The foxes talk to Ricky Green of the Unversity of Kent about conspiracy theories and what causes people to believe in the unbelievable.

Specifically why are conspiracy theories so prevalant right now, in one of humanity's darkest hours, after a year of near-lockdown for so many? Does stress play a factor in our willingness to believe?

We explore what factors cause people to believe, the types of belief and most importantly, Ricky guides us as to how to handle the next time a friend or family member starts sharing their views on a "conspiracy" with you.

Ricky works alongside one of the leading teams of conspiracy theory research in the UK and shares some really interesting ideas which will cause you to see conspiracy theories and their believers in a whole new light.

About the show

Old Fox Young Fox is an intergenerational conversation between Jeremy Woolwich and Oliver Happy, one that explores the impacts of a rapidly changing world.

• Check out Ollie's new show: Problem Busters

About our guest

Ricky Green is a PhD student at University of Kent and is keenly interested in researching the subject of Conspiracy theories. Once one "to believe" in such theories himself, he now devotes his time to studying the factors that can influence our likelihood to believing in Conspiracy theories. Ricky lives on the South Coast in England.

Show mentions:

• 9-11 and if it is a conspiracy
• Zeitgeist the movie
• Is covid-19 a conspiracy and is Bill Gates looking to get a monopoly on vaccines?
• Was Covid-19 a lab experiment that escaped?
• 09:00 What is the difference between a conspiracy and a conspiracy theory?
• Is the New World Order a conspiracy theory?
• The word conspiracy and the power it holds to the listener
• Why do we suspend belief when it comes to conspiracy theories?
• 12:00 There is so much evidence against so many conspiracy theories, overwhelming in many cases
• Vaccinations as a hot topic in the conspiracy theorist's world and Anti-vaccination sentiment
• The spectrum of fantasists through to the rational sceptics
• At what point do people move from being rational to believing outlandish things?
• 14:30 The spectrum of thinking from rational thought through to believing the queen of england is a reptilian lizard
• 15:30 Measuring believe in conspiracy theories and the strongest determinist factor being believing in another
• 16:30 The main qualitative study where conspiracy believers were interviewed and themes drawn out into 5 types of conspiracy believers <-----
• Unusual ontology (way of thinking) to describe levels of belief in conspiracies
• 18:30 Attachment theory as a determinant of belief in conspiracies <-----
• People with a secure attachment style being less likely to believe in conspiracies, compared to people with an insecure attachment style who are far more likely to believe.
• 20:30 The link between anxiety and a tendency to catastrophise as a determinant in belief in conspiracy theories
• 22:30 A recent development in research via Professor Karen Douglas from the University of Kent and her team, concluding that conspiracy theories appeal to people whose important psychological needs are not being met.
• Our thinking style as a determinant of how interesting conspiracy theories are.
• 24:30 Animation as a tool of research, to measure the level of consciousness in shapes and therefore agency and intentionality in shapes.
• Humans as pattern seeking animals
• Those who see patterns where they do not exist are also believers in conspiracy theories
• 26:00 Level of education as a factor in likelihood to believe in conspiracy theories
• Covid-19 and

Practical philosopher Paul Baker takes the Old Fox Young Fox team on a journey through his life and what he has discovered of happiness and meaning along the way.

In a story that ranges from Eton to pioneering microlights, and from meditation to lessons from ancient greece, we cover a lot of ground and put a few ideas to rest along the way.

About the show

Old Fox Young Fox is an intergenerational conversation between Jeremy Woolwich and Oliver Happy, one that explores the impacts of a rapidly changing world.

• Check out Ollie's new show: Problem Busters

Show mentions:

