Serious Inquiries Only

In today’s episode I talk about several very striking examples of misleading headlines that have been created and shared in furtherance of the narrative that the PC police are ruining our lives. When I investigated these news stories though, I found that the truth was somewhat more complex and in many cases the stories were … Continue reading AS297: Are the PC Police Out to Get Us? → The post AS297: Are the PC Police Out to Get Us? appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

I’m joined once again by James Lindsay! James has a new book out with some very useful insights on death. Find it here. The first 20 minutes we talk a bit about the election and the fact that many of James’s listeners are likely Trump supporters, despite James himself not being one. Then from there we … Continue reading AS296: Life in the Light of Death, with James Lindsay → The post AS296: Life in the Light of Death, with James Lindsay appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Time for part 2 with Michael A. Wood Jr! Michael is a retired Baltimore police officer and veteran of the USMC. He originally went viral in 2015 for publicly speaking out against police brutality and has become an advocate for police reform. Part 2 focused on problems in policing and his proposed solutions to them, among other topics! … Continue reading AS295: Michael A. Wood Jr, Part 2 → The post AS295: Michael A. Wood Jr, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today’s guest is Michael A. Wood Jr! Michael is a retired Baltimore police officer and veteran of the USMC. He originally went viral in 2015 for publicly speaking out against police brutality and has become an advocate for police reform. We had a wide ranging discussion, with part 1 focused more on his background and how he … Continue reading AS294: Michael A. Wood Jr, Part 1 → The post AS294: Michael A. Wood Jr, Part 1 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Here is part 2 of my truly excellent recording with Andrew and Eli. We commiserate, we give our answers to a lot of the common questions, we laughed, we feared and I feel slightly better knowing I’ll still have these two amazing people and more to get me through this. I hope everyone else is as … Continue reading AS293: President Trump’s Second Term, with Eli Bosnick and Andrew Torrez → The post AS293: President Trump’s Second Term, with Eli Bosnick and Andrew Torrez appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

It f*cking happened. President Trump. We elected President Trump. The first 12 minutes of this episode are my live reaction from Tuesday night when it happened. It may make you uncomfortable. It’s raw and emotional but it’s how I was feeling. I left it in in case it helps anyone feel less alone in this. … Continue reading AS292: President Trump, with Eli Bosnick and Andrew Torrez → The post AS292: President Trump, with Eli Bosnick and Andrew Torrez appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

On October 25th, the SPLC released this report identifying 15 individuals who they view as anti-Muslim extremists. Some inclusions make total sense, but 2 stood out: Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Maajid Nawaz. Do their claims about Maajid and Ayaan survive scrutiny? Find out. Here are some links I reference: Great Atlantic article Guardian article on Quilliam … Continue reading AS291: What In the World Is The SPLC Thinking? → The post AS291: What In the World Is The SPLC Thinking? appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Got a nice long action packed episode for you today. In what was originally going to be a two parter, Phil Torres and I talk about the simulation argument made popular by Nick Bostrom. I highly recommend you read the original paper and some of the other resources found here. In the second half, I make … Continue reading AS290: Are We Living In A Simulation? With Phil Torres → The post AS290: Are We Living In A Simulation? With Phil Torres appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today we are joined by Michelle. Michelle works with a group that defends abortion rights by volunteering as safe escorts for patients through protestors. Recently some of the tactics the protestors have used are against local laws and local police have not been responsive. We talk to her about the experiences of her and the … Continue reading AS289: Abortion Clinic Escort, Michelle → The post AS289: Abortion Clinic Escort, Michelle appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

I’ve got plenty of interviews loaded up for the coming weeks, so I wanted to get in one final commentary on this election before we vote Trump out of relevance. I’ve got several new thoughts that I haven’t yet expressed in Tommentary form, so don’t worry it’s fresh stuff! I talk about my final verdict … Continue reading AS288: A Final Election 2016 Episode (VOTE!!!) → The post AS288: A Final Election 2016 Episode (VOTE!!!) appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Joining me today is Alonzo Fyfe, who publishes the blog “Atheist Ethicist.” We talk about some really interesting topics including implicit biases and how they’re affecting this election. Alonzo has a theory that, though they might not be aware of it, most people who are anti-Hillary are actually victims of their own implicit biases. We … Continue reading AS287: Atheist Ethics and Implicit Biases, with Alonzo Fyfe → The post AS287: Atheist Ethics and Implicit Biases, with Alonzo Fyfe appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today we are talking to Dr. Robert Price about the historicity of Jesus. Dr. Price is a former Baptist minister and current Professor of Biblical Criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute. He has written and spoken extensively on this topic. In this part 2 we cover the references to Jesus found in Josephus. Find … Continue reading AS286: Dr. Robert Price on Jesus Mythicism, Part 2 → The post AS286: Dr. Robert Price on Jesus Mythicism, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today we are talking to Dr. Robert Price about the historicity of Jesus. Dr. Price is a former Baptist minister and current Professor of Biblical Criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute. He has written and spoken extensively on this topic. In this episode we talk about Jesus as the Mythic Hero Archetype and combination … Continue reading AS285: Dr. Robert Price on Jesus Mythicism, Part 1 → The post AS285: Dr. Robert Price on Jesus Mythicism, Part 1 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

