Preconceived

We often hear American politicians recite lines like, ‘The United States is the greatest country in the world’. Especially when it comes to US presidential elections, the notion that the United States is somehow different than the rest of the world is on full display. There’s an idea of American exceptionalism that persists, the thought that the United States is a fundamentally unique and special...

One of the most significant preconceptions that governs our lives revolves around our career trajectory. For the most part, the status quo typically involves us choosing a general career path in our twenties and sticking with it for the duration of working years. But not for all of us. Robert Markowitz was a practicing criminal lawyer who gave it all up and became a clown. He joins the podcast. Ro...

The terms ‘wellness’ and ‘mental health’ have been around for many years, but over the last decade, it’s taken on a life of its own. And while most of us would agree that looking after our wellness and self-care is a very important thing, one might also wonder, has this movement gone too far in some regards? And while it might seem that such a focus on wellness would naturally reduce stigma regard...

On October 7th, Israel experienced its bloodiest day since its founding in 1948. In the immediate aftermath of these crimes, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protests erupted around the world, coinciding with Hamas's "Day of Rage" to "attack Israelis and Jews". In this episode, we try to understand the events that transpired and equally try and comprehend the world's response. Risa Epstein, an educato...

We live in a world in which we have easy access to almost anything we want. We see something online that we want, and we can have it delivered to our home that same day. And while increased access and availability can be a good thing, it can also be a dangerous one. With limitless access to more seemingly benign pastimes such as shopping and social media, as well as more obviously concerning pasti...

Pretty much everyone knows that recycling is important. But what exactly is recycling? The concept that’s been disseminated to society is that when you recycle thing, it gets repurposed and reused, hence recycled. This reduces the amount of garbage that goes into landfills and is ultimately a good thing. But is the glory, so to speak, of recycling somewhat of a preconception? How much of what you...

Over the past several years, there has been controversy in many fields of the art world, including literature, film and television. Questions have been posed regarding the appropriateness of authors writing about certain topics, and actors portraying certain characters. For example, is it okay for a White author to write a fictional book about slavery in the United States? Is it okay for a cis mal...

Bipolar Disorder is an oft-misunderstood condition by the public. It can be tough to comprehend, because it requires an understanding of each of depression, mania, and the swings that can occur between them. So what exactly is Bipolar Disorder? What kind of insight does a patient with the disease have when they are experiencing the swings in mood and tendencies? And what are some of the benefits o...

Torture is generally thought of as a bad things - an unacceptable means to an end. But what if that end is justifiable? In many cases, torture is clearly unethical - for example when used as a means of political suppression, as a fear tactic, or for a forced confession. But what about torture in more ambiguous cases - when the torturer is fairly confident that the person being tortured has key inf...

Money did not always exist in its current form. There was a time when goods and services were just exchanged for one another, without actual coins or cash changing hands. The preconception is that our current monetary system, the status quo, makes complete sense. But as millennia of history have proven to us, money is very complex, and there is a lot at stake. Jacob Goldstein, host of the popular...

In the life of an athlete, one of the major decision points is getting a sports agent to negotiate on their behalf. For most athletes, this is just ‘what you do’, the status quo. But recently, this paradigm has been challenged to an extent. After one high profile athlete negotiated without a sports agent, the necessity and role of the sports agent was called into question. Sports agent Even Laufer...

With over two billion followers worldwide, Christianity is the most popular religion in the world. For some, the preconception is ‘of course Christianity is the correct religious view’, with so many people subscribing to it. For others, the preconception might be, ‘how is it possible that so many people believe in a religion defined by a historical event that nobody can prove?’. Because in contras...

In the wake of 'Barbenheimer', there is perhaps more excitement surrounding the moviegoing experience than there has been in many years. But why does it feel like the film industry has been a bit lacklustre for the past while? Has the divide been film critics and audience grown, as critically acclaimed movies seem to get less attention than blockbuster Marvel-type films? And ultimately, what actua...

Shinji Mikamo is a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. His daughter, psychologist Dr. Akiko Mikamo, joins the podcast to share her father's story of survival and resilience in the face of the most deadly bomb to ever be dropped on the planet. She speaks about some of the common historical misconceptions regarding the necessity of dropping the atomic bomb and shares her father's le...

What if you could undergo a scan of of your whole body once a year to screen for any tumors, aneurysms, or any other medical abnormalities? On the surface, it sounds like a great idea, and indeed many companies are offering the opportunity to undergo whole body MRIs to catch medical findings before they become medical 'problems'. But is whole body MRI really all it's cracked up to be? Or can it al...

Most of us are familiar with the ethical quandaries of eating meat, and in particular the large-scale abuse of animals in modern-day farming and mass meat production. And in many ways, the question of whether it is ‘okay’ to eat other animals is a philosophical and personal one. But what does the research show about more objective measures of eating meat, like how it affects the environment and th...

Over the past several years, plunges into freezing cold ice baths have become increasingly popular – trendy even. There are growing communities of those who engage in the ritual of ice baths together, combined with breathwork and a form of meditation. Others practice cold therapy by simply taking freezing cold showers. But what does the research actually show? Dr. Matthijs Kox joins the podcast, t...

The conflict in Israel and Palestine predates even the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. This episode explores the complicated history of Israel and Palestine, chronicling the ancient history of the temples in Jerusalem, to the Crusades, to the settlement of the land by Arabs almost 1,000 years ago, and to the more recent wars of 1948, 1967, the Intifadas, and the state of the conflict in p...

When one thinks of traditional parenting, one might remember a stern talking to, or maybe even punished. In many ways, the traditional paradigm of parenting has been quite disciplinarian. In some regards, this has changed over the last several years. Many thought leaders and therapists now seem to be encouraging a different approach – one based less on punishment and ‘taking things away’, but more...

If one looks at the English language, there are many terms now considered offensive that were considered commonplace, perhaps even sensitive, just a few decades ago. A typical pattern tends to emerge – a word is used to describe a particular group, perhaps innocently at first, and over time, it can become misused and turn into a slur. Another word comes in to replace it, but with time, that word t...

When one of thinks of a musician, the first image that might come to mind is their favorite recording artist. But the reality is – there are millions of musicians in the world who are not on your favorite Spotify playlist. Musicians include a wide variety of artists who have developed careers in all facets of the music industry. So what are the greatest preconceptions about musicians and what it t...

In modern times, Germany is considered one of the more progressive Western countries in the world. During the Syrian refugee crisis, few countries took in as many Syrians as Germany did. But despite this, the first thing that likely comes to mind to many who hear the word ‘Germany’, is its association with the Holocaust and World War II. There is a stigma that still persists, despite the passage o...

In our 200th episode, Zale highlights some of the greatest preconceptions that have come to light for him over the course of series. Is the word 'extremism' overused? How do we analyze our preconceptions without being overwhelmed by every aspect of our lives? And is the ultimate preconception that each of us believes deep down that 'I am a good person'? Zale is joined by public speaking coaches Er...

We’ve all been to a party and felt a bit awkward walking around, immersing ourselves in some conversations that go nowhere, approaching someone we've kind of met before but don’t really know, and gauging when a conversation has come to an end. Most of us have also been in situations where we want to go up and talk to someone who seems interesting, but it just feels a bit too awkward to approach th...

When one thinks of birth control, it might be natural one might think of women before thinking of men. Aside from condoms and vasectomies, medical forms of birth control have really been directed towards women, with 'the pill' and intrauterine devices. But perhaps things are changing. Research has been underway to investigate the possibility of an on-demand male birth control. Dr. Lonney Levin and...