The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine


EPISODE # 98

Robert Pennock — An Instinct for Truth: Curiosity and the Moral Character of Science

An exploration of the scientific mindset — such character virtues as curiosity, veracity, attentiveness, and humility to evidence — and its importance for science, democracy, and human flourishing. Exemplary scientists have a characteristic way of viewing the world and their work: their mindset and methods all aim at discovering truths about nature. In An Instinct for Truth, Robert Pennock explores this scientific mindset and argues that what Charles Darwin called “an instinct for truth, knowledge, and discovery” has a tacit moral structure — that it is important not only for scientific excellence and integrity but also for democracy and human flourishing. In an era of “post-truth,” the scientific drive to discover empirical truths has a special value. Taking a virtue-theoretic perspective, Pennock explores curiosity, veracity, skepticism, humility to evidence, and other scientific virtues and vices. Shermer and Pennock discuss:

  • the nature of science
  • why Intelligent Design creationists are not doing bad science — they’re not doing science at all
  • what to do with anomalies not explained by the current paradigm
  • the role of outsiders in science
  • what scientific training does to develop the virtues of science
  • how authority is different from expertise
  • when experts pronounce on ideas outside their field
  • fraud in science and why it happens
  • why scientists are skeptical of UFOs, ESP, bigfoot, and the like
  • falsification of a scientific hypothesis vs. positive evidence in support of a scientific hypothesis
  • the naturalistic fallacy and the Is-Ought problem, and
  • the ethics of autonomous vehicles and the trolley problem.

Robert T. Pennock is University Distinguished Professor of History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science at Michigan State University in the Lyman Briggs College and the Departments of Philosophy and Computer Science and Engineering. He is the author of Tower of Babel: The Evidence Against the New Creationism.

Listen to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.

You play a vital part in our commitment to promote science and reason. If you enjoy the Science Salon Podcast, please show your support by making a donation.


THE GREAT COURSES PLUS

Get One Free Month Using Michael Shermer’s Special Discount Link Below

We are now working with The Great Courses to bring you a special offer for Unlimited Access to Over 11,000 Video and Audio Lectures in Science, Math, History, Photography, and more… Read the following note from Michael Shermer to learn more.

As most of you know I consume a lot of online content while I’m driving, cycling, hiking, or doing chores around the house, and for years you’ve heard or seen me posting on social media The Great Courses I’ve been taking, for example:

  • Professor Patrick Grim’s The Philosopher’s Toolkit: How to be the Most Rational Person in Any Room.
  • Professor Richard B. Spence’s The Real History of Secret Societies, and
  • Professor Daniel Breyer’s Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature.

In the past I would purchase individual courses, but with The Great Courses Plus program you can subscribe to the service and listen to individual lectures — or entire courses — from a huge variety of courses from their catalogue.

With The Great Courses Plus program I often skip around and listen to lectures from different courses, depending on what, exactly, I’m interested in hearing that particular day. For example, The Philosopher’s Toolkit includes 24 30-minute lectures that teach you, for example, how to think like Artistotle, the power of thought experiments, the difference between cool rationality and hot thought, why we make mistakes, how to win debates, and near and dear to my heart, how to think scientifically.

For a limited time only, they are offering my listeners an entire month for free.

But to start your free month trial, you must sign up today using my special promotional URL: thegreatcoursesplus.com/salon

Get your free month

This episode was released on January 7, 2020.

Skeptic Magazine App on iPhone

SKEPTIC App

Whether at home or on the go, the SKEPTIC App is the easiest way to read your favorite articles. Within the app, users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Download the app today and get a 30-day free trial subscription.

Download the Skeptic Magazine App for iOS, available on the App Store
Download the Skeptic Magazine App for Android, available on Google Play
SKEPTIC • 3938 State St., Suite 101, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105-3114 • 1-805-576-9396 • Copyright © 1992–2024. All rights reserved • Privacy Policy