Podcast Episodes
Back to Search238. Brian Klass — Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How it Changes Us
Episode 238
Does power corrupt, or are corrupt people drawn to power? Are entrepreneurs who embezzle and cops who kill the result of poorly designed systems or a…
4 years, 4 months ago
237. David Wengrow on The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
Episode 237
For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike — either free and equal innocents, or thuggish and warlike. Civilizat…
4 years, 4 months ago
236. Fernanda Pirie on The Rule of Laws: A 4,000-Year Quest to Order the World
Episode 236
Rulers throughout history have used laws to impose order. But laws were not simply instruments of power and social control. They also offered ordinar…
4 years, 4 months ago
235. Thomas Sowell: The Life and Work of the Legendary Social Theorist (Jason Riley)
Episode 235
Shermer speaks with Jason Riley about Maverick — the first-ever biography of Thomas Sowell, one of the great social theorists of our age. In a career…
4 years, 4 months ago
234. Matt Ridley on the search for the origin of COVID-19
Episode 234
A new virus descended on the human species in 2019 wreaking unprecedented havoc. Finding out where it came from and how it first jumped into people i…
4 years, 4 months ago
233. Goodbye Pat Linse, Skeptic Co-founder and My Best Friend…
Episode 233
Michael Shermer shares his thoughts on life and death, in an emotional remembrance of his friend and business partner of 30 years, Pat Linse (1947–20…
4 years, 4 months ago
232. Amishi Jha on Learning How to Pay Attention to Your Attention
Episode 232
Research shows we are missing 50 percent of our lives because we aren't paying attention. Many of us often feel mentally foggy, scattered, and overwh…
4 years, 5 months ago
231. Jason Hill on What White Americans Owe Black People
Episode 231
In this conversation with Jason Hill based on his book What do White Americans Owe Black People? Racial Justice in the Age of Post-Oppression, Sherme…
4 years, 5 months ago
230. Bart Ehrman — Did the Christmas Story Really Happen? The Birth of Jesus in History & Legend
Episode 230
Michael Shermer speaks with renowned biblical scholar and historian, Bart Ehrman, about: how we know Jesus existed and was crucified; how these quest…
4 years, 5 months ago
229. Fritjof Capra on Patterns of Connection: Is there a Tao of physics? Is life a web? Is humanity at a turning point?
Episode 229
Michael Shermer speaks with scientist, educator, activist, and accomplished author, Fritjof Capra, about the evolution of his thinking over five deca…
4 years, 5 months ago