Point of Inquiry
Episodes
Paul Offit: The Fate of Science in an Age of Darkness
04 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
While science was once the force that propelled humanity into an age of enlightenment, a pernicious fear of science and the unknown threatens to plun...
Phoebe Maltz Bovy: Check Your Privilege-Checking
28 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Often when we talk about privilege, we're referring to the systemic advantages some groups of people have over others, by virtue of their race, gen...
Mile-High Violence: Judith Matloff on Mountain Conflict
20 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
People living at mountainous high altitudes account for only 10 percent of the world's population, spread out over roughly 25 percent of the Earth's ...
Tweaking the Travel Ban: Dahlia Lithwick on Trump's Revised Executive Order
14 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump's travel ban aimed at select Muslim-majority countries (with exceptions for Christian minorities) was first framed this past January ...
Lawrence Krauss: Accidental Origins
06 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Fate. Purpose. Design. These are words that hang over many of our heads as we navigate the everyday chaos of life. Religion is often given exclusive ...
The Pains of Justice: David M. Engel on Why Americans Don't Sue
27 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Americans have a stereotype of being somewhat lawsuit-happy. Any disagreements, no matter how small, wind up in court and we will sue the pants off o...
James McGrath Morris on Ethel Payne, First Lady of the Black Press
20 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Every significant turn towards progress has had its trailblazers, and history can easily forget these pioneering individuals who have helped get us t...
Gary Taubes: The Bittersweet Truth about the Dangers of Sugar
13 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Diabetes and obesity are on the rise in America in epidemic proportions, but we don't respond to it with the urgency of an epidemic. Sugar industry l...
Science, Stopped at the Border: Jen Golbeck on Science in Trump's America
06 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The United States leads the world in science and innovation, but there's no guarantee that this will always be the case. The Trump administration's o...
Murder, Chaos, and Cover-Ups After Hurricane Katrina, with Ronnie Greene
30 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ronnie Green is a Pulitzer-winning journalist and author whose latest book is Shots on the Bridge: Police Violence and Cover-Up in the Wake of Katrin...
Extended Mileage in Someone Else's Shoes: Ted Conover on Immersive Journalism
24 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ted Conover is an American journalist and author, known for fully immersing himself in the world of the subjects he covers. Conover writes about the ...
Daniel Dennett: The Magic of Consciousness…Without the Magic
17 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel C. Dennett is one of the most influential philosophers of our time, perhaps best known in cognitive science for his multiple drafts (or "fame ...
Enemies List Redux: Rick Perlstein on the Parallels between Trump and Nixon
09 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
With great power, comes great responsibility, so we are told by Voltaire and Peter Parker's Uncle Ben. It's something we learn anew with each preside...
Should Atheists Celebrate Christmas? Tom Flynn Debates Lindsay Beyerstein
27 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Flynn is Executive Director of Council for Secular Humanism (a program of the Center for Inquiry), as well as a novelist, journalist, and editor ...
Amanda Marcotte on the Trump Transition and the Reshaping of America
21 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
There's no question that Trump and his incoming administration have plans to take the country in a very different direction on a plethora of issues. ...
Embargo for America: Andrew W. Cohen on Smuggling and the Rise of a Superpower
12 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
From the early isolationist policies of George Washington to Thomas Jefferson's universal embargo on foreign trade, 19th century America had no plans...
Michael Berube: The Value and the Virtue of Raising a Child with Down Syndrome
05 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Berube is the Director of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at Pennsylvania State University where he teaches American literature, ...
Only as Bad as it's Ever Been: PJ O'Rourke on American Values, Politics and Culture
28 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're dusting off a favorite Point of Inquiry episode from three years ago: Josh Zepps' conversation with P.J. O'Rourke – humorist, cultu...
The Normalization of Hate: David Neiwert on Trump and the Rise of the Alt-Right
21 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
There's no getting around the fact that the alt-right has come out of the shadows to fully embrace Trump as their candidate. From Steve Bannon to Dav...
