

The Dissenter
Ricardo Lopes
My name is Ricardo Lopes, and I’m from Portugal. Thank you for visiting my podcast.
Over the past few years, I have conducted and released more than 900 interviews and talks with experts and academics from a variety of areas and disciplines, ranging from the Arts and Philosophy to the Social Sciences and Biology. You will certainly find a subject of your interest covered here.
New interviews are released on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Over the past few years, I have conducted and released more than 900 interviews and talks with experts and academics from a variety of areas and disciplines, ranging from the Arts and Philosophy to the Social Sciences and Biology. You will certainly find a subject of your interest covered here.
New interviews are released on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 23, 2019 • 32min
#16 Jon Entine: Genetic Literacy Project, Bioengineering, GMOs, Chemophobia
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT
Jon Entine is an American author and journalist, and the Executive Director of the Genetic Literacy Project. He’s also a senior research fellow at the Institute for Food and Agricultural Literacy at the University of California, Davis. He’s the author of seven books, including Let Them Eat Precaution: How Politics is Undermining the Genetic Revolution in Agriculture (2005); Crop Chemophobia: Will Precaution Kill the Green Revolution? (2006); and Scared to Death: How Chemophobia Threatens Public Health. Before becoming a print journalist, Jon was a producer and executive for 20 years at NBC News and ABC News, winning 20 journalism honors, including a National Press Club Consumer Journalism Award and Emmys for specials on the reform movements in China and the former Soviet Union. He was head of documentaries and Tom Brokaw’s long-time producer at NBC News.
Here, we talk about the Genetic Literacy Project; genes and genetic manipulation; GMOs; what advantages GMOs have over organic and conventional farming; chemophobia; and scientific literacy.
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Jon Entine é um escritor e jornalista americano, e o Diretor Executivo do Genetic Literacy Project. É também um investigador associado do Institute for Food and Agricultural Literacy da Universidade da Califórnia. É o autor de sete livros, incluindo Let Them Eat Precaution: How Politics is Undermining the Genetic Revolution in Agriculture (2005); Crop Chemophobia: Will Precaution Kill the Green Revolution? (2006); e Scared to Death: How Chemophobia Threatens Public Health. Antes de se ter tornado um jornalista de imprensa, foi produtor e executivo durante 20 anos na NBC News e na ABC News, recebendo 20 prémios de jornalismo, incluindo o National Press Club Consumer Journalism Award e Emmys por especiais acerca dos movimentos de reforma na China e na ex-União Soviética. Dirigiu documentários e foi o produtor de longo termo de Tom Brokaw na NBC News.
Aqui, falamos sobre o Genetic Literacy Project; genes e manipulação genética; as vantagens dos OGMs sobre a agricultura biológica e convencional; quimiofobia; e literacia científica.
Genetic Literacy Project website: https://geneticliteracyproject.org/
Genetic Literacy Project Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeneticLiteracyProject/
Genetic Literacy Project Twitter handle: @GeneticLiteracy
Jon Entine’s Twitter handle: @JonEntine
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, AND HANS FREDRIK SUNDE!
I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:
https://youtu.be/efdb18WdZUo
And check out my playlists on:
PSYCHOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/ybalf8km
PHILOSOPHY: https://tinyurl.com/yb6a7d3p
ANTHROPOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/y8b42r7g

