The Michael Shermer Show

Lionel Shriver on Immigration, Religion, and the Decline of the West

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Shermer sits down with novelist and essayist Lionel Shriver for a wide-ranging conversation about what happens when old political labels stop ...

The Biggest Blind Spot of the Climate Movement: Nuclear Energy

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Zion Lights used to be deep inside the environmental movement: protests, arrests, road blockades, the whole thing. Then she started looking closely at...

DOGE, Government Fraud, and AI Audits

14 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremy Jones joins Michael Shermer to talk about DOGE AI, government fraud, and the strange reality that some of the biggest problems in public life a...

Heretics: The Scientists Who Were Mocked But Later Proven Right

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some world-changing ideas get ignored, attacked, or buried for years before anyone takes them seriously? Michael Shermer sits down with The Eco...

Shermer Says 7: Responding to Fan Mail … "Who Was Jesus?"

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Shermer responds to a remarkable letter from a group of eighth graders at a Christian school in Texas who say they've been praying for him and...

Why the Same Childhood Doesn't Affect Everyone the Same Way

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, developmental psychologist Jay Belsky has focused on one of the biggest questions in human development: how do early experiences shape th...

Who Gets to Edit Culture? Sensitivity Readers & Censorship in Book Publishing

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Publishing likes to imagine itself as a marketplace of ideas with a strong immune system: good arguments win, bad ones fade, and editors act as princi...

Filming Corey Feldman & "Corey's Angels": The Weird World Behind the Curtain

21 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Documentary filmmaker Marcie Hume (BBC alum; Magicians: Life in the Impossible) joins Michael Shermer to talk about her new verité film Corey Feldman...

Can a Skeptic Believe in God?

15 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Christopher Beha grew up Catholic in Manhattan, walked away during the New Atheist era, and spent years trying to build a secular worldview sturdy eno...

Shermer Says 6: Jeffrey Epstein and Me

07 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Shermer recounts the moment he discovered his name in the Jeffrey Epstein files and uses it as a jumping-off point to tell a few unforgettable...

The Evolutionary Roots of Love, Sex, and Jealousy

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Why do people risk everything for love but treat sex like it's no big deal? Why is intimacy the most expensive thing in a brothel? And why do jealousy...

Truth Still Matters (And Here's Why)

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Michael Shermer walks through the core ideas behind his new book Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters, breakin...

Shermer Says 5: What Went Wrong in Minnesota? Protests, Panic, and Personal Responsibility

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this solo episode of The Michael Shermer Show, Michael Shermer responds to the shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old healthcare worker who was kil...

Government Transparency & UFOs: Inside Military Programs and Classified Briefings

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Shermer sits down with attorney and bestselling author Kent Heckenlively for a tense, thoughtful, and surprisingly cordial conversation about ...

The Hardest UFO Cases to Dismiss: Something Is Flying Around and We Don't Know What It Is

18 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Michael Shermer talks with filmmaker James Fox, whose work has helped push UFOs, now often called UAPs, out of the tabloid shadows an...

Why Survival Isn't Enough: The Deep Human Need to Matter

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if the deepest human drive isn't happiness, survival, or even love, but the need to matter? Philosopher and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca Newberger Go...

Shermer Says 4: Venezuela, ICE in Minnesota, UFOs & UAPs, and Social Norms Around Single-Sex Spaces

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this unscripted solo episode, Michael Shermer reflects on a dizzying start to the year and what it reveals about truth, power, and public judgment....

Mental Health: More Diagnoses, Fewer Answers?

10 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if the way we approach mental health is quietly making things worse? Psychiatrist and psychotherapist Sami Timimi joins Michael Shermer to examin...

What Makes You "You" When Everything Is Just Atoms?

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What is consciousness, really? Why does it not simply switch on at a single moment? Neuroscientist Niko Kukushkin explains how even single cells can s...

Rethinking the Discovery of DNA

03 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Francis Crick is best known as one of the figures behind the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA, but the familiar story leaves out as much...

How One Black Man Dismantled the KKK, One Conversation at a Time

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when someone believes you shouldn't exist? Daryl Davis didn't protest. He didn't shout. He sat down, asked questions, and kept showing ...

