Podcast Episodes
Back to Search168. Daniel Dennett & Gregg Caruso — Just Deserts: Debating Free Will (moderated by Michael Shermer)
Episode 168
The concept of free will is profoundly important to our self-understanding, our interpersonal relationships, and our moral and legal practices. If it…
5 years, 1 month ago
167. Gary Taubes — The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating
Episode 167
For years, health organizations have preached the same rules for losing weight: restrict your calories, eat less, exercise more. So why doesn't it wo…
5 years, 1 month ago
166. Mine! How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives (Michael Heller & James Salzman)
Episode 166
"Mine" is one of the first words babies learn. By the time we grow up, the idea of ownership seems natural. But who controls the space behind your ai…
5 years, 1 month ago
165. John McWhorter — The Elect: Neoracists Posing as Antiracists and Their Threat to a Progressive America
Episode 165
Dr. Shermer speaks with John McWhorter about his new online book on how the antiracism movement poses a threat to progressive America. Shermer and Mc…
5 years, 1 month ago
164. Neil deGrasse Tyson — Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're Going
Episode 164
In this thought-provoking conversation on life, the universe, and everything, Neil deGrasse Tyson tackles the world's most important philosophical qu…
5 years, 1 month ago
163. Helen Pluckrose — Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody
Episode 163
Have you heard that language is violence and that science is sexist? Have you read that certain people shouldn't practice yoga or cook Chinese food? …
5 years, 1 month ago
162. Benjamin Friedman — Religion and the Rise of Capitalism
Episode 162
In episode 162 of The Michael Shermer Show, Michael speaks with one of the nation's preeminent experts on economic policy, Benjamin Friedman, about h…
5 years, 1 month ago
161. Roy Richard Grinker — Nobody's Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness
Episode 161
For centuries, scientists and society cast moral judgments on anyone deemed mentally ill, confining many to asylums. In episode 161 of The Michael Sh…
5 years, 2 months ago
160. Abigail Shrier — Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters
Episode 160
Until just a few years ago, gender dysphoria—severe discomfort in one's biological sex—was vanishingly rare. It was typically found in less than .01 …
5 years, 2 months ago
159. Joshua Glasgow — The Solace: Finding Value in Death Through Gratitude for Life
Episode 159
How can we find solace when we face the death of loved ones? How can we find solace in our own death? When philosopher Joshua Glasgow's mother was di…
5 years, 2 months ago