The Podcast For Inquiry

Catherine is a humanist activist, and believes the two go hand in hand. Catherine talks about the inherent tension within the Catholic Social Justice Movement, and her own journey out of Catholicism. She describes the link between Christofascism and Incels (see her  article in Free Inquiry). Catherine's activism today is focused on The Kimberley Project , a Canadian charity dedicated to the preven...

How does one survive in an authoritarian regime, where you are sent away for education if the frame holding a picture of the Dear Leader gets dirty? When no one has enough to eat? Eunju Kim is the author of A Thousand Miles to Freedom, which describes her harrowing escape from North Korea to Seoul. She and Leslie discuss how the Kim dynasty is worshiped in North Korea, much like a God. Eunju detai...

Welcome to the second episode of Leslie's Diatribes, a sounding board for Leslie to fulminate on topics he is passionate about. Today's topic is the Health Ethics Guide , a publication of the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada . Employees in Catholic health care facilities in eight provinces are told to sign this code of ethics every year, and many do so without reading it. Leslie highlights some...

Why do publicly funded Catholic schools exist in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta? Does the government or the Church actually run them? Leslie speaks with Dr. Tonya Callaghan, author of Homophobia in the Hallways, about systemic homophobia in Canadian Catholic schools. They discuss the long struggle to establish Gay-Straight Alliances, the oddly selective enforcement of Catholic doctrine, and th...

What is a tetrapod? What is a homologue, and how does it differ from convergent evolution? Dana answers Leslie's many questions about animal development from embryo to adult, talks about her research on amphibians and axolotls, and how her book, "Dana Digs Dinosaurs", was inspired by the excitement of a seven year old.  Podcast for Inquiry is brought to you by the Centre for Inquiry Canada . Hoste...

Roy Speckardt is the past executive director of the American Humanist Association. He speaks with Leslie about his latest book, Justice-Centered Humanism. Conversation topics include: Roy's journey to Humanism How to get Humanists involved in activism How Humanism leads to Social Justice Environmentalism Sentientism (referencing the PfI episode with Jamie Woodhouse in March 2023) Secularism Podcas...

Do people in the Humanist movement live up to their stated ideals? How does sexism and misogyny persist within Humanist circles? Srishti Hukku has been a humanist activist for close to two decades, and shares her experiences and insights with host Leslie Rosenblood in a personal and penetrating conversation.  Podcast for Inquiry is brought to you by the  Centre for Inquiry Canada . Hosted by Lesli...

Noah Rasheta integrates Buddhist philosophy into every aspect of his life. He talks with Leslie about Secular Buddhism , and they compare and contrast Buddhist teachings with Christian thought and Stoic philosophy. They discuss Noah's book " No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners ", delving into aspects that Leslie heartily agreed with and others that required further clarification for genuine underst...

Steve Ironside is the Ambassador Program Director for Recovering from Religion , an organization dedicated to providing hope, healing and support to those struggling with issues of doubt and non-belief. Steve describes the several services RfR offers free of charge to people trying to reconcile aspects of their lives that may not be fully consistent with their faith. Recovering from Religion hosts...

Marie-Claire Khadij ( FB , IG , Twitter ) was born into a devout Roman Catholic family, and was a practicing Christian for much of her early life. She describes her journey from faith to agnosticism to Humanism, as well as how and why she joined the Canadian Armed Forces - first as a Roman Catholic chaplain, and then as its first Humanist chaplain. Learn more about becoming a Humanist chaplain thr...

Philippa Carter ( @PhilippaCarter ) has her PhD in Religious Studies, is a professor within McMaster's Society, Culture & Religion degree program, and teaches a course called, "What on Earth is Religion?" Yet there is no simple answer to this straightforward question. The conversation ranges from religions to cults, philosophies, creeds, and worldviews, with stops at free expression and secularism...

Jamie is a leading advocate for Sentientism ("evidence, reason, and compassion for all sentient beings") as a worldview and as a global movement. Jamie and Leslie discuss what Sentientism is along with its philosophical, ethical, and practical implications. Learn more through the Sentientism Podcast and YouTube channel, the global Sentientism Facebook community , and on Twitter @JamieWoodhouse and...

