Is there anything more deceptive than an obvious fact? Catch the fever!

@tbpod1

[email protected]

On this episode: Why is it so difficult to identify a clear line between accepted and disputed knowledge within a discipline? 

Diversions/Explorations include:

• A Guest! The fantastic robot legged, Irish Khaleesi Aoife Abushaqra
• Some feedback from a loyal listener
• Art world controversy
• Avril Lavigne conspiracy theories 
• Cognitive dissonance  
• Power and knowledge

Get in touch:

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @tbdpod1 

Aoife’s podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-the-tok/id1537824943 

Sources you might like:

• McCafe statistics:

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/food-warnings/maccas-crushes-coffee-snobs-in-reply-to-advertising-complaint/news-story/8de5da54428e08ae13a7660ad4158b85 

https://qsrmedia.com.au/research/news/mcdonalds-mccafe-most-visited-coffee-shop-report-says 

• Marcel Duchamp’s urinal:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573 

• Was math invented or discovered?

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/was-maths-invented-or-discovered/#:~:text=This%20is%20true%20for%20all,is%20both%20invented%20and%20discovered. 

• Banana Art 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/man-eats-120-000-piece-of-art-a-banana-taped-to-wall 

• Avril Lavigne clone

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2017/may/15/avril-lavigne-melissa-cloning-conspiracy-theories  

• Cognitive Dissonance Theory

https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/Cognitive-Dissonance-Intro-Sample.pdf 

Episode 4 breaks new ground...a guest this way comes. 

A professional Theory of Knowledge expert takes on the TBD crew...next episode 

On this episode: Personal knowledge. Is it powerful or problematic?

Diversions/explorations include:

• The ethical limits of anvil pushing 
• Crazily...Hitler’s Mein Kampf  
• Cognitive bias snowballs 
• Everything you need to know about Brazil can be learned from The Simpsons 
• Some advice to NBA coaches: don’t throw the plan out if you’re losing 
• We don’t always have to be Best Friend’s Club. 

Get in touch:

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @tbdpod1  

Sources you might like:

Opinion | Study finds cognitive bias in how medical examiners evaluate child deaths  

Can We Rely on Our Intuition?  

BU Research: A Riddle Reveals Depth of Gender Bias | BU Today  

The Blame Game: How Outcome Bias Fools NBA Coaches (and Their Bosses) 

Thinking, Fast and Slow — By Daniel Kahneman — Book Review 

A teaser trailer for our next episode. Yikes - things come in threes. 

On this episode: statistics conceal as much as they reveal… or do they?

Diversions/Explorations include:

·        Why is Aaron obsessed with how many people are smiling in his compound?

·        What do the other 20% of dentists think about Colgate?

·        Why are medians and means confusing?

·        Speaking of confusion, John confuses everyone about P values

·        John and Aaron both sign up to eat cheeseburgers every 5 minutes for 50 years.

·        An actual poignant examination of the serious subject of statistics and cancer survival rates.

·        John and Aaron both learn that statistics matter.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Sources you might like:

The Median Isn't the Message:

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-median-isn%27t-the-message.-Gould/c3cc80440cf7b15a2c069252ae287e58dfed8073

Planet Money’s Modal American:

https://www.npr.org/2019/08/28/755191639/episode-936-the-modal-american

By the numbers - the average Australian doesn't exist ... not a single one of us is 'normal':

https://www.smh.com.au/national/by-the-numbers--the-average-australian-doesnt-exist--not-a-single-one-of-us-is-normal-20150124-12xlh0.html

Colgate:

https://marketinglaw.osborneclarke.com/retailing/colgates-80-of-dentists-recommend-claim-under-fire/

A teaser trailer for our next episode. Wow-- we actually made a second one...!

In our first episode we address the following prompt taken from the May 2021 IB Theory of Knowledge essay questions:

“Accepting knowledge claims always involves an element of trust.”

Diversions/Examples include:
- The flat earth guy
- A duplicitous professor from John's past
- Going blind from drinking moonshine
- Aaron distrusts cats.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Sources (of varying quality) on moonshine:

 https://www.reddit.com/r/firewater/comments/cv4bu8/methanol_some_information/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/30/fact-check-u-s-government-poisoned-some-alcohol-during-prohibition/3283701001/  

 https://slate.com/technology/2010/02/the-little-told-story-of-how-the-u-s-government-poisoned-alcohol-during-prohibition.html