Join Ben and Matt as they interview Aaron Mahnke, the creator of the world-famous Lore podcast, about Unobscured, the new series where he dives deep into the true story of the Salem witch trials. How many people were tried? How many actually died? What does Hollywood get wrong and, perhaps most importantly, was there something the people of Salem didn't want future generations to know?
In this episode, the Goods from the Woods Boys and guest host Rick Wood welcome comedian and podcaster Kevin Anderson to Disgraceland to talk about unnecessary music compilation albums. This episode begins with the supremely butty NASCAR-branded album 'Crank it Up' and then goes into the classic 90's trilogy: 'Now That's What I Call Music', 'Jock Jams', and 'Pure Moods'. We're also talking about 'Freedom Rock' and 'Monster Booty'. This episode has been in the making for a minute and we can't wait for y'all to hear it! Follow Rick Wood on Twitter @RickW00d. Follow Kevin Anderson on Twitter @KBAndersonYo and listen to his podcast "Bleak in Review".
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Placing more nutritious food on a more visible shelf, informing lagging taxpayers that their neighbors have already paid up, or asking job seekers what they plan to do next week (instead of what they did – or didn’t – do last week) – these are all well-known examples of behavioral spurs known as ‘nudges.’ Much of the reason such examples are known is because they emanate from the work of the Behavioural Insights Team – the so-called nudge unit. The United Kingdom’s government set up the unit in 2010 (two years after Cass R. Sunstein and Richard H. Thaler’s Nudge was published) to address “everyday” policy challenges where human behavior was a key component.
Experimental psychologist David Halpern, the unit’s chief executive, has led the team since its inception and through its limited privatization in 2014. In this Social Science Bites podcast, Halpern offers interviewer David Edmonds a quick primer on nudging, examples of nudges that worked (and one that didn’t), how nudging differs between the UK and the United States, and the interface of applied nudging and academic behavioral science.
“We tend to use mental shortcuts,” Halpern explains, “to figure out what’s going on. Now most of the time those mental shortcuts get us to where we want to go, it looks like, but they are subject to systematic error.” This can matter, he continues, because humans don’t always act in their best long-term interests, even as many policies are built on the assumption that they will.
Enter the nudge, “A gentle instrument that is not a financial incentive or a legal mandate or a requirement – a much gentler prompt or intervention.” Looking at the tax-payment nudge, he notes, “It doesn’t infringe on your basic human rights; it just reminds you that other people are more virtuous than you thought they were.” And as a result, more people pay up than would if they received a more-traditional scolding letter.
While the prompt may be low-key, the applications – and results -- often are not.
“These are actually big social policy issues,” says Halpern. “My own view is you try and create almost collective mechanisms to set up. You can inject into that process an understanding of behavioral science and how people make decisions, and then we can collectively choose rather than just a few clever folks out in Whitehall or in Washington.”
He spends some time discussing the difference in nudging between those two hubs. What he terms the “North American view” the focus is on “choice enhancing, while in the UK “we take a slightly broader perspective, which is trying to introduce a more realistic model of human behavior.” This is further demonstrated by the enactment process on each side of the Atlantic. In the U.S. version of the Nudge Unit, the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team, executive orders were used to enact nudging policies that had worked in experiments. In the UK, “We went down the route of “God, we don’t actually know if this stuff works, so why don’t we run – wherever we could – randomized controlled trials.”
“Our work,” Halpern concludes, “is very hard-edged empirical. In fact, history may judge that the most important thing the Behavioural Insights Team brought was actually a very, very strong form of empiricism.”
Before leading the Nudge Unit, Halpern was the founding director of the Institute for Government and between 2001 and 2007 was the chief analyst at the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. In 2013, he was appointed as the national adviser to What Works Network, which focuses improving the use of evidence in government decision making.
Describing himself as a “recovering academic” (although he does have a visiting professorship at King's College London), before entering government, Halpern held tenure at Cambridge and taught at Oxford and Harvard. A fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences since 2016, Halpern has written or co-authored four books, including 2005’s Social Capital and 2010’s The Hidden Wealth of Nations.
WARNING: THIS PODCAST CONTAINS A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT THAT MAY CAUSE FUTURE VERSIONS OF YOU TO BE TORTURED BY A ROBOT GOD.
^Technically not a joke.
Okay, if you're still reading, you're a brave soul indeed. This week we're wrapping up Terminator 2 with a discussion of one of the wildest thought experiments of the modern age, Roko's Basilisk, an idea so terrifying it was banned from the Lesswrong website for five years. We'll also be discussing some not so crazy fan interpretations of the gender politics of Terminator 2 vs. Aliens.
Also, coming up next is more Patron thank you Q and A time! So get your patron names changed and get your questions submitted and get excited for some other patron news, coming very soon!
More and more soldiers are being affected by PTSD--and horrifyingly, 20 veterans die by suicide every day. But Lt. Col. Damon Friedman, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and has experienced the struggle of PTSD personally, has a message of hope: there can be healing. He joins us to talk about what worked for him, and the brutal realities soldiers must contend with in the field. We also cover these stories:--President Trump says the shutdown may continue for a "long time."--Incoming Sen. Mitt Romney and President Trump are already exchanging fighting words.--Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times, reportedly calls out her old employer for bias in a forthcoming book.The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!
In which a Vermont farmer unveils to the world a natural beauty of crystalline perfection that's been hiding in plain sight, and Ken and John decide to slander Buzz Aldrin for some reason. Certificate #16919.
Today's special, hangover-free New Years' episode follows up on some of the things we discussed during our Episode 238 interview with Matt Donnelly of the Ice Cream Social podcast, including the never-controversial subject of libertarianism. Strap in; it's been an interesting year!
We begin with a listener question from Ricardo, who asks some follow-up questions to our original hot take on libertarianism waaaaaay back in Episode 22. Is there a robust theory of property rights that serves as a side-constraint on government action? You'll have to listen and find out! (Hint: no.)
After that, Andrew further explains the "Are You A Cop?"-style segment from Episode 238 regarding whether Brett Kavanaugh "voted with the liberals" in an abortion case. (Hint: no.) You'll figure out all you need to know about the Supreme Court's denial of certiorari in Gee v. Planned Parenthood and Andersen v. Planned Parenthood... as well as getting a deep dive into Clarence Thomas's dissentand an explainer on the Medicaid Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1396a!
After all that, it's time for the answer to Thomas (and Matt) Take The Bar Exam #107 regarding defamation. As always, remember to follow our Twitter feed (@Openargs) and like our Facebook Page so that you too can play along with #TTTBE!
Appearances
None! If you'd like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com.
DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE? Okay cool. No matter what your diet, get this episode in your ears. Entomophagy Anthropologist Dr. Julie Lesnik -- an enthusiastic expert on bug eating -- breaks down the human past, present and future of insect cuisine for our surging population. If you're considering cutting back on meat, or if you're a vegan helping others explore more sustainable options, Dr. Lesnik will get you pumped as hell for changing mindsets. We talk about grasshopper tacos, ant omelettes, the nature of life, humane bug slaughter, water conservation, deep-fried scorpions, at-home mealworm farming, cricket chips, protein needs and the cultural biases that are literally killing us. Also: termite farts.