The European Skeptics Podcast - The ESP

We’re back from ESC Liverpool and have a lot to catch up on! We report about the winners of the Ockham Award and the Rusty Razor and debunk some disinformation about the unrest in France. Instead of a TWISH we have a short interview with Lizzi Collinge, a skeptic and a UK MP(!). Then, we tackle the news:UKRAINE / RUSSIA: Did Ukraine’s strikes lead to a decline in Russian disinformation?EUROPE: European governments withdraw support for disinformation conference following US pressureFRANCE: A landmark legal victory for medical science and skepticismUKRAINE: Ukraine still uses polygraph machinesDENMARK: Can you tell a real photograph from an AI-generated image? New research suggests you probably can’t.GERMANY: When conspiracy theories turn dangerousThe Really Wrong Award for this week goes to all religious schools that cannot stop indoctrinating their students. We also have a fun Word of the Week: ‘Escroc’.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-554.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:15:28 Interview0:25:53 News0:52:13 Really Wrong0:54:19 Word of the Week0:57:27 Quote0:58:41 Outro1:00:04 Outtakes

Andrew Copson is the Chief Executive of Humanists UK, a former President and current Ambassador of Humanists International, and author of a number of books on humanism and secularism.In this episode we have him back on the show to talk about his upcoming book: How to be a Happy Human: Seven Humanist Foundations for a Better Life. Not a self-help book, it still guides you on how to find meaning in life and come to terms with the fact that this is the one chance we get – and that that is good thing.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-553.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:54 Greetings0:06:33 Interview0:42:10 Farewell0:45:01 Outro0:46:23 Outtakes

The number curse is getting worse! The Dutch Meester Kakadoris Award has been awarded, Patreon is changing its rules (but please still subscribe!) and next week sees two big Skeptical events: Global Skeptics in the Pub and ESC Liverpool. Join one of them or both! In TWISH we hear about Henry Cavendish (no relation to bananas) and then we get to the news:ISRAEL / INTERNATIONAL: Conspiracy theories about Flydubai attack spread across social mediaRUSSIA / UKRAINE / GERMANY: Russian disinformation campaigns are getting more sophisticatedSWEDEN: Reports of election fraud – are they real?The Really Wrong Award goes to Barbara O’Neill, the Australian quack who is currently touring Europe (and the world).Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-552.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:12:04 TWISH0:23:57 News0:41:11 Really Wrong0:45:19 Quote0:47:28 Outro0:48:51 Outtakes

Pontus report back from the bookfair and András has apparently also been struck by the numbers curse. In TWISH we look back at the first TAM London conference in 2009 and find that it can been seen as a milestone for European Skepticism.Then we take a look at the news:INTERNATIONAL: Rare pregnancy infections may triple the risk of autismNORTHERN IRELAND: What do 16-year-olds believe?UK: UK will set up a new agency to fight ‘information warfare’Supplements for menopause are unreasonably expensive as well as ineffective and for that they deserve the Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-551.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:08:07 TWISH0:17:15 News0:35:03 Really Wrong0:40:30 Quote0:41:53 Outro0:43:16 Outtakes

We start by Pontus correcting himself on numbers he uttered, then we contemplate whether the recent Russian election results hold water. In TWISH we celebrate the real giant of science Michael Faraday commemorating his brilliant method to prove the ideomotor phenomenon. Then we turn to the news:INTERNATIONAL: a 'Godzilla level' el Niño coming up?UK: Meta deepfake safeguards deemed “fundamentally inadequate” by own Oversight BoardUK: 'Blade runners': Conspiracy theorists are destroying traffic scannersThis week's Really Wrong Award goes to Kent Ekeroth of Sweden Democrats for blaming election defeat on 'voting cattle'Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-550.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:15:52 TWISH0:27:30 News0:44:02 Really Wrong0:51:32 Quote0:53:30 Outro0:54:45 Outtakes

For over a decade we have mispronounced a certain publisher’s name (duh!) but it’s never too late to learn… The Swedish election results are more or less in, and hopefully it’s a sign of reason that the party spreading the most disinformation lost almost 15% of their seats in parliament. In TWISH we hear the mesmerizing story about Jean Sylvain Bailly who was a French astronomer, mathematician, freemason, and political leader of the early part of the French Revolution.Then we turn to the news:SWEDEN: Measles outbreakAUSTRIA: Michael Frass gets his retracted article re-publishedINTERNATIONAL: New site has started to measure imbalance in mediaWe then have a Who’s Quacking? from AfD in Germany and hand out a Really Wrong Award to the UK parliament.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-549.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:08:18 TWISH0:17:35 News0:36:33 Who's Quacking?0:41:14 Really Wrong0:46:00 Quote0:47:46 Outro0:49:09 Outtakes

Nominate candidates both Das Goldene Brett and the Ockham Award (including the Rusty Razor!), links are in the show notes. In TWISH we hear about that Russian space visionary Konstantin Tsiolkovsky who over a 100 years ago established still valid theories about space rockets and more, needed for space flight. Then we have the news:INTERNATIONAL: Elsevier to ‘soon investigate’ two Macchiarini papers more than a year after retraction requestITALY: Unvaccinated child dies of diphteriaGermany has finally(!) removed funding for both homeopathic and anthroposophic remedies, and for that they deserve the Really Right Award!Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-547.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:50 Greetings0:07:49 TWISH0:14:55 News0:28:39 Really Right0:35:09 Quote0:38:32 Outro0:39:55 Outtakes

With András back in the saddle, we advice against climate doom and also encourage listeners to nominate for the Ockhams Awards. In TWISH we go back almost 2500 years for an example of how superstition can ruin your quite innocent Sicilian expedition, and then we head for the news:SWEDEN: Elections coming up fast, rife with AI fakes and populistic opportunismSPAIN / INTERNATIONAL: Investigation into the fake doctor industryFRANCE: End of Life law implementedGERMANY: Follow-up on Bavarian Study – Massive failureThe Channel 4 documentary ‘The Great ADHD Myth?‘ is loaded with pseudoscience and conspiracy theories and so is a worthy recepient of the Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-546.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:50 Greetings0:13:31 TWISH0:22:56 News0:46:51 Really Wrong0:51:34 Quote0:54:22 Outro0:55:44 Outtakes