In February 2015, Leslie Rosenblood participated in the second Chesterton debate, organized by the Archdiocese of Toronto, arguing against the motion that God should play a significant role in political affairs. Iain Benson, a Roman Catholic legal philosopher and consultant, took the opposing position. The moderator was Lorna Dueck. The debate was rebroadcast on Salt and Light TV and Podcast for I...

Chris Shelton was raised within the Church of Scientology, which he left a decade ago. Since then, he has dedicated his life to helping those seeking to escape coercively controlling environments. Chris explains how all cults use the same playbook to recruit and keep members, techniques to which we are all susceptible. Chris shares how one can avoid falling for the traps they set, and how to recog...

In December 2022, fusion researchers achieved a major accomplishment: more energy resulted from a controlled fusion reaction than was put into it. Allan explains why this is more a symbolic milestone than a sign that commercial fusion is imminent. Allan describes the current state of the art in fusion research, and the many ways fusion differs from fission, the existing nuclear energy technology....

CFIC was invited to give a presentation on Humanism in Children and Women's Rights at the third International Humanism Conference for Social Justice in September 2022. Leslie spoke on Humanism in Children and Women's rights. Today's bonus episode is his speech at the conference. Podcast for Inquiry is brought to you by the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Hosted by Leslie Rosenblood. Produced by Lee Shi...

Dr. Joshua Bowen ( @DJHammurabi1 ) is an Assyriology scholar and author of "The Atheist Guide to the Old Testament". Josh describes his journey from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity to atheism , and what motivated him to write two volumes (so far!) of the Atheist Guide. He and Leslie discuss the Old Testament book of Exodus, and its correspondence to what we know of the time from the fields...

Ashley Esakin is passionate about plants, and provides advice about how anyone - rural, urban, even those who live in apartments - can start their own garden. She and Leslie talk about how seeds both sense and manipulate their environment, efficiency and environmental challenges in modern agriculture (and how they are being addressed), and some common myths and misperceptions about gardening. You...

Phil Zuckerman is a professor of Secular Studies at Pitzer College. Phil describes what the Secular Studies program entails from philosophical, political, and sociological perspectives. Phil is the author of What It Means to be Moral , and he and Leslie discuss how leading an ethical life does not require a religious foundation. Phil is the Executive Director of Humanist Global Charity , and you c...

Bryan Van Norden ( @BryanVanNorden ) is a professor of Chinese philosophy. He and Leslie discuss the six titans of Chinese philosophical schools, along the parallels and differences with various Western philosophies. Bryan makes the case for studying Chinese philosophy in a world full of fascinating topics to learn about, and argues for incorporating a more diverse set of philosophical thought int...

David Robert Grimes ( @drg1985 ) is a scientist and author of Good Thinking (The Irrational Ape in Europe and UK). David and Leslie talk about the centrality of critical thinking to human flourishing, and the many, many ways intuitive heuristics can mislead us. And yet, with training and diligence, we can overcome our biases, motivated reasoning, and logical fallacies to create the technologies th...

Dr. Joseph Voros has been a professional futurist for over two decades. He and Leslie discuss what futures studies is, and the challenges in recognizing successful efforts that prevent catastrophes. Dr. Voros describes the difference between probable, plausible, and possible futures, how to classify them and what we can do to increase the probability of bringing about a future that we (and our des...

Jasveen Brar is the Executive Director of Youth Climate Lab , a "non-profit organization of youth mobilizing youth to create just, climate-resilient futures." Jasveen explains why her organization focuses on people under 30, their accomplishments to date, and what they are planning for the future. She and Leslie also talk about the role of the individual, municipalities, and governments around the...

Thomas Westbrook ( @holykoolaid ) was brought up as an evangelical Christian. Upon learning that truth should be able to withstand scrutiny, he eagerly looked at the tenets of his faith with a critical lens… and found it wanting. After realizing that science explained the world in a much more coherent manner than religion, he started his enormously popular Holy Koolaid YouTube channel and website...

Welcome to the first of an ongoing occasional series of bonus material for Podcast for Inquiry subscribers. Leslie's Diatribes will be a sounding board for Leslie to fulminate on topics he is passionate about. Today's topic is vaccine patents. Covid-19 vaccines have saved tens of millions of lives globally - but the decision of governments to grant patents to pharmaceutical firms for research that...