Ted Kaptchuk
A two-part Cambridge Nights conversation on life and the power of placebos, at the meeting point of medicine, belief, and human experience.
Ted Kaptchuk speaks about what placebos reveal about the practice of medicine and the people inside it. The interview is presented in two parts: On Life and On the Power of Placebos, exploring how belief shapes the treatment patients receive and the results they report.
On Life and Placebos
Kaptchuk's appearance is split across two episodes, so each half can be watched on its own. Together they cover the place of the placebo response in clinical practice, and what studies of belief and expectation tell us about the experience of being treated.
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On Life
The first installment of the conversation, on life itself and how a person moves through it.
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On the Power of Placebos
The second installment examines the influence of placebos in medical contexts and what it means for treatment.
Both episodes follow the informal Cambridge Nights format, letting the speaker develop an argument rather than answering quick questions.
This conversation with Ted Kaptchuk, a Harvard professor known for his work on placebos and the doctor-patient relationship, forms one of the filmed talks in the Cambridge Nights series, which publishes new videos every Wednesday. The two-part episode moves between medicine, belief, and human experience, asking what placebos reveal about medical practice and the people who receive care. Split into separate episodes, the material can be watched in halves or together, letting viewers approach ideas about belief, treatment, and reported results at whatever pace suits them, with the full discussions hosted on video for on-demand viewing.
Life, belief, and the medicine we are given.
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Recorded conversations with scientists and thinkers, published on a weekly rhythm since the first season.
Episode notes
| Episode | Topic |
|---|---|
| On Life | Life and the questions it raises for medicine and belief. |
| On the Power of Placebos | How placebo effects influence medical treatment and the patient's experience of it. |
Videos are hosted on the Cambridge Nights Vimeo channel. Questions about this conversation can be sent to the team through the contact page, and updates are posted via the @cesifoti account.