logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2021
8m 58s

Reason, numbers and Mr Spock

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Writer Julia Galef talks to Tim Harford about the role of numbers in helping us think more rationally, and what Star Trek’s Mr Spock can teach us about making predictions. Julia is author of The Scout Mindset, a book about how our attempts to be rational are often clouded or derailed by our human impulses, and the ways we can avoid these traps.

Producer: Nathan Gower

(Image: Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock. Credit: Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)

Up next
May 30
The known unknowns of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
On the 17th of May the World Health Organisation declared a new outbreak of Ebolavirus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an International Emergency. Ebola virus is an extremely nasty viral disease with a high death toll. But despite its severity, very little is known abo ... Show More
8m 58s
May 27
Does a fall in the UK's healthy life expectancy mean what you think it means?
Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:Headlines have claimed that “healthy life expectancy” in the UK has fallen by two years. What does this actually mean?A new government report estimates that HS2 will cost almost double its original estimate. We a ... Show More
28m 39s
May 23
Is the ‘loneliness epidemic’ real?
What does it mean if you say that something is an epidemic? In the case of a virus, it usually means that it is spreading rapidly and that more and more people are getting infected. When a disease isn’t on the rise but is there in a population at a reasonably steady level, we ten ... Show More
8m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2016
Star Trek - The Early Years
On 8 September 1966 the cult American science fiction series first went on air. It was not an immediate hit with audiences. Herb Solow, the original producer of the series, spoke to Ashley Byrne about how the first Star Trek was made.(Photo: Left to right, William Shatner as Capt ... Show More
8m 54s
Apr 2021
Big Data, conspiracy theories and ‘Magical Thinking’
Filmmaker Adam Curtis questions the value of Big Data in society. In his latest BBC series, 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head', Curtis explores "Love, power, money, ghosts of empire, conspiracies, artificial intelligence – and You." Curtis spoke to Business Daily's Ed Butler about ho ... Show More
17m 28s
Jul 2024
#752: Terry Crews and Richard Koch
<p>This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be mo ... Show More
3h 8m
Jun 2019
3. Liz Fong-Jones "You *can* be successful as a trans person. I wish there were more of us."
<h3>Description</h3> <p>Liz Fong-Jones is a Site Reliability Engineer and former high-ranking Google employee who used her talents as a coder and some strategic planning to take her out of a tumultuous early home life and into the life of a multi-millionaire. Arlan and Liz met up ... Show More
50m 41s
Oct 2022
Failing Young Men — with Richard Reeves
Richard Reeves, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of several books including his latest, Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It, joins Scott to discuss how the US has set up boys to fall behind, and how th ... Show More
1 h
Apr 2024
Rapid Response: How Star Trek prospers against Netflix and Disney+, w/Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman
<p>The streaming wars have reached a new inflection, as Netflix and Disney+ jostle for position, and in the process disrupt post-strike Hollywood. Paramount+ invested heavily in blockbuster veteran Alex Kurtzman to turn Star Trek into a distinguishing franchise. Now Kurtzman talk ... Show More
28m 19s
Feb 2022
#572: In Case You Missed It: January 2022 Recap of The Tim Ferriss Show
tail spinning
1h 47m
Feb 2024
#722: Cal Newport — How to Embrace Slow Productivity, Build a Deep Life, Achieve Mastery, and Defend Your Time
tail spinning
2h 19m
Jun 2024
#750: Neil Gaiman and Debbie Millman
<p>This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be mo ... Show More
2h 14m