Trump's Victory and the Challenge to a Secular America, with Larry Decker
14 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The religiously unaffiliated, also known as the "nones," are currently the largest "faith" demographic in the country. Yet evangelicals beat them two...
Comprehending the Incomprehensible: Samuel Arbesman on Rapidly Accelerating Technology
07 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a digital era in which science and technology have revealed new frontiers never before possible. In developing the complicated technologie...
Halloween Special: Joe Nickell on the Paranormal's Origin Story
31 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Nickell is perhaps the world's foremost investigator of the paranormal, as well as a magician and author, and he joins us for this special Hallow...
Cats and the Domestication of Humans, with Abigail Tucker
24 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The cat. King of the jungle, emperor of the internet, overlord of our homes? Cats are easily among the most adaptable mesopredator, able to survive a...
Trolling Unplugged: Benjamin Radford on the Creepy Clown Craze
17 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Halloween is almost here, and Target stores are pulling clown masks from their shelves. After the creepy clown craze made its way through Europe, the...
Godless Infidels: Leigh Eric Schmidt on Atheism in the 19th Century
10 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Today the United States is the most secular and irreligious it has ever been. According to http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/11/religiou...
Doomsday Dread: The End of Civilization, with Phil Torres
04 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Phil Torres is an author, contributing writer for the Future of Life Institute, and an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Tec...
Editing Our Pasts: Dr. Julia Shaw on The Illusion of Memory
26 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Julia Shaw is a psychological scientist and senior researcher in the Department of Law and Social Science at London South Bank University. She te...
The People vs. the Planet: Barry Vann on the Consequences of Climate Change
19 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Since the beginning of humankind unpredictable forces of nature have been among our most dangerous threats: volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis...
Terrible Food, Small Portions: Andrew Stark on Accepting Your Inevitable Demise
12 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Death is an unsettling thing to come to grips with. We know it is inevitable that it will one day happen to us. One of the first things most of us le...
In the Weeds with Emily Willingham on Medical Cannabis
07 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Willingham is a journalist, scientist, and award winning skeptical blogger, with much of her work centered on autism and debunking junk science...
Faking Your Own Death: Elizabeth Greenwood on Death Fraud
29 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth Greenwood teaches at Columbia University and like many other young professionals she has an insurmountable amount of student loan debt. Wit...
Getting to the Pit of the Bull: Bronwen Dickey on Canines and Conspiracies
23 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Bronwen Dickey is a contributing editor at The Oxford American, and author of Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon. Her writing can also be fou...
Competitive Cupping: David Gorski on Pseudoscience at the Olympics
16 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Those following the Olympics this year may have noticed Michael Phelps sporting circular bruises all over his body. That's because Phelps, like many ...
Faisal Saeed Al Mutar: Facebook and Social Media Silencing
08 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Iraqi-born writer Faisal Saeed Al Mutar is a blogger for the Huffington Post and a columnist for the Center for Inquiry's own Free Inquiry magazine...
Donald Trump's Dirty Laundry, with David Cay Johnston
02 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
David Cay Johnston is an award winning investigative journalist and New York Times best-selling author, as well as one of few journalists who has ...
Wendy Kaminer: Dangerous Spaces for Free Speech
26 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Free speech on college campuses has become a topic of impassioned debate, as the lines between hate speech and harassment, or peaceful protest and pu...
Ali Rizvi: Islam and Identity for an Atheist Muslim
18 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Religions have always gone through transitions over time. Not only do the faiths themselves evolve, but the role they play in day-to-day life adap...
Digitally Aware: David Levy on Mindfulness in an Information Overload
11 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It was only a couple of decades ago that the most complex handheld computing system fathomable was a TI-83 graphing calculator. Technology has u...
Surviving the Beauty Culture, with Autumn Whitefield-Mandrano
28 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Autumn Whitefield-Mandrano is the author of the acclaimed new book on feminism and beauty, Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women's Lives. H...
Invisible Asperger's: Michelle Vines on Late-Life Diagnosis
20 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Vines grew up knowing she was different from other people. She always assumed she was just a bit odd and eccentric but never in a way that s...
