Skeptoid - Skeptoid #500: A Little Curiosity Aired: 2016-01-05 Duration: 08:38 === A Love Song to Science (02:05) === [00:00:03] Today we have a very special episode of Skeptoid as it's number 500. [00:00:09] Today we're not debunking anything. [00:00:11] We're not clearing up an old mystery. [00:00:13] We're not really even dispensing any skeptical wisdom. [00:00:16] Instead, today's episode is as simple as it gets. [00:00:20] It is a love song to science. [00:00:23] And it's coming up now on Skeptoid. [00:00:29] Hi, I'm Alex Goldman. [00:00:31] You may know me as the host of Reply All, but I'm done with that. [00:00:35] I'm doing something else now. [00:00:37] I've started a new podcast called Hyperfixed. [00:00:39] On every episode of Hyperfixed, listeners write in with their problems and I try to solve them. [00:00:44] Some massive and life-altering and some so minuscule it'll boggle your mind. [00:00:48] No matter the problem, no matter the size, I'm here for you. [00:00:52] That's HyperFixed, the new podcast from Radiotopia. [00:00:55] Find it wherever you listen to podcasts or at hyperfixedpod.com. [00:01:05] You're listening to Skeptoid. [00:01:06] I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com. [00:01:10] A little curiosity. [00:01:12] This is the 500th episode of Skeptoid. [00:01:16] That's a lot of stories, a lot of history and culture and science. [00:01:21] We've made many visits to every continent on the globe and stopped in on every century and every millennium since our species was launched. [00:01:29] We've met every kind of person there is and even gone into space looking for more. [00:01:34] Nine years ago, there were a hundred of you as my traveling companions on these weekly adventures. [00:01:40] And then there were a thousand and ten thousand, then a hundred thousand. [00:01:44] For each of 500 weeks, we've found something new to be curious about together. [00:01:51] We've solved ancient mysteries like the stone spheres of Costa Rica, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Lost Colony of Roanoke. [00:01:59] We've learned what lay behind paranormal tales like the Black-Eyed Kids, the Sedona Vortex, Borley Rectory, and the Crystal Skulls. === Stay Curious, Teachable, Skeptical (04:30) === [00:02:09] We debunked conspiracy theories like the deaths of Princess Diana and JFK, the Zionist conspiracy, and the attack on the Twin Towers. [00:02:18] And we discovered the genesis of urban legends like the Black Knight Satellite, Polybius the video game of death, Mystery Spots, and King Tut's Curse. [00:02:30] A lot of the inspiration I've found has come from those who asked the same questions before me. [00:02:36] Who can forget the famous Truzi's principle, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, or Hitchens Razor, what can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. [00:02:50] And whenever I think I know the solution, I try to always remember, Nichols' doctrine, the person who thinks he can't be fooled has just fooled himself. [00:03:01] I realized I'd fooled myself a hundred times, a thousand times. [00:03:05] That was when I decided I wanted a really solid general science literacy. [00:03:09] Having that exposes a whole new dimension to every story, every claim, every pop culture fad, every myth. [00:03:17] That's how we're able to answer questions like whether cell phones are killing us all, or whether Project Lucifer was ever a viable theory for destroying the planet Jupiter. [00:03:29] Every time I learned about something new and found an answer I never would have tried before, I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store. [00:03:37] I'm often reminded of Marie Curie, who famously said, Curie's cannon, a scientist in her laboratory, is not only a technician, she's also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress her like a fairy tale. [00:03:54] What makes a rocket ship fly? [00:04:00] How far are those lights in the sky? [00:04:06] Isn't there some way that I could go up there too? [00:04:13] Shermer's Essential. [00:04:15] Before we say something is out of this world, let's first make sure that it is not in this world. [00:04:23] Occam's Razor. [00:04:24] The explanation with the fewest new assumptions is usually the correct one. [00:04:30] Things I can touch must be real. [00:04:35] But what about feelings I feel? [00:04:42] So many mysteries, concealed secrets I want to know. [00:04:49] Hyman's categorical imperative. [00:04:51] Do not try to explain something until you are sure there is something to be explained. [00:04:58] Ebert's axiom, clear-minded people should remain two things throughout their lifetimes, curious and teachable. [00:05:07] A new idea, a new technique threatened to turn me into a giant. [00:05:18] Love the old story so full of mysty, tempting me to learn. [00:05:29] Feynman's maxim, there is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made. [00:05:39] Bergson's fundamental, the eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend. [00:05:46] Open up, let me in, let me see the wonders you're hiding from me. [00:05:58] I've got a little curiosity and possibly you've got some too. [00:06:05] Church Hill's certitude. [00:06:07] The truth is incontrovertible. [00:06:10] Malice may attack it. [00:06:11] Ignorance may deride it. [00:06:13] But in the end, there it is. [00:06:15] I've got a little curiosity and possibly you got some too. === Support the Listener-Supported Program (01:58) === [00:06:39] I hope you've found your curiosity somewhere in these 500 episodes. [00:06:44] I certainly did. [00:06:45] Stay curious, stay teachable, and stay skeptical. [00:06:55] You can download A Little Curiosity as a standalone song for your favorite playlist from the transcript page at skeptoid.com. [00:07:03] Sultry vocals by Susan Egan, suave tunes by Lee Sanders, and words by some random podcast guy. [00:07:12] I hope you'll stick around for the next 500 shows. [00:07:15] Let's do this thing. [00:07:19] You're listening to Skeptoid, a listener-supported program. [00:07:23] I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com. [00:07:31] Hello, everyone. [00:07:32] This is Adrian Hill from Skookum Studios in Calgary, Canada, the land of maple syrup and moose. [00:07:41] And I'm here to ask you to consider becoming a premium member of Skeptoid for as little as $5 per month. [00:07:49] And that's only the cost of a couple of Tim Horton's double-doubles. [00:07:53] And that's Canadian for coffee with double cream and sugar. [00:07:58] Why support Skeptoid? [00:08:00] If you are like me and don't like ads, but like extended versions of each episode, Premium is for you. [00:08:06] If you want to support a worthwhile non-profit that combats pseudoscience, promotes critical thinking, and provides free access to teachers to use the podcast in the classroom via the Teacher's Toolkit, then sign up today. [00:08:20] Remember that skepticism is the best medicine. [00:08:24] Next to giggling, of course. [00:08:26] Until next time, this is Adrienne Hill. [00:08:37] From PRX.