#309

Mentioned in 52 episodes

Silent Spring

Book • 1962

Published in 1962, 'Silent Spring' by Rachel Carson is a seminal work in environmental science.

The book documents the harmful effects of DDT and other pesticides on the environment, including their impact on bird populations, other wildlife, and human health.

Carson argued that these substances should be called 'biocides' due to their broad impact on ecosystems.

The book was serialized in 'The New Yorker' before its full publication and generated significant public and scientific debate.

It led to a reversal in U.S.

pesticide policy, the banning of DDT for agricultural use in 1972, and the establishment of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.

Carson's work challenged the prevailing attitudes towards scientific progress and human control over nature, advocating for responsible and careful use of pesticides and highlighting the need for environmental stewardship.

Mentioned by

Heather Cox Richardson

Mentioned in 52 episodes

Mentioned by

Will Larson

when referencing systems thinking problems.

507 snips

The engineering mindset | Will Larson (Carta, Stripe, Uber, Calm, Digg)

Mentioned by

Ezra Klein

as being about how the government is mismanaging ecology.

420 snips

Build, Interrupted: A Conversation with Ezra Klein

Mentioned by

Nick Gillespie

as the author of "Silent Spring", a book that influenced the ban on DDT.

260 snips

Libertarian Says What? with Nick Gillespie

Mentioned by

Daniel Barcay

in the context of historical examples of societal responses to industrial harms.

197 snips

Weaponizing Uncertainty: How Tech is Recycling Big Tobacco’s Playbook

Mentioned by

Helena Norberg-Hodge

when discussing the wisdom of warning about the over-specialized, reductionist approach to science.

146 snips

Globalization End Game: How Localization Builds Resilient Communities & Economies with Helena Norberg-Hodge

Mentioned by

David Brooks

as an example of writers between 1955 and 1965 who wrote big, ambitious books.

107 snips

CNLP 740 | Overpoliticized and Undermoralized: David Brooks on the American Church, Culture, Becoming a Christian and Being Pastored By Tim Keller

Mentioned by

Dan Wang

as a book that came out during a time when the public was reacting against environmental destruction.

88 snips

America's lawyers vs. China's engineers

Mentioned by

Michael Nielsen

as an example of a book that highlighted a large problem and led to improved governance mechanisms.

82 snips

Could Powerful AI Break Our Fragile World? (with Michael Nielsen)

Mentioned by

John Biewen

in the context of growing environmental awareness in the 1970s.

80 snips

S7 E9: At the Tipping Point

Mentioned by

Cameron Meyer Shorb

when discussing the consequences of DDT and biomagnification.

77 snips

#210 – Cameron Meyer Shorb on dismantling the myth that we can’t do anything to help wild animals

Mentioned by

Rick Rubin

in the context of the harmful effects of pesticides and the impact of Carson's book.

59 snips

Woody Harrelson

Erwähnt von

Thomas Kestler

im Zusammenhang mit DDT und den Gefahren dieses Pflanzenschutzmittels für die Vogelpopulation.

58 snips

Auf Kernkraft gegründet

Mentioned by

Mark Hyman

as a book that impacted him and his understanding of environmental toxins.

58 snips

Environmental Toxins: The Health Crisis You Can't Ignore | Dr. Joseph Pizzorno

Mentioned by

Elizabeth Cox

as a book that led to the founding of the EPA.

43 snips

#208 – Elizabeth Cox on the case that TV shows, movies, and novels can improve the world

Mentioned by

Nick Mott

while discussing the environmental awakening of the early 1970s.

38 snips

The Wide Open

Mentioned by Ray Dorsey when discussing the dangers of indiscriminate pesticide use.

25 snips

The Root Cause of Parkinson’s Disease & How To Prevent It - With Dr. Ray Dorsey

Mentioned by Secretary Kennedy, as he read it and it influenced his views on the dangers of pesticides.

23 snips

Why Our Food Is Full of Pesticides—Is The GOP Betraying MAHA? | @glyphosategirl

Mentioned by

Nick Mott

when discussing the impact of DDT on bird populations and the awakening of public awareness to environmental issues.

23 snips

The Wide Open

Mentioned by

Spencer Greenberg

as a nonfiction book that raised awareness of the negative impacts of pesticides and semi-directly led to the founding of the EPA.

22 snips

A story can change the world (with Elizabeth Cox)

Mentioned by

Heather Cox Richardson

as the spark for the first Earth Day.

21 snips

April 22, 2025

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