Where do your opinions come from? Do we ‘think’ our world views, or ‘feel’ them? And what do our beliefs mean for politics and society? In each episode of On Opinion, Turi Munthe asks thought leaders to share their perspectives on why we think what we think and what it means for the world today, discussing everything from the war on truth to how to argue with people you hate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In the sports world where heated debates are part of its core, we often forget that the use of statistics and context tell the whole story not just opinion. You can count on host Steve Duffis, the Walking Sports Encyclopedia to bring you the up to date stories in full context. From NBA, NFL, Soccer and College.
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S2 E29: Our Stone-Age Brains “We have mental mechanisms that have been there since the Stone Age and no longer function in this environment” Short-term thinking, lazy reasoning and stereotyping, and too much focus on what’s bad (the ‘negativity bias’)… all are throw-backs to our last major evolutionary stage, when humans lived in a world of scarcit…
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The Spirituality Movement, with Jules Evans
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S2 E28: The Spirituality Movement “A lot of those who’ve left the church tend to be younger people, who nonetheless still consider themselves spiritual. They’ve been turned off by churches, but they haven’t necessarily gone full atheist, materialist…” Religion is declining around the world. Even in America, the great outlier of the post-Christian W…
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S2 E27: Generational Politics “If you truly understand what’s different between generations, you have a much better idea of what’s coming up in the future.” It turns out there are very real differences between the generations. Key external events - a world war, a crippling global financial crash, 9⁄11, or even a pandemic - will mark a generation in…
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Political Predisposition, with John Hibbing
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S2 E26: Political Predisposition “40% of the variance observed in political attitudes can be attributed to genetics” Twin studies have suggested that one third of our political orientation can be traced to our genes. But does that mean our politics are predisposed? John Hibbing is one of the greats of Political Psychology in the US. His work spans …
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Emotional Politics, with Omar Kholeif and Jonathan Sklar
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S2 E25: On Emotion “The world that we live in today is fuelled by heightened emotion…” Over the course of these two seasons of On Opinion, we’ve looked at opinions through the lens of philosophy, psychology, social science, anthropology and evolution. But one area we’ve missed is that of feeling. Omar Kholeif and Jonathan Sklar take very different …
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The Journal of Controversial Ideas, with Francesca Minerva
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S2 E24: The Journal of Controversial Ideas “You can’t have a good education if you’re not exposed to ideas you don’t agree with” Twelve years ago, Francesca Minerva published an academic article in the Journal of Medical Ethics giving a moral defence of infanticide. She was overwhelmed by the reaction she received - for an academic article in the e…
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The Evolution of Cooperation, with Nichola Raihani
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S2 E23: The Evolution of Cooperation “Every multicellular being is a collective that operates as a whole - the individual is an ‘invention’ of evolution” Cooperation is at work up everywhere - from our ‘selfish’ genes working together in the genome, through to the democratic societies that regulate our collaboration. Cooperation is what distinguish…
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Psychometrics: measuring ourselves, with John Rust
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### S2 E22: Psychometrics: measuring ourselves > _“Psychometrics is one of the most important or influential areas of applied psychology”_ Psychometrics, the study of personality and ability, began with the Chinese Imperial Court exams, which measured intelligence and civility, as well as archery and horse-riding. Via the East India Company, testin…
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On Inhumanity with David Livingstone Smith
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“Dehumanisation both justifies and motivates acts of extraordinary violence - but it is not in any sense an innate disposition” Here lies the terrifying quandary: if humans are the most social of all primates and mammals, if our sociality and capacity for collaboration is at the very heart of our success as a species, how are we able to engage in s…
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The Neuroscience of Dehumanisation, with Lasana Harris
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“Dehumanisation is a psychological process, and every psychological process can be used for good or bad.” Humanisation (attributing motive and consciousness) and dehumanisation are flip sides of common cognitive processes, what Harris calls “Flexible Social Cognition”, which he has measured via fMRI scans. “I think of dehumanization much more as an…
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Post-Privacy Politics, with Michal Kosinski
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“We often treat privacy as a quick fix for much deeper social problems - like prejudice and bias” Our lives are constantly documented. Our Facebook likes, our Tweets and even our credit card statements all reveal information about us. But what about our faces? Michal Kosinski has demonstrated that off-the-shelf, commercially available AI can analys…
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Polarisation on the Couch, with Alex Evans