Feb 22, 2019 • 59min
#142 James Tabery: The Nature-Nurture Debate, And Its Ethics
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter
------------------Follow me on---------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT
Dr. James Tabery is Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Adjunct Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah. His research focuses largely on the philosophy of science and applied ethics, as well as the intersection between those domains. On the philosophy of science side, he investigates questions of causation and explanation in biology; while on the applied ethics side, he explores how the answers to those questions have ethical, legal, and social implications. He’s also the author of the book Beyond Versus: The Struggle to Understand the Interaction of Nature and Nurture.
In this episode, we focus on some of the main topics of Dr. Tabery’s book, Beyond Versus. We go through the historical origins of the nature-nurture debate, and the early stages of Biology, and the influences of genetics and the study of development. Then, we address the complexity of the interaction between genes and the environment, and how they mediate each other’s effects on the organism. And we finish up with a couple of questions about the ethical implications of this science, including the dangers of focusing too much on nature, or believing in extreme environmentalism and views of the mind as a blank slate, and also the technical and ethical limitations to gene editing, human enhancement and eugenics.
Time Links:
00:48 The origins of the nature-nurture debate
04:30 Genetics and the eugenics movement
06:50 The introduction of development in Biology, and the nurture side
10:19 Are environmental effects always mediated by genetics?
12:38 Is it easier to identify genetic factors than environmental ones?
23:46 The trouble with the complexity of genetics, and pleiotropic effects
26:22 Are there any situations where the environment is the single cause?
29:24 Gene-environment correlations, and people creating their own environments
31:58 How to correctly frame the nature-nurture debate
35:30 The ethical dangers of focusing too much on nature
39:21 Sometimes, social justice is made on the basis of the innateness of certain traits
43:35 Also, the dangers of extreme environmentalism
49:07 On eliminating “negative” traits, and human enhancement
56:24 Follow Dr. Tabery’s work!
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Follow Dr. Tabery’s work:
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entrances on genetics: https://tinyurl.com/y7qnpled
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/yde5znvp
Beyond Versus: https://tinyurl.com/ya9af47a
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BRIAN RIVERA AND ADRIANO ANDRADE!
I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:
https://youtu.be/efdb18WdZUo
And check out my playlists on:
PSYCHOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/ybal

Feb 21, 2019 • 1h 48min
#141 Moshe Hoffman: Game Theory, Norm Enforcement, and Evolutionary Psychology
Moshe Hoffman, MIT Research Scientist, discusses game theory and evolutionary psychology. They explore behavior studies, critiquing Evolutionary Psychology, focusing on aesthetics, religion, and social norms. Game theory in social interactions and strategies is highlighted. Evolution of cooperation, norm enforcement, and the interplay between evolutionary and cultural contexts are also discussed.

Feb 20, 2019 • 59min
#13 Matt McGue: MISTRA, Twin Studies, Gender Differences, Race and Ancestry
------------------Support the channel------------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter
------------------Follow me on---------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT
Dr. Matt McGue is a behavior geneticist and Regents Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, where he co-directs the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research. Dr. McGue has authored or co-authored and published over 375 articles in academic journals. His h-index according to Google Scholar is 103. Dr. McGue participated in one of the greatest scientific endeavors of all time, the MISTRA (Minnesota Study on Twins Reared Apart), alongside big names of this type of research, like Thomas Bouchard, Nancy Segal, Auke Tellegen and David Lykken. Here, we talk about Behavioral Genetics; MISTRA; the types of studies done in Human Behavioral Genetics; what the studies with twins and adoptees tell us about human nature; some of the most interesting finding from the MISTRA; responses to people who only care about socialization; gender differences; and the concept of race and ancestry in Behavioral Genetics, and its implications.
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O Dr. Matt McGue é um geneticista comportamental e Professor Regente de Psicologia da Universidade de Minnesota, onde ele é codiretor do Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research. O Dr. McGue é autor ou coautor de 375 artigos em jornais académicos. O seu h-index, de acordo com o Google Scholar, é 103. O Dr. McGue participou numa dos maiores feitos científicos de sempre, o MISTRA (Minnesota Study on Twins Reared Apart), ao lado de grandes nomes deste tipo de investigação, como Thomas Bouchard, Nancy Segal, Auke Tellegen e David Lykken. Aqui, falamos sobre Genética Comportamental; o MISTRA; os tipos de estudos que se fazem em Genética Comportamental Humana; o que é que os estudos com gémeos e adotados nos indicam acerca da natureza humana; alguns dos mais interessantes achados do MISTRA; respostas de pessoas que apenas querem saber de socialização; diferenças entre os géneros; o conceito de raça em Genética Comportamental, e as suas implicações.
Dr. McGue faculty page: https://cnbd.umn.edu/bio/cnbd-faculty-staff/matthew-mcgue
Dr. McGue’s MOOC on Introduction to Human Behavioral Genetics: https://www.coursera.org/learn/behavioralgenetics
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, AND HANS FREDRIK SUNDE!
I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:
https://youtu.be/efdb18WdZUo
And check out my playlists on:
PSYCHOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/ybalf8km
PHILOSOPHY: https://tinyurl.com/yb6a7d3p
ANTHROPOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/y8b42r7g

