TheESP – Ep. #462 – Bogus Vagus Hocus Pocus

In this week’s episode we start by welcoming some new publications by Brian Eggo and Edzard Ernst. In TWISH we wonder if 13 January is Skeptics Day and then we dig into the news:

• FRANCE: Godfather of modern far-right movement Jean-Marie Le Pen dies aged 96
• UK / ESTONIA: Nurosym – an example of scam health device
• UK: Poll shows more than half of UK voters dislike Elon Musk and his meddling with UK politics

This week’s Really Wrong Award was just as hard to guess as the sun going up or down – Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are going full MAGA on us and it is terrible to see.

Enjoy!

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

0:00:50 GREETINGS

• Brian’s awaited article on assisted dying is now out on The Skeptic
  • Skeptic UK: https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2025/01/the-assisted-dying-conversation-requires-sensitive-and-compassionate-debate/
• He did it again: Edzard Ernst’s new book out
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2025/01/i-have-just-published-a-new-book/

0:09:48 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 13 January: 13th January is International Skeptics Day (or is it?)
  • Days of the Year: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/skeptics-day/

0:13:26 NEWS

• FRANCE: Godfather of modern far-right movement Jean-Marie Le Pen dies aged 96
  • France24: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20250111-family-set-to-bury-french-far-right-politician-jean-marie-le-pen
• UK / ESTONIA: Nurosym – an example of scam health device
  • The product home page is nurosym[dot]com – but if you want to see it we advice that you only go there incognito. Also refrain from posting the link online. They need no free marketing!
• UK: Poll shows more than half of UK voters dislike Elon Musk and his meddling with UK politics
  • More in Common: https://www.moreincommon.org.uk/latest-insights/musk-farage-and-the-grooming-gangs/
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/11/how-elon-musk-has-meddled-in-european-affairs

0:42:37 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Mark Zuckerberg and Meta rolling back fact checking and DEI programs
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/07/why-did-mark-zuckerberg-end-facebook-instagram-fact-checking
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/08/metas-changes-to-social-media-policing-will-lead-to-clash-with-eu-and-uk-say-experts
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/08/permitted-hateful-conduct-what-users-can-now-say-on-meta-platforms
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/10/meta-ending-dei-program
  • Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/technology/eu-says-it-is-assessing-tech-cases-not-impacted-by-new-us-administration-2025-01-14/

0:53:53 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“It should be clear by now that there are people who can, in fact, be reasonably considered experts; that it is rational to rely, within limits, on expert opinion; and that it is possible, by exercising relatively simple criteria, to gain insight into whether a particular expert is reliable or not. It is also true that experts, of course, do make mistakes, and that even the agreement of a large majority of experts in a field does not guarantee that they got it right. That’s the nature of scientific truth, …: it is tentative, because it is the result of a human endeavor that is limited both by the type and amount of available evidence and by humans’ finite mental powers and emotional reactions. But the examples above show how you can, with a little bit of practice, tell science from bunk!”
/ Massimo Pigliucci (16 January 1964 – ), Italian-American philosopher and biologist. The quote is from his book Nonsense on Stilts (2010), chapter 12: Who’s Your Expert? /

0:55:51 OUTRO

0:57:06 OUT-TAKES