Serious Inquiries Only

I once again interrupt my regularly scheduled whatever in order to bring you an interview with an undocumented immigrant, Christian. Christian is currently working under DACA and if the program is ended, he won't be able to work anymore, short of under the table/off the books jobs. He tells us his story and what exactly DACA means for him. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

I'm joined by Chantelle Boduel, who recently completed her Masters in Human Rights Law at the University of Kent in Brussels. She did her thesis on FGM in the UK, and I thought it would be very educational to have her on to speak about what she learned. See the attached Word document for her sources. FGM-Sources Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

Today I'm talking about the Arpaio pardon - how awful Arpaio is as a human, what he did that was so egregious, what he was found guilty of, and how he compares to some other historically bad pardons. Isn't it true that Obama pardoned some people who were WAY WORSE??? I investigate. Also, some great voicemails allow me the chance to talk about my appearance on wethepeoplelive - Josh Zepps' show - and the whitelash that resulted. Additionally, I need to correct some statistic related mistakes I made on Monday's episode. Master Tweet Thread of Arpaio Shittiness; 538 Article on the Pardon; WaPo Article on the Pardon; Slate Piece on Manning Commutation; Obama's Clemency Initiative; Forbes on Tech Job Deficit Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

Today I'm joined by Felicia Entwistle of the Utah Outcasts to talk about that Google memo and the science of gender differences. I think we did a good job of representing the nuance of the science and outlining some of the fallacies in the discourse over this whole thing. Lots of links! Original Memo With Links; NPR Why Women Stopped Coding; Justices Interrupted; Gender Differences Study; Another Gender Differences Study; Women Face More Stress; Stress Study; Women from Google; Sexism in Tech; Debra So Article Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

Sam once again had Douglas Murray on his show and they both said some incredibly ignorant things, in my opinion. The worst was Sam's condemnation of Black Lives Matter. He provided absolutely no facts about it or insights into his reasoning, something I would think you'd want to do before making a claim like that. I play a few clips and try to get to the bottom of this "Identity Politics" bogeyman. Identity Politics Interview; Douglas Murray - Gentrified Xenophobia; Criminal Justice Fact Sheet; WaPo on Incarceration; ACLU and Guns Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

You might have seen the news around Skeptic circles that Malaysian government officials want to hunt down members of an atheist group after a picture of a meetup went viral. Here's some coverage of it from Patheos. Well it turns out a long-time listener and friend of the show, Adrian, lives in Malaysia and is a member of the Atheist Republic group there! He's on today to tell us about so-called religious freedom in Malaysia, and what happened with this viral photo! Penalty for Leaving Islam is Death; Lina Joy's Case Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

I've got some thoughts about Charlottesville, and then Charone Frankel of Habeas Humor to talk about whether the ACLU holds any responsibility for Nazi movements in America, since they've defended them in the past (and had a small hand in the Charlottesville case). Confederate Monuments Ward Churchill: - Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chicken https://cryptome.org/ward-churchill.htm - ACLU brief https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/ward-churchill-v-university-colorado-et-al-amicus-brief Habeas humor: habhumor.libsyn.com Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

This episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh! Go to hellofresh.com and enter promo code seriouspod30 for $30 off! Andrew Torrez of the impossibly famous podcast Opening Arguments is here to talk about the Crime Bill of 1994 and some surrounding issues! Hillary was blamed for supporting this bill, by Bernie Bros, despite the fact that she wasn't in the Senate and the time and Bernie actually VOTED for the bill. The conversation will be continued on tomorrow's Opening Arguments Podcast because we're doing a super cool crossover thingy! Here is who voted on the crime bill: https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/8585#.WZDy91GGOUl And here's Bernie talking about the crime bill, it's the third full paragraph that begins "The second bill...." https://www.congress.gov/crec/1995/01/26/modified/CREC-1995-01-26-pt1-PgE192-5.htm Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Direct Download

This episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh! Go to hellofresh.com and enter promo code seriouspod30 for $30 off! With the leak of some phone call transcripts we discover that the REAL Trump is...... the same Trump we've seen this entire time. There's no real Trump, there's just Trump. I go over some of the absolutely horrific details of these phones calls, then I talk about how Tillerson has gutted the State Department at the worst possible time, and all that is just as we face a nuclear North Korea! Fun times! Links: The Call Transcripts; Understanding Trade Deficits; Australia-US Refugee Deal; Gutted State Department Source 1, 2, 3 Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Direct Download

