x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott

Physicist Dr. Al Scott addresses politically and socially divisive issues with insightful evidence-based analysis of the facts. Learn to apply the tools of science to discover the most rational path to an optimistic vision of the future. https://www.therationalview.ca

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

31:36

Consciousness: Are we more than bio computers?

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/03/26

This episode delves into the topic of consciousness and why it is seen as a problem by some philosophers. We briefly touched on this in our series on AI, but it also touches the topic of science and religion. This is an issue that is dealt with in science fiction. Star Trek, especially TNG has several episodes that bear directly on this issue of what it means to be sentient with the character ‘Data’ striving to be more human, and being treated as an object rather than a sentient being due mainly to

en

34:53

Nuclear Reactors in a Warzone

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/03/19

This podcast covers a very topical concern as Russia is now embarked on the conquest of the Ukraine, and there is much concern globally about the risk of nuclear power plants coming under fire. Should we be afraid of nuclear reactors in a war zone? (First Published March 19, 2022) I review the risks of nuclear war for a new generation, and I contrast it with the risks of nuclear reactors in a war zone. The conclusions may surprise you. Reactors in a war zone are not a significant health risk. Lack

en

55:42

Professor Lee McIntyre on Talking with Science Deniers

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/03/12

In this episode I talk to a philosopher and best selling author who may be the world’s expert on bridging the gap to talk to science deniers. This is the second podcast in series on how to change minds and influence people using the Rational Art of War to spread The Rational View. Lee McIntyre is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University. Formerly Executive Director of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University, McIntyre is

en

26:04

The Rational Art of War for Social Media Warriors

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/03/05

The next couple podcasts are meant to be a battle manual for the everyday person who wants to join the fight for what they believe in, but doesn’t have the resources of Google or Facebook to identify thousands of folks who might be swayed to your viewpoint. We know that on any sufficiently polarized political issue there is likely to be funded propaganda attempting to influence public opinion. Audit applications that track inactive and fake accounts show that a significant fraction of politicians’

en

24:40

Summary of Evolution and Creationism

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/02/26

This episode wraps up my podcast series on Evolution and Creationism. I summarize the insightful interviews I've had with many great guests including Dr. Niles Eldredge, the co-creator of Punctuated Equilibrium. Topics range from theology to biology and everything in between. For my upcoming podcasts I’m looking at a couple directions to explore with you. I want to discuss communicating science, and I also want to expand on some of my previous themes—Artificial Intelligence and Science/Religion

en

51:05

Controversial questions in genetics with Razib Khan

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/02/19

This episode was meant to continue my series on Evolution and Creationism but it went another surprising direction. I hope you enjoy exploring the questions raised as my guest strides fearlessly into controversial moral territory. Genetic libertarian Razib Khan writes extensively on evidence surrounding human migrations and genetics. He has written for The New York Times, India Today and Quillette, and runs two weblogs, Gene Expression and Brown Pundits. His newsletter is Razib Khan's Unsupervised

en

51:02

Teaching the Controversy with Professor Lynne Honey

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/02/12

In this episode I interview a psychologist who teaches critical thinking, using Creationism as an example for her students. She also analyzes behaviour from an evolutionary perspective. Prof. Lynne Honey received a BA in Psychology from Algoma University, and then a PhD at McMaster University, specializing in learning and behaviour from a physiological and evolutionary perspective. She tended bar, drove a taxi, and cleaned apartment buildings to pay for her expensive education habits. She has been

en

59:44

Professor Niles Eldredge on Evolution

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/02/05

Continuing in my series on evolution and creationism. In this episode you’re in for a treat. I’ve managed to score an interview with a special guest—a celebrity in the field of evolutionary biology. Sit back and enjoy! Dr. Niles Eldredge has been a paleontologist on the curatorial staff of the American Museum of Natural History since 1969. His early work focused on the evolution of trilobites—a group of extinct arthropods that lived between 535 and 245 million years ago. Eldredge is the Curator

en

42:06

Paleovirology and Evolution with Dr. Welkin Johnson

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/01/29

This episode continues my series on creationism and evolution. I’m excited to talk to a virologist to get the inside scoop on how viruses mingle with our DNA at the molecular level. This is one of the evidences for evolution and common descent that I referenced in the series opening podcast. Welkin Johnson, Ph.D. is a virologist with a particular interest in paleovirology. Dr. Johnson’s research team works on molecular level virus-host interactions, and the impact of these interactions on

en

58:59

Dr. S. Joshua Swamidass on Genesis and Evolution

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/01/22

This episode continues my series on science and religion. In previous episodes I’ve interviewed the director of the Vatican Observatory, and a nuclear engineer. On this episode I delve more deeply into one of the leading firestorms in that debate. Creationism vs. Evolution. Dr. Swamidass was raised in a religious evangelical family of young earth creationists. After learning the scientific evidence behind evolution he realized he was being lied to. Now he works within the religious community to

en

24:27

Evolution and Genetics

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/01/15

This episode is an introduction to a series on Evolution and Creationism. The Theory of Evolution is the cornerstone of modern biological science, providing a cohesive framework that explains how the diversity of life that we observe today came about. It has been borne out again and again through the discovery of previously unknown fossils with traits intermediate between extant varieties. Genetic science has exploded in recent years due to the advances from the human genome project. Scientists

en

59:07

Dr. Jessica Lovering is changing public perception of...

