#854 Naomi Oreskes - The Big Myth; Learning to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 12th 2023.
Dr. Naomi Oreskes is Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. A world-renowned earth scientist, historian and public speaker, she is the author of the best-selling book, Merchants of Doubt (2010) and a leading voice on the role of science in society, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the role of disinformation in blocking climate action. Dr. Oreskes is author or co-author of 9 books, the latest one being The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market.
In this episode, we focus on The Big Myth. We start by discussing the premise of the book, and how it ties to Merchants of Doubt. We talk about the ideology of “free market fundamentalism”, and how it was sold and went mainstream, including a tripod of freedom, and campaigns to rewrite textbooks. We discuss the rise of neoliberalism, the changes it brought, and its most severe social and economic effects, including the return of child labor in the US. Finally, we discuss if these are inevitable effects of capitalism, and what scientists and science communicators can learn from the book.
Time Links:
Intro
The premise of the book
Free market fundamentalism
Selling the ideology: a tripod of freedom
How it went mainstream
Campaigns to rewrite textbooks
The rise of neoliberalism, and the changes it brought
The social and economic effects of neoliberal policies
The return of child labor
Are these inevitable effects of capitalism?
A message for scientists and science communicators
Follow Dr. Oreskes’ work!
Follow Dr. Oreskes’ work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3q7Hegb
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3DFNmiN
The Big Myth: https://bit.ly/3OeD4v3
Twitter handle: @NaomiOreskes