193. Chris Edwards on Educational Reform and Thought Experiments

Since Hamas’s attack on Israel last October 7, the term “settler colonialism” has become central to public debate in the United States. A concept new to most Americans, but already established and influential in academic circles, settler colonialism is shaping the way many people think about the history of the United States, Israel and Palestine, and a host of political issues. This short book is the first to examine settler colonialism critically for a general readership. By critiquing the most important writers, texts, and ideas in the field, Adam Kirsch shows how the concept emerged in the context of North American and Australian history and how it is being applied to Israel. He examines the sources of its appeal, which, he argues, are spiritual as much as political; how it works to delegitimize nations; and why it has the potential to turn indignation at past injustices into a source of new injustices today. A compact and accessible introduction, rich with historical detail, the book will speak to readers interested in the Middle East, American history, and today’s most urgent cultural-political debates. Adam Kirsch is the author of several books of poetry and criticism. A 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, Kirsch is an editor at the Wall Street Journal’s Weekend Review section and has written for publications including The New Yorker, Slate, The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Times Book Review, Poetry, and Tablet. He lives in New York. His new book is On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice. Shermer and Kirsch discuss settler colonialism and its implications for current events, particularly in Israel. Kirsch explains the ideology behind labeling Israel a settler colonial state, tracing its roots to historical colonization. They explore anti-Semitism on college campuses, the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and settler colonialism’s critique of Western civilization. The conversation delves into the broader implications of this ideology, including how it complicates discussions of justice and historical accountability.

28 Sep 20241h

Dr. Theodore Schwartz’s book Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery offers a comprehensive exploration of neurosurgery, a field barely a century old that profoundly connects two human beings. The book delves into the history of how early neurosurgeons came to understand the complex human brain and how this challenging specialty emerged. Drawing from his own cases and various archives, Schwartz provides insights into the practical aspects of brain surgery and its life-or-death nature. The book covers a wide range of brain-related topics that have long captivated public interest, including famous cases like JFK’s assassination and President Biden’s brain surgery, as well as the NFL’s management of CTE. Dr. Schwartz also discusses the field’s latest advancements and tackles philosophical questions about the unity of self and free will. As a practicing neurosurgeon and professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, Schwartz brings a unique perspective to this cultural and scientific history of a mind-blowing human endeavor. Theodore Schwartz, MD, is the David and Ursel Barnes Endowed Professor of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medicine, one of the busiest and highest-ranked neurosurgery centers in the world. He has published over five hundred scientific articles and chapters on neurosurgery, and has lectured around the world—from Bogotá to Vienna to Mumbai—on new, minimally invasive surgical techniques that he helped develop. He also runs a basic science laboratory devoted to epilepsy research. He studied philosophy and literature at Harvard. His new book is: Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery. Shermer and Schwartz explore a wide range of neurosurgical topics, from Schwartz’s career path to brain anatomy and anesthesia. They discuss brain mapping, sports-related injuries, tumors, strokes, and famous medical cases. The conversation delves into neurological conditions like dementia and historical practices like lobotomies. They examine the neuroscience of aggression, philosophical questions about consciousness and free will, and the concept of self. Personal experiences, including Schwartz’s father’s stroke, are shared. The discussion includes future technologies like Neurolink and their potential impact on brain-computer interfaces.

24 Sep 20241h 35min

Biologist Colin Wright joins the podcast to explore one of today’s most contentious topics: the intersection of biological sex and gender. Drawing on his expertise in animal behavior and evolutionary biology, Colin breaks down key concepts such as biological sex, gender identity, and gender dysphoria. He also examines the shift in societal definitions of what it means to be a man or woman, and how these evolving perspectives fit with long-standing biological principles. This session was presented at FreedomFest 2024. To see more speeches and sessions from FreedomFest, visit freedomfest.com/civl.

21 Sep 202419min

AI could bring unprecedented advancements in science and technology, but Gary Marcus, in Taming Silicon Valley, warns it might also lead to democracy’s collapse or even human extinction. With Big Tech manipulating both the public and government, are we prepared for the consequences of AI’s unchecked power? Marcus urges that the choices we make today will define our future. Can we harness AI’s potential without losing control? Exposing AI’s flaws and Big Tech’s grip on policymakers, Marcus offers eight solutions to avert disaster—from ensuring data rights to enforcing strict oversight. But will governments act in time? Marcus calls for citizens to push for change before it’s too late. Will we rise to the challenge, or let AI’s future be shaped by a few, for their own gain? Shermer and Marcus discuss various aspects of AI, including the current state of AI, AGI, and Generative AI like ChatGPT, and the AI we should aim for. They explore the key problems to solve, the 12 biggest threats of Generative AI, and the moral landscape of Silicon Valley, highlighting its influence on public opinion and government policy. Issues like data rights, privacy, transparency, and liability are examined, alongside the need for independent oversight. The conversation also covers the incentives driving AI development, the debate between private and government regulation, and the importance of international AI governance for managing its global impact.

17 Sep 20241h 11min

From the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the rise of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives and Artificial Intelligence, in this episode Steven Pinker, Matt Ridley, and Michael Shermer challenge conventional narratives and explore how we can continue to move forward. They discuss the state of democracy, autocracy, and the lessons learned from historical crises, while offering insights into how innovation, rationality, and education can lead us through challenging times. This session was presented at FreedomFest 2024. To see more speeches and sessions from FreedomFest, visit freedomfest.com/civl.

13 Sep 202456min

Michael Shermer and Matthew Stewart explore the heretical philosophical roots of the American Republic, including Enlightenment influences and the Founding Fathers’ religious beliefs. They discuss Epicurean and ancient Greek ideas, slavery’s moral contradictions, and its role in causing the Civil War, with figures like John Brown and Frederick Douglass shaping abolitionist movements that ultimately led to emancipation. Matthew Stewart is an independent philosopher and historian who has written extensively about the philosophical origins of the American republic, the history of philosophy, management theory, and the culture of inequality. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, among other publications. In recent years he has lived in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles, and is currently based in London. He is the author of Nature’s God: The Heretical Origins of the American Republic and An Emancipation of the Mind: Radical Philosophy, the War over Slavery, and the Refounding of America.

10 Sep 202450min

From precognitive dreams and telepathic visions to near-death experiences, UFO encounters, and beyond, so-called impossible phenomena are not supposed to happen. But they do happen—all the time. Jeffrey J. Kripal asserts that the impossible is a function not of reality but of our everchanging assumptions about what is real. How to Think Impossibly invites us to think about these fantastic (yet commonplace) experiences as an essential part of being human, expressive of a deeply shared reality that is neither mental nor material but gives rise to both. Thinking with specific individuals and their extraordinary experiences in vulnerable, open, and often humorous ways, Kripal interweaves humanistic and scientific inquiry to foster an awareness that the fantastic is real, the supernatural is super natural, and the impossible is possible. Jeffrey J. Kripal holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. He is the author of numerous books, including The Superhumanities: Historical Precedents, Moral Objections, New Realities, The Flip: Epiphanies of Mind and the Future of Knowledge, Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred, Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion, Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal, and just published, also by the University of Chicago Press, How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else.

7 Sep 20241h 25min

During a two-hour interview with Tucker Carlson, Darryl Cooper made sensational claims about the Holocaust and World War II, with Carlson calling him "the best and most honest popular historian in the United States." In this solo episode, Michael Shermer takes a critical look at the pseudohistory and historical revisionism presented by Cooper on Carlson's show.

6 Sep 202425min