This week's Econ Talk features journalist and author, Megan McCartill of The Washington Post. We talk about lobotomies and mental illness as well as the challenge of confirmation bias. This episode will likely deal with a number of adult themes, including those related to edifice. Go to econtalk.org where you can subscribe, comment on this episode, and find links on the information related to today's conversation.
When physician Walter Freeman died in 1972, he still believed that lobotomies were the best treatment for mental illness. A pioneer in the method, he was a deeply confident and charismatic man who eagerly spread the technique in America, long after the rise of alternative treatments that were less destructive. Listen as journalist Megan McArdle and EconTalk's Russ Roberts discuss what McArdle calls the "Oedipus Trap": mistakes that no one can live with, even if they were innocently made, and how admitting such mistakes to ourselves is nearly impossible. They also discuss the complexity of the credo, "follow the science."