My guest today is Dr. Ken Camargo. We discuss the anti-vaccination movement, the facts about vaccination, and what is behind all the misinformation out there. Ken is an MD with a Master’s and a PhD in public health, a professor and researcher of the graduate program in public health at the Institute of Social Medicine, … Continue reading AS284: Vaccines Are Not Killing Us! with Ken Camargo → The post AS284: Vaccines Are Not Killing Us! with Ken Camargo appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today’s episode is a Tommentary on… Trump. Look I can’t help it, he’s the news right now. I’ve got a few thoughts on Trump’s taxes and his comments on PTSD that may run counter to what you’ve been hearing. Also I speculate on what a liberal version of Trump might look like. Hey come see … Continue reading AS283: The Liberal Version of Trump → The post AS283: The Liberal Version of Trump appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today’s episode might be a bit of a departure but this is a very important topic to me. No matter what your views on the whole social justice divide might be, I am hoping that Tracey’s story of online harassment might make an impact. Tracey is not at all sensitive to male attention online. It’s … Continue reading AS282: How Not To Hit On Tracey Moody → The post AS282: How Not To Hit On Tracey Moody appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

My guest today is Leigh Schmidt. Leigh has a Ph.D. in religion from Princeton and his latest area of study is the irreligious. He has written a book called Village Atheists in which he discuses the history of atheism and looks at specific examples of atheists in US history. His book was the subject of an … Continue reading AS281: Village Atheists with Leigh Schmidt → The post AS281: Village Atheists with Leigh Schmidt appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Dr. Richard Carrier has launched a lawsuit against several parties, including prominent atheists that the listeners will likely be familiar with. You can find the details spelled out pretty well here. I wanted to learn more about these cases in general so I invited legal expert Andrew Torrez on the show to teach us! Stay … Continue reading AS280: Richard Carrier’s Lawsuit, with Andrew Torrez → The post AS280: Richard Carrier’s Lawsuit, with Andrew Torrez appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today we delve even further into the study found here. We talk more about the implications and possible explanations for the ultimate finding, which of course was a strong effect of people evaluating the danger of a situation not based on actual risk but on moral judgment. The post AS279: No Child Left Alone, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

For the next two episodes I bring you a fascinating discussion with two of the three researchers who conducted the study described here. This is the perfect topic for this show because it illustrates how badly our intuitions track the data sometimes. It’s also a critical issue that could affect any of us! I hope you … Continue reading AS278: No Child Left Alone → The post AS278: No Child Left Alone appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

It’s Tommentary time! I’ve got a few brief thoughts on the Sam Harris Hannibal Buress conversation that went off the rails a bit. After that I offer some brief thoughts on some general themes of the overwhelming number of comments I got about the Smalley episode. Then, an impassioned talk about the Kaepernick controversy. That’s … Continue reading AS277: Tommentary on the Harris-Buress Trainwreck, Kaepernick and More → The post AS277: Tommentary on the Harris-Buress Trainwreck, Kaepernick and More appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Tim is back with much, much more on the case for why Jesus was a historical figure! Tim blogs about history here. Here’s an article that I used to try to grill Tim a bit on the counter arguments, for your reference. Here’s the post he specifically mentioned responding to Carrier’s paper. The post AS276: Jesus Mythicism, with Tim O’Neill, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Joining me for a second appearance is Tim O’Neill! Tim blogs about history here. After Tim’s very successful first appearance on the show, many listeners asked for a follow up on Mythicism and Tim was nice enough to oblige! Here’s an article that I used to try to grill Tim a bit on the counter arguments, … Continue reading AS275: Did Jesus Exist? With Tim O’Neill → The post AS275: Did Jesus Exist? With Tim O’Neill appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Listeners will know I’ve been very critical of a particular exchange David had with Andrew, so I feel absolutely obligated to give David the chance to come on the show to provide his point of view. The result is an unedited conversation between the 3 of us. Andrew and I did some commentary afterward on … Continue reading AS274: David Smalley of Dogma Debate and Andrew Torrez → The post AS274: David Smalley of Dogma Debate and Andrew Torrez appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Here’s part 2 of my discussion with Peter Coffin! In this one, we finish up talking free speech and then wade into the topic of his second mini doc. This one is about what created Trump and Peter’s opinion on the marketplace of ideas. Free Speech Video Trump Marketplace of Ideas Video The post AS273: The Marketplace of Ideas, with Peter Coffin appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Joining me for an extensive and wide ranging interview is comedian, youtuber, and satirist Peter Coffin! Peter has been making high quality and thought provoking mini documentaries on youtube recently, which you can find here. The first we discuss is a video that reflects on free speech and whether or not unfettered free speech is possible. … Continue reading AS272: Comedian, Satirist, Weirdo… Peter Coffin → The post AS272: Comedian, Satirist, Weirdo… Peter Coffin appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

