How Do We Fix It?

A crucial step in preventing the next global pandemic will be knowing where this one came from. Did SARS-CoV-2— the virus that causes Covid-19— jump from animals to humans, or was the outbreak the result of a lab leak? The world still doesn’t know the answer.  

This episode is part two of our wide-ranging interview with Alina Chan, a postdoctoral scientist who co-wrote an explosive online paper in May 2020. She argued that scientists and governments should investigate whether a virus from a laboratory in Wuhan, China caused the pandemic.

“It's not about holding one country accountable, because we are all accountable for this,” Alina tells us. “We're all in this together.”

In this episode, we discuss the need for much greater transparency when viral outbreaks occur. The world needs to adopt new policies and strategies to prevent or mitigate future outbreaks. Proposed solutions include: more regulation of scientific experiments— including “gain of function” research, better lab safety standards, greater international oversight of groups that study how viruses cross species barriers, and a global treaty governing viral research.

Alina Chan co-wrote “Viral” with British science writer Matt Ridley. “Unfortunately, there are no enforceable international biosafety and biosecurity standards,” they write. Their newly-published book has prompted further controversy and pushback from some well-known scientists. We think a full airing of the questions raised by Dr. Chan’s research is central to our mission at “How Do We Fix It?”

Recommendation: Jim is reading "In the Heart of The Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex”, by history writer Nathaniel Philbrick. The book won the 2000 National Book Award for Nonfiction. The Essex sank after a sperm whale attacked it in the Pacific Ocean in 1820. 

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Two years after the known human case of COVID-19, the mystery of the origin of SARS-CoV-2 remains unresolved.  Did the virus emerge from an animal in nature, or could it have accidentally leaked from a research lab in Wuhan, China? Shockingly, the world appears to be no closer to knowing the crucial answer.

In this first of two episodes, we get a brief explanation of the growing controversy from our co-host, Jim Meigs, who has written about allegations of a scientific cover-up. Molecular biologist Alina Chan, a postdoctoral fellow in a gene therapy lab at the Broad Institute, is our interview guest.

Dr. Chan first became widely known last year for suggesting that COVID-19 could have escaped from a laboratory. Her early research was called a "conspiracy theory" by leading scientists and mainstream media journalists. But in recent months, expert views of this mystery have decisively changed.

Alina Chan and British science writer Matt Ridley — a past guest on How Do We Fix It? — are the co-authors of the new book, "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19." 

Our next episode will include part two of our interview with Alina Chan. We believe that finding the answer to how this virus first spread will be a vital part of preventing the next pandemic. 

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"This book is a message from autistic people to their parents, friends, teachers, coworkers and doctors showing what life is like on the spectrum," writes our guest, author Eric Garcia in We're Not Broken. "It’s also my love letter to autistic people. For too long, we have been forced to navigate a world where all the road signs are written in another language.”

Garcia, who is autistic, is a senior Washington correspondent for The Independent. He has worked as a writer and reporter covering politics at The Washington Post, The Hill, and the National Journal.

"My main point is autistic people are fine as they are," Eric tells us in this episode.  “The idea that they are fundamentally flawed and failed human beings is simply not true... Instead of trying to cure autistic people, society should help them live fulfilling lives.”

For many decades, people with autism have been stigmatized and subjected to harmful myths and wild conspiracy theories— all of them hurtful. We examine how they have been mistreated and ignored, and look at how to fix our misconceptions. 

Eric's new book has been greeted with positive reviews. The Washington Post calls it "outstanding", and a "call to include autistic people in the conversations that concern them." 

Recommendations: Jim praises "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" on Netflix — a documentary about a groundbreaking summer camp that galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality. Richard is listening to "Aut-Hour", a podcast hosted by Sara Gibbs that interviews autistic authors about their life and work.

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Not long ago, most of us embraced social media as a life-changing opportunity to connect with friends and family all across the world. Today, public opinion, including members of Congress from both parties, has turned far more negative. Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, and other tech giants are accused of corrupting our democracy, spreading disinformation, and fanning the flames of hatred.

