Preconceived

By Snack LabsSociety & Culture Education Self-Improvement Philosophy

Preconceived episodes

March 04, 2025 The War Correspondent
Most people veer away from dangerous places. Yet there are some people in this world, who not only don’t avoid such places, but rather seek them out; journalists who report on some of the most dangerous and devastating conflicts in the world. So why would somebody risk their life, in some cases, to report on deadly conflicts far away? Why would somebody become a war correspondent, and what does the job entail? War correspondent Sam Mednick joins the podcast.

Follow Sam on twitter at @sammednick

Check out the podcast - Uncertain Things - at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/uncertain-things/id1529979654
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
February 25, 2025 271. Tariffs and Trade Wars
With Trump's proposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, may are concerned that some form of a trade war might emerge in the coming months. Particularly in Canada, where 75% of its exports go to the United States, uncertainty and fear are developing amongst Canadians. So if these tariffs do end becoming imposed, how will it affect each of the Canadian and American economies? By virtue of its larger sized economy, is this a trade war the US would handily win? Or are widespread tariffs a recipe for economic disaster for both countries? Eric Kirzner, a Finance Professor at the University of Toronto, joins the podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
39 min
February 18, 2025 270. Health Scare
Nobody expects to get sick. Especially for someone in their 20s or 30s, being diagnosed with a significant medical condition is not something that's truly on one's radar. So how does one process a scary medical diagnosis? In whom does one confide? And how, if at all, just it change one's perspective on life? Adam Noyek was diagnosed with a serious spinal tumor when he was in his mid thirties. He joins the podcast to share his story.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
54 min
February 11, 2025 269. Selective Abortion - A Down Syndrome Dilemma
With further scientific breakthroughs and more accurate and widespread genetic testing increasingly available, it is becoming much more common to detect genetic abnormalities in a fetus during the early stages of pregnancy. As a consequence, conditions such as Down Syndrome are diagnosed much more frequently prenatally than in past decades. In parts of the world where abortion is still legal, more people are likely choosing to abort such fetuses with genetic abnormalities. So what does this mean? Are the rates of Down Syndrome already decreasing dramatically? Will the rates continue to plummet with more genetic screening and subsequent abortions? And if this is the case, how do people in the Down Syndrome community feel about this? Even if you are pro-choice, it’s a bit of a harrowing thought to think that a certain demographic of the population could decline so dramatically.
Dr. Amy Redhead joins the podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
42 min
February 04, 2025 Changing Career Paths
When we contemplate the word ‘career’, it’s natural to think of one singular profession that someone pursues via education and then remains in for a long period of time. When you think of a doctor or an accountant, you usually think of them practicing that profession for decades, the majority if not all of their work years. In the ‘corporate world’, job changes are perhaps more common, but it sometimes seems like people are becoming more inclined to pivot in their professional lives. Professor Serge da Motta Veiga joins the podcast to share insights and recent trends in the workplace.

Learn more about Serge Da Motta Veiga - https://www.edhec.edu/en/research-and-faculty/faculty/professors-and-researchers/serge-da-motta-veiga
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
47 min
January 28, 2025 268. How to Change Your Behaviour
It’s one thing to acknowledge certain truths about ourselves and the world, and to have certain revelations ; but it’s another thing to actually make change based on those realizations. Why can we acknowledge and learn about our preconceptions, but still have such a hard time extrapolating those lessons to the way we live our lives? How do we break old patterns of behaving and make positive change to match our new ways of thinking? How do concepts such as status quo bias and habit formation prevent us from achieving our goals, and how can we break patterns that we deem detrimental? Yasmine Kalkstein, a Professor of Psychology at West Point, joins the podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
45 min
January 21, 2025 267. The LA Wildfires
As the wildfires in Los Angeles continue their spread, many are wondering how this possibly could have happened. We've been hearing about increasing rates of wildfires over the last several years , but rarely do they affect urban areas in the scope they have over the past several weeks. So what exactly is a wildfire, and why has this one been spreading so aggressively? How does a wildfire ultimately become contained, and is containment in sight? And perhaps equally important, is this a harbinger of things to come? Are wildfires like this one going to occur more frequently as time goes on, and what can we do to prevent them? Tim Brown joins the podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
41 min
January 14, 2025 266. Life on the Moon
For millennia, there has been a deep fascination with outer space. But ever since Apollo 11 actually landed on the moon in 1969 and Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon, the interest in space and the moon has gone into unimaginable new gears. But for all the intrigue that humankind has with outer space and the moon, what is actually realistic? What the current ongoing operations at the moon? What are the most promising aspects of lunar research? And is the idea of ‘life on the moon’ actually a realistic thought? Derek Webber, author of 'Lunar Commerce', joins the podcast.

Lunar Commerce: A Primer by Derek Webber - https://www.amazon.ca/Lunar-Commerce-Primer-Derek-Webber/dp/3031534204
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
54 min
January 07, 2025 265. Laziness
What does it mean to be lazy? Is the term 'laziness' just a negative slant on 'relaxation', or does laziness accurately reflect a lack of motivation? And is laziness a 'bad' thing, or could it actually be viewed as a positive attribute? Todd McIlroy, author of 'The Science of Laziness: Achieving More by Doing less', joins the podcast.

Check out Todd's book 'The Science of Laziness' at https://www.amazon.ca/Science-Laziness-Achieving-More-Doing/dp/B0D6GFZZNT
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
41 min
December 17, 2024 264. Gen Z Explained
As a millennial myself, I know many in my generation struggle to fully understand the ethos, so to speak, of Gen Z. In many ways, it seems they’ve taken work-life balance to a whole new level. Yet while lifestyle is prioritized, it can seem as if financial expectations are still lofty. Many domains of society have become more liberal, and the idea of ‘woke-ism’, which probably has a negative connotation to many, is perhaps embraced by Gen Z. So what actually guides Gen Z? What are the philosophies, ethics, and beliefs that shape their lives? Stanford's Roberta Katz, co-author of 'Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age', joins the podcast.

Check out 'Gen Z Explained' at https://www.amazon.ca/Gen-Explained-Art-Living-Digital/dp/022679153X
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
44 min

About Preconceived

From the publisher's feed

Preconceived, hosted by Zale Mednick, dives deep into the intricacies of human experience, challenging the assumptions that shape our understanding of the world. In each episode, Zale engages with…