The DemystifySci Podcast

Did you think the world's richest entities were governments? Think again! 71 of the richest 100 organizations are corporations, not countries. Is a high-tech version of the old-tech company town in store for humans? This week is all about trying to answer what seems like a simple question - would you want to live in a town that's run by the government, or one that's run by a bright and shiny high-tech giant? Cyber-security expert Herb Lin joins us to talk about what that world might look like, and also sheds some light on what a corporate internet means for dwindling freedoms on the internet, the price that humans have to pay in return for security, and the difficulty of establishing consistent, robust standards for something as complex as the internet. In return for security, humans of the future might find themselves living in the tech generation’s version of a company town. ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª Join us on a journey to the inner workings of the human mind, the hidden appeal of incentive-driven reasoning, and a few suggestions for how to stay away from these cognitive traps. Stick around for part 2, where we speak with Dr. Christopher French, professor of Anomalistic Psychology at the University of London. ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Subscribe & Ring the bell to study the Secrets of the Universe ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª EPISODE LINKS: Dr. Lin Website: https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/people/herbert_lin Dr. Lin Written Works: https://www.hoover.org/profiles/herbert-lin Dr. Lin Twitter: https://twitter.com/herblincyber?lang=en Episode notes on Youtube @ https://youtu.be/elO-cvIbijI We wrote and performed the music in this episode!  Shilo Delay:  https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone​   And everywhere else (Spotify, etc..)  https://g.co/kgs/fc8WbA

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, we all know that. But Dr. Christopher French, professor of Anomalistic Psychology at the University of London, might know it more than the rest of us - he’s spent his career in pursuit of tangible evidence for all kinds of paranormal beliefs. Extrasensory perception, telepathy, dowsing - and has come up with little proof that these phenomena occur - but has not lost the skeptical spark that leaves all possibilities on the table. Along the way, he became interested in the question of cognition - how do people come to believe in magical phenomena? Did they feel the appeal of motivated reasoning, or did it take them by surprise? Proof and disproof don’t seem to have much of an effect in this world of metaphysical beliefs, since cognition doesn’t depend on facts - it’s much more about emotions, tribal associations, and the way that humans *want* the world to be, rather than how it *is.* ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL​ ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Subscribe & Ring the bell to study the Secrets of the Universe ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª EPISODE LINKS: Dr. French Twitter: https://twitter.com/chriscfrench Dr. French Lab Site: https://www.gold.ac.uk/apru/ Dr. French Articles on Anomalistic Psychology: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/chris-french PODCAST INFO: Blog: http://demystifyingscience.com/blog Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3uhn7J1 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/39IDJBD RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/3sP1WgR Clips playlist: https://bit.ly/2OieYEG Donate: rb.gy/a7ueoz Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/demystifysci - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/demystifyingscience - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demystifysci/ We wrote and performed the music in this episode! Shilo Delay: https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone​ And everywhere else (Spotify, etc..) https://g.co/kgs/fc8WbA #Science #Power #Futurism

Medical mystery Wim Hof has put his body to the test, and the science is in: belief is really good for you. Especially if you learn to use the power of your mind (and lungs) to control your immune system. But what’s going on? How is it that your mind, a part of you that doesn’t even seem to have a physical location, shapes reality? How can thoughts have such a huge influence on everything from your immune system, to how likely you are to die in the next decade? Join us as we sit down with University of Radboud Immunologist Matthijs Kox and figure out the ways in which the mind affects medical outcomes, and why training yourself to overcome what the brain and body want can mean the difference between success and tragedy. ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Subscribe & Ring the bell to study the Secrets of the Universe ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª EPISODE LINKS:  Dr. Kox Website: https://www.radboudumc.nl/en/people/matthijs-kox Dr. Kox Publications: https://publons.com/researcher/2362625/matthijs-kox/ Dr. Kox Study on Wim Hof: https://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7379  PODCAST INFO:  Blog: http://demystifyingscience.com/blog   Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3uhn7J1 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/39IDJBD RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/3sP1WgR Clips playlist: https://bit.ly/2OieYEG Donate: rb.gy/a7ueoz  Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y  SOCIAL:  - Twitter: https://twitter.com/demystifysci - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/demystifyingscience - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demystifysci/  We wrote and performed the music in this episode!  Shilo Delay:  https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone​   And everywhere else (Spotify, etc..) https://g.co/kgs/fc8WbA  #WimHof #ConsciousControl #MindOverMatter

