In episode 44 of the Respondent, Greg hosts Matt Ridley, author, journalist, businessman, and former member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. He is best known for his writings on science, the environment, and economics.

Greg and Matt discuss Matt’s most recent book Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19, turning pointitis, environmentalism and energy, the COVID-19 Pandemic, dark humor poetry, and much more.

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Follow Matt Ridley on Twitter @MattWRidley

https://twitter.com/MattWRidley

And check out his website:

http://www.mattridley.co.uk

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Show Notes

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01:07 Greg introduces Matt Ridley to the Respondent

02:26 Where Matt's love for innovation came from

04:15 "Ideas have sex, and they meet and meet and have baby ideas" MR

06:29 Has civilization always been pessimistic about the improvements in the world?

10:14 Turning Pointitis

11:28 "Something's wrong in our culture when we're not just ignorant of the facts were actively knowledgeably wrong." MR

12:06 Environmentalism and energy

12:45 "If one's going to moralize and lecture the world about climate change, then one has a moral duty to learn the basics of energy and the environment, starting with the basic physics of why low energy density fuels must have larger environmental impacts doesn't want." GE

14:28: "By all means, let's try to make it cleaner. Let's try and make it more sustainable. But let's not assume that we can live without reliable and high-density energy to run a modern economy. It's a really important part of the story. Let's try and make it more efficient." MR

14:59 Electric Vehicles

18:24 Science and the COVID19 pandemic

25:46 Where can we find information about the origins of COVID19 outside mainstream media?

27:34 I preached to the Royal Society, and said, 'shouldn't we have a daylong debate about this topic? It's probably the most important scientific question of our day. Where did this virus come from?' And they replied, 'No, it's not appropriate for a debate at the Royal Society.' MR

34:49 Matt lays out a chapter in his new book, Viral, The Search for the Origin of COVID-19

37:47 When Greg first heard about people dying in the streets in China

39:08 Vaccines

41:01 "There was a problem with governments over-claiming for vaccines in order to get people to sign up for them, in order to combat vaccine hesitancy and to some extent, I fear that backfired." MR

42:01 The Cotton Mather smallpox experiment

45:51 Greg's Our Pharma' poem

46:46 If we let them take our rights during an emergency, won't they continue to manufacture emergencies to take away our rights or people may perceive that be the case?

51:24 Vaccine passports and creeping authoritarianism

56:38 Dark humor by JBS Haldane and Greg

59:49 Where Matt finds meaning

01:01:34 One of the most meaningful moments in Matt's life

01:03:35 Where Matt goes to find solace, peace, relaxation

01:05:08 Matt's epitaph would say

01:06:15 If Matt had one wish, it would be

01:06:37 Where to find Matt online

#GregEllis #MattRidley #Viral #RationalOptimism #TheRespondent