In this special solo episode, Michael Shermer reflects on the 2024 election.

In 2023, 107,543 Americans died from an overdose—over 75 thousand of those overdosed from fentanyl. This is almost double the number of people who died in car accidents or from gun homicides that year.

Fentanyl has been cut into heroin for years, but now is often mixed into meth and cocaine, fueling rising death counts for those drugs, a troubling development, considering that Americans are much more likely to try meth and cocaine than heroin.

In Canada, the numbers are similarly astronomical, and fentanyl deaths have marched upward in Australia and many European countries as well. Ten years ago, fentanyl and its analogues overtook heroin to become the deadliest drug in Sweden.

“Fentanyl is the game changer,” Special Agent in Charge James Hunt of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) told Vice News. “It’s the most dangerous substance in the history of drug tracking. Heroin and cocaine pale in comparison to how dangerous fentanyl is.”

Ben Westhoff is a best-selling investigative journalist focused on drugs, culture, and poverty. His book Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic is the bombshell first book about fentanyl. Since its publication, Westhoff has advised top government officials on the fentanyl crisis, including from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and the U.S. State Department.

Dr. Warren Hern’s book, Abortion in the Age of Unreason: A Doctor’s Account of Caring for Women Before and After Roe v. Wade, chronicles the difficult realities of providing abortion care amidst a polarized political and social climate. Drawing from personal experiences, Hern describes protecting patients and staff from aggressive protesters and emphasizes the critical need for abortion services to protect women’s health. His work also highlights insights from his research in Latin America, underscoring abortion’s role in addressing national and global public health challenges. Hern argues that the recent dismantling of Roe v. Wade has intensified a long-standing crisis, which now endangers democracy as political groups exploit the issue to gain power. His book exposes the real risks of restricted access and urges for political action to safeguard reproductive rights, stressing that women’s need for safe abortion services is an essential, ongoing component of healthcare and freedom.

Warren M. Hern, M.D., is known to the public through his many appearances on CNN, Rachel Maddow/MSNBC, Sixty Minutes, and in the pages of The Atlantic magazine, The New York Times, Washington Post, and dozens more media. A scientist, Hern wrote about the need for safe abortion services before the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and was present at the first Supreme Court arguments. In his research and medical work, he pioneered since 1973 the modern safe practice of early and late abortion in his highly influential books and scholarship. A tireless national activist for women’s reproductive rights, he is an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and holds a clinical appointment in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Colorado medical center. He holds doctorates in medicine and epidemiology. His book is Abortion in the Age of Unreason: A Doctor’s Account of Caring for Women Before and After Roe v. Wade.

Shermer and Hern discuss Hern’s journey into abortion care, abortion history pre- and post-Roe, and the complex procedures involved. They explore the risks of pregnancy versus abortion, societal and political challenges like protests and threats, and the debate over fetal personhood. Hern also delves into the broader implications of abortion rights on democracy and society, shedding light on contentious issues surrounding reproductive health.

In this solo episode, Michael Shermer discusses the upcoming election, reflecting on the historical context of past elections and the political polarization that has intensified over the years. 

Edward Goldberg analyzes the United States’ emergence as the global liberal hegemon, detailing its geographical and economic advantages that led to its post-World War II dominance. He argues that America’s shift from merely being an international police force to acting as the world’s central banker solidifies its unique global role. Goldberg further considers how this leadership affects both the country and individual American citizens.

Goldberg’s expertise in international political economy gives insight into how the U.S. has maintained its global leadership. As a central figure in international business and academic circles, he evaluates whether the United States is still capable of managing global crises like climate change and financial contagion, as well as the challenges posed by competing world powers.

Shermer and Goldberg discuss: the historical factors that led to America’s rise as a global leader, including its economy and political culture. They explore the future of U.S. global dominance, its alliances, and whether the nation can continue to handle global crises. The discussion also touches on the 2024 election’s implications for U.S. foreign policy and the potential risks and rewards of maintaining its hegemonic role.

Across America, a storm is brewing as the Christian Right gains unprecedented power. From book bans to anti-trans laws, this political force is reshaping the nation. In her book, Wild Faith, author Talia Lavin delves deep into the motivations of this movement, exploring its segregationist past and apocalyptic future through primary sources and firsthand accounts.

Lavin introduces readers to a cast of characters within the Christian Right, including self-proclaimed prophets, Christian militias, and influential political figures. She examines the movement’s impact on various aspects of society, from abortion rights to child welfare. Wild Faithconfronts the pressing question of whether American democracy can withstand this organized theocratic movement.

Shermer and Lavin discuss historical phenomena like the Satanic Panic and Recovered Memory Movement, as well as contemporary issues such as the movement’s influence on societal institutions, opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and Christian Zionism. The conversation also delves into apocalyptic beliefs, control of female sexuality, and the movement’s impact on children and families.

Mark Weinstein, a tech entrepreneur, privacy expert—and one of the visionary inventors of social networking—explores how social platforms could be redesigned to foster critical thinking, mental health, privacy, and democracy in his book Restoring Our Sanity Online. The book offers actionable solutions for reimagining our digital landscape, addressing crucial issues like user empowerment, privacy concerns, and protecting children from social media’s negative impacts.

