Fighting Assumptions Podcast

The three-second lie: why your goldfish remembers more than you think

We’ve all used the excuse. You walk into the kitchen, stare blankly at the open refrigerator, and realise you have absolutely no idea what you came for. “Ugh, I have the memory of a goldfish,” you mutter to yourself. It’s a universally understood piece of cultural shorthand. We are told, and thus we assume, that the humble goldfish (Carassius auratus) lives in a perpetual loop of instant reset: a serene, blissful existence where every three seconds the universe is born anew. There’s just one problem: It’s complete nonsense. Read more… [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/p/the-three-second-lie-why-your-goldfish] Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Electricity is not water: breaking the 'pipe' analogy

Imagine you flick a switch and, in a fraction of a second, a lamp across the room hums to life. We’ve all been taught the same “common sense” explanation: the battery or wall outlet pushes electrons through the copper wire like water through a garden hose, and those electrons carry the energy to the bulb. It is a beautiful, logical, and intuitive model. It’s also almost entirely wrong. Read more… [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/p/electricity-is-not-water-breaking] Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Lightning does strike twice (and thrice, and a million times)

Today, we are tackling a phrase you’ve probably used to comfort a friend: “Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.” We use it to reassure people. Survived a freak round of corporate layoffs? Don’t worry, lightning never strikes twice. Dealt with a bizarre plumbing disaster? Relax, lightning never strikes twice. It is a linguistic pat on the back, implying that the universe operates on a strict quota system for bad luck. Once you’ve paid your dues to statistical improbability, you are safe. It is a lovely sentiment. But as a scientific rule of thumb? It is dangerously, objectively wrong. In fact, lightning loves to strike twice. And three times. And sometimes a hundred times. It’s time to retire this assumption. Read more… [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/p/lightning-does-strike-twice-and-thrice] Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The election deception: why the founders of democracy used a lottery instead

We have been conditioned to believe that the “ballot box” is the ultimate symbol of freedom. We are taught that the right to vote is the finish line of democratic progress. But if you could transport an ancient Athenian, the very people who invented demokratia, to a modern polling station, they wouldn’t congratulate us on our “freedom.” To the Greeks, the root of democracy wasn’t the vote. It was the lottery. Read more… [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/p/the-election-deception-why-the-founders] Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Why Chameleons are “terrible” at camouflage

We’ve all seen the cartoon: a sleek, bug-eyed chameleon strolls across a checkerboard and poof it’s covered in black and white squares. It’s the ultimate metaphor for adaptability. We use the word “chameleon” to describe politicians who shift their views to fit the room or socialites who blend into any crowd. There is just one problem: The premise is almost entirely false. Read more… [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/p/why-chameleons-are-terrible-at-camouflage] Get full access to Fighting Assumptions at fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe [https://fightingassumptions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]