The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott

This is How Liberty Dies

In this episode I interview Professor Steven Levitsky, co-author with Daniel Ziblatt of 2018 best-seller "How Democracies Die". Dr. Levitsky is the David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and Professor of Government and Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University.
As more and more people are worrying about the ongoing erosion of long-standing political norms we explore the question, 'should we take US democracy for granted?'. Are there parallels between our current politics and the historical rise of autocracies? What are the factors that have contributed to the polarization of political discourse? What is the price of democracy?
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#newpodcast #therationalview #evidencebased #democracy #trump #elections #freedom #liberty #fascism #polarization #politics #gerrymandering

UFOs and Aliens

A belief in aliens often seems to accompany conspiratorial thinking and tinfoil hats.  In this episode I discuss the possibility that aliens exist and are in fact visiting us surreptitiously and secretly for unknown purposes. You may be surprised to find that many scientists believe that intelligent alien life actually exists outside of our solar system. This is not so far-fetched when one considers that vastness of our galaxy and the visible universe. The idea that blurry lights in the sky is evidence that these aliens are visiting us, however, is not so widely supported by science.
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#newpodcast #therationalview #aliens #ufos #science #evidencebased #ufology #ufo #ufosightings #extraterrestrial #nasa #roswell #ancientaliens

Cool Stuff: Observational Cosmology (Live)

This Cool Stuff episode discusses the science behind the Big Bang Theory and our evolving understanding of our place in the universe. I'm on vacation this week, and I thought this might be a treat. This episode was recorded live at the May 2015 meeting of the Ottawa Chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and was reproduced with permission. This overview talk was recognized with the Ottawa RASC award for best presentation of the year, 2015. Please enjoy!
If you want to see the accompanying video, go to https://youtu.be/BBh4U18capk starting at 54:30.
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#therationalview #newpodcast #bigbang #cosmology #science #evidencebased #spacetime #einstein #hubble #spacefacts

Conspiracies: Why we like them

In this episode I discuss conspiracy theories and why otherwise rational people may be susceptible to their charms. In this case I'm referring to theories that suggest a well organized elite group of powerful people are implementing secret and far reaching plans that include collaboration between government agencies, scientists, and the media. Conspiratorial thinking requires one to demonize large groups of people so as to discount any uncomfortable facts or contrary evidence that might disrupt the fantasy. Often these stories are conceived and spread by partisan actors.  Social media incentivizes extreme headlines, and influencers unknowingly spread conspiracy hashtags in their quest for views. 
I suggest methods to avoid falling down the rabbit hole of rampant Youtube speculation and unreferenced claims. I present ideas on how to approach helping someone escape from a cult-like conspiracy group. Please have a listen!
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#therationalview #newpodcast #evidencebased #conspiracies #QAnon #conspiracytheory #illuminati #conspiracyfiles #nasalies #chemtrails #aliens #agenda #wakeup

Cool Stuff: LIGO--opening a new window on the universe

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) is the coolest experiment ever performed.  LIGO can detect ripples in space time billions of light years away, caused by massive objects like black holes merging, as predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity, developed over 100 years ago. The Nobel prize in physics for 2017 was awarded based on this amazing technology. Gravitational wave observatories have opened a new window on the universe. Come with me and share in the awe as we listen to black hole mergers billions of light years away.
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#therationalview #science #evidencebased #LIGO #relativity #newpodcast #blackholes

Is Monsanto poisoning us? The dirt on glyphosate

Glyphosate is the active chemical in Monsanto's (now Bayer's) popular herbicide, Round-up. Glyphosate attacks a particular plant enzyme that is critical to plant growth, and this makes it a highly targeted chemical. Tests show it is less toxic than table salt. Online, and around the world, however, there is a vocal community who demonize Monsanto and believe that the government has colluded with industry to hide the true dangers of Round-up from a gullible populace. This is not an irrational response. Society has been fed lies from 'big tobacco', and we have been seeing the same playbook on display again from the oil industry in response to climate change. Why should people believe Monsanto? Well for one, the science appears to be mostly on their side. In addition, widespread Glyphosate use has displaced significantly more toxic herbicides from agriculture, thus benefiting the environment. In this podcast I review the history of Glyphosate, the science surrounding health impacts and potential association with cancer, and the regulatory and legal framework that is failing to do its job to protect producers of safe chemicals thanks to an appalling lack of scientific literacy amongst the general public.
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#therationalview #science #evidencebased #glyphosate #monsanto #pesticide #herbicide #roundup #stopmonsanto 

Fracas in the food supply: Organics, GMOs, and seed patents

Industrial farmers believe that organic food supporters are on a crusade to eliminate modern farming practices and exacerbate world hunger. Organic supporters believe GMOs are a tool of 'evil' industrial giant Monsanto to poison the world. Are synthetic fertilizers and pesticides damaging our health? Who is right and who is evil? This is a job for The Rational View!
 
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#TheRationalView #evidencebased #science #GMOs #organic #nongmo #agriculture #monsanto #food #GMOlabeling #GMOfree #nature #healthyfood #organicfood

ALAN is destroying the night sky

Through the ages the grandeur of the night sky has been the inspiration of science, art, and poetry.  Looking up and seeing how our small planet is wrapped in the Milky Way galaxy, and understanding our place in a vast cosmos was a joy of my childhood. This sense of wonder is being replaced by crass, cheap sideshow lighting. Anthropogenic Light At Night (ALAN) seems to be an unavoidable fact of urban sprawl and modern development. The majority of children growing up today have never been able to share the majestic nighttime vista that was granted previous generations. On this episode I welcome Mr. Robert Dick, a fellow astronomy enthusiast and dark sky crusader to discuss how ALAN is destroying the night sky, and what we can do about it.
 
Rob is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Light Pollution Abatement Committee, and he is CEO of the Canadian Scotobiology Group, and their website can be found at https://csbg.ca
 
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Are electro-magnetic fields killing me?

In this episode I examine the claims of health effects relating to radio frequency electro-magnetic fields (EMF). We are surrounded by low energy EMF radiation. Radio and television broadcasts, radar systems, and microwave ovens have been emitting these fields for decades.  Now we have new sources of EMF that are becoming normalized such as wi-fi routers, cell phones, internet connected appliances, and many more. The intensity of the ambient EMF is increasing as more of the spectrum is used for various applications.  Some people claim that these fields pose a health risk. RF radiation is listed by health organizations as a 'possible' carcinogen. A small fraction of the population claim to be EMF hypersensitive suffering from a slew of non-specific symptoms. Should we be worried? What does the science tell us?
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#newpodcast #therationalview #science #EMFhypersensitivity #TOK #evidencebased #RFradiation #health

Vaccines: The evidence

Recently, the World Health Organization identified Vaccine Hesitancy as one of the top 10 health risks to humanity. This decline of respect for evidence-based medicine is one of the reasons that I felt compelled to start this podcast. In this podcast I review some of the misconceptions and falsehoods that spread on the internet and contribute to this meme. I present the rational argument in favour of vaccinations and I argue that a gentle approach to fearful parents will win the most support. Many parents do not have the necessary statistical and scientific background to see through the haze of misinformation surrounding this issue. They do not trust 'big pharma' and are falling victim to the demonization of expertise that we are all witnessing. These people are lost, and need a clear voice of reason to lead them out of the darkness into the light.  Please listen to my podcast and learn the facts. Let's try to eliminate ignorance as one of humanity's biggest health risks.
Released 11/07/20
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