Curiosity Daily

Why Facts Don’t Win Arguments, SETI 101, Self-Control Pitfalls

Episode Summary

Learn why self-control isn’t always good for you; why you can’t win an argument using facts; and what SETI is looking for. More from Dr. Steven Novella: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe http://www.theskepticsguide.org/ New England Skeptical Society http://www.theness.com/ NeuroLogica blog http://theness.com/neurologicablog/ Steven Novella faculty bio https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/steven_novella/ More from Seth Shostak: Seth Shostak’s Website http://sethshostak.com/ Follow @SethShostak on Twitter https://twitter.com/SethShostak Big Picture Science: The radio show and podcast of the SETI Institute, with Seth Shostak http://bigpicturescience.org/ To learn more about motivated reasoning and how we think, read "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion" by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777 The stories in this episode originally aired July 8, 2018 “SETI on How We Search for Aliens (w/ Seth Shostak), Facts Don’t Win Arguments, Self-Control, and The Red Baron” https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/seti-on-how-we-search-for-aliens-w-seth-shostak-fa Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day withCody Gough andAshley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

Episode Notes

Learn why self-control isn’t always good for you; why you can’t win an argument using facts; and what SETI is looking for.

Episode Transcription

CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.

ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about why self-control isn’t always good for you; why you can’t win an argument using facts; and what the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, looks for in its search for aliens, with astronomer Seth Shostak. We originally ran these stories on July 8, 2018, and they’re so good, we remastered them to make sure you don’t miss them.

CODY: Plus, stick around for a brand-new recap segment at the end of today’s episode to hear our fresh takes on all of today’s stories. But right now? Let’s satisfy some curiosity.

RECAP

Hey, we’re back in 2021! Let’s do a quick recap of what we learned today.

ASHLEY: Self-control isn’t NECESSARILY a good thing. You probably don’t want to control the way you look and act in situations where you’re uncomfortable. And remember: the key to self-control isn’t necessarily finding ways to resist temptations that are right in front of you; instead, try to avoid those temptations in the first place.
ASHLEY: Part of the reason why you can’t win an argument using facts is a thing called “motivated reasoning.” Basically, when we want to believe something, we look for evidence that supports it. And finding even a single piece of pseudo-evidence gives us permission to believe. Oh, and smart people are actually BETTER at motivated reasoning — that means you, curious listener! To keep yourself in check, Dr. Steven Novella recommends being the MOST skeptical of the things you agree with. Do a quick online search for the opposite of what you believe and see what you find.
CODY: SETI looks for carbon-based life because, in the words of Seth Shostak, “we have to begin somewhere, and we might as well start with something we know rather than something we don’t know.” Seems like a pretty decent reason to me!

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ASHLEY: Today’s writers were Reuben Westmaas and Cody Gough.

CODY: Our managing editor is Ashley Hamer, who was also a writer on today’s episode.

ASHLEY: Our producer and audio editor is Cody Gough.

CODY: [AD LIB SOMETHING FUNNY] Join us again tomorrow for a brand-new episode of Curiosity Daily to learn something new in just a few minutes.

ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!