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Watson-Howland

Watson-Howland

By: Jacob Watson-Howland
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  • #73: The Dark Rise & Fall of The KKK - Kristofer Allerfeldt (1ST IN PERSON EPISODE!)

    #73: The Dark Rise & Fall of The KKK - Kristofer Allerfeldt (1ST IN PERSON EPISODE!)
    Feb 16 2026

    Dr. Kristofer Allerfeldt, University of Exeter historian and author of The Full History of the Ku Klux Klan, reveals shocking truths about America’s most notorious hate group, from its 1865 founding to its decline in the digital age.

    Subscribe for more deep-dive history interviews that uncover the uncomfortable truths behind modern society.

    You’ll Learn:

    –Why the 1920s Ku Klux Klan attracted 4-5 million members and operated like a mass fraternity, not a fringe terror group

    –How President Harry Truman joined the KKK for 3-4 years in the 1920s and what his membership reveals about American politics

    –The truth about why the Klan uniform became so sinister—it wasn’t about intimidation, it was about profit

    –How the 1915 film Birth of a Nation resurrected the Klan and turned it into America’s first pyramid scheme

    –Why the Klan’s anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant agenda in the 1920s mirrors modern political scapegoating tactics

    –The FBI’s dirty tricks campaign (COINTELPRO) that finally destroyed Klan power in the 1960s

    –How social media could be weaponized to prevent white supremacist movements from ever gaining power again

    –What receiving a death threat from a Klansman taught Dr. Allerfeldt about researching America’s darkest history

    00:00 The Persistence of Hate: Understanding the KKK

    08:10 The Origins and Evolution of the KKK

    16:07 The KKK’s Influence and Political Ambitions

    23:52 Violence and Atrocities: The Dark Side of the KKK

    31:30 Cultural Impact: Birth of a Nation and the KKK’s Revival

    39:39 The KKK’s Legacy and Modern Implications

    52:41 Patriotism and Immigration Perspectives

    53:46 The Challenges of Publishing and Cultural Sensitivity

    55:28 The KKK: Historical Context and Modern Implications

    58:10 FBI Infiltration and Covert Operations Against the KKK

    01:01:09 Media Representation and the KKK’s Evolution

    01:03:30 Civil Rights Movement and KKK Violence

    01:06:00 The KKK’s Modern-Day Presence and Activities

    01:08:13 Future of White Supremacy and Hate Groups

    01:10:43 Modern Slavery: Definitions and Implications

    01:14:19 The Role of Technology in Modern Slavery

    01:18:31 Exploring Dark Topics and Human Nature

    01:20:29 Personal Reflections and Life Lessons

    01:23:59 The Intersection of Religion and Morality

    01:27:24 Final Thoughts on Life and Legacy

    RESOURCES / LINKS

    Dr. Kristofer Allerfeldt’s Book: The Full History of the Ku Klux Klan

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ku-Klux-Klan-American-History/dp/1803990163/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 (Available on Amazon UK, NOT published in the USA)

    University of Exeter Faculty Page: https://experts.exeter.ac.uk/1199-kristofer-allerfeldt

    Team

    Chief Editor: Chloe Breheret

    Chief Automation Officer: Jack McDuff

    Jacob’s Work

    Podcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385

    FREE Podcast Tips (2nd Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUp5S7ZIZtjA8PMgXJMwppAYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jacobjwatsonhowlandSpotify:

    https://open.spotify.com/show/0r4v5xgyYz0rTFSLklk0Em

    Apple Podcasts:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobwatsonhowlandWebsite:

    https://www.jacobjwatsonhowland.com

    #AmericanHistory



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit naturewithjacob.substack.com
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    1 hr and 53 mins
  • #72: Anil Seth: Why AI Will NEVER Be Conscious

