Podcast about disinformation, fear, common sense and mindbugs with Steije Hofhuis PhD

Fear, Mind Bugs, and Witch Hunts That Undermine Common Sense with Steije Hofhuis PhD

Fear and doubt serve as powerful tools in the political landscape, and disinformation is used by politicians to manipulate public perception and sow confusion. By labeling legitimate investigations or criticisms as witch hunts, these leaders attempt to delegitimize the concerns raised against them. This tactic not only deflects attention from the actual issues at hand but also erodes trust in the democratic process. Using common sense when evaluating information can help counteract these manipulative strategies.

To discover how we can inoculate ourselves against fear and cultural viruses, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with a lecturer of cultural history at the Department of History and Art History at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Steije Hofhuis PhD.

Steije shares historical information about how witch hunts spread and how ideas about witchcraft adapted in new ways that stimulated more witch prosecutions. His research shows that cultural viruses, or mindbugs, adapted and evolved in a Darwinian manner throughout certain geographical areas and time periods. 

This episode is a special edition of the Good Citizens Election Season Survival Guide that is designed to help restore common sense and sanity in a crazy world… 

Original Air Date Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Tune in:

Meet Our Guest:

Steije Hofhuis, PhD is a cultural historian at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and a postdoctoral researcher at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). His work primarily focuses on European witch-hunting, Darwinian theory, and migration history.

His research offers a compelling perspective on one of history’s most persistent and insidious cultural memes.

Steije Hofhuis — Disinformation, Mind Games, and Witch Hunts:

  • Commonalities of those suspected of witchcraft throughout history. {2:38}
  • Cultural viruses, like disinformation, can evolve in a Darwinian way by adapting to an environment and spreading through people. {5:30}
  • A mini ice age in the 1500s led people to fear that people within their communities were allying with the devil to promote a diabolical conspiracy. {8:22}
  • Critical thinkers of the time warned that using torture would create false confessions, gossip, and allegations. {12:58}
  • Creating fear and offering explanations to the unknowable was key to a mind bug’s success in spreading. {21:28}
  • Are there ways to protect ourselves from mind viruses? {32:15}

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Shareables:

“History repeats itself because someone can just think or say something about another person or another group or a state of affairs, and then they have the power to infect." @LisaKamen on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “Catholic inquisitors or upcoming elites allegedly used the witch hunts for particular purposes like repressing women, getting more power, and destroying traditional peasant culture.” @HofhuisSteije on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “One of the key ideas behind witch hunting was that the devil tried to seduce people into witchcraft but that women were particularly vulnerable.” @HofhuisSteije on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “What evidence would make us question our own convictions?” @HofhuisSteije on @HHTalkRadio Share on X

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