Know Thyself

The Real Life Big Brother that brought fear, suspicion, and distrust to the lives of 200 million people.  A man who believed you should kill your enemies, but kill your friends first. He demanded suppression, repression, execution, deportation, and propaganda on an empiric scale.  A man so vain that showing a picture of him with his blemishes could put you on his list of enemies. He sent squads to ice-axe murder a rival. His final activity as leader was to plan another glorious show-trial terror campaign against, get ready for it, Jewish doctors. This one couldn't die soon enough.      

The first English settlement in the New World was *ahem* less than successful. You've seen the Disney version. Now hear the real story, which is so much better. Greed, incompetence, flayings, drownings, salted wife, thumb screws and executions, boiled saddles, cracked skulls, gunpowder burns, shipwrecks and mutiny, rats and cats and serpents, and many other "things which seame incredible." High drama, now recovered in the long lost kickoff to the cannibalism series.     Graphic: Oz by Ian Armstrong      

A man in whom there is much to admire. Except for his pioneering studies in mass genocide, I guess. And all the gratuitous violence, of course. And the fact that he killed and displaced so many humans that the earth's climate changed. How many, you ask? I'll see you Iron Man's 5% and raise you 5% more. Enough to make him the most prolific killer of humans the world has ever seen. Why not number 1 all time worst, you ask?  It's because we have to make allowance for the fact that, after all, these people did make him angry.

Can science tell us right from wrong?  Can it serve as a foundation for morality? Sam Harris believes it can. David Hume said it can’t almost 300 years ago     Note!!! This is a break from "The Worst People Ever" Series. Sam Harris is not, to my knowledge, anywhere close to one of the worst people in history.   Instead, his ideas on morality, such as they are, are critiqued.  

Dissolute, drunken, perverted and depraved. A man who went on "violence binges" every time he got wasted, which was all the time; and whose actions were considered beyond the pale by almost all other Nazis. Meet the 4th Worst Homo sapiens sapiens of all time, a man you might not have ever heard of, but who you will now find hard to forget. Although I do not catalog his atrocities in explicit detail (there are plenty of places you can find that) the subject matter is mature. And revolting.      Cover Art: Oz by Ian Armstrong

This festering bubo in the armpit of humanity was the "medical director" of the infamous Japanese Unit 731.  In pursuit of the deadliest possible biological warfare agent, and with a hearty dose of sheer sadistic curiosity, he performed his experiments in the spirit of true egalitarianism: on prisoners of war; on Chinese, Soviet, Indian, British and American troops; on civilians in the surrounding countryside. On anyone he could get his hands on. Caveat Auditor: This man's deeds are so odious that it's painful to research them and difficult to hear them. Not kidding.   Cover Art: Oz by Ian Armstrong    

Meet the one-man plague, the skull-stacker, the maker of incendiary camels, a man whose coffin curse is worse than any mummy because it actually panned out. In the annals of history, there have been very few people who accomplished what this man did. Too bad this genius was also an all-around dismal excuse for a human being.      

We take a well-earned break from the worst people in history to speak about the factors that influence what is best in us. Dr. Paul Zak is a renowned and prolific public intellectual, author, corporate advisor, and researcher. His groundbreaking work on the role of oxytocin in sociality has been profoundly and broadly influential.  In this interview we discuss the role of oxytocin in moral [read:pro-social] behavior, how it is released, and the significant life benefits that accrue from the behaviors it engenders. I raise Dr. Zak's hackles asking about psychopathy among corporate CEOs and question him about potentially contrary effects of oxytocin release.  Dr. Zak responds and teaches with characteristic grace and practical wisdom. I typically do my best to avoid sharing any kind of practical or useful knowledge with my audience. I am afraid I failed splendidly in this episode. Dr. Zak is famous: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_J._Zak And handsome: http://pauljzak.com/ And respected: https://www.ted.com/t

It's hard to argue with the top-ten status of these two horrors.  A scorned, vindictive, spiteful, misogynistic, brutal sadist. A loving wife and devoted mother, who also happened to get aroused by killing on a world-historic level. Both with vast piles of wealth and unchecked control over their victims. Both so powerful as to be almost untouchable. Sounds like a pair of nightmares in real life.     Cover Art: Oz by Ian Armstrong

In this episode I speak with a philosopher of evil, Todd Calder, PhD. Although more seraphic surfer than demonic, Todd wrote the article on the concept of evil in the Stanford Internet Encyclopedia of Evil: The Concept of Evil He has also authored numerous scholarly articles and presented at conferences and symposia on the topic, and is currently working on a book-length project "The Concept of Evil." See his CV and a selected bibliography here: Todd Calder CV Todd addresses whether such a thing as evil exists, what relevance it has or doesn't currently, why some want the whole term abolished and others want it rehabilitated, whether we can commit evil when trying to do good, if there can be evil without harm, whether ignorance of the consequences absolves you from evil acts, and, the question you are all hoping for an answer to:  was Thanos evil?

