The Dr. Bo Show

According to a report by Stanford University, from the turn of this century to August 26, 2015, there have been 138 documented mass shootings in the United States resulting in 555 victim fatalities and a total of 1092 victims. To put that number in perspective, that is more than the total number of documented mass shootings in the entire second half of the 20th century. In this context, a mass shooting is defined by three or more shooting victims (not necessarily fatalities), not including the s. . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

Since you are asking me, a scientist, I can tell you that I believe science literacy is extremely important, but there are those who will disagree. The United States is indeed a meting pot, not just of cultures, but of ideas and values. Some people value belief and faith far more than reason and science, meaning that the subjective state of personal well-being is more important than accepting a scientific fact that risks decreasing that personal well-being. Of course, being scientifically illite. . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

What are some advantages of being a rational/more rational person?Before I get to the heart of the question, I want to make the distinction between rationality and reason in the domain of argumentation (these terms have specialized meanings when referring to different topics). The two terms are often used interchangeably, and one could argue that the current usage of the terms have, for all practical purposes, made them synonymous. However, when exploring this area in detail, the distinction is . . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

In the 1994 movie Dumb and Dumber, Lloyd (Jim Carey) sells a dead bird (Petey) to a blind kid in a wheelchair. Clearly one would have to have psychopathic tendencies to find dead birds or handicap children funny, yet despite personal preferences and tastes for comedy, people who enjoyed this film overwhelmingly found this scene hilarious. More recently, jokes about Jared, the former pitchman for the Subway chain, have been flooding social media. Many of these jokes have to do with him getting ra. . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

As a social psychologist, I study stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination using scientific methodology—a process that is designed to minimize bias regularly found in personal anecdotes that seem to fuel this movement. As a white male, I am protected from the most common forms of racial and sexual discrimination. So while my views may indeed be objective as an observer to and researcher of racial inequality, I cannot provide first-hand personal experience of such inequality, which to many. . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

First, we need to understand that the belief in a literal Hell is not ubiquitous among religions. Even within Christianity, roughly 30% of Christian Americans don’t believe in a literal Hell according to a 2007 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life / U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Also, the answer to this question is very different if we are talking about the non-religious who never believed in Hell and the non-religious who used to believe in Hell. For those non-religious who never believed. . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

Recently, the proposition that marriage can be between two men or two women has been a hot topic in social media, with people both for and against speaking out aggressively on the issue. If you are for the proposition, you would likely refer to the issue as "marriage equality," which implies fairness. If you are against the proposition, you might call it "gay marriage" or better yet, refer to your position positively as in the term "traditional marriage" (assuming, of course, that traditions are. . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

Is there a logical explanation for a toy that flies off dresser after my only child’s suicide? I have been an atheist for 10 years and highly skeptical of any possibility of life after death and all things "woo." My only child died by suicide recently and it’s a horrible heartache. A friend gave me a plush toy kangaroo with a baby in its pouch for a condolence gift; which of course, symbolizes a mother and child. Quite a few times since then, my boyfriend and I have literally seen this toy move . . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

I was about 22 years old, just graduated college, and moved to Boulder, Colorado to live "the good life." In the city of Boulder, there is a park called Chautauqua Park with very impressive rock formations known as the Flatirons. The Flatirons, as the name suggests, is a flat rock structure with about a 60-degree incline. While still in my invincibility phase, I thought it would be a good idea to climb the Flatirons—alone and without any equipment, experience, or common sense. About an hou. . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow

According to a 2014 Marketdata report, the weight-loss market in the United States was about $60 billion, with an estimated annual revenue of about $20 billion. To put this in perspective, that is about $63 per US citizen (infants included) spent each year on products and services that offer hope to those looking to lose weight. It’s a huge market built on a complicate science that few people really understand‚Äîa breeding ground for pseudoscientific fads.A "fad" is defined as an intense and. . . See the complete description at http://www.thedrboshow.com/tools/bg/Bo/TheDrBoShow