Our guest is Robby Soave, a libertarian author and journalist who is a senior editor for Reason and the author of two books: "Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump" and his latest, "Tech Panic: Why We Shouldn't Fear Facebook and the Future."

Robby is highly skeptical of most efforts to reform or break up technology firms. In a lively conversation we explore some of the biggest issues animating both right and left: bias, censorship, disinformation, privacy, screen addiction, crime, and more.

"There are certain legitimate problems with big tech and social media," Robby tells us. "The negatives have been very well-covered and over-hyped by everyone from the mainstream media to the right-wing media... The considerable positives of social media are almost entirely overlooked."

In this episode we also hear about the respectful, impassioned debate between Robby and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, co-author of "The Coddling of the American Mind", who produced evidence linking the spike in adolescent mental illness and anxiety to the rise of Facebook and Instagram.  

Recommendation: Richard is watching the TV series, "Engineering That Built the World" on the History Channel. This fascinating documentary features expert insights by our co-host, Jim Meigs, on the building of the Panama Canal, the formation of the Interstate Highway system and the struggle to construct the Transcontinental Railroad.

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As world leaders discuss the planet's future at COP26 in Glasgow, climate change remains a massive challenge and a source of fierce debate. While two-thirds of Americans think that the government should be doing more, it's tempting to throw our hands up in despair and think: "There's nothing I can do."

Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe begs to differ. She says the most important thing is to talk about it—and she wants to teach us how. In this episode, we discuss her hopeful, passionate case for enacting positive change from the ground up, and the finding of her new book, "Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World."

Katharine shares the science of climate change, how to talk about it across the political divide, and personal stories about engaging highly skeptical audiences, such as when she spoke to a crowd of conservative business leaders in West Texas at a meeting of Rotarians. The outcome was remarkable!

 "If we want to change the system, the most important thing any of us can do is to use our voice to influence others to talk about why it matters, and what we can do together to fix it," Katharine tells us. "Wherever we are, we have a shadow not just a footprint, and our shadow can influence people to do things themselves too."

Katharine Hayhoe is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a professor of political science and public law at Texas Tech University. She is also a well-known science communicator,  principal investigator for the Department of Interior’s South-Central Climate Adaptation Science Center and the National Science Foundation’s Global Infrastructure Climate Network. Her research currently focuses on establishing a scientific basis for assessing the regional to local-scale impacts of climate change on human systems and the natural environment.

Recommendation: Jim listens frequently to "The National Review" podcast. The latest episode, "An Astonishing Night in Va." is a conservative take on the 2021 election results.

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Many millions of Americans are heading back to work — in person — for the first time since the pandemic hit. During this time of remote meetings and working from home, many of us learned new skills, and perhaps, forgot our old ways to work and successfully collaborate with colleagues.

This episode is a timely and very personal reminder of how to make meetings better and develop stronger, more productive relationships with those we work and live with. We learn about the crucial differences between exchange and communal forms of collaboration. Our guest, former psychology professor, and national non-profit head, Deb Mashek, spent two decades studying how people form relationships with each other, as well as the challenges & rewards of doing so.  

Deb founded MyCo Consulting, where she puts her research into practice, helping academic leaders cultivate collaboration among diverse stakeholders to accomplish ambitious goals.

The skills needed to collaborate well are vital for us to learn in our professional lives. "93% of employers surveyed rated this ability to work in teams as critically important, Deb tells us. "But few of us ever receive training on how to do this well."

Interested in learning more about the ideas discussed in this episode of How Do We Fix It? Deb has generously put together this short handout that summarizes the suggestions with links to other resources.

Recommendation: This one is an activity. Richard found great inspiration during a recent visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He suggests that we visit museums and galleries as we fully re-engage with the world.

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From local school board elections to state legislatures, an impassioned nationwide debate has erupted over allegations that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is being taught in public schools.