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“Our inner and outer crises are two sides of the same coin” There are many lenses through which to explain polarisation - economic, political, demographic, evolutionary… Alex Evans wants us to consider it from a psychological perspective. Alex has campaigned around inclusion and social justice for two decades, but researchers in Israel changed his …
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“The avoidance of conflict is actually the real problem” We traditionally view an argument as a symptom of a problematic relationship, but relationship psychologists have found that they actually lead to healthier and happier people. Children who grow up arguing with their parents do better in school, and couples who air their disagreements stay to…
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Investing in Injustice - System Justification Theory, with John Jost
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“The disadvantaged don’t make the world, they cope with it” Since Etienne de la Boetie’s Discourse on Voluntary Servitude (1577), we have asked ourselves why the weak, the poor and the marginalised accept injustice. Social scientists talk to economic and political oppression. John Jost’s work shows that the oppressed don’t just suffer the injustice…
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"Populism is a permanent shadow of modern representative democracy, and a constant threat" The last few decades has seen a democratic drift, as populist leaders emerge all over the world - from Bolsonaro and Trump in the Americas, through Orban, Kaczynski and Erdogan in Europe, to Modi and Duterte in Asia. Their policies have little in common, but …
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“The more we increase the connectivity of people, the more people get stuck in extreme positions and echo chambers on the extreme edges of our belief structures.” In December 2017, Jens Koed Madsen heard Mark Zuckerberg talking about the power of connectivity. Zuckerberg’s hypothesis was that the more people were connected, the more quickly we woul…
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Michael Shermer is one of the world’s most prominent skeptics - founder of The Skeptic Society and editor of its magazine Skeptic. Once a fundamentalist Christian, Michael has spent his career uncovering the workings and causes of our 'Believing Brain'. “Our brains are wired to think more like lawyers than scientists - to win arguments, to bolster …
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The Backlash against Democracy, with Roberto Foa
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Roberto Foa's research on Global Dissatisfaction with Democracy and Youth Dissatisfaction with Democracy uncovered the highest rates of dissatisfaction in decades, particularly amongst young people. “The majority of Americans today are dissatisfied with Democracy” 2019 represents the highest level of democratic discontent on record. Around the worl…
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“There’s a subtle but crucial difference between ‘Opponent’ and ‘Enemy’” If Polarization is on the rise around the world, it takes different forms. The “Ideas Landscape” in the US, UK, France and Germany is very different, with the US - unfortunately - most radicalised across its politics. There, political sorting amongst voters and inside Congress…
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The Securitarian Personality, with John Hibbing
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“The key division in all political systems is the result of two distinct perceptions of the most dangerous threats” Western politics have traditionally been divided into Conservatives and Liberals - tradition vs egalitarianism. John Hibbing, who more than anyone has put biology back into our understanding of politics, proposes an entirely new appro…
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Collective Consciousness with Sarah Rose Cavanagh
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“We synchronise together through processes of emotional contagion and social conformity… This helps produce a shared experience of the world.” Human beings are social creatures. But is this social nature more than just a desire to be connected? Do we actually form one collective consciousness? Are humans more a ‘We’ than an ‘I’? In her book Hivemin…
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Polarisation around the World, with Thomas Carothers
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“You really do have to do bridge building at the community level. People have to learn to talk to each other across sides” The Left and the Right today are miles apart. In the past few years, polarisation has become an integral part of our societies. But has it always been this way - is polarisation a natural part of democracy? Covering the politic…
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“Dyadic morality is ultimately about the link between perceived harm and immorality…” Why do we believe murder is “wrong”? Why can’t we compare the effects of a hurricane with the acts of a paedophile? Kurt Gray argues that human morality stems from “harm” - that moral acts have an intentional agent and a victim, and it is this perception of harm c…
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Evolutionary Psychology and Politics with Hector Garcia
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“A lot of the human behaviour that seems perplexing, irrational (like politics or religion) is often most effectively explained by Evolutionary Psychology” We evolved to live in hunter-gatherer communities clustered in small units spread sparsely across the landscape. Existentially threatened by outsiders - who brought war as well as germs - humans…
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The Problem with MicroAggression, with Regina Rini
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“Microaggressions are so hard because they typically don’t meet traditional philosophical conceptions of blameworthiness…” Microaggressions are the latest front in the culture wars - seemingly harmless comments such as “yes, but where are you really from…” or misused pronouns, over time, can cause profound damage to the receiver. But the idea of ca…
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Saving Liberalism, with Timothy Garton Ash