The Collapse of Open Inquiry: Sacred Victims and Forbidden Questions

28 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Open inquiry depends on the ability to ask uncomfortable questions and follow evidence wherever it leads. Eric Kaufmann argues that this norm is now u...

The Future of Brain Implants: Restoring Speech, Regaining Mobility, Treating Pain

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brain-computer interfaces are moving out of the lab and into real medical use. In this episode of The Michael Shermer Show, Michael Shermer talks with...

The Original Alien Craze: When People Believed in Martians

20 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At the turn of the 20th century, millions of Americans, including elite scientists, major newspapers, and cultural icons, were convinced that Mars was...

How AI Sees Science Differently Than We Do

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if the great discoveries of science came in the "wrong" order? The Laws of Thermodynamics were discovered well after the creation of algebra, cla...

Can You Spot a Killer? The Dangerous Fantasy of Criminal Profiling

13 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Criminal profiling promises certainty in the face of horror: this is what a killer looks like, this is how they think, this is how we stop them. But w...

Why Wars Last Longer Than Experts Predict

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly two centuries, international relations have been premised on the idea of the "Great Powers." As the thinking went, these mighty states—th...

The Emergent Mind: From Ant Colonies to Human Thought to Artificial Intelligence

06 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Michael Shermer Show, Michael sits down with two giants of mind and machine science: Jay McClelland, one of the founders of mod...

Are We Meant to Leave Earth? Why Humanity May Have No Choice but to Go to Space

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Astrobiologist Caleb Scharf joins Michael Shermer for a wide-ranging conversation about the past, present, and future of our relationship with space. ...

Cosmology, Creation, and the Evidence for God

29 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Michel-Yves Bolloré lays out his case for why modern cosmology, fine-tuning, and the limits of materialism point toward a creator. D...

Why Eastbound Flights Are Faster, and Other Strange Things About Wind (Simon Winchester)

22 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever thought about the science and history of … wind? In this episode, Simon Winchester explains why eastbound flights are usually faster t...

Logic, Creativity, and the Limits of AI: How Humans Think in Ways Machines Never Will

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Angus Fletcher explains why the human brain doesn't work like a computer and why our deepest strengths come not from logic or data pr...

The Psychology of War: Could YOU Make a Moral Choice in Wartime?

16 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

War begins in the human mind long before it unfolds on the battlefield. In this episode, Michael Shermer sits down with Nicholas Wright, a neurologist...

Tribes, Teams, and Cults: How Groups Shape What We Believe

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do smart people join dangerous cults, follow bad leaders, or stay silent when they know something's wrong? In this episode, Michael Shermer talks ...

Shermer Says 3: Weird Experiences, the Meaning of Dreams, and What Mark Twain Knew About Reality

08 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Michael Shermer explores anomalous experiences through personal anecdotes and historical examples. He reflects on how to balance heal...

A Former Spy Explains How AI is Changing Espionage

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A former senior intelligence officer explains how espionage is evolving in the age of AI and amid rising global tensions with China, and why the mass ...

Did Lost Civilizations Really Exist? An Archaeologist Explains

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Archaeologist Ken Feder sheds light on how archaeology separates evidence from wishful thinking and entertaining storytelling. He explains what rock a...

Charles Murray: Why I'm Taking Religion Seriously

25 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Shermer sits down with Charles Murray (author of The Bell Curve, Coming Apart, and now Taking Religion Seriously) for a riveting 100-minute co...

The Myth of Human Exceptionalism: Why Humans Aren't as Special as We Think

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Harvard primatologist Christine Webb challenges one of our deepest beliefs: that humans stand apart from the rest of nature. She trac...

Shermer Says: Why Secularists Are Turning to Religion, The Substitution Hypothesis, Sleep Paralysis

18 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are we entering a Fifth Great Awakening—a cultural swing back toward religion? An increasing number of books and articles are calling for a religiou...

The Serial Killer Era of the 70s/80s: Lore, Patterns, and Plausible Explanations

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pulitzer-winner Caroline Fraser maps the lives and crimes of Ted Bundy and his infamous peers—the Green River Killer, the I-5 Killer, the Night Stal...

Shermer Says: Debate Skills, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Autism, Vaccines, ANTIFA, Bari Weiss & CBS News

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

First installment of our new series Shermer Says.  Topics covered: Debate Skills Nobel Peace Prize 2025 Autism & Tylenol COVID Vaccines & Myocarditi...

