The Voice of Canadian Humanism

Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe sits down with Gary McLelland and the President of Humanist International, Maggie Ardiente.They discuss how they came to Humanism, the recent Freedom of Thought Report, and the upcoming World Humanist Conference in Ottawa. 

In today's episode, Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe sits down with Todd May, a political philosopher who writes on topics of anarchism, poststructuralism, and post-structural anarchism. More recently, he has published books on existentialism and moral philosophy. Today, they discuss current events, philosophy, and Todd's role as a Philosophy Consultant on the TV show, "The Good Place". 

In today's episode, Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe sits down with the President of Humanist International, Andrew Copson.They discuss current events, past accomplishments with Humanist International, and the upcoming 2026 World Humanist Congress, happening in Ottawa this year!

For this Holiday Special, Humanist Heavy-Hitters Daniel Dacombe and internationally renowned author, Steve Ghikadis, sit down and talk about what it means to be a Humanist these days and share different tips on how to handle particular friends and family during the holidays.

Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe sits down with sociologist and author Phil Zuckerman.Phil Zuckerman is a sociology professor at Pitzer College, where he studied the lives of the nonreligious for years before founding a Department of Secular Studies, the first academic program in the nation dedicated to exclusively studying secular culture and the sociological consequences of America’s fastest-growing “faith.”

Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe sits down with sociologist and author Ryan T Cragun.Ryan T. Cragun is a professor of empirical sociology at The University of Tampa. His research focuses on the nonreligious, Mormonism, and has been published in various scholarly journals. He is also the author of several books.Today, they discuss previous writings, academic author battles, and various secular metaphors.

Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe sits down for another discussion with Daryl  Van Tongeren.Daniel sits down with Daryl again to talk about his new book "Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion", as well as his research on religious disaffiliation and religious residue.Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Frost Center for Social Science Research at Hope College. He studies big questions central to being human, including meaning, religion, and virtues. He has published nearly 250 scientific papers and four books on these themes. He has earned several international research awards and been named Fellow of several prestigious professional organizations. He lives in Holland, MI with his wife, Sara, and he enjoys running, biking, reading, and making his own hot sauce.

Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe sits down with Daryl  Van Tongeren.Daniel sits down with Daryl to talk about his new book "Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion", as well as his research on religious disaffiliation and religious residue.Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Frost Center for Social Science Research at Hope College. He studies big questions central to being human, including meaning, religion, and virtues. He has published nearly 250 scientific papers and four books on these themes. He has earned several international research awards and been named Fellow of several prestigious professional organizations. He lives in Holland, MI with his wife, Sara, and he enjoys running, biking, reading, and making his own hot sauce.

In this episode, Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe interviews Cory Doctorow. Cory is a science fiction novelist, journalist, and technology activist. He is a contributor to many magazines, websites and newspapers, and his novels have been translated into dozens of languages. He is also the one who coined the term, "enshittification". Books:"Little Brother", "Picks and Shovels", "Radicalized", "Red Teams Blues", "The Bezzle", "In Real Life", "Walkaway", "Homeland", "Chokepoint Capitalism".

Humanist Canada's Derek Forgie sits down for a chat with Kate Cohen, a Washington Post columnist who writes about the intersection of culture, family, and politics. Her latest book is "We of Little Faith" from Godine.Join them as they discuss atheism, child-rearing, Santa, and more!

Join Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe for an enlightening conversation with social psychologist and professor Dr. David Speed about the wonderful world of social science research; specifically, the research about atheism and religious nonbelief. What do we know? How do we know it? And what misconceptions about atheism get perpetuated by research that is misguided, mistaken, or based on flawed assumptions? Dr. Speed is a skilled researcher and communicator, and as a bonus takes some time to review the methodological issues in a recent study on nonreligion and self-control so this is a conversation you won't want to miss!

In this episode, Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe sits down with Dr. Hugh Turpin, an expert on Catholic Ireland and its disaffiliation from the church. They'll discuss Ireland's complicated relationship with the Catholic Church, the Pope, and more.

