The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe Dr. Steven Novella

Sousa. Hence the “Sousa”-phone. Those are those huge, marching tuba you see in marching bands, with the bells facing forward. they actually look much larger than a regular tuba. Also MOOG is pronounced Moge, rhymes with rogue. Other than that keep up the outstanding work. Voices of reason and inquiry in a desert of foolishness.

I used to love this show, and I have to give the SGU some credit for guiding me toward scientific skepticism. But man, this show has been circling the drain now for a few years…and it is just tired now.

They’re all smart and charismatic enough, but there is a dismissiveness that really permeates so many of the segments these days. It’s become a weird show that’s not really fun to listen to anymore. There’s zero humility or chill.

I liken the show’s collective attitude to Neil Tyson’s. He’s right almost every time. But he knows he’s right and is unrelentingly hoity-toity about it. The SGU are approaching this. It’s borderline obnoxious, and it bums me out to have to unsubscribe. (I barely make it through their opening remarks anymore.) Instead of converting people to skepticism, I think their tone and pompousness is more likely to turn people off. Which is a drag — it’s a movement that needs and deserves better.

They invoke Carl Sagan often on the show, hero of science communication and a fundamental contributor to modern skepticism. Sadly, they seem to have lost track of why Sagan was so effective — it was his approach. He was inviting, warm, forgiving, and patient. He spoke plainly but eloquently, neither speaking down to the public nor jargon-ing up his takes. But of course, he could also eviscerate pseudoscience and baloney with wit and critique as needed. He just didn’t allow that to be his schtick unlike Steve, Bob, Cara, Jay, and Evan. They love that schtick. They swing that schtick.

Still, there’s plenty to enjoy about this podcast, especially in old episodes, and I would be remiss not to commend them for taking on the occasional, necessary social topic du jour. Steve and Cara’s scientific explanation and defense of transgenderism was superb, for example.

And maybe SGU doesn’t wanna be like Sagan. I get that. Perhaps modernity demands a more biting, scathing rebuke of ALL THINGS UNEXPLAINED (or explained poorly/unscientifically/nonsensically). I just wish it didn’t mean they had to prioritize that over being entertainingly and invitingly informative. At this point, they come across more as ivory tower bullies than friendly science

For a show about science communication, the easiest way to show you don’t fully research is the constant mispronunciations. I can get it in the moment, but for a researched piece it shows a lack of professionalism.

Bob is the only one worth hearing from - physics and all. Evan tries to be funny but falls flat, as does Jay. Steve is just a know it all who seemingly needs to out his approval on everything, and Cara is even worse with her constant interruptions and holier than thou comments.

It used to be good, but I’m losing interest in spending the time, even at double speed.