Anti-CRT bills have been passed in more than two dozen Republican-led states. What do we mean by Critical Race Theory? What are these laws aiming to accomplish? How will they affect schools in the US? We share a lively discussion from "Banished", a new podcast series, hosted by Amna Khalid, a history professor at Carleton College.

In this episode we listen to interviews with Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy, Acadia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs, and former ACLU President, Nadine Strossen of New York Law School. All three support free speech and disagree with banning the teaching or discussion of controversial, even dangerous ideas and theories.

This is a special episode of How Do We Fix It? We're taking a break during mid-October and continue a recent tradition of sharing stimulating, thoughtful interviews from other podcasts.

"Banished" is produced by Booksmart Studios. The series is about our reassessment of the many people, ideas, objects and even works of art that conflict with modern sensibilities. What can we learn about our present obsession with cancel culture by examining history, and what might it mean for freedom of expression? And how do we reconcile opposing points of view without turning on each other? Learn more about this recommended podcast at https://www.booksmartstudios.org. Thanks for Booksmart Studios for giving us permission to share this podcast.

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Never before in living memory has America been as politically polarized as it is today. We are divided by our politics, Facebook and other social media sites, and by news media. Nearly half of us have stopped talking with someone about political topics as a result of what they said in person or online. Our culture of contempt is dividing us all and making America ungovernable.

How do we use science and proven methods to reduce toxic polarization and push back against conflict entrepreneurs? This episode presents a way forward. 

Peter Coleman is a leading expert on intractable conflict and sustainable peace. He's a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, and director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. Peter's new book is "The Way Out. How to Overcome Toxic Polarization."

We discuss research on how deeply divided societies can and do change. We learn more about the role you can play to navigate these times most effectively – as well as what to look for in groups and organizations in your community that are already at work making America more functional again.

In this episode, Peter praised the work of the Bridging Divides Initiative, a group that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. The initiative supports efforts to grow and build local community resilience throughout elections and other periods of heightened risk, laying the groundwork for longer-term efforts towards reconciliation.

Recommendation: Jim is listening to the podcast series, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, a history of rock from 1938 to 1999, hosted by Andrew Hickey.

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Imagine a future where smart machines are more intelligent than humans. That future may be coming much faster than we think. The stark implications are considered in this podcast. 

The former Chief Business Officer at Google X, Egyptian entrepreneur Mo Gawdat has long been at the heart of the artificial intelligence revolution, deeply involved in engineering, robotics, and AI. Mo is also a podcaster with a focus on how we can promote happiness. In his latest book, "Scary Smart", he argues that AI reflects our values and that unless humans change their online behavior, the consequences could be terrifying. 

"The true pandemic of our times is not COVID-19, Mo tells us. "AI is the real pandemic. It's at its infancy and will grow in intelligence until a point where it is undisputed that they will be the leaders."

In less than ten years, he predicts, we will experience "the singularity", when artificial intelligence will be many times smarter than humans. But not all is doom and gloom. "The very essence of what makes us human — happiness, compassion, and love — is what will save humanity in the age of the machines," he writes. We discuss the practical, ethical, and spiritual implications of what's coming our way.

Recommendation: Richard has just read Robert Fagles' translation of "The Iliad", by Homer — an epic Greek poem and often called the first great work of western literature.

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This episode addresses a great problem of our age: How do we curb the enormous power of giant technology companies and limit the disruption caused by them and their products?

20 years ago, we lived in an era of digital utopianism when most people thought that the internet would give us new freedom to find information. But we didn't anticipate many of the most disturbing technological changes. Today, a handful of firms control most internet communication. Social media platforms amplify division more than they spread knowledge. 

Our guests are two Stanford University professors, Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein. Along with philosophy professor Bob Reich, they wrote the new book, "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot." 

Mehran Sahami teaches engineering and education at Stanford and is also a former senior research scientist at Google. Jeremy Weinstein teaches political science at Stanford. He previously worked in the Obama Administration. Both teach a popular undergraduate course on the intersection of ethics and technology.

Recommendation: Jim has read and enjoyed the science fiction novel, "The Three Body Problem", by Chinese writer, Liu Cixin.

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