Rationally Speaking Podcast podcast

Rationally Speaking Podcast

Rationally Speaking is the bi-weekly podcast of New York City Skeptics. Join host Julia Galef and guests as they explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense, likely from unlikely, and science from pseudoscience. Any topic is fair game as long as we can bring reason to bear upon it, with both a skeptical eye and a good dose of humor! We agree with the Marquis de Condorcet, who said that in an open society we ought to devote ourselves to "the tracking down of prejudices in the hiding places where priests, the schools, the government, and all long-established institutions had gathered and protected them."Rationally Speaking was co-created with Massimo Pigliucci, is produced by Benny Pollak, and is recorded in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village.

Rationally Speaking is the bi-weekly podcast of New York City Skeptics. Join host Julia Galef and guests as they explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense, likely from unlikely, and science from pseudoscience. Any topic is fair game as long as we can bring reason to bear upon it, with both a skeptical eye and a good dose of humor! We agree with the Marquis de Condorcet, who said that in an open society we ought to devote ourselves to "the tracking down of prejudices in the hiding places where priests, the schools, the government, and all long-established institutions had gathered and protected them."Rationally Speaking was co-created with Massimo Pigliucci, is produced by Benny Pollak, and is recorded in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village.

 

#263

Is cash the best way to help the poor? (Michael Faye)

The idea of giving poor people cash, no strings attached, is "very unappealing" for most d... more

23 Dec 2021

52 MINS

52:13

23 Dec 2021


#262

Humanity on the precipice (Toby Ord)

Humanity could thrive for millions of years -- unless our future is cut short by an existe... more

10 Dec 2021

1 HR 08 MINS

1:08:54

10 Dec 2021


#261

Dangerous biological research - is it worth it? (Kevin Esvelt)

Kevin Esvelt, a scientist at MIT, argues that research intended to prevent pandemics is ac... more

30 Nov 2021

1 HR 07 MINS

1:07:57

30 Nov 2021


#260

Why we're polarized (Ezra Klein)

Ezra Klein explains how Republican and Democrats in the US became so different from each o... more

05 Nov 2021

1 HR 18 MINS

1:18:57

05 Nov 2021


#259

The genetic lottery (Kathryn Paige Harden)

Kathryn Paige Harden, author of “The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality”... more

15 Oct 2021

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:12

15 Oct 2021


#258

How to reason about COVID, and other hard things (Kelsey Piper)

Journalist Kelsey Piper (Future Perfect / Vox) discusses lessons learned from covering COV... more

14 Sep 2021

1 HR 17 MINS

1:17:55

14 Sep 2021


#257

"Price gouging" in emergencies

Every time there’s an emergency, the prices of certain goods skyrocket -- like masks and h... more

19 Aug 2021

52 MINS

52:08

19 Aug 2021


#256

How to be a data detective (Tim Harford)

When you see a statistic reported in the news, like "10% of University of California Berke... more

10 Jun 2021

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:45

10 Jun 2021


#255

Are Uber and Lyft drivers being exploited?

How much do Uber and Lyft drivers really earn, after expenses? Are they getting a raw deal... more

09 Apr 2021

1 HR 01 MINS

1:01:51

09 Apr 2021


#254

Unfair laws / Why judges should be originalists (William Baude)

Is there any justification for seemingly unjust laws like "qualified immunity," which allo... more

19 Mar 2021

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:17

19 Mar 2021


#253

Intellectual honesty, cryptocurrency, & more (Vitalik Buterin)

Julia and guest Vitalik Buterin (creator of the open-source blockchain platform Ethereum) ... more

04 Mar 2021

1 HR 16 MINS

1:16:40

04 Mar 2021


#252

Understanding moral disagreements (Jonathan Haidt)

Julia and social psychologist <a href= "https://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/jonathan-hai... more

18 Feb 2021

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:04

18 Feb 2021


#251

The case for one billion Americans, & more (Matt Yglesias)

Matt Yglesias talks about One Billion Americans, his book arguing that it’s in the United ... more

03 Feb 2021

1 HR 40 MINS

1:40:49

03 Feb 2021


#250

What’s wrong with tech companies banning people? (Julian Sanchez)

Companies like Twitter and Facebook are increasingly willing to ban users -- and even if y... more

20 Jan 2021

56 MINS

56:48

20 Jan 2021


#249

The case for racial colorblindness (Coleman Hughes)

Coleman Hughes explains why he favors a "colorblind" ideal and why the "race-conscious" ca... more

05 Jan 2021

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:26

05 Jan 2021


#248

Are Democrats being irrational? (David Shor)

Data scientist David Shor discusses some of the bad choices made by Democratic political c... more

22 Dec 2020

1 HR 21 MINS

1:21:34

22 Dec 2020


#247

The moral limits of markets / The problem with meritocracy (Michael Sandel)

Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel argues with Julia about human dignity, consensual canni... more

08 Dec 2020

59 MINS

59:10

08 Dec 2020


#246

Deaths of despair / Effective altruism (Angus Deaton)

Economist and Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton discusses the rise in “deaths of despair” in the... more

24 Nov 2020

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:07

24 Nov 2020


#245

Are Boomers to blame for Millennials' struggles?

Rationally Speaking returns from hiatus with a look at a clash between two generations: Mi... more

09 Nov 2020

59 MINS

59:52

09 Nov 2020


#244

Rationally Speaking #244 - Stephanie Lepp and Buster Benson on "Seeing other perspectives, with comp...

This episode features a pair of interviews on a similar topic: First, Stephanie Lepp (host... more

30 Nov 2019

42 MINS

42:15

30 Nov 2019


#243

Rationally Speaking #243 - Bryan Caplan on "The Case for Open Borders"

The idea of open borders -- letting people move freely between countries, taking a job whe... more

12 Nov 2019

49 MINS

49:21

12 Nov 2019


#242

Rationally Speaking #242 - Keith Frankish on "Why consciousness is an illusion"

Philosopher of mind Keith Frankish is one of the leading proponents of "illusionism," the ... more

29 Oct 2019

43 MINS

43:27

29 Oct 2019


#241

Rationally Speaking #241 - Thibault Le Texier on "Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment"

The Stanford Prison Experiment is one of the most famous psychology experiments in history... more

15 Oct 2019

54 MINS

54:59

15 Oct 2019