Alix is back for another fascinating conversation! He answers my questions on The New Jim Crow, and much more. The Counted Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

But first, I give a little book review of The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. The book illustrated some vital concepts that are often missing from our conversation on race. I share some highlights. Then, it's a voicemail segment during which I talk at length about a column a lot of people have been sharing lately. It's called When Progressives Embrace Hate and it talks about the leaders of the Women's March and their ties to some questionable people. Hollywood Harris Hit Piece; Article with Anti-Semitism Poll Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

Joining me for some lively debate about the harms of neoliberalism is Michael A. Wood Jr. Michael ended his service in the USMC in 1998, and joined the Baltimore Police Department where he served as a narcotics detective until retiring as a patrol Sergeant medically in 2014. In 2015 Michael turned to twitter to reveal the culture of law enforcement and authored several essays and books on reforms. Interest went wild. In 2016 Michael led a veterans group to Standing Rock where they protested the pipeline. Michael has since also focused on civilian led policing as a national grassroots form of action. He is currently a PHD candidate and a criminal and social justice activist. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

Today I'm joined by not-her-real-name-Sarah, who is trans and is currently serving in the military. She is in danger of losing her job, given Trump's recent tweets. She discusses a bit of the policy history and helps put these monstrous ideas into perspective. After that, I do some commentary on some things including the fact that, yes, I'm outraged. Things are outrageous currently. But, if you're really worried about the "whole transgender thing" being a distraction, make sure you're still doing everything you can to stop Trumpcare here. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

Joining us this week is Qasim Rashid. Qasim is an Ahmadi Muslim and author of the book Talk To Me. He claims that the true Islam is peaceful, but is he justified in making that claim? Is it bigoted to say otherwise? Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

... to the degree that's possible on the internet these days... When Dave Rubin tweeted that we need to stop giving money to the ACLU and Sam Harris retweeted it, simply because they wrote a profile on Linda Sarsour, I decided I needed to look into this person. This is certainly a minefield... So here we go... my best effort at an objective look at Linda Sarsour. Links: ACLU profile on Sarsour; Women's march mission; Snopes on accusations against Sarsour; Sarsour opinion piece; NY police Muslim spy unit; Jihad speech being taken out of context; Women's march Assata Shakur tweet; Sarsour 2011 tweet on Ayaan; Sarsour response to being called out Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

Joining me on the show is Alix Jules! Alix is a super fascinating guy, and we talked for several hours, half of which is captured in today's episode. We definitely did not have the time to get to everything, or even a significant portion, but don't worry! We are already booked for another interview. In this iteration, we discuss his background, some of his activism, and he lends his perspectives to many of the ongoing themes of SIO lately! Here are some links Alix discussed: Lawsuit for Valedictorian: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/06/30/white-student-made-co-valedictorian-with-black-student-despite-having-lower-gpa-lawsuit-claims/?utm_term=.4013f6aec165 Mississippi School Desegregates (2016): https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/03/a-mississippi-school-district-is-finally-getting-desegregated/519573/ Mississippi School District Drops Challenge on desegregation (2017): https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/mississippi-school-district-drops-challenge-to-desegregation-order/2017/01/31/8480177e-e7f4-11e6-bf6f-301b6b443624_story.html?utm_term=.29c750d2f9fb Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Direct Download

The first portion of this show, as referenced at the end of last episode, is about Peter Boghossian finally showing himself to be a sexist asshole. I also respond to the argument I frequently see of "Stop infighting, stop calling out atheist leaders, it distracts from our movement!" I think I have a good counter to that. After that, it's some amazing and difficult voicemails! Really top notch calls. I love hearing from you guys and being challenged! Some links: African American Vernacular English; The Word "Thug"; The Cornrows Incident Come to the Inciting Incident 100th show! I'll be there with Andrew and many of your other podcasting faves! Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Direct Download

