Ginger and Massimo

Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk by scientist-turned-philosopher, Massimo Pigliucci is an excellent discussion of the challenges faced by the average non-scientist in today’s information-rich world. After explaining what distinguishes science from pseudoscience (a major source of “bunk”), his book gives practical advice about trusting experts. (hint: having a PhD doesn’t make one an expert!)

Pigliucci also discussed these themes during a talk he gave last month at The Amazing Meeting 8, which was held in Las Vegas, NV. That’s where I recorded the interview that I am posting today as Books and Ideas Episode 37. The focus of the interview is the role of philosophy of science in today’s complex world.

Listen to Episode 37 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Episode 37 Show Notes:

• Massimo Pigliucci teaches philosophy at Lehman College (part of the City Universty of New York) and he is the host of the Rationally Speaking podcast
• The demarcation problem (how to tell science from psuedoscience) has been discussed by many philosophers including Karl Popper. I talked about this back in Episode 5 of Books and Ideas.
• Philosophers of science (including Barbara Forrest and Robert Pennock) were key witnesses in the  2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District decision against the teaching of intelligent design in the Dover public schools.

Further Reading:

• “Against Philosophy,” by Nobel physicist Steven Weinberg: not all scientists appreciate the role that philosophy continues to play in scientific thought.
• Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy by G. Lee Bowie, Meredith W. Michaels, and Robert C. Solomon: a good introductory text for students.
• A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell: a much-read classic.
• Making Sense of Evolution: The Conceptual Foundations of Evolutionary Biology by Massimo Pigliucci and  Jonathan Kaplan.
• Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk by Massimo Pigliucci.
• Several magazines about philosophy are aimed at general readers including: Philosophy Now, The Philosopher, and Think.
• The New York Times has a new philosophy blog called The Stone, which features posts by a wide variety of philosophers including Peter Singer (ethics)and Arthur Danto (aesthetics).

Announcements:

• The next episode of Books and Ideas will be recorded LIVE at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time) Sunday September 5 at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. I will be interviewing novelists Skyler White and Christiana Ellis.
• I am also scheduled to interview Dr. Scott Lilenfield co-author of 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior. This interview will be posted in the Brain Science Podcast feed in late September.
• For updates please subscribe to Ginger Campbell’s newsletter.
• You can now stream or download episodes and transcripts of this podcast directly to your iPhone®, Touch® or iPad® using the Books and Ideas application.
• Please share Books and Ideas with your friends and don’t forget to leave reviews in the iTunes® Store.

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The Myth of Alzheimer’s: What You Aren’t Being Told About Today’s Most Dreaded Diagnosis (2008) argues that we should re-evaluate our current approach to dementia. Earlier this month I posted an interview with the book’s main author, Dr. Peter Whitehouse (BSP 68). Episode 36 of my Books and Ideas podcast is a follow-up interview with his co-author, Daniel George. As a medical anthropologist George helps put current attitudes into an historical perspective. Labeling  large numbers of older people with the diagnosis of “Alzheimer’s Disease” is a relatively new practice and a closer examination of how this occurred provides an interesting example of how the history of medicine (and science) is interwoven with political and social history. While Whitehouse and George challenge the current approach to dementia, there message is actually one of hope. I am recommending The Myth of Alzheimer’s to people of all ages.

Listen to Episode 36 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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References:

• Alzheimer’s, a Love Story: One Year in My Husband’s Journey by Ann Davidson
• Self, Senility, and Alzheimer’s Disease in Modern America: A History by Jesse F. Ballenger
• The Myth of Alzheimer’s: What You Aren’t Being Told About Today’s Most Dreaded Diagnosis by Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George
• Brain Science Podcast 68: Interview with Dr. Peter Whitehouse

Useful Links:

• The Myth of Alzheimer’s website: includes a blog and other useful information
• Center on Age & Community (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
• TimeSlips: an innovative program started by theater professor Ann Basting
• The Intergenerational School in Cleveland brings elders and children together.

Announcements:

• Dr. Campbell was recently interviewed on the Alaska Public Radio program Line One. Click here to download the interview.
• Join the Books and Ideas Fan Page on Facebook.
• During a recent system update at Wizzard/ Libsyn Media all the episode transcripts disappeared from the iPhone Applications for both Books and Ideas and the Brain Science Podcast. New episodes will have transcripts, but it may be a while before they reappear for older episodes. All transcripts remain available for download from this website.
• Books and Ideas is currently on an irregular production schedule. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast feed so that you won’t miss any episodes.
• Send Feedback to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac dot com.

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Episode 35 of the Books and Ideas podcast is an interview with best-selling horror writer, Scott Sigler. Scott is widely admired for pioneering the use of podcasting to promote his fiction writing, but so far hasn’t gotten the recognition I think he deserves for incorporating hard science into his unique blend of horror and science fiction.