I’ve gotten quite a few requests that I comment on David Smalley’s debate with PZ Meyers, so in today’s episode I do just that. Smalley has a message of putting aside our petty differences in service of the atheism movement as a whole. Find the Patheos article here. Find out my take on his post … Continue reading AS271: Living Up To Smalley’s Message → The post AS271: Living Up To Smalley’s Message appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

We’ve got even more of the great discussion between Rondale and Jabari. This time we talk about, in addition to other things, racism as a term and how it is being defined. We also briefly discuss the Ellen Usain Bolt picture and whether or not the pushback was warranted or productive. The post AS270: Rondale and Jabari, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

This week I’m very excited to bring you a discussion between Rondale and Jabari, two black atheists who have differing views on Black Lives Matter and on race in America in general. I also interject a question and comment here and there to keep discussion going as well. I want to give a HUGE thank … Continue reading AS269: Rondale and Jabari on Black Lives Matter → The post AS269: Rondale and Jabari on Black Lives Matter appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

It’s been so long since I’ve been able to do some Tommentarying! I’ve had so many great interviews lately, but today is a chance for me to get my thoughts out on a few issues buzzing around. Rubin has gone even further off the deep end in my opinion, with a climate change denier guest and … Continue reading AS268: Tommentary: Is BLM Trash? Is Ellen Racist? → The post AS268: Tommentary: Is BLM Trash? Is Ellen Racist? appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Andrew Torrez is here to tell you, he was REALLY REALLY close. Andrew takes us through the background politically and through was he views as some mistakes the campaign made that cost Gore the election and maybe America, dearly. Andrew also takes us through the legal intricacies and implications of the election and Bush v. … Continue reading AS267: Just How Close Was Al Gore to Being President? → The post AS267: Just How Close Was Al Gore to Being President? appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Here’s part 2 with Lindsey and her defense of evolutionary psychology against the incredibly critical attack featured on this show several months back. We get into even more interesting territory! The post AS266: Was Richard Carrier Wrong About Evo Psych? appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Some time ago, I had Richard Carrier on to discuss an article he wrote that harshly criticized Evolutionary Psychology as a pseudo-science. Well, at long last, we now get a chance to hear from the other side! Joining me is someone with deep knowledge of the field. A listener named Lindsey! She shares her credentials in … Continue reading AS265: A Defense of Evolutionary Psychology → The post AS265: A Defense of Evolutionary Psychology appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Sarah is back for more! In this episode we discuss her talk for the AHA that went viral, and we debate about whether or not the left is to blame for Trump. The post AS264: Sarah Haider, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Joining me this week is Sarah Haider! Sarah is someone I’ve wanted to have on the show for quite a while. You likely saw her talk on YouTube to the AHA which went viral and became quite a sensation in the atheist community. Sarah also co-founded an organization called Ex-Muslims of North America! In part 1, … Continue reading AS263: Sarah Haider → The post AS263: Sarah Haider appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Joining me today is Tim O’Neil. Tim has a website called History for Atheists (find it here http://historyforatheists.blogspot.com/) But I thought religious people had a monopoly on biased and revisionist history? Well, if Tim is right, and he makes some pretty compelling arguments, then atheists are doing their share as well. Was Giordano Bruno really killed … Continue reading AS262: History for Atheists → The post AS262: History for Atheists appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