I didn't want to place him on this list.  But what choice did I have? Beloved national hero or sadistic monster. It depends on who you ask. If you ask a circa 1830 history teacher you will get one answer. If you ask the people he set his dogs on, the slaves he burned alive when they tried to escape, or the Spanish colonists he whipped to death, you might get a different one. http://columbusfourvoyages.com/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/columbus-confusion-about-the-new-world-140132422/ http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/40/183.html http://library.umac.mo/ebooks/b13617424.pdf

In this shocking, baffling, and powerful episode, Laura Johnston Kohl gives us an insider's look into Jonestown. She shares her interactions with Jim Jones -- his sick manipulations, twisted ambitions, bizarre shaming meetings, his craving for power and control, his creepy dark glasses, his chimpanzee, his suicide practice runs, and culminates with the fatal events of November 18, 1978. Some elements of this podcast might be too intense for children. Laura's Book: Jonestown Survivor Her webpage: www.jonestownsurvivor.com Like her on Facebook: Laura Johnston KOHL   Thank You Laura for an amazing, heartfelt, and wise interview. Cover Art: Oz by Ian Armstrong  

In this inaugural episode in the series on the worst people in history, we begin by discussing the most influential source of information about moral evil in the Western World: The Bible.  Dr. Robert M. Price defies easy categorization. He is a prolific, accomplished, high-profile, and controversial figure in biblical studies. His long-running podcast, The Bible Geek, is enjoyed by thousands of believers and skeptics alike. He has written more books than most scholars have articles. He has debated the biggest names in theology, and served as a fellow of the influential Jesus Seminar. This wide-ranging discussion is likely to push one or more of your buttons, so caveat auditor. Because although Dr. Price is respectful and deferential, he is also, ahem, opinionated, and all the more interesting and challenging for it. Dr. Price's web page, where you can link to all his shows, articles, books, and even buy him dinner!: http://www.robertmprice.com/

The ones who got left behind. Making us the victors (?). This is the last essay episode in the Origins series, and covers the time frame from our last common ancestor with chimps up until the extinction of the Denisovans.  What's the foolproof way to identify a secret ape? Who was the singing-est biped of all? How much do large brains cost, and are they worth it? And why aren't those Neanderthals smiling?

NASA philosophical advisor Kelly Smith, PhD and I discuss: Does the universe move inexorably towards complexity? If so, what ethical implications does that have? If AI becomes more rational than humans, will AIs have ANY ethical obligations towards us? What is the state of public discourse today? What moral obligations will we have when we encounter alien life? What if they are hostile to us? And, speaking of that, is it a good idea in the first place to beam information about our pale blue home out into the universe? NOTE: technical difficulties, for the most part, are resolved in this iteration (!) Keep Up With Dr. Smith: SOCIA: academic group dedicated to issues surrounding the search for life. Dr. Smith's email: kcs@clemson.edu Dr. Smith's paper on Manifest Complexity: Manifest Complexity: A Foundational Ethic for Astrobiology? On confessions of ignorance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=iojQC3UjmGc       ARTWORK: Oz by Ian Armstrong

How did our skulking, digging, night sneak ancestors come to rule the world? With upgrades to their brains, fancy glands that drip liquid nutrition, and three bones in their middle ears. This episode is brought to you by the KT extinction event, without which none of this would have been possible.

How much force would it take to pull the horned head right off the neck of a triceratops? Crocodiles have the highest bite force ever measured in nature, how do they compare to T. rex. Today we speak with a recognized expert on Tyrannosaurs and all things dinosaur, Dr. Thomas Carr. We dig deep into why he won't be seeing Jurassic World and where the movie went wrong, what we do and don't know about dinosaurs, the dreaded Chickensaurus, the processes of evolution, why there aren't more big brains around, and what it all means for who WE are. After this episode you will be the smartest person in almost any room about everyone's favorite dead monsters as we continue our series on origins. Dr. Carr's twitter page:https://twitter.com/TyrannosaurCarr?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor     and handle: @TyrannosaurCarr and blog: tyrannosauroideacentral.blogspot.com Join a real expedition!: https://www.carthage.edu/biology/paleontology/     Graphic: "Oz" by Ian Armstrong

A biggest-picture history tour, from the Big Bang to the KT extinction event that starved, suffocated, froze, and basically snuffed every four-legged animal heavier than 25 kilos (55 pounds) out of existence. Oh, except for two or three. Life, never easy, got a lot harder 5 different times in our planet's inhospitable past. So hard that it almost ceased to exist entirely once or twice. Graphic: "Oz" by Ian Armstrong 

Paul M. Sutter offers a mind-blowing rundown of our current understanding of the Big Bang, dark matter and energy, cosmic voids, singularities, etc. Paul is a brilliant astrophysicist with a gift for communicating with the unwashed masses (like me) with wit, humor, and enthusiasm (not the annoying kind, either).  Dr. Sutter will help you truly understand events and concepts that you kinda had a nebulous sorta grasp on somewhat.  You know physical cosmology will come up at your next dinner party, so listen in and confound the poseur across the table.  Listen to Paul's awesome podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-spaceman/id958825741?mt=2 http://www.pmsutter.com/shows/askaspaceman Visit his website: http://www.pmsutter.com/ And, most importantly, preorder his soon-to-be bestseller: http://www.pmsutter.com/book Graphic: "Oz" by Ian Armstrong

Where did the earth, sky, and stars come from? Where did WE come from? In this series on origins, you will see that a lack of real information never stops us from being certain we know the answers to these most inscrutible mysteries.