There are two opposing forces that steer the course of consensus science - quality of thought on one hand, and narrative control on the other. When you’re pushing the limits of human technological ability, should you be worried that modern science is about power? This is a conversation with Jeremy Rys, @Alienscientist on YouTube, about what happens when you hang out on the cutting edge of engineering outside the institutions.  Jeremy has grown a community centered around doing just that - and has started a lab that builds and tests various propulsion prototypes to see what gems may have fallen through the cracks of history. Extreme patience rewards the seeker, for even the most far-out ideas will produce the occasional pearl of wisdom. If researchers on the cutting edge dismissed everything ever labeled as “pseudoscience,” maps of the universe would probably still have Earth at their center.  ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Subscribe & Ring the bell to study the Secrets of the Universe ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª  ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª  EPISODE LINKS:  AlienScientist Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AlienScientist  AlienScientist Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alienscientist  AlienScientist Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alien_Scientist  PODCAST INFO:  Blog: http://demystifyingscience.com/blog  Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3uhn7J1  Spotify: https://spoti.fi/39IDJBD  RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss  Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/3sP1WgR  Clips playlist: https://bit.ly/2OieYEG  Donate: rb.gy/a7ueoz  Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y  SOCIAL:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/demystifysci  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/demystifyingscience  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demystifysci/  We wrote and performed the music in this episode!  Shilo Delay: https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone And everywhere else (Spotify, etc..)  https://g.co/kgs/fc8WbA  #Science #Power #Futurism

Propaganda, strongmen, and authoritarianism are mainstays across the authoritarian-liberatrian boundary, marked by a lack of democratic and free elections, a codified hostility towards threat to the social order, a lack of accountability, and religious party loyalism. ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL​ ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª Widespread lockdowns have triggered fears that the world is taking a turn towards authoritarian rule, a government system that’s marked by a lack of democratic and free elections, a codified hostility towards threat to the social order, a lack of accountability, and party loyalists at every turn. The 20th century despots were very effective at playing on endemic frustrations during long periods of economic hardships. Hitler came to power during the interwar period where Germany was dealing with extreme social instability following reparation-driven hyperinflation. A  damaged information ecology, where levels of mistrust and conspiratorial thinking go through the roof, reinforces a want to be ruled by someone who promises answers. They want an economic and social liferaft, not nuance. Living in fear causes a cascading reaction that activates the fight-or-flight response at a constant level, which means that people’s brains actually change - we lose our ability to make well-reasoned, emotionally discharged decisions. Instead, everything becomes reactive, a panicked stormy attempt to get out ahead of the problem that they can’t get a clear perspective on. Despite the novelty of your democratic experiment, it seems possible that you humans will live to improve it. Political tolerance is one way of finding your way to strength. There has to be an open exchange of ideas and interpretations. If you find that there are voices being silenced, you must fight to make room for their careful, public analysis, lest your satisfaction at their absence be the weakness in your armor. Talk to us @DemystifySci Read us or Wear us:  https://linktr.ee/demystifysci Support us: rb.gy/a7ueoz Audio-only version available at all usual podcast locations or here: https://anchor.fm/demystifying-science​ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Music: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shilo Delay:  https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone​ And everywhere else (Spotify, etc..) https://g.co/kgs/fc8WbA #Strongmen #Authoritarianism #Dictators

Environmentalism, equality, gun laws, lockdowns, these are all areas where people are interested in doing the RIGHT thing, but end up with very different ideas of what that looks like. ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL​ ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª Though it might not look like it on the surface, most of the problems in the human world today are all about how to tell the difference between wrong and right - but most people don’t spend a ton of time trying to figure out if their definitions of those words make sense. What happens is that a lot of people, when they start to think about the difference between right and wrong, conflate legality and morality. It’s a reasonable confusion - there have been thousands of years of empire on Earth, all of which have asserted that rules about good and bad behavior originate from a supernatural authority, rather than from the individual. But in the modern democratic age, it doesn’t make much sense to look to laws for moral guidance when you’re the ones expected to build the laws of the future. In the absence of a trustworthy top-down source - whether that’s an institution, God, or nature itself - individuals have to take on the heavy mantle of moral reasoning for themselves. It can be hard, in an atomized isolating world to make sense of this responsibility. The Western world is one of the most permissive societies in the history of your species and it might feel impossible to establish the difference between right and wrong. In building a moral framework, you really have to look out for motivated reasoning, which means that if you reeeeeaaaally want to do something, it’s going to be really easy to convince yourself that it’s morally okay. That’s because reason is a post-hoc justification that animals generally  give to their actions after the fact. As David Hume, one of Kant’s contemporaries argued, reason is slave to the passions. Remember, the ethical and legal system in which you live right now isn’t the best version of the world - it’s just the latest greatest adaptation in the aftermath of the church, the rise of reason and nation, and the emergence of the individual. What comes next, humans? Talk to us @DemystifySci Read us or Wear us:  https://linktr.ee/demystifysci Support us: rb.gy/a7ueoz Audio-only version available at all usual podcast locations or here: https://anchor.fm/demystifying-science​ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Music: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shilo Delay:  https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone​ And everywhere else (Spotify, etc..) https://g.co/kgs/fc8WbA #Moralpsychology #Morality #ScienceofCulture --------- Metaphysics, Spirituality, Science of Consciousness,