A listener named Elizabeth reached out to me offering her perspective on Black Lives Matter vs Blue Lives Matter and the police violence that has been dominating the media lately. Elizabeth talks about having to keep her liberal opinions to herself on the force due to bullying and intimidation, among many other things. She’s able … Continue reading AS261: Interview with a Chicago Police Officer → The post AS261: Interview with a Chicago Police Officer appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Get used to it! That’s what’s going to happen if we screw around and vote third party and all that because we can’t get around our dislike for Hillary. Yes, there are reasons to dislike her. I go into two BIG ones today. But Trump is WORSE. It’s a simple calculation. I make one last … Continue reading AS260: President Trump → The post AS260: President Trump appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Andrew Torrez is back for the exciting conclusion of his 2nd Amendment Masterclass. Everything you need to know in order to speak from a more educated perspective on the 2nd Amendment! The post AS259: 2nd Amendment Masterclass, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

At long last! The great Andrew Torrez is here for part one of his masterclass in 2nd amendment history! The post AS258: 2nd Amendment Masterclass, Part 1 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today I’ve got Andrew Torrez to talk about the Christian Mingle settlement and hi quite awful interaction with David Smalley. After that I offer some commentary on the shootings and related events. The next 2 shows are the promised amazing lesson on the 2nd Amendment, with Andrew. Patrons can listen to that entire recording on … Continue reading AS257: Andrew Torrez on Christian Mingle → The post AS257: Andrew Torrez on Christian Mingle appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Today I’m joined by existential risk expert Phil Torres! Phil wrote a book called The End, in which he detailed out several different ways that humanity might become extinct. Phil has written several fascinating articles for a few different online publications, and he’s here to talk about some of the ideas he has explored in … Continue reading AS256: Super AI and Terrorism, with Phil Torres → The post AS256: Super AI and Terrorism, with Phil Torres appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

I’ll come right out and say it: David Smalley was badly mistaken in his legal analysis of a settlement (find the article here) and when he was corrected by an actual lawyer, he doubled down and got personal and insulting. That lawyer happens to be Andrew Torrez, one of my favorite guests of the show … Continue reading AS255: How To Be Wrong Better → The post AS255: How To Be Wrong Better appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

It’s time for part 2 with Eli and Travis on gun control. After they’re done, I offer a few thoughts on the debate. Thanks so much for listening! The post AS254: Eli vs Travis Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Everyone’s favorite Christian movie critic and Atheistically Speaking master debater, Eli Bosnick, is back at it defending a strong anti-gun position against listener Travis. Atheists actually tend to be quite split on this issue, as made clear by the comments I get on both sides. So, I’m very happy to be hosting a dialogue between … Continue reading AS253: Eli vs Travis on Gun Control → The post AS253: Eli vs Travis on Gun Control appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

First up is some commentary on a common misconception about my Trump arguments. I do not think PC culture is blame to Trump. There’s a comment of disagreement I keep getting that I deal with in the first part of this episode. The second part is an interview with Al Laiman from the Inciting Incident … Continue reading AS252: Commentary; Inciting Incident → The post AS252: Commentary; Inciting Incident appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

Recently a hashtag went viral called #IStandWithHateSpeech. While that might seem to be on its surface a pretty insensitive statement, it perhaps voices a legitimate concern with EU hate speech laws. Here to help us wade through the details is everyone’s favorite legal correspondent, Andrew Torrez! Here’s a news story that describes it a bit: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-1937_en.htm The post AS251: Andrew Torrez on Hate Speech appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

In a world of knee jerk reactions and the desire for easy scapegoats, I hope to bring you some balanced analysis on the shooting. Many different contributing factors coalesce here – Islam, homophobia, homophobia in Christianity, gun control, masculinity. What are we to make of all these? Well, listen in and I hope we can … Continue reading AS250: Thinking Clearly on Orlando → The post AS250: Thinking Clearly on Orlando appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

I’ve got those dirty bastards Tom and Cecil back for more! We talk about whether or not Hillary can get more done than Bernie would have, and whether PC culture has led to Trump. After the dudes are gone I address some of the response I got to the Ania debate over ableist language. It … Continue reading AS249: Tom and Cecil, Part 2 → The post AS249: Tom and Cecil, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

The dudes are back! Tom and Cecil are in the house, and we’re talking everything politics. What do they think about Bernie or Bust? Are they #neverTrump? Also, how do they feel about free college? Find out, and of course, enjoy a heaping helping of profanity and off-color jokes! If you’d like to hear part … Continue reading AS248: Cognitive Dissonance Or Bust → The post AS248: Cognitive Dissonance Or Bust appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.