Why We Do What We Do

The title maybe a little misleading. This is about how we delude ourselves into adopting information as factual becuase it is presented using real math. Math is extremely important and valuable and a necessity for most sciences. However, like any other tool, math can give the illusion of knowledge while actually tricking us into believing things that are not correct. We primarily focus on averages and how problematic this concept can be, but extrapolate this into other forms of math that can be used to lie and mislead even the ones who are executing the computations. 

RecommendationsAbraham: Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain With Democracy (Jonathan Rauch (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300273540/cross-purposes/)
Shane: Chat Pile - Who Loves The Sun (https://open.spotify.com/album/2ITnf8HOokOJxjv483Dszk?si=3v175T9iRP2BY8aTU8XPqw)

Holidays (9/23/2026):Celebrate Bi-Sexuality Day
Dogs in Politics Day
International Day of Sign Languages
National Checkers Day
National Great American Pot Pie Day
National Snack Stick Day
Restless Legs Syndrome Awareness Day
See You at the Pole
Teal Talk Day
Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week
Constitution Week
Deaf Dog Awareness Week
International Clean Hands Week
International Deaf Awareness Week
International Interpreters and Translators Week
National Adult Day Services Week

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Links and References: https://www.toddrose.com/endofaverage
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/on-average/ 
https://www.anecdote.com/2023/03/179-there-is-no-average/
https://austraffic.com.au/aba/us-air-force-finds-averages-can-kill 

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We have many mechanisms in place to protect our privacy. Some people care less about this and some people have taken this to tremendous extremes. Of course, many want unambiguous rules about privacy, but there is a lot of room for nuance. So, we ask the question about whether or not we need privacy and share some of the reasons people have given. The short answer is: until we can trust each other, we need privacy. 

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Links and References: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/internet-ethics/resources/why-we-care-about-privacy/
https://www.privacyguides.org/en/basics/why-privacy-matters/
https://www.teamim.com/insights/why-privacy-matters-even-if-you-have-nothing-to-hide 

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Creating content can be very effortful. Particularly when that creating entails a lot of writing. And in pursuit of that endeavor, writers sometimes find themselves stuck and unable to produce ideas to further their writing task. What is going on behaviorally and psychologically? We'll discuss some of the research behind writer's block and what you can do to get over the block. Do you have any tricks to overcome writer's block? 

Recommendations
Abraham: A Short Stay in Hell (Steven Peck: https://www.strandbooks.com/a-short-stay-in-hell-9780983748427.html)
Shane: The Pleasures of the Damned by Charles Bukowski (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-pleasures-of-the-damned-charles-bukowski?variant=32130591162402)

Holidays (9/16/2026):
Ann Bradstreet Day
National Guacamole Day
Trail of Tears Commemoration Day
National GED Day
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
National Cinnamon Raison Bread Day
National Collect Rocks Day
National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina
National Play-Doh Day
National Rehabilitation Day
National Stay Away from Seattle Day
National Stepfamily Day
National Tattoo Story Day
Teenager Workout Day
Working Parents Day
Wrinkled Raincoat Day
World Barber Day

Links and References: 
https://centerforfiction.org/writing-tools/the-truth-about-writers-block/
https://girlspring.com/4-ways-to-combat-writers-block/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22638809757&gbraid=0AAAAADRYq5RcbP7MWvHMjjH7eQosNAYwC&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv4XUBhDBARIsAE6bQUSaMqun3ksA9P5BQfl2c-2ajwULeR_gv3rCLRMQhPcIEN-r7zMv9xsaAlYAEALw_wcB
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7965145/
https://writers.com/writers-block-what-causes-writers-block-and-how-to-overcome-it
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2190/69g4-6ycm-n11h-eeew
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychology-yesterday/202001/a-brief-history-of-writers-block
https://www.laurenpalphreyman.com/post/4-types-of-writer-s-block-and-how-to-combat-them
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50t6h6kd
https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/authors/10-cases-extreme-writers-block
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1311997/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2277565/
https://www.emerald.com/et/article-abstract/59/6/605/91658/A-phenomenological-research-study-on-writer-s?redirectedFrom=fulltext

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We use the term snake oil to refer any fradulant product, service, or claim that is not what it says it is and lies or misconstrues what it does. You might already know that this comes from a real product that had those exact qualities. You might not know what that product was actuallly based on. We discuss the history of snake oil and why that term stuck around. 

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Links and Refrences: 
https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/the-history-of-snake-oil
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-snake-oil-became-a-symbol-of-fraud-and-deception-180985300/
https://www.si.edu/object/clark-stanleys-snake-oil-liniment%3Anmah_1298331
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/rise-and-fall-snake-oil 
https://www.natepedersen.com/quackery 

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This is the final discussion in which we "break our silence" as the click-bait headlines like to call it, on our final thoughts about diagnoses and why we believe that they have caused more harm than good. Due to the nature of separating an entire discussion into two parts after the fact, this episode jumps into the discussion pretty quickly. 

Recommendations (Part 2)
Abraham: Flip 7 (https://theop.games/products/flip-7?srsltid=AfmBOope-f-q_QElBRFFD56xiHxlsBbWULVkkXJHpef6OiYa02WlmfZW) 
Shane: Show Me the Body - Alone Together (https://open.spotify.com/album/2itfvUrApVCygurzgNzXJg?si=miioVowrRBSO26h1soi8lw)
Stu: https://www.youtube.com/@jetlagthegame, Call out Purple Hat DBT theses and dissertations, The Orphans of Davenport (https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631494680), genArete (https://genarete.org/)

Holidays (09/09/26):
Teddy Bear Day
Sudoku Day
Wienerschnitzel Day
Weirdos Day
Falsely Accused Day
International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Spectrum Awareness Day
International Box Wine Day
Day to Protect Education From Attack
Emergency Services Day
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