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Factually! with Adam Conover
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© Starburns Audio & Adam Conover
Description
Comedian Adam Conover talks to exceptional experts, revealing shocking truths and thought-provoking new perspectives. It’s an investigative comedy podcast for curious people who never stop asking questions.
205 Episodes
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What is synthetic biology and why is the “next Industrial Revolution”? Michael Specter joins Adam to discuss MRNA vaccines, stunning new developments in biotech, and why biology is more dangerous than nuclear weapons.
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Adam talks with legendary organizer Jane McAlevey about why organizing is the only way for unions, workers, and activists to win gains, and how to do it in practice. Pick up Jane’s book at http://factuallypod.com/books
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What the hell is laughter? Why do we do it, and what is its purpose? This week, psychoanalyst Nuar Alsadir joins Adam to discuss her theories about the origins of laughter, its effect on other people, and its purpose in various scenarios. Buy Nuar’s book at http://factuallypod.com/books
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1How can creative workers and individuals defend ourselves against the largest monopolies in the US? This week author and activist Cory Doctorow joins Adam to discuss how chokepoint capitalism causes the enshittification of everything we love and how we can fight back.
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It’s a very scary time to be a trans person in America. An unprecedented onslaught of transphobic legislation is being pushed in state houses across the country, including more than two dozen bills that would to restrict access to healthcare for trans people. This week, Adam is joined by the executive director of the Transgender Law Center, Shelby Chestnut, to discuss the state of trans rights in America, and the legal challenges that trans people and their loved ones face.
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Adam invites one of his favorite guests Carlo Rovelli back to the show to talk about the deep history of science, the first physicist, and the conceptual revolutions in understanding that may still await us in the future.
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This week Adam is joined by theoretical cosmologist and particle physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein to discuss what the hell dark matter actually IS and how much we know about it, why being a particle physicist is not just about making things up, and how much better not just science, but human life would be if everyone had equal access to the beautiful project of understanding the natural world.
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All of us have too much to do and too little time to do it in. Yet the more we try to increase our productivity, the less happy and productive we seem to be. Why, and what’s the solution? This week Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management for Mortals, joins Adam to discuss how to break the cycle of productivity shame with his radical new approach to looking at time.
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Our dependency on cars isn’t just bad for traffic and the environment; it also forces many Americans to take on debt, or interact with our dangerous and deadly criminal justice system. Today on the show, Andrew Ross and Julie Livingston join Adam to talk about why cars, famously a symbol of freedom, actually consign many to imprisonment and death.
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We know we’re going to die. So why don’t we act like it? This week, Adam is joined by Caitlin Doughty to discuss human composting, aquamation, green burial, how to reform the funeral industry, and how to finally accept the inevitable.
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What are atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones, and why are they mercilessly attacking us? This week climate scientist Daniel Swain joins Adam to discuss the meteorological events of the past month, and to explain the effect that climate change is having on the weather we face every day.
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What, exactly, do we owe to our fellow animals? Which animals are conscious, and how do we tell? How can we know what’s best for animals that cannot tell us their preferences and needs directly? This week, Adam is joined by one of the most eminent philosophers in the world, Martha Nussbaum, to discuss her new book Justice for Animals. Pick up a copy at http://factuallypod.com/books
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When the problems facing us are so massive and systemic, how can we ever hope to address them as individuals? This week’s guest, Ruha Benjamin, joins Adam to explain how small actions for justice can become contagious and create change on a larger scale. Pick up a copy of Ruha’s book at http://factuallypod.com/books
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What exactly is a snitch, and why is the use of informants so corrosive to criminal justice? This week, Adam is joined by Alexandra Natapoff to talk about why the government cuts deals with informants, and how this practice lets the wealthy off the hook and puts marginalized people in harms’ way. Pick up a copy of Alexandra’s book at http://factuallypod.com/books
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We’ve talked a lot about criminal justice reform, but this week, we’re discovering how it’s actually put into practice. Adam is joined by Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón to talk about the DA’s path to becoming a reformer, the nationwide backlash against criminal justice reform, and how to balance the needs of the people most affected by over-policing with the demands of those fearful of crime.
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Lotteries are the most popular form of gambling. So why the hell is the lottery run by our own government? And do they actually provide a windfall for public schools, or are they a scam that diverts money from the poorest taxpayers to a few giant companies? This week Adam is joined by Jonathan Cohen to explain how the government ended up taking over lotteries from organized crime syndicates, how they were then captured by a few large companies, and whether or not they actually pay off for society in the end. Pick up Jon’s book at http://factuallypod.com/books
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Viruses are everywhere. But what exactly ARE they, and why have they been able to reshape our world? This week Adam is joined by microbiologist Joseph Osmundson to for a fascinating deep dive into microbiology, the impact of viruses on the LGBT community, and how understanding viruses can help us better understand ourselves.