Bloody Bangladesh: Michael De Dora on the Attacks on Secularists
13 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Secularist bloggers, writers and LGBT activists are being hacked to death in the streets of Bangladesh by militant Islamic groups. To help us get to t...
Jessica Valenti: The Measure of a Woman's Worth
07 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Author and Guardian US columnist Jessica Valenti is a pioneer of digital-age feminist writing, starting her blog feministing.com"Feministing in 20...
Susan Jacoby on Conversions, Both Profound and Practical
31 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In the literature about religious conversion, embracing a new faith is usually explained as being a profound and magical experience. A flash of light...
Hooked on a Stigma: Maia Szalavitz on Understanding Addiction
23 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Maia Szalavitz is an author and award-winning journalist specializing in science, public policy, and addiction treatment. Most famous of her several...
An Unrecognizable Reformation: Shadi Hamid on Islamic Exceptionalism
17 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Josh Zepps sits down with commentator and writer Shadi Hamid. He's a senior fellow in the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World...
Lies They Told My Mother: Dr. Amy Tuteur on the Moralization of Childbirth
09 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Amy Tuteur is an obstetrician-gynecologist and writer, returning to Point of Inquiry to discuss her new book, Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natu...
Race Car Brains with Bicycle Brakes: Dr. Ned Hallowell on ADHD in a Distracting World
03 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Ned Hallowell is a child and adult psychiatrist, a New York Times bestselling author, and among the world's leading experts in the field of atte...
Single Ladies, Single Longer: Rebecca Traister on the Rise of the Unmarried Woman
26 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
For a very long time marriage was considered a foundation of American life. Adulthood and marriage came hand in hand, and shortly after marriage chil...
The Burzynski Case and the Pitfalls of Medical Journalism, with Tamar Wilner
18 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Medical doctors can hold our lives in their hands. But with great power comes great responsibility, and doctors owe it to their patients to provide ...
Johann Hari: The Beginning of the End of the War on Drugs
13 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week we welcome back journalist Johann Hari, author of Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. Hari is a vocal advocat...
David Silverman: The Relentless Ascent of Atheism
04 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
David Silverman, president of American Atheists, was recently seen on championing the importance of the atheist vote to American conservatives on th...
Surviving Death: Ann Neumann on the Ethical Landscape of Dying
28 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us picture our dying moments as being surrounded by loved ones, uttering last words of gratitude and advice before we slip off into a peacef...
The Odds of Life's Oddities, with Mathematician John Allen Paulos
21 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
John Allen Paulos is an award winning mathematician and best selling author. A professor in mathematics at Temple University, he has written for...
Former White Supremacist Arno Michaelis: Understanding Hate, Overcoming Fear
15 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s guest is former white supremacist Arno Michaelis, author of My Life After Hate. A leader within what he called a “racial holy war," Mich...
The Cunning Art of Con Artistry, with Maria Konnikova
07 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What is it about human behavior that allows con artists to pull off elaborate scams in which they fool thousands? Moreover what is about those thous...
Censorship in the Islamic World, Through the Eyes of Journalist Jessica Davey-Quantick
29 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We know more and more about how repressive attitudes about blasphemy and religious criticism in parts of the Islamic world can become explosive, as ...
Can't Help Helping: Larissa MacFarquhar on Attitudes Toward Altruism
23 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us have no problem operating under the notion that we should do unto others as we would have others do unto us. But what do we make of peopl...
Sex and the Safely Satisfied, with Jaclyn Friedman (Valentine's Day Special)
14 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jaclyn Friedman is a writer, speaker, and sex education activist, challenging misconceptions about what it means to have consenting, satisfying sex....
Robyn Blumner and Ronald A. Lindsay: A Joining of Forces, a Passing of the Torch
08 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The freethought movement has seen two of its most respected and influential institutions combine into what has been called a “supergroup” for se...
Athens' Atheists: Tim Whitmarsh on Religious Doubt in Ancient Greece
01 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In ancient Greece, did everyone unquestioningly believe in the gods of Olympus? Was there no one in classical Athens to write the equivalent of “...
