Episode 184: Tainted Glove

Very Bad Wizards

David and Tamler start off talking about the infamous Richard Dawkins eugenics tweet. What does it mean for eugenics to “work”? And given the sensitive nature and horrific history of eugenics, is it wrong to raise the topic even if you’re just focused on the science? Hey we’re just asking questions, man…

Then, huge baseball fan that he is, David insists that we talk about the massive Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and cheating in sports more generally. When is bending the rules just part of the game (“if you ain’t cheatin’ you ain’t tryin’”) - and when is it really wrong? Why does the use of technology make cheating seem more dishonorable? Why weren’t the Astros players punished since they were the driving force behind the scandal? And why are apologies so hard on twitter?

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Links:

• Richard Dawkins slammed for saying 'of course' eugenics would work - Washington Times
• MercatorNet: Twitter piles on Richard Dawkins over eugenics tweet
• Astros cheating scandal had to result in historic punishment - Sports Illustrated
• Sign-stealing [wikipedia.org]
• How Much Of The Astros’ Legacy Is Now In Doubt? | FiveThirtyEight
• Does José Altuve’s Bad Tattoo Explain His ALCS Home Run Celebration? - The Ringer
• The Astros’ Apology Tour Is Off to a Comically Disastrous Start - The Ringer