TheESP – Ep. #466 – Science and Politics

Lots about guns and politics this week, as well as science, homeopathy and a little bit about lost pants. In TWISH we hear about Descartes and his suspicious death in 1650. Was it murder?
Here is a list of the news:

• SWEDEN: Mass shooting in Örebro
• GERMANY: Is this the descent of Homeopathy?
• SWEDEN: Government wants stricter laws regarding guns – Sweden Democrats in uproar
• UK: Evidence week a big success
• SCOTLAND: Alien abductee trousers(?)

The Really Wrong Award goes the Swedish government for their misuse of science to legitimize killing half the wolves.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:50 GREETINGS

• Pontus visited a ‘religions day’ at a school north of Gothenburg to descuss ‘not-religion’

0:07:12 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 11 February 1650: René Descartes dies with his cause of death debated to this day
  • Hektoen International: https://hekint.org/2024/03/28/rene-descartes-found-that-sweden-was-hazardous-to-his-health/
  • JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26735227

0:16:14 NEWS

• SWEDEN: Mass shooting in Örebro
  • Wikipedia: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skolskjutningen_i_%C3%96rebro_2025
  • Omni: https://omni.se/flashbackdetektiver-pekade-ut-oskyldiga-fruktansvart-farligt/a/Xj3BEg
  • Sydsvenskan: https://etidning.sydsvenskan.se/p/sydsvenskan-malmo/2025-02-06/a/joakim-palmkvist-massmordaren-hade-ratt-att-bara-vapen/2790/1830631/60534351
• GERMANY: Is this the descent of Homeopathy?
  • faz.net: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/gesundheit/weniger-globuli-verkauft-die-homoeopathie-ist-weiter-auf-dem-rueckzug-110270988.html
• SWEDEN: Government wants stricter laws regarding guns – Sweden Democrats in uproar
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/07/sweden-to-tighten-gun-laws-in-wake-of-orebro-mass-shooting
  • SVT: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/jamtland/regeringen-vill-begransa-vissa-typer-av-vapen-forsaljaren-kan-vara-bra
  • Omni: https://omni.se/ramaskri-i-sd-24-av-27-distrikt-i-protest-mot-vapenforbud/a/yEJWeR
• UK: Evidence week a big success
  • Sense About Science: https://senseaboutscience.org/what-is-evidence-week/evidence-week-2024-2025/
• SCOTLAND: Alien abductee trousers(?)
  • Coast to Coast AM: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/scottish-museum-slammed-for-not-accepting-legendary-abductees-pants/

0:44:42 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Swedish government wants to kill half of the wolves, against science
  • DN: https://www.dn.se/sverige/regeringen-vill-halvera-antalet-vargar-i-strid-med-forskningen/

0:49:17 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“In science we must all submit not to what seems to us attractive from one point of view or another, but to what represents an agreement between theory and experiment.”
/ Dmitri Mendeleev (8 February 1834 – 2 February 1907), Russian chemist known for formulating the periodic law and creating a version of the periodic table of elements. /

0:50:41 OUTRO

0:52:04 OUT-TAKES