Judaism for Nones: Millennials and God, with Rabbi Mark Wildes
25 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The “nones” are on the rise in the U.S. with 33 million Americans identifying as having no religious affiliation. Atheists shouldn’t get too e...
Avoiding the TRAP: Defending Legal Abortion, with David A. Grimes, M.D.
19 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week Point of Inquiry welcomes Dr. David Grimes, a board certified physician in obstetrics and gynecology and author of the new book Every Thir...
Religious Belief, Naturally Selected - with John C. Wathey
12 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout history, humans have looked to religion to explain why the world is the way it is. Thanks to the development of science, we now have more...
Retconning Christmas: David Kyle Johnson on the Real Reason for the Season
07 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
During the perennial War on Christmas, certain Christians often feel the need to remind the rest pf us what the holiday season is really about. It’...
Islam, Paris, and Polarization - with Michael Brooks
30 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
After the Paris attacks, tensions are running higher than they have in many years over the threat posed by Islamism, how we should talk about it, an...
No, This Podcast is Not About You: David Laporte on the Proliferation of Paranoia
23 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
You don’t have to be paranoid to recognize that privacy isn’t what it used to be. The government can get access to our phone calls and emails, v...
Steve Silberman: Evolving Attitudes Toward Autism
17 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
It used to be that autism was considered to be the result of poor parenting, but starting in the 1930s, it was understood to be a hereditary con...
Mexico's Drug Policy in Flux, with Sylvia Longmire
10 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Is smoking pot a fundamental human right? On Wednesday, November 4th Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that four individuals involved in a private ...
Conjuring Rose: Joe Nickell's Annual Houdini Séance (Halloween Extra)
31 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Most people know Harry Houdini as the world famous magician and illusionist, but in addition to his life as a performer, Houdini was also known t...
Sarah Posner: Trump, Carson, and the Religious Right in 2016
27 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This week Josh Zepps chats about the 2016 Republican presidential primaries with journalist Sarah Posner, a senior correspondent for Religion Dispat...
Taste the Science! - Serious Eats' J. Kenji López-Alt
19 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Myths and pseudoscience do not only apply to the realms of religion, alternative medicine, and the paranormal. One area of our lives in which scienc...
Putting Kids First: Sarah Levin and Ed Beck on Vaccine Laws
12 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
With misinformation about vaccines proliferating among certain groups in the U.S., diseases that had previously been thought eradicated are creeping...
The Mysteries of Parkinson's, with Jon Palfreman
05 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Brains, the means by which we scrutinize our world, are themselves inscrutable, and no more so than when things are going wrong. Just ask our gues...
Trials and Textbooks: Jeffrey Selman on Fighting Creationism in Schools
29 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When the public school board in Cobb County, Georgia, placed a disclaimer describing evolution as “just a theory” (in the non-scientific sense) ...
Keep 'Em Separated: Rev. Barry Lynn on God and Government
21 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
One of the United States’ most prominent and respected advocates for secularism is a reverend, and that of course is our guest this week, Rev. Bar...
Craig Unger on the U.S. and Saudi Arabia: Frenemies 14 Years after 9/11
14 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Last week marked 14 years since the attacks of 9/11, the reverberations of which will certainly be felt well into the future. But for all the impact...
Invisible Catastrophes: Erik Loomis on the Consequences of Outsourcing
08 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Corporate outsourcing is so common in the U.S. that it’s become exceedingly difficult to avoid consuming products made by unregulated and unethica...
The City is Still Drowning: Gary Rivlin on New Orleans Ten Years After Katrina
31 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Ten years ago on August 29, 2005, nearly 80 percent of New Orleans found itself underwater. Over the following months, the New York Times sent it...
Eugenie Scott: Decrypting Pseudoscience
24 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Our very special guest on Point of Inquiry this week is Eugenie Scott, the former director of the National Center for Science Education who has bee...
Bred to Suffer: Paul Shapiro on Animals in Factory Farming
17 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Happy cows and chickens grazing in pastures, we see them plastered all over our milk and egg cartons at the grocery store. While most of us realize ...