    #72: Anil Seth: Why AI Will NEVER Be Conscious
    Feb 13 2026
    If we give AI rights because we think it’s conscious, we lose the ability to control it… the dangerous illusion explained by a consciousness expert.Professor Anil Seth is one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Co-Director of the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science, and author of Being You, which challenges everything you thought you knew about perception, reality, and what it means to be conscious.“If we confuse ourselves too readily with our machine creations, we not only overestimate them, we also underestimate ourselves.” When we project consciousness onto AI language models just because they speak fluently, we make two catastrophic mistakes: we misunderstand what AI actually is, and we reduce ourselves to nothing more than “meat computers” a deeply diminishing view of biological intelligence.Subscribe for conversations that challenge conventional thinking on consciousness, AI, perception, and what makes us fundamentally human.What You’ll Learn:–Why confusing ourselves with machines means we overestimate AI and underestimate humanity, and why your brain is fundamentally NOT a computer despite what Silicon Valley wants you to believe–Why consciousness likely requires life itself: the digestion vs flight analogy, why brain organoids worry Anil more than GPT-5, and the catastrophic implications of giving AI rights we can’t take back–Perception as “controlled hallucination,” mental time travel in scrub jays, octopuses seeing with their skin, and what alien minds reveal about the shocking diversity of conscious experience0:00 Overestimating AI and underestimating ourselves0:43 Why we project consciousness onto ChatGPT and Claude2:09 How AI metaphors diminish our view of biological intelligence3:25 Can AI become conscious? The truth between zero and 100%5:05 Why consciousness requires life: metabolism, biology, substrate6:00 Brain organoids vs GPT—which should worry us more?7:28 Consciousness: more like digestion or flight?8:29 Why brains are NOT computers when you look inside them11:10 Intelligence vs consciousness: doing vs feeling12:35 Why conscious AI would be terrible—even if it’s just an illusion14:33 The alignment problem: can’t control AI if we give it rights17:18 Social media’s lessons: unintended consequences of “move fast”20:07 The moral circle problem: caring about AI means less for animals21:35 Descartes’ error: rationality requires embodied emotion27:32 Bayesian reasoning: brains make best guesses, not optimal solutions30:37 The frame problem: why AI can’t know what’s NOT relevant33:33 Unconscious vs subconscious: Freud vs modern neuroscience37:00 Predictive processing: perception as controlled hallucination38:01 What consciousness is good for: integration and fast learning41:47 Mental time travel and scrub jays planning futures45:19 The space of possible minds: dogs, flies, octopuses48:11 Octopuses see with their skin for predator vision53:27 Thomas Nagel: “What is it like to be a bat?”55:13 Human echolocators: blind people navigating by sound58:54 Perception as controlled hallucination: never experiencing reality directly1:02:24 Color requires a mind; the spectrum from physics to social construction1:06:05 Why simulation theory fails if consciousness isn’t computation1:08:28 Why we dream: preventing overfitting and simulating threats1:12:37 Sleep cycles and why dreams fade instantly1:15:26 Lucid dreaming: knowing you’re dreaming without waking1:17:50 Derealization: when reality feels unreal even though it is1:19:08 Final advice: control what you can, find balance and purposeProfessor Anil Seth’s Work:Official Website: https://www.anilseth.comBooks:Being You: A New Science of Consciousness (Sunday Times Bestseller)https://www.anilseth.com/being-you/Latest Essay:“The Mythology of Conscious AI” - NoEmer (Free to read online)Academic Profile:Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science (Co-Director)https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/sussex-centre-for-consciousness-science/TeamChief Editor: Chloe BreheretChief Automation Officer: Jack McDuffJacob’s WorkPodcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385FREE Podcast Tips (2nd Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUp5S7ZIZtjA8PMgXJMwppAYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jacobjwatsonhowlandSpotify: Apple Podcasts: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobwatsonhowlandWebsite: https://www.jacobjwatsonhowland.com#AIConsciousness #AnilSeth #NeuroscienceOfConsciousness This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit naturewithjacob.substack.com
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • #71: Dr Lara Boyd: Man Lives with 90% Brain Missing, Advantage of ADHD & Autism, Mystery of Consciousness & Sleep’s Effect on Learning

