Serious Inquiries Only

This week Jonathan Figdor joins us to discuss a multitude of topics. First up, he’s promoting a new book, Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart. That can be found on Amazon or on the home page here : http://www.atheistmindhumanistheart.com/ Also at that link you can find info on his ReThink prize! It sounds really cool and I’m thinking … Continue reading AS85: Jonathan Figdor → The post AS85: Jonathan Figd...

Continued discussion on discussion. We maxed out the time, so I’m going to have to address comments and give more thoughts on a later date. Thanks for the many good comments on this topic! The post AS84: James Lindsay, part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

This week I have James Lindsay on the show, @goddoesnt on Twitter, to discuss the recent shitstorm that resulted from Peter Boghossian’s tweets. This is a chance to talk at a deeper level about what’s going on when these shitstorms happen. Does the phrase “gay pride” make sense? If so, is it the most effective … Continue reading AS83: Category 5 Shitstorms, with James Lindsay → The post AS83: Cate...

Lydia returns! You likely have seen the video going around featuring a model being catcalled hundreds of times throughout New York. I’ve mentioned before my stance on catcalling and how absolutely idiotic it is. Lydia joins me as a repeated victim of catcalling to talk about it and how it makes women feel. Important stuff … Continue reading AS82: Catcalling with Lydia (and Actual Cats) → The post...

Today I have listener Ben on, who is of course much more than simply an ex-Muslim, but having an episode named “Ben” seemed weird. Ben had a great comment on the site about the Affleck/Maher debate, and seeing as how his background is a lot different than mine, I wanted to have him on to … Continue reading AS81: Conversation with Ex-Muslim, Ben → The post AS81: Conversation with Ex-Muslim, Ben app...

I’m continuing where I left off from Hobbes’s Leviathan chapter, Of Religion. Very interesting stuff! The post AS80: The Portable Atheist, Part 3 (cont.) appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

We’re back to our Portable Atheists studies! I love these! This time, we’re reading Of Religion by Thomas Hobbes, from his book called Leviathan. It’s very fascinating, and brilliant of course. Tune in and hear my summary and analysis! Also, I discuss a couple comments about the pro-life debate. Since I asked specifically for comments regarding … Continue reading AS79: The Portable Atheist, Part 3...

In this episode I’m revisiting some of the Islamophobia ideas. This time I’m reading some new articles and blog posts about the subject. Here are some links: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119898/bill-maher-ben-affleck-islam-debate-there-no-muslim-world http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2014/10/reza-aslan-on-what-the-new-atheists-get-wrong.html http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/on-the-mechanics-of...

Please note that CJ is not actually on this episode. He’s been a guest several times before but this time I wanted to talk about what’s happening with him, and not have him in the proverbial room. He has been very vocal about his dislike of Harris’s views, as seen in this video: And now … Continue reading AS77: Observations on CJ Werleman → The post AS77: Observations on CJ Werleman appeared first...

In this episode I talk way too long about this article: http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/there-is-nothing-brave-about-suicide/ It’s very relevant to topics we’ve discussed recently. Apparently there are people who think you owe it to someone to stay alive in the face of terrible suffering. I’m sure if they were being tortured or something they would never want to have the … Continue reading A...

Today I have the executive director of http://www.prolifehumanists.org, Kristine! Oftentimes it seems as though atheists are 100% pro-choice, but Kristine is here to represent the other side. She contends that there are perfectly reasonable secular arguments to be pro-life. I’m really excited to get into these arguments! The post AS75: Pro-Life Humanist, Kristine Kruszelnicki appeared first on Ath...

On this episode I first discuss the Ben Affleck Sam Harris Bill Maher video that has made some waves. Here’s a link: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/can-liberalism-be-saved-from-itself Then, I spend a lot of time going back on the circumcision discussion from Monday. I received a ton of comments and unfortunately couldn’t get to them all, but I went through a … Continue reading AS74: Holy Codif...

