This podcast interviews historian Naomi Oreskes about her books, *Merchants of Doubt* and *The Big Myth*, focusing on how doubt is manufactured and used to delay action on critical issues like climate change and the harms of tobacco. The discussion covers strategies used to create uncertainty, including funding research to delay action, creating fake organizations, and emphasizing personal responsibility to deflect blame from industries. Oreskes highlights the importance of recognizing these tactics and the need for adaptive management in policymaking, using the Montreal Protocol as a successful example. The interview also touches on the role of the free market ideology and the need for regulation to balance competing interests and prevent harm. A key takeaway is the importance of considering who benefits from a particular narrative and understanding that vested interests often drive the spread of misinformation.