Empiricism as the dominant way of knowing the world optimized technological progress, but also alienated humans because it often avoids the spiritual, motivational realm of biology beyond atoms crashing into one another. ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª When it comes to Human science these days, all explanations eventually come back to physics. And while the mathematical convolutions of quantum theory and fluid dynamics can make humans better engineers, physics alone can’t address the emergent properties of biology: Why do you want what you want? Where does the human capacity for transcendent experience come from? What is religion, and why has it been so central to all of human history? One possible explanation is that many phenomena cannot be reduced to pure physical mechanics. Birth, death, will, meaning, and love can’t be totally encompassed by a volumetric description of atoms drifting between synapses… which suggests that physicalist science can’t possibly yield answers to all of life’s questions. This doesn’t discount the contribution of a materialist worldview to humans’ technological development, but it does suggest a more integrated perspective is necessary. Problem is, even with your ability to smash atoms together and your impressive technological advancements, you humans are no closer to answering the question of how to get along, or how to avoid cyclic social unrest… and perhaps it’s time to consider that the kind of science that will actually be able to deal with these questions will have to integrate the deep history of spirituality throughout your species’ Earthly history. All of us animals live in a world that is impure and imperfect, and each of us must rise above that stain on a daily basis in order to keep from descending into an impenetrable darkness. Finding a language to scientifically address the transcendent might be the only way to find your way back to forgiving yourselves. Talk to us @DemystifySci Read us or Wear us:  https://linktr.ee/demystifysci Support us: rb.gy/a7ueoz Audio-only version available at all usual podcast locations or here: https://anchor.fm/demystifying-science ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Music: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shilo Delay:  https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone #SpiritualEconomy #Consciousness #ScienceofCulture

Why would governments and corporations alike be interested in destabilizing society? ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª Well, it depends on who’s responsible. A state like China, Russia, or Saudia Arabia might be interested in seeing the United States self-immolate to clear the way for their agendas on a global scale. Remember, Rome fell to civil war before being conquered from beyond its walls. Then there's transnational and domestic actors, who can take many different forms: everyone from coal to big tech is very, very concerned with controlling public narratives. Why? To out-compete one another! Bad actors to weaponize pessimism by creating exhaustion in the face of global problems. This can decrease voter turnout, decimate political organizing, and can ensure the status quo keeps purring along unchallenged. These days, the biggest threat hanging over conflicting people’s heads isn’t mutually assured destruction by way of nuclear warheads - it’s an online battle for the heart and soul of the global populace. ---- Subscribe and ask for notifications if you want to gear up to fight the declining spiritual economy, the appeal of moral relativism, and the unending appeal of strongmen… and beyond that, we’ve lined up even more conversations about space colonialism, paranormal psychology, and the ever mystified nature of consciousness. Talk to us @DemystifySci Read us or Wear us:  https://linktr.ee/demystifysci Support us: rb.gy/a7ueoz Audio-only version available at all usual podcast locations or here: https://anchor.fm/demystifying-science ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Music: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shilo Delay:  https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone #cyberwarfare #misinformation #propaganda

Depressed, anxious, and not sure why? This is the story of how your love of creature comforts may be at the root of your problems - and what the science of Wim Hof says you can do about it. ªº¬˚∆≤≥≤≥ Join the mailing list http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL​ ≤≥≤≥∆˚¬ºª This is neurohacking at it’s finest - no need to buy anything, pay for courses, or even leave your house. If you’ve cleaned your room and made your bed, embracing the cold is the next step for building the iron discipline that’s absolutely necessary in your quest to make the world a better place. In the interview that follows this episode we talk at length with Dr. Vaibhav Diwadkar, Wayne State neuropsychiatrist who’s been mapping the deep-brain changes that happen during meditation, deep breathing, and exposure to cold. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it looks like regularly overcoming your emotional aversion to unpleasant tasks can actually change the way you react to everything else that life throws at you. Subscribe to stay up on what’s next - moral psychology, the economy of spirit, space agriculture, and more Wim Hof Science! Talk to us @DemystifySci Read us or Wear us:  https://linktr.ee/demystifysci Support us: rb.gy/a7ueoz Audio-only version available at all usual podcast locations or here: https://anchor.fm/demystifying-science​ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Music: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shilo Delay:  https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone​ #wimhof #breathwork #mindfulness

Earth’s online evolution - Technological explosions weather spiritual implosions... ::!!:: Join the Demystifying Science mailing list ::!!::  http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL ::!!:: Like all ecosystems, the community that’s emerged on the internet requires a diversity of species to be optimally functional - and that threatened by the big tech monoculture emerging on Earth these days. To figure out what’s going on, we go back to the 1960s when it all started, and trace the explosion of online existence since then. Our conversation with Evan Bailyn, a 17-year veteran of getting websites to the front page of Google, considers what exactly the future of the internet might look like. His experience with the inner workings of the search behemoth leads us to a fascinating conversation about the things you won’t find on Google, the strange nature of niche radicalization, and what - if anything - is going to replace the big three that dominate the online world today. Evan’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOGxmp3_fdnjsXDyN27jfjg  Support more videos with a donation! rb.gy/a7ueoz  Or grab a t-shirt! https://demystifying-science.myteespring.co More readings from us: https://demystifyingscience.com/blog Let's talk! @DemystifySci Twitter: https://twitter.com/demystifysci Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demystifysci Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/demystifysci ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Music: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Shilo Delay: https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone