Podcast Episodes

Are We Alone? Martin Rees on Aliens, The Fermi Paradox & The Fate of Humanity

Episode 532

What can a lifetime of scientific discovery teach us about the universe—and ourselves? In this wide-ranging conversation, Michael Shermer sits down with Lord Martin Rees, renowned cosmologist, astrop…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

The True Cost of Conviction

Episode 531

When you are faced with a decision, do you consider the best outcome, or do you consider your deepest values about which actions are appropriate? Steven Sloman contrasts these two primary strategies …

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Debra Soh and Michael Shermer at FreedomFest 2025

Episode 530

Michael Shermer in conversation with Debra Soh at FreedomFest 2025 in Palm Springs, CA.

Video courtesy of FreedomFest. Additional FreedomFest videos can be viewed on CiVL.

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Douglas Murray on Hamas, Iran, and the Collapse of the Two-State Solution

Episode 529

Drawing from intensive on-the-ground reporting in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, Douglas Murray places the latest violence in its proper historical context. He takes listeners on a harrowing journey thro…

Published on 2 months ago

Can Politics and Truth Coexist?

Episode 528

Do any of us really care about truth when it comes to politics? Should we? In a world of big lies, denialism, and conspiracy theories, democracies are experiencing two interlocked crises: a loss of c…

Published on 2 months ago

Michael Egnor X Christof Koch X Michael Shermer | A Debate on the Mind, Soul, and the Afterlife

Episode 527

A debate on the mind, soul, consciousness, and the afterlife.

Michael Egnor, MD, is Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. He receiv…

Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago

The Science Behind Menopause

Episode 526

When award-winning science writer Amy Alkon was blindsided by her first hot flash, it kicked off a cascade of symptoms—drenching night sweats, insomnia, and a rage she couldn’t explain. But what shoc…

Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago

Andrew Doyle: Trapped Between Woke Dogma and Right-Wing Populism

Episode 525

What began as a call for justice has, in many cases, become an engine of conformity. In this searching conversation, Andrew Doyle (author, satirist, and cultural critic) joins Michael Shermer to unpa…

Published on 2 months, 4 weeks ago

The Myths of American Capitalism Explained

Episode 524

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, capitalism has unleashed unimaginable growth in opportunity and prosperity. And yet, at key points in American history, economic disruption has led to a g…

Published on 3 months, 1 week ago

The Big Bang Wasn’t the Beginning? Exploring Cosmic Origins

Episode 523

By most popular accounts, the universe started with a bang some 13.8 billion years ago. But what happened before the Big Bang? And how do we know it happened at all?

Cosmologist Niayesh Afshordi and …

Published on 3 months, 1 week ago