I recently ran a pair of episodes investigating claims of the health effects of deuterium, a stable heavy isotope of hydrogen. The first interview was with a Naturopath, and the second was with a real medical doctor publishing peer reviewed papers on the topic. And my focus in this effort is on drilling through the BS to get to what the evidence says. This takes sustained skepticism, and it doesn’t always make friends. Many people are turned off by the methods of science. It reminds me of why I never liked the TV series X-files. The scientist was always being appropriately skeptical of phenomena that have, at best, only breathless anecdotal support. But she was constantly being shamed by the male character for not ‘believing’ that the truth is out there. But believing extraordinary claims without sufficient evidence makes you gullible. You have the choice of being a friendly fool in believing that astrology or alternative medicine, homeopathy, or other superstitions should be given equal standing with experimentally tested scientific knowledge.
So in this episode I want to give you some tools to identify bafflegab, gobbledygook, and pseudo-science, while reviewing some of the reactions I received.
Support the podcast at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView
Give me your feedback on Facebook @TheRationalView
Twittter @AlScottRational
Farzad Khosravi and Cicero--a rational social media option
Professor Don Gurnett on the Voyager Missions
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson on The Rational View (2/2)
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson on The Rational View (1/2)
Scientific Responsibility and Outreach
Cool Stuff: The James Webb Space Telescope with Prof. René Doyon
The inexorable advance of Security Theater
Inequity and the Pandemic with Edgardo Sepulveda
‘What about the waste?‘ with Sheila Whytock
Electrification and Climate with Edgardo Sepulveda
Stand Up For Nuclear with Paris Ortiz Wines
The Rational View podcast retrospective
Tax the Gas and Save Pickering with Dr. Chris Keefer
Gender equity in STEM fields with Dr. Merryn McKinnon
Dr. Charles Hall on sustainable energy sources
The physics of UFOs with Robert Powell
Environmental Advocacy with Dr. Ben Heard
Gender Issues in STEM with Clare Scott and Sarah Kerns
A Roadmap to Nowhere with Mike Conley and Tim Maloney
Recycling Nuclear Waste with Tom Dolan and Steve Curtis
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Freakonomics Radio
The Why Files: Operation Podcast
Criminal
Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World
Inconceivable Truth