Critically Speaking

How does ChatGPT affect your ability to learn, recall, and share information?
 
In this episode, Therese Markow and Natalie Wexler discuss the impact of generative AI (like ChatGPT) on education. They discuss the change in writing skills, how AI can undermine the learning process that comes with writing, and the incorrect information often provided by generative AI. Natalie explains how AI can function as cognitive outsourcing, which can reduce the cognitive benefits of learning and memory retention. She emphasizes the importance of explicit writing instruction in education and background fundamental knowledge stored in long-term memory for critical thinking and effective learning - including the importance of memorization (even if you don't use that word). Finally, Natalie warns of a potential downward spiral where AI dependence weakens cognitive abilities and advocates for systematic changes to combat this trend.
 
 Key Takeaways:
Generally speaking, reading and writing are connected. But writing is harder, so you can be a good reader and still not be a good writer. However, if you learn to write well, you're almost certainly going to be a good reader as well.

The problem is over-reliance on AI, and when students use it as a crutch, they don't develop the understanding or the cognitive abilities that they would develop if they did the cognitive work themselves.

Writing helps with the cognitive processes of long-term memory, retrieval, elaboration, and more. When we offload that cognitive work, it can hamper our ability to retrieve the information from our long-term memory bank.

Unconsciously, we use background knowledge to understand pretty much anything that we try to read.

Democracy depends on a citizenry that is educated enough to understand the issues and to be able to distinguish misleading information from reliable information.

 
"Writing is, itself, a way of thinking, of deepening understanding, maybe of realizing that you didn't understand something as well as you thought you did, and you need to go and do some more research. If we skip that step of doing the writing, then we're missing out on developing those cognitive abilities, retaining knowledge, and deepening our understanding of things." —  Natalie Wexler
 
Connect with Natalie Wexler:
Professional Bio: https://nataliewexler.com/about/ 
Show:  https://nataliewexler.com/podcast/ 
Substack: https://nataliewexler.substack.com/   
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-wexler-0b89979/ 
Books:
Beyond the Science of Reading: https://nataliewexler.com/beyond-the-science-of-reading/ 

The Knowledge Gap: https://nataliewexler.com/the-knowledge-gap/ 

The Writing Revolution: https://nataliewexler.com/the-writing-revolution/twr-2-0-cover-amazon/ 

 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Ru Marshall pulls back the curtain on the man behind the myth of Carlos Castaneda, exposing the real lives, lies, and losses buried beneath his legendary books.
In this episode, Therese Markow and Ru Marshall discuss the life and legacy of Carlos Castaneda, who claimed to have been trained as a shaman by Don Juan. Castaneda's books, which sold over 8 million copies, were initially believed but later dismissed as fiction. Marshall's book, "American Trickster," explores Castaneda's origins in Peru and his life in the U.S. Castaneda, born Cesar Arana, was a charismatic storyteller who seduced both women and academics. Despite initial academic support, his claims were eventually debunked. Ru's research spanned 20 years, revealing Castaneda's complex personal life and the impact of his cult-like following.
 
 Key Takeaways:
Long before the books, Carlos Castaneda was known as a gifted storyteller and trickster, blurring the line between entertainment, fabrication, and manipulation.

Castaneda's real power was psychological. He made individuals, especially women, feel uniquely seen, chosen, and special, a classic mechanism of charismatic control.

The disappearance and deaths of key followers after Castaneda's passing reveal the devastating human cost when a closed belief system collides with reality. And when followers are willing to follow a narrative all the way to the end.

 
"It's a really interesting thing, that when people, both professionally and, more importantly, I think, emotionally, become invested in a belief, it is incredibly hard for people to admit they're wrong." —  Ru Marshall
 
Connect with Ru Marshall:
Website: https://rmarshallstudio.com/ 
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@robtmars 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robtmars/ 
American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda: https://orbooks.com/catalog/american-trickster/ 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Patrick Wyman discuss Patrick's latest book, Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World. Patrick also discusses his journey as a historian from studying the Fall of Rome to popular history. He emphasizes the importance of understanding past climactic changes and their impact on human societies, including the development of agriculture and the rise of social hierarchies. Patrick also highlights the significance of migration and the diverse burial practices that reveal aspects of ancient societies' beliefs and social structures. 
 
 Key Takeaways:
Human history is not stable, and it always starts with the climate. Climate and environment are the unavoidable parameters within which everyone is living, and, whether people are aware of them or not, they are responding to the pressures and shifts that are happening climatically around them.

Abandonment of sites and cities happens over time and often for a variety of reasons that are always specific to the climate systems and problems of that particular area.

Modern science, like ancient DNA extraction, now allows us to learn more about dynamics in ancient periods that we never could have seen before.

Funerary practices vary across the world in ancient times, as they do in modern times. Often, it is based on one of two poles: when people die, are their spirits potentially dangerous (ghost society) or potentially beneficial (ancestor society)?