The Naked Pastor - David Hayward is a former pastor, turned artist who explores themes of authenticity and personal freedom through his paintings and drawings. If you’re interested in deconstruction, spiritual exploration, or discovering your true self, you’re invited to join him on his journey. The name "NakedPastor" symbolizes his commitment to expressing the unvarnished truth, no matter how vulnerable it may feel. After leaving the pastoral role, he has spent over a decade creating art and fostering freedom within the community.

Humanist Canada's own Steve Ghikadis sits down with Michael Stuart.Michael Stuart is one half of the Canadian Atheist podcast. Together with his friend Dean, they have recorded well over 200 episodes and counting. The Canadian Atheist podcast has had a number of notable recurring guests, such as Aron Ra, Dr. Josh Bowen, and notorious Christian pre-suppositionlists: Si Ten Bruggencate and Matt Slick. Beyond Micheal’s rough and tumble exterior is an even rougher and more tumble debater, who’s been pitted up against the likes of Darth Dawkins, and a number of flat earthers, climate change deniers, and general naysayers to reality.

Humanist Canada's own Derek Forgie sits down with Riley Yesno.Riley Yesno is a queer Anishinaabe scholar, writer, and commentator from Eabametoong First Nation. She is highly sought after for her words and analysis— called an 'Indigenous powerhouse' by the Toronto Star— she has been a contributor and commentator for some of the largest media outlets in Canada and the world, including the New York Times, BBC World News, The Globe and Mail, and CBC National News. Riley has also traveled the globe speaking at internationally renowned institutions and events, including the UN climate negotiations, the Stockholm Forum on Gender Equality, TEDx stages, and many others. Her major project right now is teaching Indigenous governance and justice at Toronto Metropolitan University, and completing her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, where she studies Indigenous/Canadian politics and is a Vanier Scholar.

This week, Humanist Canada's Daniel Dacombe interviews social psychologist and author Dr. WIll Gervais. Dr. Gervais recently published his first book: 'Disbelief - The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species,' and was gracious enough to sit down and talk about it with us. Based on years of research, Disbelief is a compelling and evidence-based look at how human beings came to be religious, and how some of us came to be secular.

This episode is the first of a series from Humanist Canada’s own Steve Ghikadis. This series, brought to us by the Voice of Humanist Canada, focuses on prominent voices in the Canadian secular humanist community.Today we feature Gretta Vosper. Gretta is an author, activist and ordained minister of the United Church of Canada, a member of Humanist Canada and a self-professed atheist. Her beliefs or lack thereof, caused controversy both within and outside of the United Church. In 2016, following a certain incident, her public statement that the belief in a supernatural God sometimes promoted hatred, led the United Church of Canada to institute an official review of her suitability as a minister. In 2018, Gretta was allowed to keep her position, but under sanctions by the United Church. Gretta is a much loved member of Humanist Canada.

Humanist Canada's Steve Ghikadis sits down with Dale McGowan, an author, educator, podcaster, and philanthropist who has written and edited several books related to living a non-religious life, particularly about interfaith relationships and raising caring curious kids, without religion. He was awarded the title of “Harvard Humanist of the Year”.

"Christian. Muslim. Jewish. Buddhist. Religious. Or not? With a greater number of Canadians than ever before identifying as nonreligious or 'none of the above,' the landscape of belief in Canada is changing rapidly. Understanding these changes can be a challenge, and can leave us with more questions than answers. What do religion and secularity look like in Canada today? How did we get here? And more importantly, where are we going? Join Humanist Canada's host Daniel Dacombe in a 3-part conversation with sociologist and professor Dr. Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme to discuss her book "Religion, Spirituality and Secularity among Millennials: The Generation Shaping American and Canadian Trends," and learn what the science says about our growing nonreligious Canadian identity."In the final episode of this 3 part series, host Daniel Dacombe and sociologist Dr. Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme talk about what comes next for religion and nonreligion in Canada: Gen Z, challenges in predicting future trends, and the critical events that might drastically change the course of the future. Join us for an insightful conversation about the future of secular humanism in our country.