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2022/01/08

In this episode I interview Dr. Jessica Lovering and analyze her essay with Suzanne Baker, 'Can Nuclear go Local?'. In this work they discuss ways that nuclear advocates and nuclear industry can address some of the main concerns of environmental opponents. Dr. Jessica Lovering is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Good Energy Collective, a new organization working on progressive nuclear policy. She completed her PhD in Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a

en

42:00

What about the waste?

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2021/12/18

In this episode we dig into the science and politics associated with spent nuclear fuel. The public policy debate around the energy transition is one of the most polarized and critical to the future of our society. The IPCC reports provide an ongoing review of the status of the science on this topic. IPCC pathways to net zero all include significant nuclear power, yet the public policy debate has not yet caught up. The European Union Joint Research Council has researched green energy sources and

en

28:46

What about Fukushima?

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2021/12/11

Nuclear energy has now been recognized by a UN expert committee as the lowest carbon intensity of any major energy source. Anyone who has been involved in climate advocacy will have heard the common refrain ‘what about Chernobyl and Fukushima?’ We all know about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It caused roughly 100 deaths and thousands of cases of preventable thyroid cancer. But what about Fukushima Daiichi? In this episode I will summarize my interviews with several nuclear and radiation health

en

57:08

Dr. Jan Blomgren on God and science

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2021/12/04

In this episode I'm continuing my exploration of the intersection of science and religion. These represent two seemingly incompatible paths to truth, one of which values skepticism, the other which values faith. I interview a professor of applied nuclear physics who believes that quantum mechanics is not inconsistent with the influence of the supernatural in the universe. Jan Blomgren is CEO and founder of INBEx (Institute of Nuclear Business Excellence), focused on nuclear power leadership. He is

en

52:35

Science and Religion with Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2021/11/27

In this episode I interview the head of the Vatican Observatory, Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, PhD to discuss the intersection of science and religion. I ask him if he sees a conflict between faith and skepticism. You might be surprised at the answer. Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, is a Jesuit brother, Director of the Vatican Observatory and the President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation whose research studies meteorites and asteroids. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan, received SB and SM degrees

en

34:21

Summary of the linear-no-threshold controversy

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2021/11/20

In this episode I summarize my research on the linear-no-threshold model of radiation health effects, replaying key excerpts from my past interviews with leading experts on the topic. These include thyroid cancer expert Professor Geraldine Thomas of Imperial College London, Dr. Edwin Lyman, Director of Nuclear Power Safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, radiation dosimetry expert Dr. Blake Walters of Canada's National Research Council, and nuclear accident expert Dr. Philip Thomas, Professor

en

59:27

Dr. Blake Walters on cancer radiotherapy

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2021/11/13

In this episode we’re going to learn about cancer radiotherapy, the use of radiation to treat cancer. So many people are afraid that nuclear radiation causes cancer, and yes this is possible if you receive a sudden megadose of radiation, but it is very difficult to get enough just enough radiation to increase the risk of cancer while not getting too much dose and dying from acute radiation sickness. In the real world, radiation is used to kill cancer cells and save lives. I’m going to interview one

en

59:14

A Brief History of CANDU Reactors with Chris Adlam...

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2021/11/06

Nuclear power is a polarizing issue and there is a lot of misinformation that we can debunk through familiarization. A significant fraction of the public, for example, think Nuclear power adds to carbon dioxide pollution. Many more feel that nuclear waste storage is a uniquely dangerous problem. Many more don’t understand that Ontario’s electrical grid is one of the cleanest in the world thanks to nuclear power which produces 60% of our electricity. I wanted to go to the source and understand a bit

en

40:10

Farzad Khosravi and Cicero--a rational social media...

The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott ·

2021/10/30

On this episode I’m interviewing an entrepreneur who is also trying to spread a Rational View by supplanting the AI-driven social media echo chamber with a new idea. I hope you like it. Farzad Khosravi is the co-founder and CEO at Cicero. Farzad is an entrepreneur looking to build humane, civic-oriented technology that improves our world. He believes that we need to reverse the trend of misinformation and hate we see online if we are to save our society. A scientist at heart and immigrant who grew

en

255 results

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger