Embracing Skepticism: The Path to Intellectual Honesty

In this episode of The Proof, I’m joined by Dr. Steven Novella, a clinical neurologist at Yale School of Medicine and host of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe. Steven has spent decades helping people think more clearly, spot misinformation, and navigate the increasingly noisy world of science, health, and media.

Together we explore what it really means to be a skeptic — not a cynic — and why scientific humility is more powerful than absolute certainty. We talk about how to have better conversations with people who believe in conspiracy theories, the psychology behind motivated reasoning, and why embracing “I don’t know” can actually make us more grounded, not less.

What we cover:

• Scepticism vs. denialism
• Why stories often override facts
• What science literacy actually looks like
• The cognitive traps we all fall into
• How social media fuels misinformation
• Rebuilding trust in science and institutions

If you enjoy this episode, I’d love it if you shared it with someone who values critical thinking and curiosity.

• 00:00 Introduction
• 05:48 Sceptic vs. Contrarian: What's the difference?
• 08:57 Combating Misinformation and Disinformation
• 12:13 The Role of Critical Thinking
• 18:06 Why We Reject Facts That Make Us Uncomfortable
• 21:09 How Echo Chambers Hijack Reality
• 24:41 The Hardest Choice: Truth or Belonging?
• 37:54 Why People No Longer Trust Experts
• 48:16 Debating Pseudoscience
• 52:53 The Deadly Cost of Misinformation
• 56:03 The GMO Lies People Still Believe
• 01:03:00 How to Teach Critical Thinking to Anyone
• 01:10:00 How to Think, Not What to Think
• 01:14:34 Why Science Sounds Uncertain and Why That’s a Good Thing
• 01:23:51 Being Sceptical Doesn’t Make You Automatically Right
• 01:35:59 The Double-Edged Sword of AI

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Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)

• Creator of ⁠theproof.com⁠

• Host of ⁠The Proof with Simon Hill⁠

• Author of ⁠The Proof is in the Plants⁠

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