This interview gave me the opportunity to talk with Scott about how he meets the challenge of incorporating accurate science without sacrificing storytelling. I think this is an excellent follow-up to the interview I did with Sheril Kirshenbaum (co-author of Unscientific America) back in Episode 32.

Listen to Episode 35 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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Recommended Reading:

• The Rookie by Scott Sigler (Listen to this podcast to get a coupon code!)
• Contagious by Scott Sigler
• Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum
• Early chapters of The Crypt are now available at Podiobooks.com.

Useful Links:

• Scott Sigler’s website
• Podiobooks.com: where you can sample all of Scott’s work in free audiobook format.
• Scott Sigler’s iPhone application

Announcements:

• Don’t forget to check out the Books and Ideas application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
• Books and Ideas will be on hiatus for the next few months while I work on producing and promoting the new premium versions of the Brain Science Podcast.
• You can get updates by joining our Facebook Fan page or my subscribing to my newsletter.

Episode 34 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Bruce M Hood, author of SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable.Dr. Hood is a developmental psychologist with a long-standing interest in why people believe weird things. In SuperSense he argues that innate cognitive structures (how we think without being taught) give people a natural tendency toward belief in the supernatural. Our intuitive sense of how the world works is often at odds with the findings of modern science.

In this interview we discuss the evidence for these conclusions and their implications.

Listen to Episode 34 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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References and Links:

• Bruce Hood’s website
• SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable by Bruce M. Hood
• Hood, BM, “Gravity Rules for Two-  to Four-Year-Olds?” Cognitive Development 10 (1995): 577-98.
• Lindeman & Aarnio (2007), “Superstitious, magical, and paranormal beliefs: An integrative model.” Journal of Research in Personality 41, 731–744
• Lindeman, M. & Saher, M. (2007). “Vitalism, Purpose and Superstition.” British Journal of Psychology, 98(1), 33-44.
• Lindeman, M. & Aarnio, K. (2006).  “Paranormal beliefs: Their dimensionality and correlates.” European Journal of Personality, 20: 585-602.

Announcements:

• Get episode transcripts on your iPhone or iPod Touch with the Books and Ideas application.
• Join the Books and Ideas FaceBook Fan Page.
• Books and Ideas and the Brain Science Podcast are supported by listener donations.
• Coming Soon! Premium versions of both podcasts.

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Please send your comments and feedback to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac dot com.

Episode 33 of Books and Ideas an interview with Kyla Duffy, the founder of Happy Tails Books where she publishes stories about dog rescue. Her goal is to raise awareness of the plight of puppy mill dogs and to raise funds for a wide variety of canine rescue organizations. I discovered her work through my contact with German Shepherd Rescue of Central Alabama.

This episode is more personal than most because I share some of the story of my rescued German Shepherd Jake, and of course, Kyla talks about rescuing a Boston Terrier named Bill (pictured above) led her to start a publishing company.

Listen to Episode 33 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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Links of Interest:

• Happy Tails Books: (note: international listeners can order books via Amazon.com)
• Petfinder.com: a reputable source for rescued pets
• German Shepherd Rescue of Central Alabama (They also have a Facebook Group)
• Manners in Motion in Pelham, AL: dog obedience, agility, fly-ball, and day-care (Join their FB Fan Page)
• Willie Morris: Jake’s favorite teacher

photo courtesy of Courtney Po

Don’t forget to visit http://happytailsbooks.com!

Rush Delivery is Available.

Episode 32 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Sheril Kirshenbaum, co-author (with Chris Mooney) of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future. The focus of our interview was on why it is increasingly important that scientists become skilled at communicating what we do to political leaders and to our fellow citizens. Our future depend on solving complex problems (such as global warning and energy issues), which will require accurate scientific knowledge. Unscientific America provides a fresh look at the on-going problem of scientific illiteracy while offering practical suggestions about how we can re-incorporate science into mainstream culture. It calls on scientists of all ages to embrace the role of citizen-scientist.

Listen to Episode 32 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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References and Links:

• Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum
• Chris Mooney’s interview on the Point of Inquiry Podcast: November 2009.
• Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style by Randy Olson PhD
• The Intersection: Mooney and Kirshenbaum’s science blog at Discover.com
• http://sherilkirshenbaum.com/
• “Who are America’s science role models? (It’s ugly, folks.) “ by Eric Burger (March 21, 2008): Most Americans can’t even name a living scientist!
• CP Snow and his famous Two Cultures essay (wikipedia)
• The Science & Entertainment Exchange: a program of the National Academy of Sciences that provides entertainment industry professionals with access to top scientists and engineers to help bring the reality of cutting-edge science to creative and engaging storylines.
• Policy Fellowships for Scientists and Engineers: opportunities for scientists and engineers of all ages.

