Serious Inquiries Only

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 →...

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...

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 f...

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 Mood...

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 Athei...

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 → Th...

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 Alon...

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,...

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?...

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: Davi...

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… Pet...

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 Messag...

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 Jaba...

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 Tras...

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? →...

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 AS26...

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 Ath...

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...

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 →...