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“We need to borrow from both the Left and the Right to achieve a renewal of liberalism…” As a journalist and political commentator, Timothy Garton Ash took a front row seat watching Eastern Europe open up in the 1990s - the heyday of Liberal expansionism around the world. Today, faced with populist authoritarians and illiberal democrats at home, an…
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StatMan - Episode #99: One Year Later, Remembering Kobe Bryant
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On the 1 year anniversary of Kobe's death, Steve reflects on how it has been for him and what he has learned in the past year. We all grieve different and he's still feeling the lingering effect of Kobe's death but he took the time to share the moments that lifted him during the past year, the lessons, the ups and downs and of course related it bac…
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Negotiating with Warlords, with Hichem Khadhraoui
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“We have to come to the table, even if it’s just to say we disagree… then you have a chance to move forward” The number of armed groups created in the last 6 years surpasses the number created since WW2. States themselves have been creating them, globalisation has linked them up, and the population displacement driven by climate change has only exa…
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StatMan - Episode #98 | The Pittsburgh Steelers proved why this podcast exist
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This week Steve lets loose on you the audience who doubted his picks and explains why the Pittsburgh Steelers proved exactly why this podcast was started. You don't want to miss it! Also, he previews the Divisional Weekend and all the matchups! He also talks about the NBA Covid protocols and Kyrie Irving. Well, more about Kyrie Irving than anything…
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"By gaining greater knowledge of how others think, we can become less certain of the knowledge we think we have, which is always the first step to greater understanding" It goes without saying that the way we think is embedded in our own time and culture. The same is true even of Philosophers: our 'professional' thinkers. Julian Baggini's How the W…
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Equalitarianism - the fundamental Liberal Bias, with Cory Clark
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“In their desire for groups to BE equal, Liberals have a bias towards PERCEIVING groups to be equal… Inequality must therefore always be explained through discrimination and prejudice, rather than evolved or genetic differences” Turi talks with Dr. Cory Clark about the origins of bias - why it is so ingrained in our thinking, its evolutionary uses,…
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StatMan - Episode #97: NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview
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NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview Fittingly, an unprecedented 2020 NFL season remained unsettled until the 256th and final regular-season game. Washington's win on Sunday night clinched the NFC East division title (with a losing record, no less) and locked in the 2020 playoff field. The league expanded its postseason to 14 teams this season, meaning on…
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Episode #96: 2020/2021 NBA Preview: Champions and Pretenders
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🚨NBA SEASON IS BACK🚨 2020/2021 NBA Preview: Champions, Pretenders, and Hopefuls! --- The arrival of a new NBA season feels like being trapped in a time-warp. While it’s been only two months since the Lakers captured the championship inside the bubble, the teams that didn’t qualify for the league’s restart haven’t played since March. If you’re feeli…
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Episode #95: Steelers offense exposed and Jalen Hurts is the Captain in Philadelphia
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In this week's episode, Steve goes has a few stories to tell with some AMAZING numbers to share about NFL Week 14. He dives deep into the Steelers offense who were exposed for a second week in a row. Also, Jalen Hurts looked at Carson Wentz and said: "Hey, I am the Captain Now". --- More records were broken in Week 14 and Steve is all there to shar…
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StatMan - Episode #94: If You Are Healthy, You Play & NFL Week 13 Records Broken
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EPISODE 94 Overview NFL Week 13 Records Broken In this week's episode Steve put together the best stats and records from Sunday's slate of NFL games. From Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers, Travis Kelce, Darren Waller to Justin Jefferson, and Baker Mayfield. Lots of numbers and broken records in Week 13 is all you need to know for now. NBA Load Manageme…
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StatMan | Episode 93: Should the Warriors trade the #2 pick? NBA Off-season 2020 Review thus far!
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After two weeks, Steve is back with some interesting number breakdowns as to why the Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday, how it impacts Giannis supermax contract. Also, David Griffin and Sam Presti should be getting GMs of the century awards, if such a thing exist. And we also break down what each trade thus far means for the Eastern and Western Confere…
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Episode #92: Antonio Brown - did the Bucs make the right decision?
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In this iteration of the StatMan Sports Podcast we explore the idea or question rather of whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the right decision of signing Antonio Browns. Do they really need him? We then follow up on Steve's Super Bowl contenders thus far; their biggest strengths and weaknesses headed into the rest of the season. Segment One: Th…
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EP91: Where are we now in the GOAT debate? MJ or LeBron?
