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The Michael Shermer Show
EPISODE # 353
Inga Thompson — What’s Happened to Women’s Rights?
Shermer speaks with Inga Thompson, one of the most decorated cyclists in American history, about what happened to her when she recently spoke out in defense of women’s rights.
Watch or listen to this episodeLatest addition to the Reading Room
The Rise of Lies and the Demise of Shame
We are fascinated and enraged by pathological liars like George Santos, who lie with every breath. But everybody lies, out of courtesy, self-protection, or self-advancement. Toddlers start lying as soon as they start speaking, suggesting that deception evolved right along with language as an adaptive strategy. The social danger is not that people lie, but the obliteration of the line between a lie and its consequences. Once, anyone lying as blatantly as Santos would have been shamed or laughed out of office. Today, anyone’s lie, no matter how outrageous, delusionally conspiratorial, or lunatic, will find countless supporters and rewards. In this way, step by step, telling a lie faces no course correction and telling the truth becomes a strategy for suckers.
Read this articleResearch Center
Political Accuracy & Divisions Study (PADS)
In the Partisan Accuracy & Divisions Study (PADS), we conducted an extensive survey of over 3,000 American adults to assess their accuracy about a variety of controversial topics including, abortion, immigration, gender, race, crime, and the economy. So much of our political discourse revolves around these topics—but how much do we really know about these issues and the views of our fellow Americans? How informed are the loudest, most politically confident voices? We will examine the prevalence of misconceptions across the political continuum, and in doing so, we hope to offer a means by which to improve the quality of our national discourse.
Explore this studyREPORT (PADS-003)
Update: How Informed are Americans about Race and Policing?
Third report in the Political Accuracy & Divisions Study
“Defund the police” was the rallying cry of liberals in the Summer of 2020, motivating “mostly peaceful” protests that led to property damage in excess of two billion dollars across at least 20 US states (Johansmeyer, 2021). To better understand the motivation behind these protests, in 2020, we surveyed people about their estimates […]
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