Fighting Assumptions Podcast

Unlearning the 'facts' we are all absolutely sure of.

A podcast dedicated to the uncomfortable but fascinating art of unlearning the 'facts' we are all absolutely sure of. Based on the 'fighting assumptions' newsletter. -- Educational, informative, podcast, learning, assumptions, truth, unlearning fightingassumptions.substack.com

  1. 5d ago

    The three-second lie: why your goldfish remembers more than you think

    We’ve all used the excuse. You walk into the kitchen, stare blankly at the open refrigerator, and realise you have absolutely no idea what you came for. “Ugh, I have the memory of a goldfish,” you mutter to yourself. It’s a universally understood piece of cultural shorthand. We are told, and thus we assume, that the humble goldfish (Carassius auratus) lives in a perpetual loop of instant reset: a serene, blissful existence where every three seconds the universe is born anew. There’s just one problem: It’s complete nonsense. Read more… Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe

    6 min

  2. May 2

    Electricity is not water: breaking the 'pipe' analogy

    Imagine you flick a switch and, in a fraction of a second, a lamp across the room hums to life. We’ve all been taught the same “common sense” explanation: the battery or wall outlet pushes electrons through the copper wire like water through a garden hose, and those electrons carry the energy to the bulb. It is a beautiful, logical, and intuitive model. It’s also almost entirely wrong. Read more… Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min

  3. Apr 10

    Lightning does strike twice (and thrice, and a million times)

    Today, we are tackling a phrase you’ve probably used to comfort a friend: “Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.” We use it to reassure people. Survived a freak round of corporate layoffs? Don’t worry, lightning never strikes twice. Dealt with a bizarre plumbing disaster? Relax, lightning never strikes twice. It is a linguistic pat on the back, implying that the universe operates on a strict quota system for bad luck. Once you’ve paid your dues to statistical improbability, you are safe. It is a lovely sentiment. But as a scientific rule of thumb? It is dangerously, objectively wrong. In fact, lightning loves to strike twice. And three times. And sometimes a hundred times. It’s time to retire this assumption. Read more… Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min

  4. Mar 30

    The election deception: why the founders of democracy used a lottery instead

    We have been conditioned to believe that the “ballot box” is the ultimate symbol of freedom. We are taught that the right to vote is the finish line of democratic progress. But if you could transport an ancient Athenian, the very people who invented demokratia, to a modern polling station, they wouldn’t congratulate us on our “freedom.” To the Greeks, the root of democracy wasn’t the vote. It was the lottery. Read more… Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe

    6 min

  5. Mar 30

    Why Chameleons are “terrible” at camouflage

    We’ve all seen the cartoon: a sleek, bug-eyed chameleon strolls across a checkerboard and poof it’s covered in black and white squares. It’s the ultimate metaphor for adaptability. We use the word “chameleon” to describe politicians who shift their views to fit the room or socialites who blend into any crowd. There is just one problem: The premise is almost entirely false. Read more… Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min

  6. Mar 27

    The fat-burning zone is a lie (and other uncomfortable truths about cardio)

    You’ve seen the chart: a friendly graph showing a “Fat Burning Zone” at a low, conversational heart rate, and a “Cardio/Performance Zone” at higher intensities. The assumption we’ve been fed is simple: if you want to lose fat, stay in the slow lane. If you want to get fit, speed up. Let’s fight some assumptions… Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe

    4 min

  7. Mar 18

    Why the egg definitely came first

    It’s the undisputed champion of circular reasoning, the ultimate rhetorical question used to describe a situation where it’s impossible to tell what caused what: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Science actually has a definitive, undisputed answer to this question. The assumption that this is an unresolvable paradox is false. From a biological and evolutionary standpoint, the egg came first. Period. Read more… Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe

    6 min

  8. Mar 13

    The "blind as a bat" lie: how science accidentally erased an animal's eyesight

    We picture bats as creatures of the pitch-black night, relying entirely on biological sonar to frantically navigate the skies while their useless, unseeing eyes go along for the ride. But there’s a massive problem with this assumption: Every single bat species in the world has eyes, and none of them are blind. Read more… Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe

    6 min
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About

A podcast dedicated to the uncomfortable but fascinating art of unlearning the 'facts' we are all absolutely sure of. Based on the 'fighting assumptions' newsletter. -- Educational, informative, podcast, learning, assumptions, truth, unlearning fightingassumptions.substack.com

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  • Creator
    Unlearning the 'facts' we are all absolutely sure of.
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Fighting Assumptions
  • Show Website
    Fighting Assumptions Podcast