Today's conversation is with Matthew Facciani and Jeremiah Traeger. They're here to educate us on some of the problems in publishing and academia! Matthew began his academic career in cognitive neuroscience and later switched to sociology where he is now finishing his PhD at The University of South Carolina. Currently, his main research area investigates why people reject scientific evidence. Facciani is also involved with secular and gender equality activism. His blog and podcast are both titled According to Matthew. @MatthewFacciani on Twitter. Jeremiah is currently a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder; who has been involved in secular and progressive activism. He contributes to A Tippling Philosopher on Patheos. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tippling/ @jerbivore on Twitter Here are some links Jeremiah covered: Nature - Academic jobs not keeping up with PhDs awarded. https://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v31/n10/fig_tab/nbt.2706_F1.html 70% of scientists have failed to reproduce results. http://www.nature.com/news/1-500-scientists-lift-the-lid-on-reproducibility-1.19970 Half of clinical trials left unpublished: http://www.nature.com/news/half-of-us-clinical-trials-go-unpublished-1.14286 Statistical restraints on researchers that Nature is proposing: https://www.nature.com/news/announcement-reducing-our-irreproducibility-1.12852 Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

This podcast is an audio version, with some elaborations, of my first ever blog post, entitled "Whoever I Don't Like Is Ruining The Atheist Movement." Definitely check out and share the blog version! It has screenshots and links and stuff. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

This episode is another attempt at debate across the social justice divide. CJ (@VieKeng on Twitter) has taken exception with my characterization of the Evergreen situation, and perhaps most strenuously with my use of the term "whitesplain." I'm very curious for feedback on this one! Listen to most post-analysis and if you have thoughts, I'd love to heard them in voicemail form! The debate ends around 59:00. Links from CJ: VICE gets students & President on camera https://youtu.be/2cMYfxOFBBM Trustees condemn protest tactics https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9271 Faculty Praise protests https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9260 Student letter against protests http://freepdfhosting.com/840d72d60d.pdf More to EVGN than Weinstein http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/matt-driscoll/article153694734.html Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected]

Back for the severalith time is Ishmael from Angry Black Rant! Lots of listeners requested this interview and Ish was kind enough to oblige. We discuss cultural appropriation, the Bill Maher situation, and more race-related issues in today's discourse. It's always fun talking with Ishmael, but it's also very real and revealing as well! Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Direct Download

What the Gender Studies Hoax and Jordan B. Peterson's pronoun mania both have in common is the bogeyman of postmodernism. It seems to be conventional wisdom that postmodernism is manifestly crazy. But how substantive is that criticism in reality? I've invited a philosopher, Aaron Rabi, to give us a bit of a lesson on what postmodernism is and perhaps where the criticisms are accurate and where they fall short. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected] Direct Download

Please share this podcast with any Democrat you witness losing their mind about the special election results. In reality, the trend is very, very positive for Democrats going into 2018 elections. I go into why. After that, we have a lengthy and most excellent voicemail segment. Listen in! Our Brand Is Worse Than Trump; Anti-Pelosi Republican Ad; Lots of Info On Special Elections At Ballotpedia Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

In the same weekend, a teen found guilty of manslaughter for convincing her boyfriend to commit suicide, and a police officer found NOT guilty after shooting and killing Philando Castile. It has left many wondering, how did this happen? This demands expert analysis, so I've brought in the big guns in Andrew Torrez, resident law expert at the Opening Arguments Podcast to help us understand the situation! Philando Castile; Michelle Carter; Andrew's Case Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected] Direct Download