Weinstein, founder of privacy-focused platform MeWe and a frequent media commentator, brings his expertise in social networking and online privacy to examine emerging technologies and their implications for social media’s future. His book provides insights for users, parents, educators, and policymakers seeking to understand and improve our digital environment.

Shermer and Weinstein discuss AI’s impact on social media platforms and personal relationships, solutions to combat teen mental health issues, and strategies for parental control. They examine protective measures, Web3’s promises regarding privacy and data ownership, and methods to defeat bots and trolls. The conversation also explores social media’s potential mental health benefits, creating equitable creator economies, and operating without surveillance capitalism.

Neal Stephenson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels including Termination Shock, Seveneves, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash. His works blend science fiction, historical fiction, and cyberpunk, exploring mathematics, cryptography, philosophy, and scientific history. Born in Fort Meade to a family of scientists, he holds a degree in geography and physics from Boston University. As noted by The Atlantic, his prescient works anticipated the metaverse, cryptocurrency, and AI revolution. His latest novel is Polostan, the first installment in his Bomb Light cycle.

Shermer and Stephenson discuss: professional and speculative fiction writing, the interplay of genetics and fate, historical contingency (particularly regarding Hitler and nuclear weapons), atomic bomb development and ethics, game theory in nuclear deterrence, cryptocurrency, AI advancement and mind uploading, human evolution, Mars colonization politics, and philosophical concepts like Peirce’s Fallibilism and Platonic realism.

How should we go about understanding LLMs? Do these language models truly understand what they are saying? Or is it possible that what appears to be intelligence in LLMs may be a mirror that merely reflects the intelligence of the human observer?

In this episode, Terry Sejnowski explores the history and future of AI and its profound implications for understanding the human mind. He explains AI’s evolution from early logic-based systems to cutting-edge advancements like deep learning and large language models, including ChatGPT, emphasizing the need for clear operational definitions and a strong mathematical foundation to advance AI research. Sejnowski also highlights the parallels between scientific discovery and engineering, discussing practical applications of AI in areas such as language translation and weather prediction.

Terry Sejnowski is the Francis Crick Chair at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Diego. He has published over 500 scientific papers and 12 books, including ChatGPT and The Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution.

First Amendment scholar and philosopher Tara Smith offers a comprehensive analysis of free speech, situating her work within the broader intellectual landscape. She examines the perspectives of historical figures like John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, and John Stuart Mill while addressing contemporary issues such as social media speech, “cancel culture,” and religious exemptions. Smith’s approach involves dissecting key concepts like censorship and freedom, exploring the crucial distinction between speech and action.

Tara Smith is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, where she has taught since 1989. A specialist in moral, legal, and political philosophy, she is author of the books Judicial Review in an Objective Legal System (Cambridge University Press, 2015), Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist (Cambridge, 2006), Viable Values: A Study of Life as the Root and Reward of Morality (Rowman and Littlefield, 2000), and Moral Rights and Political Freedom (Rowman and Littlefield 1995). Smith’s scholarly articles span such subjects as rights conflicts, the morality of money, everyday justice, forgiveness, friendship, pride, moral perfection, and the value of spectator sports.

Shermer and Smith discuss the First Amendment, the definition of freedom, the nature of rights, and how freedoms are won or lost. The conversation explores contemporary issues such as social media censorship, hate speech, and the blurring lines between speech and action. It also delves into legal concepts like libel, slander, and compelled speech. Historical context is provided through references to influential figures like Oliver Wendell Holmes and his introduction of the clear and present danger test in First Amendment law.

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The nocebo effect demonstrates how the mind can cause illness through negative expectations, as highlighted by a famous incident in a U.S. textile factory in the 1960s. Workers believed a bug was causing dizziness, nausea, and other symptoms, yet no physical cause was found. This mysterious outbreak underscores the potent influence of beliefs on health, a phenomenon that’s becoming increasingly relevant in understanding modern psychosomatic conditions like the controversial Havana Syndrome.

In this episode, Michael H. Bernstein, an expert on placebo and nocebo effects, explains how psychological factors can result in perceived physical harm. As co-author of The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick, Bernstein shares insights into the intersection of psychology, medicine, and public health. His research focuses on reducing opioid dependence by leveraging the placebo effect, while also exploring the ethical concerns surrounding nocebo-related side effects.

Michael Bernstein, Ph.D., is an experimental psychologist and an Assistant Professor in The Department of Diagnostic Imaging at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School. His work is focused on harnessing the placebo effect to reduce opioid use among pain patients. He is Director of the Medical Expectations Lab at Brown. He is the co-author of the new book The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick, with Charlotte Blease, Cosima Locher, and Walter Brown.

Shermer and Bernstein discuss: the placebo and nocebo effects, brain imaging, and the ethics of using these phenomena in medicine. Bernstein discusses the biology and psychology behind these effects, touching on notable cases such as Voodoo deaths and Havana Syndrome. Other subjects include psychogenic illnesses, patient-clinician interactions, alternative medicine, and how expectations can amplify or mitigate pain, anxiety, and depression. The conversation also delves into anticipatory nausea, psychotherapy, and the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).