Feb 18, 2019 • 50min
#140 Paul Zak: Neuroeconomics, Oxytocin, Trust, Companies and Society
------------------Support the channel------------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter
------------------Follow me on---------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT
Dr. Paul Zak is an American neuroeconomist, who is known as a proponent of the field. His current work applies neuroscience to build high performance organizations and to understand and guide consumer decisions. Dr. Zak is the founding Director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies and Professor of Economics, Psychology and Management at Claremont Graduate University. He has degrees in mathematics and economics from San Diego State University, a Ph.D. in economics from University of Pennsylvania, and post-doctoral training in neuroimaging from Harvard. He’s also the author of books like The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity, and Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies.
In this episode, we talk about neuroeconomics, and the role that oxytocin plays in attachment, and in promoting trust among people that are part of the same organization or society. We go through how oxytocin evolved, and the kinds of prosocial behavior that it mediates. We also refer to other hormones, like testosterone and cortisol, and how they interact with oxytocin and might change its behavioral effects. And, finally, we talk about how we can foster trust in companies and other sorts of human organizations, reduce stress, increase productivity, and empower employees.
Time Links:
00:55 What is neuroeconomics?
02:34 The sorts of things Dr. Zak studies
05:32 Oxytocin
10:57 How oxytocin influences behavior
16:40 The evolution of oxytocin
20:39 How other hormones (testosterone, cortisol) interact with oxytocin
25:40 Sex differences in levels of oxytocin and other hormones, and behavioral traits
32:21 Promoting trust among people in the same organization
38:36 Money doesn’t work well as an incentive
41:42 Reducing stress in work environments
45:32 Self-empowerment
47:35 Follow Dr. Zak’s work!
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Follow Dr. Richerson’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/y8ctlfue
Personal website: https://www.pauljzak.com/
Ofactor: https://ofactor.com/
Books: https://tinyurl.com/ydygmv95
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BRIAN RIVERA AND ADRIANO ANDRADE!
I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:
https://youtu.be/efdb18WdZUo
And check out my playlists on:
PSYCHOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/ybalf8km
PHILOSOPHY: https://tinyurl.com/yb6a7d3p
ANTHROPOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/y8b42r7g

Feb 18, 2019 • 37min
#11 Kevin Lomangino: HealthNewsReview, Health Care News | Notícias de Saúde (320 kbps)
------------------Support the channel------------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter
------------------Follow me on---------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT
Mr. Kevin Lomangino is the managing editor of HealthNewsReview.org. He is also an independent health care journalist who was previously editor-in-chief of Clinical Nutrition Insight, a monthly evidence-based newsletter for physicians and dietitians. He has written for numerous professional and consumer health publications including Consumer Reports on Health. He was formerly senior editor at Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a medical publishing company, where he developed new print and online publications for health care professionals and managed a portfolio of medical publications and newsletters.
Here, we talk about HealthNewsReview, whose mission is to “improve the public dialogue about health care by helping consumers critically analyze claims about health care interventions and by promoting the principles of shared decision-making reinforced by accurate, balanced and complete information about the tradeoffs involved in health care decisions. HealthNewsReview.org evaluates health care journalism, advertising, marketing, public relations and other messages that may influence consumers and provides criteria that consumers can use to evaluate these messages themselves”. We talk more specifically about the 10 review criteria they apply to the health news they review; the ones that are neglected the most; the reasons why this happens; and solutions to it.
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O Sr. Kevin Lomangino é o editor executivo da HealthNewsReview.org. É também um jornalista independente de cuidados de saúde que anteriormente era editor-chefe da Clinical Nutrition Insight, um boletim mensal baseado em evidência para médicos e nutricionistas. Escreveu para várias publicações profissionais e de saúde do consumidor, incluindo Consumer Reports on Health. Ele foi anteriormente editor sénior da Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, uma empresa de publicações médicas, onde desenvolveu novas publicações impressas e on-line para profissionais de saúde e geriu um portfólio de publicações médicas e boletins informativos.
Aqui, falamos sobre a HealthNewsReview, cuja missão é "melhorar o diálogo público sobre cuidados de saúde, ajudando os consumidores a analisar criticamente as reivindicações sobre intervenções de cuidados de saúde e promover os princípios de tomada de decisão, reforçada por informações precisas, equilibradas e completas sobre os tradeoffs envolvidos em decisões de cuidados de saúde. A HealthNewsReview.org avalia o jornalismo de cuidados de saúde, publicidade, marketing, relações públicas e outras mensagens que podem influenciar os consumidores, e fornece critérios que os consumidores podem usar para avaliar essas mesmas mensagens”. Conversamos mais especificamente sobre os 10 critérios de revisão que aplicam às notícias de saúde que reveem; aqueles que são mais negligenciados; as razões pelas quais isso acontece; e soluções para estes problemas.
Kevin Lomangino Twitter: @KLomangino
HealthNewsReview website: https://www.healthnewsreview.org/
HealthNewsReview Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthNewsReview.org
HealthNewsReview Twitter: @HealthNewsRevu
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, AND HANS FREDRIK SUNDE!
I also leave you with the link to