Back for a second time is Michael Shermer! He's the editor of Skeptic Magazine and has been a very prominent voice in the community for decades. After our last conversation, a couple of things happened. One was the gender studies hoax, which was explained and endorsed by his magazine. The other was the Evergreen incident, which Shermer tweeted about and wanted to know my thoughts on. We discussed both of these at length! Refer to my earlier episode on Evergreen for those references Faculty of color say they are receiving death threats; President disappointed in protesters, may discipline; Weinstein second Tucker Carlson appearance; Sokal's response to the gender studies hoax; Feminist glaciology TED talk. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Joining me this week for interview Monday is Dr. Gleb Tsipursky! Gleb is an expert in decision sciences, focusing on politics and business. In the wake of the 2016 election, Gleb has decided to focus on fighting against fake news and misinformation in our politics. That's why he has created the Truth Pledge, which he tells us all about in the interview. His insight is very valuable and is another in the series on how to change minds and where to focus our efforts. Make sure you take the Pro-Truth Pledge! https://www.protruthpledge.org/ Research links: http://intentionalinsights.org/how-can-facts-trump-ideology/ http://intentionalinsights.org/how-behavioral-science-can-help-truth-triumph-over-baseless-accusations/ http://intentionalinsights.org/the-brain-science-of-political-deception-in-the-2016-election/ Link to Gleb's bio: http://glebtsipursky.com/about/ Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Due to popular demand, I've decided to embark on a fact-finding mission regarding the Brett Weinstein/Evergreen College fiasco. It took an incredible amount of digging to find anything beyond the same few talking points that have exploded across conservative media in the past few weeks, but the deeper story is a little more complicated and worthy of our attention. As usual, the easy way out is to filter the facts so they comport to a narrative we want, but I do my best to investigate the facts from a neutral standpoint. What I found might surprise you! Here are links: Tucker Carlson Interview; Email Exchange; Cooper Point Journal 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; Weinstein View on Equity Policy; Demographics of Professors; Detainment of Black Students; President Letter on Trigger Warnings; President Response to Demands; Letter from 50 Faculty; Professor Solidarity with Students; Prof Setting Record Straight. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected] Direct Download

It is immensely important to me that I do my best to engage with those who disagree, and in that spirit I present a conversation with someone who argued a lot with me on Twitter about Jordan B. Peterson and Canadian bill C-16. This conversation took place on May 4th, but with a lot of Trump news and some key interviews I kept the interview as patron only. Lots of listeners have requested its release though, and I think it's also an inspiring and useful dialogue to hear. So at long last, I give you my conversation with @PithyJoe on the merits of bill C-16. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected] Direct Download

After a few small points about the last couple episodes on the hoax paper, we're back to normal here on commentary Thursday! Today's main topic is the CBO score on the new incarnation of the evil AHCA bill. AHCA is, in my opinion, the most important political scandal currently happening. After that is a very difficult voicemail segment, in that there are 3 tough questions with no easy answers. But those are the most important kind! Links: CBO Score on AHCA 2; NPR Breakdown on CBO Score; In Depth Uproxx Article on the Burrito Truck; Google Doc on Portland Appropriation; Academic Paper on Cultural Appropriation Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Last week you heard Eli Bosnick's side of why the 'Conceptual Penis' hoax paper was disingenuous and unskeptical, and today I speak with one of the paper's authors, James Lindsay. James has been a previous guest on the show; he's been someone I have always admired for his intellectual rigor and willingness to back up what he believes and to have the tough conversations. For that much I really, really respect him coming on. But I can't hide my opinion on this hoax. I think it was garbage and it was latched onto unskeptically by people who fancy themselves critical thinkers. I challenge James on the paper and we get to hear his side of it. Today's episode is actually 2 in 1, because after the conversation I reminded James to send me the links corroborating his arguments. When I received them, I was appalled that each description of the scholarly articles he sent was a lazy and ideologically motivated strawman. As such, I emailed him a heads up that I would be going in depth into his sources and describing exactly how he (or maybe Real Peer Review, if that was his source) is either intentionally or just ignorantly misunderstanding these abstracts. I'm incredibly disappointed at this dishonest or careless behavior. If you are going to waltz into a field that ISN'T your expertise and claim that the bulk of it is bunk, it is incumbent upon you to do the research and know what you're talking about. For the sake of transparency, I will paste word for word the sources email James sent me: "Hi Thomas, In all the fuss, I can't remember what I was supposed to send you, but I'll give it a try. Periods are a social construct: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0891243216672662?journalCode=gasa "Doing Gender" (number one cited gender studies paper in the number one journal -- referred to first sentence of abstract): https://campus.fsu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/academic/social_sciences/sociology/Reading%20Lists/Social%20Psych%20Prelim%20Readings/IV.%20Structures%20and%20Inequalities/1987%20West%20Zimmerman%20-%20Doing%20Gender.pdf Donated blood is a social construction: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09581596.2017.1297384?src=recsys&journalCode=ccph20 Scientific method is sexist: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/027753959580031J Alligators teach hegemonic masculinity: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0190272516656620?etoc= Squirrels: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0966369X.2017.1314949?journalCode=cgpc20 Pilates is racist: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/dance-research-journal/article/div-classtitlethe-pilates-pelvis-racial-implications-of-the-immobile-hipsdiv/2CDDDB16BFD648003DCAB3DD0634FF81 Curing erectile dysfunction reinforces hegemonic masculinity: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1097184X00003001004 (we cited this paper in ours) Fat men's penises might not exist, social construction: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1363460716640734 Male lactation can exist through social construction: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2916660 Pregnancy shouldn't be associated with femininity: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10894160.2012.653766 Wikipedia shouldn't demand sources because sexism: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S8755461515000547 STEM syllabi are sexist because focus on facts: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2467&context=tqr Feminists see themselves as activists to infect other fields of study with ideological biases, compare themselves favorably to viruses like HIV and ebola: http://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/generos/article/viewFile/1983/1624#page=78 Feminist glaciers: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0309132515623368#corresp-1 Meanwhile, almost 15000 kids a year are graduating from such programs: https://datausa.io/profile/cip/05/ Also, T&F supports Cogent: http://editorresources.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/introducing-cogent-oa/ " Those are all the papers. In the later half of the episode I discuss the research I did on all of them and how atrocious James's descriptions were. Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected] Direct Download