When Rationality Becomes Irrational

11 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For many decision scientists, their starting point—drawn from economics—is a quantitative formula called Rational Choice Theory, allowing people t...

The Science of Revenge: Why Getting Even Feels So Good

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we crave revenge? And why can't we stop? In this episode, James Kimmel explains the neuroscience behind one of our most destructive urges. Draw...

Why No One Thinks They're in a Cult

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What really defines a cult—and why do smart, well-intentioned people get caught up in them? In this episode, Michael Shermer sits down with cult int...

Was Benjamin Franklin America's First Scientist?

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Shermer sits down with economist and Franklin descendant Dr. Mark Skousen to explore the wit, wisdom, and modern relevance of Benjamin Frankli...

COVID-19: What We Learned (and Didn't) About Masks, Lockdowns, and Vaccines

27 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic was a devastating global event, killing more than seven million people, straining the fabric of societies, and shaking the found...

The Power of Common Knowledge: Steven Pinker on Language, Norms, and Punishment

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Common knowledge is necessary for coordination, for making arbitrary but complementary choices like driving on the right, using paper currency, and co...

Jim Lampley on Hosting the Super Bowl, Calling Tyson's Fights, and His Friendship with O.J.

20 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Lampley's story is a 50-year travelog of an unlikely career that catalogs the evolution of sports television—from his emergence as the first sid...

The Assassination of Charlie Kirk: Shermer Reflects on Political Violence

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this solo commentary, Michael Shermer reflects on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and places it in the larger context of political violence, the ...

The Fate of Nations: Why Ignoring Human Nature Dooms Politics

13 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science writer Nicholas Wade explains how human nature continues to shape—and sometimes destabilize—modern civilization, and argues that ignoring ...

How to Protect Children from Social Media and AI

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Parenting today often feels like an uphill battle, with technology invading every corner of our kids' lives. From the rise of social media addiction t...

The Future of Space Exploration Amid NASA Mission Shutdowns

06 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Michael Shermer Show, Michael Shermer interviews Alan Stern, a prominent planetary scientist and astronaut. Stern discusses his...

Why Do Humans Speak?

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a radical new story about the birth of our species, evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman argues that it was not hunting, fighting, or tool-maki...

Depopulation: The Silent Global Emergency

30 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Dean Spears explains the forces driving global population change, from past fears of overpopulation to today's concerns about declining birt...

Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Because brainwashing affects both the world and our observation of the world, we often don't recognize it while it's happening―unless we know where ...

How Foreign Governments Influence U.S. Universities

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In an era of globalized education, where ideals of freedom and inquiry should thrive, an alarming trend has emerged: foreign authoritarian regimes inf...

Can We Prevent Aging? Eric Topol on Genes, Lifestyle, and AI in Healthcare

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this conversation, Michael Shermer and Dr. Eric Topol discuss the realties of aging, with particular focus on the role of AI in enhancing patient c...

Is Nuclear Energy Our Best Shot at Saving the Planet?

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Isabelle Boemeke explains how nuclear energy is our best option for ensuring the future of the planet—it can power cities, desalinate water, create ...

Why the Left Needs Its Own Reckoning

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In his new book Coming Clean, Eric Heinze rejects the idea that we should be less woke. In fact, we need more wokeness, but of a new kind. Yes, we mus...

Is Traditional Religion Doomed?

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Traditional religion in the United States has suffered huge losses in recent decades. The number of Americans identifying as "not religious" has incre...

Drowning in Decisions: Do We Have Too Many Choices?

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Michael Shermer speaks with historian Sophia Rosenfeld about how modern notions of personal choice—from Amazon shopping to Tinder s...

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

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What can a lifetime of scientific discovery teach us about the universe—and ourselves? In this wide-ranging conversation, Michael Shermer sits down ...

The True Cost of Conviction

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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? Stev...

Debra Soh and Michael Shermer at FreedomFest 2025

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Shermer in conversation with Debra Soh at FreedomFest 2025 in Palm Springs, CA. Video courtesy of FreedomFest. Additional FreedomFest videos c...

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

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Drawing from intensive on-the-ground reporting in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, Douglas Murray places the latest violence in its proper historical contex...