Dealing with Distraction in the Modern World, with Matt Crawford
10 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Every year technology produces more innovative ways to entertain us. Everything from Twitter to Candy Crush and from billboards to viral commercials...
Ta-Nehisi Coates: A Country Built on Black Bodies
03 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Point of Inquiry, our guest is Ta-Nehisi Coates, a renowned journalist and celebrated essayist on culture, history, and politics. He’...
Stephen M. Walt: Learning to Live with the Islamic State
28 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
As difficult it is to accept, there may be no loosening of the grip ISIS currently holds over its territory, at least not any time soon. Our guest, ...
Patient Autonomy and Shifting Medical Ethics, with Dr. Barron Lerner
20 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Lindsay Beyerstein chats with medical ethicist Dr. Barron Lerner, author of the new book The Good Doctor: A Father, A Son and the Evoluti...
Radical Nationalism in Greece and the Romance of "No," with Daphne Halikiopoulou
14 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
On July 5th, 2015 Greece said no to a bailout and austerity measures that would have kept them in the eurozone, lending more uncertainty to an alrea...
Taslima Nasrin: A Woman of Courage without a Country
06 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Taslima Nasrin is a world-renowned author and secular activist from Bangladesh. A physician by training, she has written a plethora of novels, poems...
Bangladeshi Blogger Asif Mohiuddin: Attacked, Imprisoned, and Undeterred
29 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This week we welcome Bangladeshi atheist blogger and social activist, Asif Mohiuddin, for a special episode of Point of Inquiry, recorded before a l...
Richard Dawkins: LIVE at the Reason for Change Conference
22 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Point of Inquiry welcomes Richard Dawkins for a special episode recorded before a live audience at the Center for Inquiry’s Reason ...
Overwhelmed by Celebrity Culture, with Tim Caulfield
15 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrities have always played an oversized role in our culture, and there’s nothing new about them using their star power to endorse ideas or pro...
Anti-Abortion Terrorism and Free Speech, with David Cohen
08 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Opponents of abortion have been largely successful in wielding the First Amendment in their fight to protest abortion providers and patients, and ac...
The Benefits of Religion Without the Belief, with Jeff Rasely
01 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Religion is a very comforting aspect of many people’s lives, providing a community of like-minded individuals, as well as more than a little nosta...
Michael Specter on the Gluten-Free Fad
26 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Point of Inquiry, Lindsay Beyerstein is joined by renowned journalist Michael Specter, a staff writer for The New Yorker, to talk about...
Alex Garland: Ex Machina and the Question of Consciousness
18 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Ex Machina, a new film that tells the story of a billionaire programmer who creates an artificially intelligent female robot, is in theaters now, an...
Clearing Up the Calorie: The Science of Nutrition, with Marion Nestle
11 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When over one-third of American adults are obese, it’s no wonder that our culture is deluged with fad diets and alleged miracle supplements. Every...
Advice for the Teenage Atheist, with David Seidman
04 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
There are dozens of bestselling books on spirituality for teens (and many more not on the bestseller list), and many books on atheism as well. But, ...
Peter Singer: Maximizing Morality with Reason
27 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Singer has revolutionized the way we think about morals and values. He’s lead the way in providing evidence for some of the toughest moral con...
The Misinterpretations of the Supreme Court, with Ian Millhiser
20 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week says that the U.S. Supreme Court’s power to interpret the Constitution is so great that they can use it to justify nearly anyt...
Bassem Youssef and Ahmed Ahmed: The Risk and Rewards of Satire
13 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
While Bassem Youssef’s satirical voice has made him widely known as the Egyptian Jon Stewart, merely five years ago Youssef was a heart surgeon broa...
Phil Zuckerman: Those Normal, Upstanding Nonbelievers
06 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Phil Zuckerman is a professor of sociology at Pitzer College, and among the world's leading experts in the growing field of secular studies, with a ...
Realpolitik and America's Conflict with Iran, with Joint Chiefs of Staff Advisor David Crist
30 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. in concert with Germany and the United Nations Security Council are set to result in an agreement on March 31,...