Serious Inquiries Only

I finish up the Spinoza reading from the Portable Atheist, and then I talk about the awful shooting deaths of three Muslims in Chapel Hill. Is atheism to blame? The post AS110: Chapel Hill Shootings appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

It’s finally time for another edition of the Portable Atheist! This time it’s Benedict de Spinoza! The post AS109: Portable Atheist 4 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

Well you’ve no doubt heard what’s in the news. ISIS is terrible. I discuss some difficult questions involved. Then, since we all went through that ordeal, I give us a nice easy issue: Huckabee’s take on gay marriage! It’s pretty horrendous. The post AS108: ISIS; Huckabee’s Brilliance appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

Joining me in today’s episode is Anonymous Steve, who you might remember from a previous episode. Steve was oddly sentenced to Catholic Mass by a crazy judge in the UK. You may have seen the story making the rounds lately, retweeted by even Ricky Gervais and Richard Dawkins. Here are some links from the show, … Continue reading AS107: Dr. Steve Sentenced to Catholic Mass → The post AS107: Dr. Stev...

I have a few loose ends to tie up with Charlie Hebdo stuff, and then we have a great Patron of the week! This week’s Patron is Wes, and he works in intelligence, which sounds way cooler than it is! Or maybe it is that cool.. The post AS106: A Few Thoughts; Patron of the Week appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

I forgot to announce last week, it has been a year since Atheistically Speaking started! How cool is that! Thanks for everyone’s support and here’s to another great year! Also, second half of the parent panel discussion. Lots more interesting stuff. If anyone has another idea for a panel topic, feel free to throw it … Continue reading AS105: The Secular Parent Panel, Part 2 → The post AS105: The S...

At last, it’s here! The secular parent panel we’ve all heard so much about! This was a ton of fun, and I really appreciate the three panelists coming on to share their experiences as atheist parents in a not so atheist world. Questions we considered were, should we raise our kids with the Santa myth? … Continue reading AS104: Secular Parent Panel, Part 1 → The post AS104: Secular Parent Panel, Par...

I’m very privileged to have listeners all over the world, and one such listener is Stephane, who lives in a small town just outside Paris. Stephane and I discussed Charlie Hebdo from beginning to end, and he taught me a ton about French culture and the mindset behind anti-Burqa laws  and other such things in France. … Continue reading AS103: French Atheist Stephane on Charlie Hebdo → The post AS10...

Today I have some quick thoughts on your comments from the last episode, and then a great Patron of the Week, Adrian! Also, I talked about the terrible stuff that happened with Noah of Scathing Atheist. Here’s the link to the page to donate to the people who helped salvage the situation: http://www.fcnmhp.org/how-to-help/donate/ The post AS102: Charlie; Patron of the Week Adrian appeared first on...

This week was supposed to be the Parenting Panel, but given recent events, I am electing to delay those episodes by a week. In this episode I wade into the mess that is the popular response to the Charlie Hebdo shooting. I take a look at the range of responses and have some thoughts on … Continue reading AS101: Je Suis Ahmed → The post AS101: Je Suis Ahmed appeared first on Atheistically Speaking...

For the second half of our episode 100 spectacular, Tom, Cecil and I discuss this article: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/dalhousie-dentistry-scandal-free-speech-101406801.html This turned out to be quite a contentious debate on free speech. Please let me know what you think of the arguments! The post AS100: Episode 100 with Cog Dis!! appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

This week I have Tom and Cecil, two of my absolute top 100 favorite guests, on to celebrate 100 episodes of Atheistically Speaking! In today’s episode we discuss a variety of impromptu topics, and then on Thursday we’ll have an interesting discussion on free speech. These guys are the best! Thank you all for 100 … Continue reading AS99: 100 Episodes Celebration Week, with Cog Dis! → The post AS99:...

