Mentally Unscripted

In the second part of Mentally Unscripted’s “Should I vote?” series, Paul and Scott explore alternatives to physical voting and discover the technology – from online to blockchain – just isn’t ready for prime time.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Voting in Taiwan
• Going from Bad to Worse: From Internet Voting to Blockchain Voting
• Microsoft Open Source Voting
• Charles Hoskinson review of MIT whitepaper

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Should I vote? That’s a question more people are asking themselves in the United States. Paul and Scott discuss the utility of voting and how the U.S. can improve its current election model.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Economics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt
• Democracy: the God that Failed, by Hans Herman Hoppe
• The Bob Murphy Show, Ep 142 Explaining John Nash’s Dissertation and Why Russell Crowe Got It Backwards Media censors Ron Paul Iowa Caucus results
• History of US Voting
• Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky
• Hate Inc.: Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another, by Matt Taibbi

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Paul and Scott discuss their love of the scientific process, different ways of identifying the good kind of science (TY Farnam Street!), the seductive allure of bad science, and why we hate yard signs that read “I believe in science.” 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• How To Spot Bad Science
• The Distrust of Intellectual Authority

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Paul and Scott explore conspiracy theories, why they are so prevalent in modern society, and how to prevent your mind from accepting the most ridiculous stories ever imagined.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Illusory Truth Effect at Farnam Street

Political hypocrisy is rampant. Paul and Scott discuss the hypocrisy of elected officials during the COVID pandemic and attempt to understand why it happens, why we are so angry, and what, if anything, can make it better.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• After warnings to avoid travel, Denver Mayor Hancock flies to visit family for Thanksgiving
• After voting for dining ban, LA County supervisor dines out at local restaurant
• Nancy Pelosi gets hair done at SF salon in spite of COVID-19 rules

Paul and Scott discuss the power of grand narrative, the desire for political figures to attach our fates to their success, and what we must ask before agreeing to them (hint – there are many hidden costs).

Paul and Scott discuss Sam Harris’ message to the Intellectual Dark Web, the downfall of political discourse, and how to think about improving communication as we head toward 2021.

References
Sam Harris discussion (https://youtu.be/lmcdu6B_YUU)

COVID vaccine considerations. Paul and Scott discuss the excitement about the upcoming vaccine and some critical considerations everyone must ask before getting pricked.

In the Mentally Unscripted Origin Story, Paul and Scott discuss the origins of their moral philosophy by reviewing their scores on the moral foundations study (moralfoundations.org).