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Send feedback to gincampbell at mac dot com or leave voicemail at 206-984-0358.

]]> http://docartemis.com/blog/2009/11/32-kirshenbaum/feed/ 2 http://docartemis.com/blog/2009/11/books-and-ideas-iphone-application-is-now-available/ http://docartemis.com/blog/2009/11/books-and-ideas-iphone-application-is-now-available/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:43:02 +0000 Ginger Campbell, MD http://docartemis.com/blog/?p=737

Last week I announced the new iPhone (and iPod Touch) application for the Brain Science Podcast. This week we are launching  a similar application for the Books and Ideas podcast. It features access to all episodes the episodes going back to December 2006, episode transcripts, and direct links to this website, my email and our new voice mail line at (206) 984-0358.

Go to the iTunes Store

Episode 31 of Books and Ideas is an interview with NASA physicist Les Johnson, PhD. We talked about his new book Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth. Although Dr. Johnson is a lifelong fan of science fiction he challenges the common assumption that eventually we will pollute or damage the earth so badly that humans will be forced to move to outer space. Instead, Dr. Johnson argues that we should develop the technology to get resources from outer space so that we can preserve the Earth for Life.

Listen to Episode 31 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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Additional Links and References:

• Les Johnson’s website: where you can find information about his books and future appearances.
• NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
• Dr. Johnson is the Deputy Manager of the Advanced Concepts Office at Marshall.
• ProSEDS and the Tethered Satellite System: Dr. Johnson has worked on the development of advanced propulsion systems.
• Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency
  

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Living Off the Land in Space: Green Roads to the Cosmos by Gregory L. Matloff, Les Johnson, C Bangs
• The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer’s Guide to Interstellar Travel by Eugene F. Mallove and Gregory L. Matloff
• Solar Sails: A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel by Giovanni Vulpetti, Les Johnson, Gregory L. Matloff
• Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth by Les Johnson, Gregory L. Matloff, C Bangs
• Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon, by Craig Nelson (Available from our sponsor Audible.com)

Announcements:

• Don’t forget to join the Books and Ideas Fan Page on Facebook.
• Books and Ideas is supported by Listener Donations.
• Share your feedback in the Discussion Forum or on the Fan Page or send email to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac dot com.

Episode 30 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Tom Clark, the head of the Center for Naturalism and author of Encountering Naturalism: A Worldview and Its Uses. I first became aware of Clark’s work when I reviewed Chris Evatt’s book The Myth of Free Will back in Episode 12.

In this interview we talk about naturalism as a world view and examine its implications for important questions like free will and morality. Naturalism is a world view that is based on using the scientific method to discover the truth about the world. It rejects supernatural explanations. Clark explains that this means that naturalism rejects the idea of contra-causal free will but that it embraces a more compassionate approach to personal responsibility.

We also talked about Clark’s review of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will by Nancey Murphy and Warren S. Brown. I discussed this book in Episode 53 of the Brain Science Podcast and its co-author Warren Brown will be my guest on next month’s Brain Science Podcast (Episode 62).

Listen to Episode 30 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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LINKS:

• Center for Naturalism
• Naturalism.org

REFERENCES:

• Encountering Naturalism: A Worldview and Its Uses by Thomas W. Clark
• The Myth of Free Will, edited by Chris Evatt
• Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will by Nancey Murphy, Warren S. Brown
• The Sacred Depths of Nature by Ursula Goodenough
• “For the law, neuroscience changes nothing and everything” by Joshua Greene and Jonathan Cohen; Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (2004)359,1775–1785. Part of the Theme Issue “Law and the Brain. (Download PDF).
• “Beyond Retribution?: Effects of Encouraging a Deterministic Worldview on Punishment,” by Azim F. Shariff, University of British Columbia, Joshua D. Greene, Harvard University, and Jonathan W. Schooler, University of California at Santa Barbara (submitted).

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES:

• Episode 12 (Books and Ideas): Discussion of The Myth of Free Will, edited by Chris Evatt.
• Episode 53 (Brain Science Podcast): Discussion of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will by Nancey Murphy and Warren S. Brown
• Episode 62 (Brain Science Podcast): Interview with Warren Brown.

Listen to Episode 30 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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Send Dr. Campbell feedback at gincampbell at mac.com and don’t forget to join our new Facebook Fan Page. 

I just started a new Facebook Fan Page for the Books and Ideas podcast. If you listen to the podcast I hope you will join. I hope to use the page as a launching pad for promoting the podcast to a larger audience.

Books and Ideas Podcast
The next episode of Books and Ideas will be out on 9/25/09.