Feb 15, 2019 • 55min
#139 Peter Richerson: Biology and Culture, Cultural Evolution, Cognition, and Group Selection
Peter Richerson, a biologist, discusses culture, gene-culture coevolution, and cognitive bases. They explore cultural evolution, evoked culture, sociobiologists, memetics, and group selection at cultural and genetic levels. Richerson defines culture, its relationship with biology, and the evolutionary process. They touch on the cognitive aspects of culture, cultural learning as an adaptive trait in humans, and cultural content's influence on behavior and fitness. Richerson also discusses culture as an extended phenotype and shares academic resources.

Feb 14, 2019 • 1h 23min
#138 Keith Frankish: Consciousness, Illusionism, Free Will, and AI
------------------Support the channel------------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter
------------------Follow me on---------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT
Dr. Keith Frankish is a British philosopher and writer, currently living in Crete, Greece. He’s an Honorary Reader at the University of Sheffield, UK, a Visiting Research Fellow with The Open University, UK, and an Adjunct Professor with the Brain and Mind Programme at the University of Crete. He works mainly in philosophy of mind, also with interests in other areas of Philosophy. He’s also the author of books like Mind and Supermind (2004) and Illusionism: As a Theory of Consciousness (2017).
In this episode, the central topic is consciousness. We talk about what is it; the hard problem of consciousness; illusionism; the evolutionary origins and function of consciousness; how consciousness relates to questions surrounding free will and determinism. Toward the end, we also discuss a little bit if AI could spontaneously develop consciousness in any way, or if we would need to program it into it.
Time Links:
00:55 What is consciousness?
07:43 The hard problem of consciousness
15:33 Illusionism
28:26 Does phenomenal consciousness exist?
34:19 Why did consciousness evolve? What function does it serve?
43:59 Theory of mind, thinking about the future, and deliberation
50:37 Consciousness as an emergent property of the mind
59:01 Consciousness, free will, and determinism, and compatibilism
1:07:52 Could AI develop consciousness?
1:18:31 Follow Dr. Frankish’s work!
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Follow Dr. Frankish’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/y9ugk2vl
Books: https://tinyurl.com/y8aeua4l
Website: https://www.keithfrankish.com/
Twitter handle: @keithfrankish
Other relevant links:
Daniel Dennett’s books: https://tinyurl.com/y7s5g58s
“The Meta-Problem of Conciousness”, by David Chalmers: https://tinyurl.com/yd8ej28n
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BRIAN RIVERA, ADRIANO ANDRADE, BERNARDO DO VALE CARIA AND YEVHEN BODRENKO!
I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:
https://youtu.be/efdb18WdZUo
And check out my playlists on:
PSYCHOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/ybalf8km
PHILOSOPHY: https://tinyurl.com/yb6a7d3p
ANTHROPOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/y8b42r7g