I’m joined today by Sarah from The Whole Network. This organization wants to provide accurate information about circumcision. Is it just as bad as FGM? Are Americans culturally blinded about this issue? Find out! https://www.facebook.com/WholeNetwork Thanks to @helpfulatheist3 for bringing this issue to my attention! The post AS73: Circumcision Vs. FGM appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

The three of us continue the discussion. Thanks so much for all the positive reaction to these episodes! Talking about this stuff is very difficult but it will become easier the more people talk openly about it. Big thanks to Steve and Jake. The post AS72: Anonymous Steve and Jake Farr-Wharton on Suicide, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

This episode is exactly what it sounds like. Listener Anonymous Steve, whose has made appearances on the Skepticule podcast, contacted me after the episode with Jake previous, regarding depression and suicide. Steve considers himself suicidal. This was a difficult episode but was an incredibly unique experience and hopefully good will come out of it. The post AS71: Anonymous Steve and Jake Farr-Wh...

The topic of sexism in atheism has warranted another episode. There was a huge response from Monday, and a huge range of response as well. I discuss a lot of the comments and emails I got, as well as the following blog post: Is Sam Harris Sexist? The post AS70: Sexism in Atheism appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

Sam Harris made some comments that feminists did not take kindly to. Here’s a link to his explanation: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/im-not-the-sexist-pig-youre-looking-for I think there are some troubling points to his commentary, and here are some critics: http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2014/09/12/sam-harris-is-just-factually-wrong-globally-atheism-has-no-gender-split/ http://freethought...

Well here we are for part 2. It’s like part one, but twoer. The post AS68: Cognitive Dissonance on Atheist Celebrities, Part 2 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

Tom and Cecil are back! Talking with these guys is the absolute most fun. They are such a great blend of humor and insight! This time we’re discussing the phenomenon of atheist celebrities. We rehash a bit of the Dawkins Twitter stuff simply because it’s germane to the discussion, but we also go on to … Continue reading AS67: Cognitive Dissonance on Atheist Celebrities, Part 1 → The post AS67: Cog...

Tracey and I have a lengthy discussion on abortion. Despite both being pro choice, there is still quite a lot of gray area that is very interesting to discuss. Then of course, there’s always Richard Dawkins to spice things up. Is it ethical to abort a fetus that has a high chance of Down’s Syndrome? … Continue reading AS66: Abortion with Tracey Moody → The post AS66: Abortion with Tracey Moody app...

Part 2 of The Portable Atheist features Omar Khayyam. Poet, astronomer, mathematician, husband, lover, rotary member, blood donor, etc. Omar had it all. He was a multifaceted Iranian who lived around 1050ish to 1150ish. Then I discuss 3 comments at length. One of them has a corresponding link. Here is that link. This is not … Continue reading AS65: The Portable Atheist, Part 2, and More → The post...

Can’t really put it any more plainly than that. But FIRST, I have a long and uninteresting story about being Comcast free at last! I’ve gone through some decently big life changes and you get to hear about them for 20 minutes! (fast forward to 20:00ish if you want to skip straight to discussion on … Continue reading AS64: Stealing Private Nude Photos is a Sex Crime → The post AS64: Stealing Privat...

Jake joins me to discuss a topic very near and dear to him. Jake lost his grandfather some years back in a slow and undignified process. His grandfather had been a vocal supporter of the right to die with dignity so his being denied that right was particularly difficult for Jake.   The post AS63: Euthanasia with Jake Farr-Wharton appeared first on Atheistically Speaking .

We have a very special guest on today’s show! Lydia joins me to start on a long journey through the history of Christianity. We’ll be working through the book A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years which I heard Christopher Hitchens recommend in a debate video. Lydia brings the research and I’m sure I bring … Continue reading AS62: History of Christianity, Part 1 → The post AS62...

Lots to talk about this episode! Catching up on listener comments and reexamining some of the major stories of recent times. It has been quite the depressing month of news. Cool new segment coming up on Thursday, and an exclusive interview with Tracey Moody coming up on Bonus Content! Better sign up at http://patreon.com/atheist ! The post AS61: Tommentary Time appeared first on Atheistically Spea...