Penn Jillette

speaker

2,353 appearances 2 recordings 1 series first heard Jan 2026 last heard 14 Jan

Penn Jillette’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

Trend

recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 2 in all, peaking in Jan 2026 with 2.

Appearances

newest first · ▶ plays the moment

The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan · Penn Jillette | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan · 14 Jan 2026 podcast

Okay.

Atheist answers the theological question, and agnostic answers the epistemological question.

Okay.

So agnostic says, I don't think things can be known.

And then atheist says, this is what I believe.

Okay.

So I am certainly agnostic.

One hundred percent.

I don't think it can be known, as my friend Christopher Hitchens used to say, I don't know, but I don't think you do either, which is the important next step, right?

I see.

You're talking to a priest and you say, you know, I don't know, but neither do you.

So the question is, what is your default setting?

We don't know, but in the absence of any information, do I actively believe?

And if you don't actively believe, the term is atheist.

Now, I'm being very pedantic and unpleasant about this.

The way it's used colloquially is very, very different.

Agnostic is usually considered to be just atheist light, but...

For me, it's a very important philosophical thing.

I don't know, so I don't actively believe.

So, you know, to use an absurd example, you know, I can't prove to you there aren't elves that live in my toaster, but until I see some evidence, I'm not believing that.

Showing 1301–1320 of 2,353 · page 66 of 118