Shepard chats with Dr. Jane Goodall about animals, the environment, and achievements
By Jonathan Pabico, Senior Columnist
Goodall believes in having empathy as a scientist, and that is why she always names her animal subjects rather than giving them numbers.
Everyone has either created or currently follows a podcast. Whichever audio shows you’ve tuned into so far you should be sure to add actor Dax Shepard’s ongoing podcast series Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard to the list. For the Other Press’ environment issue we’ll focus on the episode where Dax interviews ethologist and environmental advocate Dr. Jane Goodall. I highly recommend you give this content a listen if you’re a fan of Shepard or you enjoy learning about the environment.
Goodall details her experiences studying chimps in the jungle. Her global recognition for her breakthroughs even prompts Shepard to hail her as the “Queen of Anthropology,” and rightfully so. Her findings changed past scientific assumptions about primates by revealing that they are intelligent creatures with their own culture. Goodall’s chimp studies turned her into a celebrity among the public and scientific community.
Nowadays, she has the Roots & Shoots youth program made so that school students can create their own environmental projects. The scientist even started her own podcast series called The Jane Goodall Hopecast. Here, she gives listeners encouraging messages related to hope and wildlife.
Upon listening to Goodall talk about her life there is a genuine warmth and kindness to her voice which really shows how humble she is as a person. The world-renown scientist is also surprisingly funny as she jokes around with Shepard a lot in the episode. It’s refreshing to have a veteran academic who doesn’t take themselves too seriously in favour of being so down-to-earth. The ethologist loves her work dearly and remains an inspiring role model for kids, and especially for young girls.
However, Goodall also informs us about the ethical questions and environmental harms of factory farming. It’s during this point in the podcast where things get unsettling and sad. Goodall expresses heartbreak knowing the many cases of abuse that animals suffer just to become our daily meals. This eerie reality today illustrates to us why her work remains so crucial.
What’s admirable about Goodall is her philosophy on science. Goodall believes in having empathy as a scientist, and that is why she always names her animal subjects rather than giving them numbers. Her personal values in this regard relay how there is always room for the human heart in all aspects of life—and even during empirical study.
Listeners can learn tons about the environment and get a boatload of wisdom from Dr. Jane Goodall. The ethologist teaches us that being humble towards nature means everything when striving to do better as a human being. Her joy for animals and her extraordinary kindness make her the amazing role model she has been for generations. If there’s one podcast episode you should check out it’s Goodall’s interview on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.