Every single one of the billions of people who lived was living a life that was full, rich, sophisticated, and complex.

As humans, we have been through big, crazy stuff, and yet we are still here and still thriving. Humanity is incredibly durable, and we can make it through some really, really bad times if we work hard and work together.

 
"Migration is humanity's most basic tool for getting out of bad situations and finding better ones. The simplest possible thing you can do if things get bad wherever you're living is to move somewhere else. And this has been our response at every time and on every geographic scale over the course of human existence." —  Patrick Wyman
 
Episode References: 
Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World - https://www.harpercollins.com/products/lost-worlds-patrick-wyman?variant=43084775817250 

 
Connect with Patrick Wyman:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PastLivesMedia   
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@wyman_patrick   
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patrick.wyman   
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wyman_patrick/ 
Substack: https://substack.com/@patrickwyman 
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/patrickwyman.bsky.social 
 
Shows:
The Fall of Rome: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fall-of-rome-podcast/id1141563910 
Tides of History: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tides-of-history/id1257202425 
Past Lives: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coming-soon-past-lives/id1852618120?i=1000736506949 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
  
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

When a globally respected infectious disease expert is abruptly sidelined by an anti‑vaccine administration, what does it reveal about the future of public health and scientific integrity?
 
In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo discuss her termination and whistleblower lawsuit against the U.S. government. She highlighted NIAID's critical role in infectious disease research, funding $6.6 billion annually. Dr. Marrazzo criticized the new administration's anti-vaccine stance, cessation of global HIV/AIDS funding, and termination of clinical trials, which she argued endangered public health. Dr. Marrazzo filed a whistleblower complaint in September 2025, leading to her firing in October. She now leads the Infectious Disease Society of America, advocating for evidence-based policies and scientific integrity.
 
 Key Takeaways:
Tuberculosis (TB, formerly known as Consumption) is now the top global killer as an infectious disease.

Shutting down clinical trials and cutting international research funding mid‑stream doesn't just waste taxpayer dollars; it endangers patients who rely on those therapies and violates core ethical standards.

Political ideology overriding scientific evidence can rapidly dismantle decades of progress in vaccines, global health research, and public trust.

Independent professional societies and medical organizations now play a critical role in evidence above ideology, preserving rigorous guidelines, publishing unbiased research, and speaking truth to power when government agencies are silenced or hollowed out.

 
"What I don't think people realize is the power of the platform that the Secretary and indeed the President have. The tragic part about this is that we've spent decades building up that trust, trying to make sure that it was justified, and to see that just summarily destroyed, there's no other word for it, is really, really tragic. I don't know what it's going to take to build it up again." —  Jeanne Marrazzo, MD
 
Connect with Jeanne:
Professional Bio:  https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/jeanne-marrazzo-md-mph 
Website: https://www.idsociety.org/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanne-marrazzo-203463179 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Chelsea Polis discuss the evolution of reproductive rights in the U.S., highlighting the 2022 Supreme Court decision revoking the right to abortion and the historical context of contraception access. Dr. Polis also explains fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) and their effectiveness, noting that some methods have moderate quality studies suggesting high effectiveness, while others are less reliable. She emphasizes the importance of evidence-based information, the need for stronger regulation of femtech products, and the potential privacy risks associated with reproductive health data. Dr. Polis also addresses the broader political strategy to limit reproductive rights and the importance of reproductive justice.
 
 Key Takeaways:
Fertility tracking technologies are becoming more common (often called femtech), but it is important to note that only two apps have currently been cleared by the FDA for contraceptive purposes - Natural Cycles and Clue (the second is not currently available on the market). While others can help with tracking your cycle, they are not cleared for contraceptive use.

FABMs focus on observing real-time signs from the body - such as cervical mucus changes and basal body temperature. Over a dozen have been studied in clinical trials, but some methods have been marketed or promoted for contraceptive use without strong evidence from appropriately designed effectiveness studies.

For people who are in a partnership that is limited in terms of communication, or not supportive, or certainly abusive, or anything along those lines, FABMs would not be a method that somebody could rely on for pregnancy prevention. 

Be very cautious about getting your information on contraception from social media influencers or companies selling specific products, because there is a lot of misinformation out there.

 
"As my colleagues at Guttmacher have documented, you can't seek to restrict one aspect of sexual and reproductive health without tightening other types of care and people's overarching reproductive freedoms. All of these things are deeply interconnected." —  Dr. Chelsea Polis
 
Episode References: 
Guttmacher: https://www.guttmacher.org/united-states/contraception 

Emergence of FemTech in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Landscape: https://www.contraceptionjournal.org/content/femtech 

 
Connect with Dr. Chelsea Polis:
Professional Bio: https://www.guttmacher.org/about/staff/chelsea-polis 
Website: https://www.chelseapolis.com/index.html 
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chelseapolis 
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cbpolis.bsky.social 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.