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NBA GOAT DEBATE LeBron James has earned his fourth NBA championship and fourth Finals MVP, closing the gap on the ring total of all-time great Michael Jordan. As LeBron's legacy continues to grow, the debate of who is the GREATEST player in league history becomes closer than ever before. Few questions have engaged the world of sports as much as the…
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“When evidence is ambiguous––when it is hard to know how to interpret it—it can lead rational people to predictably polarize.” Turi talks with philosopher Kevin Dorst to understand why all our cognitive ‘flaws’ - from confirmation bias and motivated reasoning, through our selective exposure to media, even the prejudice we apply to our analysis of e…
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EP90: 2020 NBA Finals Preview, Breakdown, and Predicted Winner
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In today's episode, we preview and breakdown the 2020 NBA Finals matchup between the 5th seed Miami Heat v.s. the 1st seed Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams had a particularly "easy" path to the NBA Finals nevertheless they were the best two teams in the NBA Bubble Post-season with both having a 12-3 record. The coincidence of this series is quite del…
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StatMan - Episode #89: Why are people confused about the NBA MVP debate?
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In today's episode we question, answer and even re-vamp the NBA MVP criteria because it looks like we end up having dumb debates about it or we just don't understand what the criteria is anymore. What does MVP even mean? Best player? Best player on the best team? Best numbers in the regular season? Best performing player? Also, we talked about nota…
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Rebuilding Democracy (Pt. 2) - Disagreement and Civility
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“Democracy runs on disagreement: it is by means of citizens hashing out their differences that democracy can achieve better political outcomes.” In Part 2 of their podcast, Turi and Bob Talisse follow on from their discussion of Equal Citizenship (and why polarization strains that ideal), to discuss Disagreement and how we build democratic ‘Civilit…
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Rebuilding Democracy (Pt. 1): Equal Citizenship, with Robert Talisse
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"Democracy is the thesis that a decent and stable political order is possible amongst equal citizens who disagree, but only if that disagreement is made to work in the service of democracy through civility." In this two-part podcast, Turi and Bob Talisse explain these core ideas of Equal Citizenship, Disagreement and Civility, why they're so fundam…
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StatMan | EP88: NFL Week 1 Tom Brady is washed and the Clippers are finished
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We are back after a two weeks with the NFL Kickoff to tell you that Tom Brady is washed (kinda) and also to explain why the Clippers are finished after being forced into a Game 7 by the Nuggets. Things You Will Also Learn: The Titans need to fix their kicking woes Tom Brady is not what we think he is anymore and the numbers prove it Aaron Rodgers i…
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Why we lie to ourselves, with Adrian Bardon
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“The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing” Blaise Pascal, Pensées, 1670 The Mind is embodied - it is a bodily function. What causes it to function in the way that it does. What motivates it? And here’s the rub. Because the mind has two, often contradictory, reasons for working. Epistemic: we think for knowledge, truth, accuracy. Emot…
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John Stuart Mill and Free Speech today, with Nigel Warburton
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“John Stuart Mill would be the kind of person who would argue for following people with whom you strongly disagree because they’re the ones that are gonna make you think.” Turi talks with the philosopher Nigel Warburton about free speech and its foundational text - John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty (1859). Today, all sides of the political spectrum dec…
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Why do we believe Conspiracy Theories, with Karen Douglas
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“People are drawn to conspiracy theories to satisfy particular unmet psychological needs - epistemic, existential and social.” Turi talks with Professor Karen Douglas of the University of Kent, to understand where conspiracy theories come from. Karen has surveyed all the literature on conspiracy theory. She identifies three core drivers behind the …
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StatMan | Episode 87: Luka Doncic is Top 5 Player in the NBA
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The first chapter in the book of Luka Doncic Legend was written on a Sunday afternoon, when Doncic capped off an all-time playoff performance with an overtime buzzer-beating triple to tie the Mavericks’ first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers at two games apiece. Doncic took the shot defenses want him to take at this time in his short NBA …
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Can we trust what we believe, with Miriam Schoenfield
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"A lot of beliefs that are fundamental to who we are and to how we think about the world are influenced by things that appear to be arbitrary and irrelevant to the truth of the matter.” Turi talks with Professor Miriam Schoenfield, of the University of Texas at Austin, to understand whether we can have any kind of certainty about the truth of our b…
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StatMan | Episode 86: The NBA Is In Good Hands (NBA Playoffs Edition)
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NBA Playoffs is in Good Hands (NBA Bubble Edition) After Day 1 of the NBA Playoffs we can say with certainty that the NBA is in good hands. Its future is bright with young stars like Luka Doncic becoming the first player ever in NBA history with 40 point in his debut. Donovan Mitchell scoring 57 points (3rd most all-time) despite a loss against the…
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