Feb 13, 2019 • 41min
#7 Sue Everatt: The Venus Project, and a Resource-Based Economy | Projeto Venus
------------------Support the channel------------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter
------------------Follow me on---------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT
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Sue Everatt is The Venus Project Point of Contact (POC) for Spain. She’s on the admin team for TVP Support on a global level. And she coordinates the Spanish language team for the Linguistic Team International (LTI).
Here, we talk about the aims and proposals of The Venus Project; its theoretical foundations; what differentiates it from alternative economic and political proposals, like communism, socialism, and anarchism; how it could be implemented, and how it would work; and we also address two criticisms about Jacque Fresco’s (the creator of The Venus Project) theoretical predictions.
Check out The Venus Project (TVP):
Website: https://www.thevenusproject.com/
Free ebooks: https://www.thevenusproject.com/learn-more/free-e-books/
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPNMR_iABvyFmc3G9i1r3Lw
Points of Contact (POC) email list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lAFtYjkkCuepHNI5Kybjhn-iSQgiJxdWZhsXKjiK3u8/edit#gid=0
Linguistic Team International Forum: http://forum.linguisticteam.org/
The Venus Project Global Fb page: https://www.facebook.com/TheVenusProjectGlobal/
TVP Support International: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TVP.Support/
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A Sue Everatt é o Ponto de Contacto do Projeto Venus para Espanha. Faz parte da equipa de administradores para o TVP Support, a nível global. E coordena a equipa linguística de Espanhol para a Linguistic Team International (LTI).
Aqui, falamos sobre os objetivos e propostas do Projeto Venus; as suas fundações teóricas; o que o diferencia de alternativas políticas e económicas, como o comunismo, o socialism, e o anarquismo; como poderia ser implementado, e como funcionaria; e abordamos duas críticas dirigidas às previsões teóricas de Jacque Fresco (o criador do Projeto Venus).
Deem uma olhada no Projeto Venus:
Website: https://www.thevenusproject.com/
Ebooks grátis: https://www.thevenusproject.com/learn-more/free-e-books/
Canal do Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPNMR_iABvyFmc3G9i1r3Lw
Lista de emails dos Pontos de Contacto: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lAFtYjkkCuepHNI5Kybjhn-iSQgiJxdWZhsXKjiK3u8/edit#gid=0
Forum da Linguistic Team International: http://forum.linguisticteam.org/
Página do Facebook The Venus Project Global: https://www.facebook.com/TheVenusProjectGlobal/
TVP Support International: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TVP.Support/
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, AND HANS FREDRIK SUNDE!
I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:

Feb 11, 2019 • 1h 34min
#137 Derek Elliott: Beyond Enlightenment, Reason, Free Will, Self-deception, and Modularity
------------------Support the channel------------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter
------------------Follow me on---------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT
Dr. Derek Elliott is a newly minted doctor of philosophy from Duquesne University. He specializes in philosophy of psychology as well as action theory with a special interest in irrationality and evolutionary psychology.
In this episode, we go through some of the main topics of Dr. Elliott’s dissertation, “Beyond Enlightenment: The Evolution of Agency and the Modularity of the Mind in a Post-Darwinian World”. We talk about some of the values and beliefs of the Enlightenment that recent science, particularly the evolutionary behavioral sciences, has been undermining, namely reason, free will, and the notion of agency. We talk about the argumentative theory of reason. We also discuss how most of what happens in our minds occurs at a subconscious level, and how we have very little control over our behavior, and how very little we understand about our motivations and the causes of our actions. We also talk a little but about consciousness, the relationship between consciousness, free will and agency, self-deception, the modular approach to the human mind, and the meaning of life from a Darwinian perspective.
Time Links:
00:51 What the Enlightenment got wrong
07:23 A new approach to reason
13:30 Most of what happens in our minds is unconscious
19:18 Reason, decision-making, and free will
28:11 Descartes’ approach to the human mind
33:41 What is “rational” behavior?
41:38 Consciousness from an evolutionary perspective
52:11 Consciousness, free will and agency
58:50 On self-deception
1:07:39 Is overconfidence maladaptive?
1:13:12 The social value of wrong knowledge
1:16:48 About modularity of mind
1:20:33 Does natural selection promote selfishness?
1:22:49 A Darwinian meaning of life?
1:32:06 Follow Dr. Elliott’s work!
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Link to Dr. Elliott’s dissertation: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1737/?fbclid=IwAR0Gqc9s_ApbwqzlG7o9y2XWq5ZlehaU7PAznsSuWEaTnyVwEv0yB6x80iw
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BRIAN RIVERA AND ADRIANO ANDRADE!
I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:
https://youtu.be/efdb18WdZUo
And check out my playlists on:
PSYCHOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/ybalf8km
PHILOSOPHY: https://tinyurl.com/yb6a7d3p
ANTHROPOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/y8b42r7g