    #71: Dr Lara Boyd: Man Lives with 90% Brain Missing, Advantage of ADHD & Autism, Mystery of Consciousness & Sleep’s Effect on Learning
    Feb 9 2026
    Neuroscientist and physical therapist Dr. Lara Boyd explains why there is no such thing as a “normal brain,” how neuroplasticity reshapes us across life, and why struggle and sleep are the real drivers of change in our brains. In this episode, she and Jacob explore neurodivergence, learning, stroke recovery, genetics, and what it actually takes to rewire your brain on purpose.Dr. Boyd is a leading stroke and neuroplasticity researcher whose TEDx talk “After watching this, your brain will not be the same” has reached millions worldwide.Subscribe for deep-dive conversations on neuroscience, behavior, and how to build the brain you actually want.VALUE BULLETS (what you’ll learn)–Why a French civil servant could live a normal life with a brain 50–90% smaller than average, and what that reveals about neuroplasticity.–Why “neurotypical” is mostly a statistical fiction, and why most of us are neurodivergent or “neuro-spicy” in some way.–How changing diagnostic criteria, not an autism “epidemic”, explains rising autism diagnoses, especially in girls and women.–How ADHD, autism, and anxiety may share overlapping genetic constellations rather than being completely separate categories.–What actually happens to your brain from childhood through your 20s and 30s, myelination, pruning, and why young men take more risks.–How genes work like dimmer switches, why environment and behavior tune them, and why APOE4 raises dementia risk without fully determining destiny.–The stroke study that changed Lara’s career: how forcing use of a “weak” limb rewires motor cortex and proves use-dependent recovery.–Why struggle, not ease, is the signal your brain is changing, and why deep sleep and REM are essential to lock in motor and cognitive learning.0:00 The French civil servant with “half a brain” and what neuroplasticity can do1:05 How many of us are actually neuro-atypical? Defining (and questioning) “normal”2:15 Why there is no clear definition of “neurotypical”3:05 UK Biobank genetics: ADHD, autism, anxiety and overlapping gene profiles4:35 Are we over-diagnosing or mis-grouping neurodivergent conditions?5:35 Evolutionary upsides of ADHD and autism: hyperfocus, sentry attention, solo hunting6:22 Why autism diagnoses are rising: broader criteria and better recognition in girls7:30 ADHD and autism as “differences,” not defects — and examples like Elon Musk and Bill Gates9:05 Lara’s winding path: English major → physical therapist → neuroscientist10:30 The 1990s shift: from “fixed brain” to lifelong neuroplasticity12:20 How the brain actually changes: myelin, pruning, and wiring into the mid-20s16:20 Why young men take more risks: late-maturing prefrontal cortex18:40 Genes vs environment, epigenetics, and why nature vs nurture isn’t a debate anymore21:10 APOE4 and dementia risk — and how exercise can change outcomes22:20 Big data, AI, and decoding brain–gene interactions24:00 The stroke patient that made Lara feel like a “car mechanic who didn’t understand the engine”27:20 The landmark monkey stroke study: forced use, reorganization, and recovery31:00 Redundancy, “silent” neurons, and spare real estate in the brain33:20 How dendrites, brain chemistry, and BDNF drive neuroplasticity — and why exercise helps38:20 Why consciousness and self are still “unsolved problems”39:40 The motor homunculus: why your hands, lips, and tongue dominate your cortex41:40 Why some people learn in 50 hours and others need 500 — and Lara’s quest to understand variability44:15 Biomarkers, stroke recovery, and who responds best to brain stimulation46:05 Could we one day time school topics to each child’s brain readiness?47:40 Visual vs auditory learners and what brain scans reveal about reading and math readiness49:30 Stuck in bad habits or a failing career? Why you’re not trapped — and why struggle is your brain changing52:00 Why we hate struggle even though it’s exactly when neuroplasticity happens52:55 Sleep as neuroplastic “glue”: deep sleep for motor, REM for cognitive learning54:05 Naps, aging, and how much sleep we really need55:10 Lara’s advice to her 20-year-old self: stay curious, practice hard, sleep wellRESOURCES / LINKSDr. Lara Boyd – UBC Faculty of Medicine profilehttps://www.med.ubc.ca/researchers/lara-boyd-physical-therapy/UBC Physical Therapy – Brain Behaviour Laboratoryhttps://physicaltherapy.med.ubc.ca/2022/10/11/lara-boyd/TEDx Talk – “After watching this, your brain will not be the same”Centre for Brain Health feature – Stroke rehab and neuroplasticityhttps://www.centreforbrainhealth.ca/news/from-stroke-rehabilitation-to-opera-dr-lara-boyds-innovative-research-on-neuroplasticityTeamChief Editor: Chloe BreheretChief Automation Officer: Jack McDuffJacob’s WorkPodcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385FREE Podcast Tips (2nd Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/...
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    57 mins
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