An embarrassingly unskeptical article appeared in Skeptic Magazine recently featuring a hoax paper published in a Gender Studies journal by two authors: James Lindsay (past guest of the show) and Peter Boghossian. Michael Shermer, the editor of Skeptic magazine, and several major figures in the skeptic movement like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins took the conclusion that Gender Studies as a field has been demolished by this hoax. This is incredibly irresponsible. The hoax paper accomplished no such thing, and Eli is here to explain in depth why. Links: Skeptic Magazine Article Other sokal hoaxes: A US nuclear physics conference accepted a paper written entirely in autocomplete. A trio of MIT grad students created an algorithm that creates fake scientific papers – in 2013 IEEE and Springer Publishing found 120 published papers had been generated by the program. A paper entitled “Get me off your fucking mailing list” was accepted for publication by computer science journal. A 2013 hoax saw a scientific paper about fictional lichen published in several hundred journals. Cogent OA FAQ Lichen Paper published in 45% of DOAJ publishers Gender Studies Journal Rankings Excellent Debunk by Bleedingheartlibertarians Other Excellent Debunk, with Source for Sokal Quote Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

I'm pleased to bring you Dan Arel, of danthropology.net, who is self-admittedly far, far left. While last week had me debating free speech with a more right-wing friendly Michael Shermer, this week I'll be debating from the other side. Dan, in my opinion, is quite extreme in his tweeting and online expression. I do not hide the fact that I disagree adamantly with a lot of what he has said, but I wanted to try to have a conversation because I imagined I might be a bit of a bridge since I agree with him that a lot of the atheist community is enabling the right while pretending not to. The resulting discussion I think was very productive and a must listen! Links: I found the Bill Maher thing, looks like from 2014 and then he changed his mind a year later. I wasn't following him as much back then so that's why I didn't remember. First link, second link. Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

We've reached the point where it might actually be reasonable to talk impeachment. Can we let ourselves get carried away though? I don't know. I've definitely got some thoughts on it for you! Also, I watched Fox News this week and it made me fear for the future of our politics.... But in happier news, Gad Saad was obliterated in the Canadian Senate while testifying about C-16. I play an amazing clip and talk briefly about it. Link below! After that, it's my favorite segment, your voicemails! Republicans Believe Comey Firing Had Nothing To Do with Russia; Presidential Poll Numbers; Great Politifact Article on Potential Indictment; Gad's Full Testimony (The Last 3 Minutes Are Magic!!!) Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

I'm very pleased to be speaking to Michael Shermer this week, someone who has been more on the free speech war side of things, and someone who has said previously that liberals won't dialogue with him. Well, to his credit, he eventually noticed my Twitter chirpings at him and was willing to have a long form conversation about our disagreements. I think there's a lot of room for optimism at the result, so check it out! Links discussed: Overblown Piece on WaPo Advocating Censorship; Study on Racism and Trump Voting; George Mason Study on Dissonance and Party Affiliation; 538 Article on Perceived Discrimination; Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