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What does neuroscience tell us about music’s impact on our species? And why do humans enjoy music at all? This week, sound engineer and neuroscientist Susan Rogers joins Adam to talk about the effects that music has on humans as a species. They discuss why records we listen to at a young age become encoded into our auditory cortex, how falling in love with a record is like falling in love with a person, and how music relates to the default network which is firing circuits in our central nervous system to contribute to our self awareness. Buy Susan’s book at http://factuallypod.com/books
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Workers are standing up for their rights across America, but to fight back against corporate power, they need help. This week Adam is joined by the General Counsel of the NLRB, Jennifer Abruzzo, to explain how the NLRB protects workers, and how to know YOUR rights in the workplace.
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We’ve got a big one this week: best-selling historian and author of Sapiens and Unstoppable Us Yuval Noah Harari joins Adam to explain how humans took over the world, discuss his fears about A.I., and to respond to some prominent critiques. Pick up his books at http://factuallypod.com/books
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United States
Prime example of why lefty comedy sucks.
Some of these options are very difficult for larger bodied people. Inclusiveness needs to a part of this discussion.
Exactly! This absurd racism in the USA is crazy. The so called "real Americans" should be designated as Euro-Americans. 😁 Great work Adam!
While I agree that we need to holistically change the systems we have in place in order to address the issues that are plaguing animals, we still ultimately need large numbers of people to change their individual behavior in order to make such systematic changes. This is why I still advocate for people to make concrete changes in their lives because if no one changes anything, nothing will happen. And one of the go-to changes I advocate for is to adopt a vegan lifestyle. Sure, it definitely doesn't address all of the issues mentioned in this episode, but it's one of the biggest single impacts that individuals can have in terms of changing these systems. If enough people were to refuse to buy products from any of the industries that directly use animals for food, clothing, entertainment, etc., those industries would no longer be able to stay afloat and they would have to either fundamentally change their products or go bankrupt. Not only would that greatly reduce suffering, but removing our reliance on using animals would make the conversation about animal rights much easier to have. Currently, asking governments, corporations, and individuals to give animals more rights is incredibly difficult because their income and lifestyles greatly depend on animals not having said rights. We need to address these issues in carefully coordinated phases, or else we will just sit here spinning our wheels. And the first phase is to remove our reliance on animal use.
my MIL was scammed $75,000 so far from a romance scam that uses a fake crypto site. she thinks she's investing and making hundreds of thousands and that this guy is going to marry her. 🤦🏻♀️
It's a scam. that's all there is to it.
The guest shouldn't speak on what was and wasn't effective with regards to the civil rights movement, especially considering at every policy point of that movement things are worse.
I used to watch his tv show & thought he was looking through an objective lens...but I'm done. His anecdotal, unqualified OPINIONS are biased & subjective. NOT FACTS! Try looking up the "scientific studies" he lists on his TV show & these worthless podcasts; Most are not double-blind or peer reviewed! It's not difficult to pick & choose "research studies" to suit any particular objective. This episode is further proof of his agenda & his butt-hurt self whining about how he couldn't handle smoking & drinking in his 20's. Yeah, blame the Adderall for all your problems. How about you're just a douche??
Good episode! 😊
A wonderful discussion that dispels the very simplistic narrative Americans have been fed for generations. cuba has a fascinating and nuanced history. Very interesting.
Hinshaw does a great job of explaining how stimulants affect dopamine levels(S"D"RI), how marketing manipulates us -including doctors- into buying into this, why there is a perceived epidemic, how our current society sets us up to have difficulties when the same "symptoms" 200 years ago may not have been a problem. cool interview.
Of course it fucking is what kind of question is what Adam?
BBC. bb hhhv. HIV j h op. j hhhvh jcb. HIV v bgh bb v.v. 포. ㅗ. 포.
😍
Adam I love you work this one is bull. I see some one hanging around my house with my three ring cameras. It's not because of his color of his skin it's because he has no response to be around my house. This lady is way over PC and needs to get a grip on our reality. Cameras make our community safer.
This is difficult to find on a normal Google search try Google Scholar for more info
Your guest stated that the cops are afraid for their lives when dealing with people of color even when they aren't in possession of a weapon. I'm just curious, why aren't they afraid for their lives when they encounter a white person THAT IS IN POSSESSION OF A WEAPON and that weapon is trained and drawn on the police and they still don't use deadly force???? There have been videos showing a white person wrestling with a policeman and the cop is running from that individual! That person eventually takes the policeman's weapon and the car and the policeman does nothing! No deadly force no backups called.... Nothing!
I'm kinda disappointed. This would be a great discussion, but I felt a lot of important things fell through the cracks (what happens when the majority consensus IS what's suspect for people like conspiracy theorists who use that popularity to validate themselves?). Guest was really interesting but had trouble communicating clearly.
ah man, this is really interesting to listen to almost a year later and how it all played out. record numbers of voters, mail ins, economic disaster, crazy conduct....
One comment regarding the “cracked rib” story: the US is so litigious, NOT getting a chest XR puts you at risk for a lawsuit. I agree, the patient is likely fine so why put them through additional testing, and we (as physicians) should be allowed to make that clinical judgement. On the 1-2% chance his presentation was more insidious and led to more serious events, we’d get sued to next Sunday. There’s a push to reduce spending in healthcare, though that responsibility is usually placed upon the physician (not the system, administration, insurance companies, or pharmaceutical) without any additional protection. (Maybe this is touched on later in the episode, but I haven’t finished yet)