116 - Massimo Pigliucci: Pseudoscience, Conspiracy Theories, and the Public Intellectual

Massimo Pigliucci is K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York, where he specializes in both ancient philosophy and the philosophy of science. In addition to a doctorate in philosophy, Massimo has a PhD in evolutionary biology. In this episode, Robinson and Massimo discuss the vast landscape between science on the one hand and pseudoscience on the other, covering how they should be distinguished, examples galore, and the role of the public intellectual in science education. Check out Massimo’s excellent book, which ranges across these topics and more, Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk. Nonsense on Stilts: https://a.co/d/agrSGF4 Massimo’s Website: https://massimopigliucci.org Massimo’s Substack: https://figsinwinter.substack.com/ OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:22 Introduction 04:17 Massimo’s Interest in Pseudoscience 10:29 What Is Pseudoscience? 24:36 Pseudoscience and The Search For Aliens 39:43 Conspiracy Theories and Expert Selection 46:00 Should Scientists Debate Pseudoscientists and Conspiracy Theorists? 49:20 Aristotle and the Elements of Scientific Communication 59:41 The Decline of the Public Intellectual and the Rise of the Think Tank Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.