This might be my magnum opus on the overblown "war on free speech" in Universities. In my research I discovered that, to a degree even further than I thought, Berkeley administration has gone above and beyond in protecting free speech. They were willing to have Milo on campus despite the fact that intended to call out individual undocumented students AND call for the defunding of Berkeley itself. They offered several acceptable times and places to have Ann Coulter speak and she and the groups who invited her refused to comply with them. I go into more detail in the episode. I also discuss some recent studies and what they have to say about this whole free speech thing. I believe I have outlined a nuanced and principled position on this that will likely piss off people on either side of this debate. Give it a listen! Sources: Coulter Withdrew; Milo's Disgusting Attack; Berkeley Chancellor Statement on Milo; Breitbart Article on Milo's Intentions; Milo Riot; Liberty University Policy; Jail Time for Chuckling; Kansas Study on Free Speech Defense; Partisanship Study Keep sharing my video!! Honest Republican Campaign Ad Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Joining me today is Seth Andrews, of the immensely popular podcast The Thinking Atheist! I've long followed Seth's work and have always wanted an excuse to talk to him on the show, but somehow only just now gathered the courage! But Seth is here to talk about something he has seen cropping up recently which is a sort of "inactivism," or people who want to discourage others from speaking up and speaking out about the harmful effects of religion in our country. We get into that and more! Here's the link to the video I played at the end of the show, please please share everywhere you can! Honest Republican Campaign Ad Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

When I saw the news of Obama's $400k paycheck for a speech to a Wall St bank, I posted this reaction on Facebook. The slew of comments that resulted was quite surprising to me. In my view, a lot of liberals are doing some logical backflips to justify Obama's payday, or to obfuscate and divert attention away from it. I think these gymnastics are unbecoming of skeptical people. I hope to add a little nuance to this black and white thinking! White Liberals BS clickbait, Obama Record Setting Book Deal, Obamas Could Earn $200 Million, Obama $2 Million Donation Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Joining me today is Josh Zepps! I first came across Josh's work when Sam Harris and Hannibal Buress had a bizarre interaction on his podcast #WeThePeople LIVE (here's a SoundCloud link). I was impressed with how Josh handled it and have followed him ever since. He has interviewed people like Gad Saad and ACTUALLY challenged them on their narratives. Josh is an impressive thinker and interviewer, and we talk about his broadcasting history (which might not be what you expect!) and about where our focuses are and should be in today's political climate. It's a fascinating conversation on many fronts and I look forward to many more with Josh! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Trump is closing in on 100 days as president, something that he simultaneously has said means nothing but is also important enough to have him scrambling for any sort of policy victory. I'm going to give you the details of two very important pieces of legislation to keep an eye on - that is the new version of the AHCA, and Trump's Tax Reform bill. They're both.... not good. So tune in and find out the details! Definitely check out this site on whose cage to rattle over this terrible healthcare bill!!! Changes to the AHCA, Trump's Tax Reform Bill, ABC News Poll on Obamacare Provisions, Trump's Border Wall, Inciting Incident 100th Episode Live Show!!! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Joining me today is Eiynah! You may know her from her podcast Polite Conversations or from a very active and insightful Twitter account, @NiceMangos. First up we talk a bit about the jarring experience I had of seeing fully burka'd women in Europe and what, if anything, can anyone do about it. Then we talk about the hatred that Eiynah has been the subject of from multiple fronts. Some of the discussion gets a little particular to Twitter. I did my best to make sure Eiynah spelled it out for the uninitiated, but I highly recommend checking out her blog where she is able to spell this out in more detail. Find it here! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

The guest has requested I take this episode down and I'm respecting that request. Apologies.

