more about alternate interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. In previous episodes exploring consciousness, I’ve encountered several people who believe that Quantum Mechanics is at the root of consciousness. My current thinking is that it replaces one mystery with another one without really providing an explanation for consciousness. We are still stuck with the options of consciousness being a pre-existing property of the universe or some aspect of ...
May 14, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 101
In this, my 100th episode, I continue to explore consciousness, but I’m stepping out of my comfort zone a little and seeing what I can learn from the religious viewpoint on consciousness. The idea of an eternal soul is central to many religions, and the Hindus especially believe in reincarnation. I want to learn what they think the soul entails, and what are the parallels between religious thought, philosophy, and the findings of neuro-biology. Dr. Sangeetha Menon is Professor and Head of the Co...
May 07, 2022•55 min•Ep. 100
This episode continues my series on consciousness—are we just biological robots? Following on from my exciting interview last week with quantum biophysicist Dr. Luca Turin, I dig further into competing quantum theories of consciousness. The famous Sir Roger Penrose and his partner Stuart Hameroff have proposed the Orchestrated OR theory. This theory posits a modification of the incomplete theory of quantum mechanics that underlies half of physics. They argue that consciousness arises from moment...
Apr 30, 2022•56 min•Ep. 99
This episode continues my series on consciousness—are we biological robots? Today I’m getting into some real science talking to a biophysicist who brings the esoteric world of quantum mechanics to bear on the topic. His groundbreaking work in the lab provides us with some real measurements that provide tantalizing hints at the previously unknown quantum processes tied to consciousness. Dr. Luca Turin was born in 1953 in Beirut, Lebanon, to Italian-Argentinian parents and was brought up in France...
Apr 23, 2022•57 min•Ep. 98
This episode continues my series on the Rational art of war on social media. Following on from my great interview a few weeks back with Dr Lee McIntyre, author of Talking to Science Deniers, he suggested I interview his colleague Dr. Andrew Norman who is actively working to inoculate the world against anti-science thinking. Dr. Andy Norman is the award-winning author of Mental Immunity: Infection Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think. His work has appeared in Scientific...
Apr 16, 2022•50 min•Ep. 97
In this episode I continue my investigation into consciousness interviewing an advocate for artificial intelligence. He advocates for a form of physicalistic idealism that is both highly speculative and incredible, by his own words. He supports the equations of physics as a complete description of reality, and posits that minds arise in quantum superpositions of neurons. A quantum superposition is a non-intuitive situation that arises in the equations of physics where a system can seemingly exis...
Apr 09, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 96
In this episode I begin my investigation into the topic of consciousness with an interview. The field of consciousness research is broad and interdisciplinary, with active researchers in philosophy, psychology, physics, neuro-biology, computer science, and even theology. My first interview is a psychologist who wrote a book claiming that bacteria are sentient. Dr. Arthur Reber is an American cognitive psychologist, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Ass...
Apr 02, 2022•58 min•Ep. 95
This episode delves into the topic of consciousness and why it is seen as a problem by some philosophers. We briefly touched on this in our series on AI, but it also touches the topic of science and religion. This is an issue that is dealt with in science fiction. Star Trek, especially TNG has several episodes that bear directly on this issue of what it means to be sentient with the character ‘Data’ striving to be more human, and being treated as an object rather than a sentient being due mainly...
Mar 26, 2022•32 min•Ep. 94
This podcast covers a very topical concern as Russia is now embarked on the conquest of the Ukraine, and there is much concern globally about the risk of nuclear power plants coming under fire. Should we be afraid of nuclear reactors in a war zone? (First Published March 19, 2022) I review the risks of nuclear war for a new generation, and I contrast it with the risks of nuclear reactors in a war zone. The conclusions may surprise you. Reactors in a war zone are not a significant health risk. La...
Mar 19, 2022•35 min•Ep. 93
In this episode I talk to a philosopher and best selling author who may be the world’s expert on bridging the gap to talk to science deniers. This is the second podcast in series on how to change minds and influence people using the Rational Art of War to spread The Rational View. Lee McIntyre is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University. Formerly Executive Director of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University, McIntyre i...
Mar 12, 2022•56 min•Ep. 92
The next couple podcasts are meant to be a battle manual for the everyday person who wants to join the fight for what they believe in, but doesn’t have the resources of Google or Facebook to identify thousands of folks who might be swayed to your viewpoint. We know that on any sufficiently polarized political issue there is likely to be funded propaganda attempting to influence public opinion. Audit applications that track inactive and fake accounts show that a significant fraction of politician...
Mar 05, 2022•26 min•Ep. 91
This episode wraps up my podcast series on Evolution and Creationism. I summarize the insightful interviews I've had with many great guests including Dr. Niles Eldredge, the co-creator of Punctuated Equilibrium. Topics range from theology to biology and everything in between. For my upcoming podcasts I’m looking at a couple directions to explore with you. I want to discuss communicating science, and I also want to expand on some of my previous themes—Artificial Intelligence and Science/Religion ...
Feb 26, 2022•25 min•Ep. 90
This episode was meant to continue my series on Evolution and Creationism but it went another surprising direction. I hope you enjoy exploring the questions raised as my guest strides fearlessly into controversial moral territory. Genetic libertarian Razib Khan writes extensively on evidence surrounding human migrations and genetics. He has written for The New York Times, India Today and Quillette, and runs two weblogs, Gene Expression and Brown Pundits. His newsletter is Razib Khan's Unsupervis...
Feb 19, 2022•51 min•Ep. 89
In this episode I interview a psychologist who teaches critical thinking, using Creationism as an example for her students. She also analyzes behaviour from an evolutionary perspective. Prof. Lynne Honey received a BA in Psychology from Algoma University, and then a PhD at McMaster University, specializing in learning and behaviour from a physiological and evolutionary perspective. She tended bar, drove a taxi, and cleaned apartment buildings to pay for her expensive education habits. She has be...
Feb 12, 2022•51 min•Ep. 88
Continuing in my series on evolution and creationism. In this episode you’re in for a treat. I’ve managed to score an interview with a special guest—a celebrity in the field of evolutionary biology. Sit back and enjoy! Dr. Niles Eldredge has been a paleontologist on the curatorial staff of the American Museum of Natural History since 1969. His early work focused on the evolution of trilobites—a group of extinct arthropods that lived between 535 and 245 million years ago. Eldredge is the Curator ...
Feb 05, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 87