• 04:30, 05:30 if i look for meaning what would happen
• 06:30 going from meaninglessness to meaning
• pascal's wager
• 08:30 what if this is your one life...leaving the world better off
• 10:20 the thing i learned from hang gliding
• 12:00, 37:30 permaculture is...
• 13:30, 15:30 the alexander technique
• The Alexander technique
• incorrect sensory perception
• the habit of thought
• the U.S. election
• 18:33 frog into boiling water
• the boiling the frog concept
• NLP
• virginia
• castell
• milton ericcson
• fritz furls
• john mcquerther NLP
• Hypnotherapy
• 22:20 definition of hypnotherapy
• 24:30 magic and science
• book - Yiral harare - homo deus
• 25:30 human beings are complex
• 28:30 the most important thing any living thing can do
• documentary - the social dilemma
• 30:15 one of the reasons we are more fragmented than ever <-------
• 31:15, 32:50 a bristol engineer, staying curious <-----
• martial arts
• civil engineering
• UN report: a common future
• 33:30, 34:47 UN report and climate change took a week to understand <----
• Quakers
• Oxfam
• William Waldergrave MP Bristol
• 35:30, 37:00 what can we do to create a fair world <---
• the environmental movement
• karl henrique robere - Swedish Doctor and Karate champion
• Karate
• 38:00 Karl henrique robere wanting a consensus between scientists in sweden <--------
• 39:30 how to be unsustainable
• 42:00 there are 3 environments - social human environment
• mesopotamian myths
• 45:00 the yin yang symbol and seeking balance as humans <-----
• 50:40 we are a part of nature, we are struggling with a need to conserve
• 52:30 the magic of life as a gardener
• Veganism and evolutionary theory
• 57:30 the difficult thing for humans as hunters and gatherers
• 1:02:00 when we eat we should be grateful
• 1:06:00 the most impt rule - look after your environment
• book: hindsights guy kawasaki
• 01:27:00 quality of our reacting ...systemic nature of our actions <--
• 01:29:00 the power of three

About our guest:

Paul Baker is a practical philosopher most interested in how we as individuals can help each other to live lives that get better and better. A coach, therapist and trainer, Paul can be reached via the email below.

• Contact Paul Baker

Global Health Advisor Dr. Sam Shah is back on the Old Fox Young Fox podcast, this time focusing on medical innovation in the NHS and globally. We talk Covid-19 vaccines, what we've learned about the virus so far, how the healthcare system has responded to the increased load and what it is like to work on the frontline, in a medical clinic, day to day.

This is a far-ranging conversation and we cover a lot of interesting ground, including the role of data in current and future healthcare, the public-private partnership and how we all have a role to play in staying healthy.

Then we take a global view and look to China, India, New Zealand, the USA, the UK and beyond for examples of medical innovation and both the benefits and risks that such a rapidly evolving world brings with it.

About the show:

Old Fox Young Fox is an intergenerational conversation between Jeremy Woolwich and Oliver Happy, one that explores the impacts of a rapidly changing world.

• Check out Ollie's new show: Problem Busters

Show mentions:

• An insider's guide to Covid-19 with Dr. Sam Shah
• 02:30 hope the vaccine gets to the people who need it most
• Event: The future of healthcare technology innovation in Dubai
• nhs england
• NHSX
• Google Deep Mind project in the NHS
• 07:00, 08:30 NHS as a philosophy, assets and IP and ownership
• Facebook and their accumulation of big data
• 10:00 Google Deep mind in the NHS
• 11:00 Private suppliers to the NHS
• 12:00 willingly giving our data
• WhatsApp and widespread clinical use. There is so much to be gained by clinicians sharing knowledge.
• 13:00, 14:00-14:41 data safety and sharing of data safely
• Ciitizen.com startup
• 16:00 Move the power from the system to the citizen
• 16:55, 18:00 - 18.00 NHSX role in data handling and privacy
• NHS Digital
• Department of Health England
• 21:00 smart cities as an example of data being used healthfully
• Department of sport, Department of pensions
• Smart cities and the Internet of things (IoT) as an inspiration for big data in health
• 23:00 China and how big data was used during Covid-19
• 6:30, 27:45 Nudging as a technique to change behaviour, turn the system in the same way
• FitBit and Google's purchase of FitBit
• 29.27 The system is worn down and needs proper investment beyond toys, the model we need
• 31:30 we should pay and promote wellness rather than pay for sickness, is the Chinese model more effective in this way?
• 33:00 role of technology in helping during diagnosis or care
• 35:45 diagnosis and when to test
• 37:00, 38:31 Australia embracing technology in remote diagnosis
• Flight Forward drone delivery of medication in the USA
• Images of skin such as Mole map
• 38:00 lots of technology can assist, it is about risk profile
• Stephen Fry and his experience of being tested for Cancer
• 39:40 Stephen Fry and his experience helping lead to more testing
• Clare Oliver and the campaign to ban sunbeds in Australia
• 54gene and the need to ensure racial equality in gene therapy research
• 46:00 inequity in health and the need to undertake development of drugs that benefit the communities they need to help
• The human genome project
• The 100,000 genomes project
• 51:00 - 52:00 edit out lack of a question and answer
• Compulsory vaccinations and caution around due process in testing
• Population-based genetic studies
• The...