I support Trump's Syria strike against the Shayrat airfield. That is the punchline of today's episode but I encourage you to listen with an open mind as I go through the reaction to the Syria strike, what different pundits and columnists and congresspersons have said, and why I think ultimately it was a good idea. There's a lot of muddy and motivated thinking going on in our public discourse; I'm doing my best to go where the facts lead. And as always, I'm very open to counter argument! Here are some selected sources: How Many Bombs Obama Dropped on Syria; Breakdown of Senate Support for the Strike; Congress Syria Statements 2013 vs 2017; Blatant Republican Hypocrisy on Syria; Opinion Piece Alleging Liberals 'Cooing' Over Trump; Shadi Hamid Avoiding Fallacies on Syria; Possible Anti-Trump Backlash in Special Elections Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

I'm back from my Europe trip! And it couldn't have come at a more news-heavy time. First I've got a couple quick stories to talk about - Chechnya and Susan Rice. After that I go to the main topic for this show, and unfortunately next show... which is Trump's strike on Syria. This part one involves the backstory, what happened, how we know what we know, and some thoughts on the Putin Trump relationship. Part 2 will be available early for patrons, and it will focus on the reaction to the strike, prominent leaders' opinions on it, and my overall take. Chechnya Concentration Camps Shift In Trump Policy on Assad BBC Piece on What We Know Much more to come in part 2!! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected] Direct Download

Joining me today is Sara Gorman! Sara is a public health expert and author based in New York. She is the co-founder of Critica, a community committed to making rational decisions about health and security. Critica’s mission is to develop and test new methods of advancing public acceptance of scientific evidence and promoting informed health decision-making. Sara’s first book, Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us, was published in September 2016. It looks into the psychology of healthcare decision making and how people draw conclusions about perception of risk. It includes tips for the general public about how to discriminate between valid and invalid science and for public health professionals and doctors on how to communicate with people who don’t believe the best current scientific research. The book and her work have also been cited in articles about how to change people's minds about many other things, including politics. We discuss her book, and the possible lessons we can learn about how to convince people of things they don't necessarily want to believe! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Joining me today is Zach Kiser, a graduate researcher and Director of Policy and Communications for the National Science Policy Group (NSPG)! Zach is here to give us some perspective on just how awful Trump's budget proposal is and how backbreaking it might potentially be to science research in the US. Though Trump touts an America First slogan, this kind of thing is really an embarrassment and puts America behind even by Republican standards. American Association for the Advancement of Science If you're interested in more information or in how to help, contact Zach directly via email here! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

The guest from this episode has requested that I take it down and I'm respecting that request.

Yeah, that excitement didn't last too long. I was scheduled to speak to Dave Rubin at Mythinformation in Milwaukee in September, but despite everything having been agreed to and announced, Dave dropped out due to a previously overlooked scheduling conflict. In light of that, I share some thoughts on what happened, what I tried to do in response, and what the result was. I also looked back through Dave's guest history at his alleged "liberals" he has interviewed to see whether I haven't given him enough credit for hearing opposing views. The answer may, or may not, shock you. After that it's more bad news... I researched the senate races in 2018 and the results are... problematic. Find out just how problematic, and whether there is any hope to hold onto in terms of finally getting some accountability in the Trump presidency. Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

Joining me for the second time is philosopher and now podcaster, Aaron Rabi! Aaron specializes in ethics, and I have questions. I'm fairly certain that our morality ultimately boils down to consequences, for reasons I explain, but not all philosophers see it that way. Aaron and I have a very interesting discussion on what exactly grounds our morals, given that there are problems to be found in every moral system. Does consequentialism ultimately win out, as I have previously opined? Find out! Find Aaron's podcast here! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected] Direct Download

With a heavy news week full of depositions, testimony, odd press conferences and more, today I take a look at some of the evidence of Russia-Trump collusion and what it all means. Ok, what it MIGHT mean... while trying not to descend into full on conspiracy theorist mode. It's not exactly easy. After that, I go into the details of a case Gorsuch decided that perfectly illustrates why the originalist/literalist method of jurisprudence leaves this podcaster cold. Some sources used: Politico Trump Timeline Nicholas Kristof on Trump-Russia Paul Manafort AP Exclusive Greenwald Russia Article Gorsuch Truck Driver Case Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected]

I'm so excited to have Lawrence Krauss on the show today! Professor Krauss is a theoretical physicist and cosmologist who blew all of our minds with his lecture and previous book, A Universe from Nothing. His new book, The Greatest Story Ever Told, takes us back through the history of how exactly we know what we do about our universe. I highly recommend it, and I hope you enjoy the interview even half as much as I did! Check out the new book here! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email [email protected] Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: [email protected] Direct Download