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Burden of Proof
Podcast

Burden of Proof

Revisionist History podcast

Malcolm Gladwell
The Revisionist History, 2018
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

How much proof do you need in order to act on something? If you have circumstantial evidence that a certain behavior may harm your health, would you stop the behavior even before you have conclusive evidence? Malcolm Gladwell uses the examples of black lung disease and football head injuries to examine this question in more depth. In this audio episode, the popular author turned podcaster once again proves his knack for converting big questions into compelling narratives. And you don’t need to care for American football to appreciate the episode’s broader message.

Take-Aways

  • Although compelling statistical evidence that coal mining increases the risk of asthma-induced death existed already in 1918, authorities only started to take the issue seriously in the 1970s. 
  • In the case of miners asthma (black lung disease) in the United States, authorities refused to take action until the link between exposure to coal dust and asthma was irrevocably clear.
  • Today, a similar dynamic is at play with regard to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) caused by repetitive brain trauma among American football players.

About the Podcast

Revisionist History is a podcast “about things overlooked and misunderstood” created by best-selling author and New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell and produced through Panoply Media. 

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