Exploring polite society's impact, RSV vaccine controversies, Gemini AI insights, and the risks of trusting societal norms. Critiquing vaccine authorization, drug risks for pregnant women, and the complexity of pharmaceutical naming. Discussing language influence, AI malfunctions, and merchandise goals for the podcast.
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Polite Society and the Overton Window
Polite society acts as the social arm of the Overton window, dictating acceptable beliefs and conversation partners.
It pressures individuals to conform to its standards, often through social ostracism.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Backlash for Unconventional Dialogue
Bret Weinstein discusses criticism received for appearing on Alex Jones's show and questioning HIV's role in AIDS.
Caitlin Flanagan called him a "crackpot" for this, highlighting polite society's intolerance.
insights INSIGHT
The Importance of Respectful Disagreement
While disagreements are valid, personal attacks and restrictions on dialogue are unproductive.
Michael Shermer's respectful disagreement with Bret Weinstein exemplifies a better approach.
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In this 214th in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we talk about the state of the world through an evolutionary lens.
In this episode, we discuss polite society, RSV, and Google’s Gemini. Under what circumstances should we listen to, or defer to, the will of polite society? How can we tell if those conditions are changing? With regard to RSV (Respiratory Syncitial Virus), how deadly is it? To whom? What drugs—vaccinations and otherwise—are available, and to whom? While Politico mocks those who question the use of RSV vaccine in children, the New York Times points out there is no FDA authorized RSV vaccine for children. We also discuss the RSV vaccine that was authorized for children in the 1960s—and how it made subsequent illness far worse for those vaccinated. Finally: how does Google’s roll-out of Gemini AI reveal what is going on behind the scenes? A discussion of positive and negative feedback illustrates more broadly what Gemini reveals.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Suspension of Curiosity leads to Serious Adverse Events: https://open.substack.com/pub/naturalselections/p/suspension-of-curiosity-leads-to Matt Orfalea: Nobody is Safe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI3yU5Z2adI&t=28s
MilkBar TV: pandemic of the unvaccinated: https://twitter.com/TheMilkBarTV/status/1761934974784246068
Politico: “There’s a New Life-Saving Vaccine. Why Won’t People Take It?”: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/13/next-front-vaccine-wars-00141054
New York Times: “Some Pregnant Women and Infants Received the Wrong R.S.V. Shots”: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/health/rsv-shots-pregnant-women-infants.html
RSV according to the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/rsv/public/child.html
Welliver 2003. Review of epidemiology and clinical risk factors for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. The Journal of Pediatrics, 143(5): 112-117: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022347603005080
Castilow et al 2007. Understanding respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine-enhanced disease. Immunologic Research, 39: 225-239: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12026-007-0071-6.pdf
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