The bulk of this show was actually a very fun Patron of the Week interview, but I also had some thoughts on the suicide of Leelah Alcorn. Her death is incredibly sad, but I hope her words may help others. Clearly we still have a long way to go regarding transgender acceptance, but if you’re … Continue reading AS98: Transgender Acceptance; Patron of the Week → The post AS98: Transgender Acceptance;...

The ReThink prize results are in and they are very interesting. Winners Did they accomplish what they set out to do though? I have some thoughts. Also, general holiday stuff. And this: http://www.ijreview.com/2014/12/223008-smartest-guy-universe-tm-neil-de-grasse-tyson-trolls-christians-christmas/ Please get in touch with me if you’d like to be on a little panel about parenting as an atheist! The...

We continue the discussion with computer expert Michael about the Sony hack. Then, it’s Patreon of the week Katie! The post AS96: Sony Hack Part 2; Patreon of the Week! appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

This week listener and computer expert (imprecise term, I know..) Michael give us a great run down of the Sony hack. I learned a lot from our discussion and I highly recommend listening if you’re curious about the workings of these high profile hacks! The post AS95: The Sony Hack, with Michael appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

You’ve no doubt heard of the awful incidents of the past few days. In Australia, several people were held hostage for hours and two ended up losing their lives. And of course, in Peshuar in a far more horrifying incident, the Taliban killed 141, most of whom were school children. Do these two atrocities committed … Continue reading AS94: Islamism; Patron of the Week → The post AS94: Islamism; Patr...

In this episode I discuss the Senate Report on Torture that came out last week. As you’ve no doubt heard by now, it’s pretty horrifying. But does Sam Harris condone such behavior? According to CJ Werleman, yes. According to Sam Harris, likely not. Here are some links I discussed. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/john-yoo-torture-report-dustbin-article-1.2039758 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-wa...

Bobby C and I continue the excellent discussion. Also, we have yet another great Patron of the week! The post AS92: Former Officer Bobby C on Ferguson, part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

This week I’m joined by Bobby C of No Religion Required. I’m very grateful to Bobby for coming on to give us some insight on what it means to be a police officer. We talk about the NYC case a little as the news broke the day we recorded, but we focus more on Ferguson … Continue reading AS91: Former Officer Bobby C on Ferguson → The post AS91: Former Officer Bobby C on Ferguson appeared first on At...

Atheistically Speaking welcomes to the show an avid listener and fantastic supporter, Marcel! We talked about a wide range of differences between the Netherlands and the US. Turns out they are quite different.. who knew! It was an excellent discussion and provided a really neat look into what it's like not being an American, something I don't have much experience with.

In this episode I revisit some Ferguson stuff in light of your comments. I have to revise something I said last week. Then, I do some Tommentary about comments Ayaan Hirsi Ali made a week ago, as well as an interview Dawkins had. Ayaan Hirsi Ali: What I’m Thankful For Dawkins’ take on sexual harassment … Continue reading AS89: Comments and Tommentary → The post AS89: Comments and Tommentary appear...

Several months ago I gave my initial thoughts on the happenings in Ferguson. Well, as you’ve no doubt heard, the grand jury came back with no charges filed. Also, the evidence has been made public, so it’s time to dive into it. Also, new segment, Patron of the week! I am going to do a … Continue reading AS88: Ferguson Followup → The post AS88: Ferguson Followup appeared first on Atheistically Spea...

Listener Erik sent me a very thoughtful email outlining some thoughts he had on the James Lindsay episodes, especially our brief discussion on privilege. Since Erik comes from a different background, I thought it would be a good idea to get a different voice in on the discussion so it wasn’t just another case of … Continue reading AS87: On Privilege, with Erik → The post AS87: On Privilege, with E...

We finish up the discussion with Jonathan Figdor. Lots of interesting stuff! Then I move onto some commentary about last week’s episodes. Definitely a lot to think about and discuss moving forward. Hopefully I can get some more guests on to represent all sides. The post AS86: Jonathan Figdor, Part 2; Commentary appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .