#1147 - Dr. Debra Soh

Joe Rogan (0:01)

Five, four, three, two, one.

Hello, Dr. Soh. What's happening? Pull this sucker oud of the fist from your face. Yeah, perfect. Thanks for doing this, appreciate it.

Debra Soh (0:15)

Thank you for having me.

Joe Rogan (0:17)

I've watched a bunch of your videos, I've listened to a bunch of your talks, read a bunch of your work, very interesting person.

And this is a good time for a person like you. Things seem to be kinda scrambled.

Debra Soh (0:28)

A little bit, yeah.

Joe Rogan (0:29)

It's a little topsy-turvy out there these days.

Debra Soh (0:30)

Yeah, a little bit crazy.

Joe Rogan (0:31)

So you're a sex neuroscientist? Is that an accurate description?

Debra Soh (0:36)

Yeah, I'm a former academic sex researcher. My PhD is in sexual neuroscience research, and now I work as a science journalist and a columnist.

Joe Rogan (0:44)

And why former?

Debra Soh (0:46)

Because the climate in academia has changed so much. Like you mentioned how things are topsy-turvy, but that's pretty much how you can describe academia nowadays, even in the hard sciences.

Joe Rogan (0:58)

Yeah, it's getting a little weird. What are you attributed to?

Debra Soh (1:03)

I think it's a combination of things. I think it's particular ideologies coming in and taking over, but they've been there for a while, but I think it's that they've reached the mainstream.

I see it as political correctness running amok, and I see it as legitimate researchers not being able to speak out because they've got enough on their plate with their research, their teaching, they've got their students, they're super busy, and then on top of it, they don't want to deal with the mobbing that will inevitably happen if they do speak out. So things are kind of in favor right now of the craziness.

Joe Rogan (1:35)

But it's fascinating though, as an outsider, to watch the craziness.

Debra Soh (1:39)

I bet.

Joe Rogan (1:40)

Yeah, I mean, I'm glad I don't have to be in school right now and deal with it, but to watch it from the outside, it's just so interesting.

Debra Soh (1:47)

Interesting in what way though?

Joe Rogan (1:49)

Well, because it's almost like there's sort of a delusional aspect to it. Like an agreed upon delusional aspect. It's like the gender one in particular. The gender is very strange right now.

Like there's, first of all, the LBGTQIA, what else?

Debra Soh (2:13)

Et cetera, oh my god, there's a ton, yeah.

Joe Rogan (2:16)

They're adding more to it.

Debra Soh (2:17)

They keep adding more, yeah, to be more inclusive.

Joe Rogan (2:23)

It's all right, I got it. All right, I thought maybe we were down again. Yeah, it's just, but gender in particular, one of the things that I said about one of the more bizarre things about today's political climate is that people selectively agree with science. It's like when it comes to climate change, like everybody is like pro-science, like science all the way. Look at the studies. Even when they don't even understand the studies, like there's a famous, and you know, you get in trouble when you bring up Tucker Carlson, because people go, oh, you're a Tucker Carlson fan.

I'm just, as a human being.

Debra Soh (3:01)

I'm not gonna get mad.

Joe Rogan (3:02)

He made some very good points with Bill Nye.

He had Bill Nye on, they were talking about science, and he said, okay, if human beings are responsible for climate change, what percentage, what are the numbers? Like, and Bill Nye really isn't a scientist. He's a science, you know, what would you call him?

Debra Soh (3:20)

Personality, those immediate personalities.

Joe Rogan (3:22)

He's a guy who's, you know, he's a promoter of science, but not really necessarily a scientist. So he doesn't have long-term study and research to climate change. He's just sort of on there, in a slightly arrogant way, saying things that I agree with. Like, what I agree with is that human beings are responsible, at least in part, with climate change. This is what all the research points to.

But when Tucker Carlson was pressing him on it, he really didn't have any answers for it.

So it's one of those things where people on the left will blindly support science in one way. Is that you or me? Dang it, if it's me, I'm gonna be very upset with myself.

Debra Soh (3:59)

Don't think it's me.

Joe Rogan (4:02)

But then, when it comes to gender, you watch his show. He's got this wacky show on Netflix, where they're singing songs about gender can be fluid, and gender could be this, and...