Robert Proctor is a historian of science at Stanford University. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Theragun: https://therabody.com/lex to get 30 day trial - BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off - Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit - Grammarly: https://grammarly.com/lex to get 20% off premium - Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings EPISODE LINKS: Robert's Website: https://history.stanford.edu/people/robert-n-proctor The Nazi War on Cancer (book): https://amzn.to/3hjYzdZ Agnotology (book): https://amzn.to/3viS8A1 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (09:40) - Ideology and science (21:14) - Wernher von Braun (28:21) - The scientific process (38:23) - Censorship (47:37) - Anthony Fauci (52:47) - Courage in science (1:00:07) - Tobacco industry (1:23:52) - Nazi medicine (1:34:02) - The Nazi War on Cancer (1:39:14) - Science funding (1:50:08) - Ignorance (1:57:49) - Ideology in academia (2:04:09) - Human origins (2:14:02) - Hobbies (2:21:19) - Diversity in the universe (2:24:54) - Stones (2:33:49) - Conspiracy theories (2:37:59) - Nazi impact on Soviet science (2:43:14) - Nazi tobacco industry's denial campaign (2:47:30) - Hope for the future (2:50:04) - Meaning of life
The history of science shows how fear, fame, money, or ideologies can corrupt scientists and lead to dangerous experimentation and manipulation, from Nazi and communist ideologies to the present day.
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The collaboration between physicians and biomedical science with the Nazi regime is an often untold story. While the regime is typically seen as anti-science, there was a dangerous power in being excited by science and feeling like it served a greater purpose in the world.
In this episode, the importance of identifying what makes leaders charismatic and persuasive is discussed with a focus on Hitler's ability to convince people with his words.
This podcast discusses the ongoing debate around whether Mein Kampf, the infamous book written by Adolf Hitler, should be banned or not. While it can be argued that it is a significant historical document that sheds light on the atrocities of the Holocaust, it also has the potential to incite hate and violence.
The act of labeling information as misinformation has become politicized, which makes it uncomfortable for some people, according to venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. While some platforms do have departments for filtering misinformation, Marc argues that there should be a value-less evaluation of what is true rather than political leanings dictating the process.
The history of science has a lot of dirty laundry including the horrors of the Holocaust and Tuskegee that were supervised by physicians. Leaders in science like Anthony Fauci just like their counterparts during Nazi Germany have the ability to make positive or negative differences that cannot be concealed from public comprehension.
Speaking out against a system that is not functioning effectively may not be enough to create change. It is important to understand the narratives and beliefs surrounding the system and how to effectively shift them towards a common goal.
Despite being a multi-billion dollar industry that causes the most deaths worldwide, the tobacco industry has managed to make itself invisible in everyday settings such as Walmart and pharmacies.
The tobacco industry creates a parallel world of rewards and prizes for their customers, but they only care about making money. It is important to do the right thing for humanity rather than focusing solely on profit.
The United States still has over 200 billion cigarettes smoked every year despite the knowledge that smoking causes cancer. In the 50s, if tobacco and cigarettes were ever shown to cause cancer, they were expected to be banned, even with the pure metric of the number of cigarettes smoked per year.
The US sees about 8 billion fewer cigarettes smoked every year and smoking is no longer seen as a cool thing to do. It's time to get rid of smoking altogether.
A historian recounts their experiences reading old Nazi medical journals to understand the scientific language used during that time period and how these ideas were used to perpetuate Nazi ideology.
The Nazis once had the world's most aggressive anti-cancer campaign. The book "The Nazi War on Cancer" explores how this was tied to the effort of purification and how many companies in Nazi Germany made logos that looked like swastikas.
A story is shared about a friend's son who lost his password to dozens of Bitcoins. The speaker transitions to a discussion of minimalism and explains their own practice of only eating meat once a day during times of stress.
The amount of money offered plays a significant role in moral decision-making, with most people being unwilling to commit murder for a million dollars, but becoming more open to subtle forms of influence for larger amounts. The Philip Morris External Research Program also funded universities with millions of dollars, demonstrating the impact of monetary contributions in shaping decisions and priorities.
The authors explore the production of ignorance in different contexts, including the tactics used by the tobacco industry to deny the harmful effects of smoking, and the study of agnotology, or the cultural production of ignorance.
The conversation discusses concerns about the seeping in of ideology into academic research, particularly in social movements such as critical race theory, as well as the historical defensive use of value neutrality in preventing greater inclusion and questioning of scientific priorities.
This episode explores how our definition of humanness has evolved over time and what this means for dating someone from a different time in history. The host discusses how intellectual evolution has allowed us to expand our definition of human characteristics beyond physical traits.
The human civilization has already forgotten a lot of information and knowledge, and it is difficult to remember what it is like not to know something. Additionally, assumptions about early hominids may be inaccurate since it is unlikely they had eyes like us.
As our financial freedom grows, there will be a rise in amateur enthusiasts in various fields, such as technology and art. It is interesting to observe how different cultures use various materials to create unique works of art.
The speaker speculates how pattern recognition technology will lead to advanced discoveries including fossil skulls or teeth of humans which might be otherwise missed by the current chances of discovering in remote regions.
Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses the difference between intelligent design and natural evolution with regards to rocks and stones. He explains the concept of geofacts and what determines whether a stone is the product of artifice or nature.
The rise of conspiracy theories may represent a deep fragmentation of trust in science and government. While exploring new ideas and discoveries is exciting, it's important to remain skeptical of popular conspiracy theories that can quickly form large movements.
The tobacco industry during the Nazi period promoted pro-Nazi and pro-tobacco messages despite the regime being anti-tobacco. The influence of Lamarckian ideology and biology in Soviet Russia during Stalin's rule on the distrust of genetics was explored.
The historian, Robert N. Proctor, discusses his experiences interviewing people related to Nazi science and how he sees human hope in the midst of difficult historical events such as Big Tobacco as well as provides insights into the conversations with Holocaust survivors and Nazi SS soldiers.
The speaker talks about two events in the history, the meteorite that hit the earth 66 million years ago, and the invention of the head, a mobile body part, which is considered one of the great innovations in the history of humanity, dating back to pre-human times.
In this podcast, Robert Proctor delves into the intersectionality of science, ethics, and politics and how it affects our lives. He also explores the impact of digital spaces and the metaverse on our physical experiences.