Can Politics and Truth Coexist?

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

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

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A debate on the mind, soul, consciousness, and the afterlife. Michael Egnor, MD, is Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at the Renaissance School...

The Science Behind Menopause

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When award-winning science writer Amy Alkon was blindsided by her first hot flash, it kicked off a cascade of symptoms—drenching night sweats, insom...

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

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What began as a call for justice has, in many cases, become an engine of conformity. In this searching conversation, Andrew Doyle (author, satirist, a...

The Myths of American Capitalism Explained

31 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, capitalism has unleashed unimaginable growth in opportunity and prosperity. And yet, at key points in Ame...

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

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

Believing Is Seeing: Inside the Modern Paranormal Movement

24 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2010, in a small New Hampshire town, next door to a copy center and framing shop, a ghost lab opened. The Kitt Research Initiative's mission was to...

Inside the CIA's Mind Control Experiments

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the inside story of the CIA's secret mind control project, MKULTRA, using never-before-seen testimony from the perpetrators themselves. Sidney...

Neanderthals and Us: A Complex Story of Coexistence and Hybridization

17 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this eye-opening episode, Michael Shermer chats with evolutionist Telmo Pievani about the surprising coexistence—and hybridization—of Neanderth...

AI, Trade Wars, Degrowth: What's Next for the Global Economy?

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amid rising concerns about AI, inequality, trade wars, and globalization, New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize finalist John Cassidy takes a bol...

Is Modern Life Making Us Miserable? What's Fueling the Mental Health Crisis & What Can Help?

10 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does your diet have to do with your mood? Is mercury in fish really dangerous? Psychiatrist Dr. Drew Ramsey joins Michael Shermer to discuss the ...

Free Speech Under Fire? From Campus Protests to Deportations

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jacob Mchangama, author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, joins Michael to examine the evolving landscape of free expression am...

Is It Possible to Change Your Entire Personality?

03 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is it really possible to change your entire personality in a year? An award-winning journalist experiments with her own personality to find out—and ...

The Trouble with Economic Data: Flawed Metrics, Flawed Decisions

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The ways that statisticians and governments measure the economy were developed in the 1940s, when the urgent economic problems were entirely different...

Did Shutting Down Schools Help or Hurt? A COVID-19 Postmortem

26 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

David Zweig's new book An Abundance of Caution (MIT Press) is an account of the decision-making process behind the extended closures of public schools...

What's Holding You Back? Scott Barry Kaufman on Resilience in the Age of Fragility

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's tempting to see ourselves as damaged or powerless—defined by past traumas, overwhelming emotions, and daily struggles. But is that really the m...

Why We Follow Orders: The Neuroscience of Compliance and Control

19 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do ordinary people carry out extraordinary harm when simply told to do so? From the Holocaust to the genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Cambodia, hi...

Amanda Knox: Life After the Crime That Wasn't Hers

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn't commit—and became a notorious tabloid story in the pr...

What Einstein Meant by God: Science, Spirituality, and the Search for Meaning

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Albert Einstein remains renowned around the world for revolutionizing our understanding of the cosmos, but very few realize that the celebrated scient...

What Happened to the Intellectual Dark Web?

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Outside of the academics and activists whose ideology came to dominate the West in the second decade of the twenty-first century, arguably no group in...

Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Darwin's Strangest Idea (Matt Ridley)

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In all animals, mating is a deal. But few creatures behave as if sex is a simple, even mutually beneficial, transaction. Many more treat it with rever...

The Hoax of the Century: Iron Mountain

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Phil Tinline, author of the new book Ghosts of Iron Mountain, explores the origins of the infamous Report from Iron Mountain, its role in conspiracy c...

Does the West Need a Religious Revival? (Shermer Solo)

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A few reflections on religion following The Free Press debate in Austin, TX on February 27, 2025. Michael Shermer and Adam Carolla (atheists) faced of...

Money, Lies, and God

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael and Katherine Stewart discuss the rise of religious nationalism in America, its impact on public education, and the broader implications for d...

Who Counts? Ethics in the Treatment of Animals and AI

08 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Shermer and Jeff Sebo explore moral philosophy, focusing on animal rights, sentience, and consciousness. They discuss the definitions of moral...

New Research on The Evolution of Intelligent Life

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The guests today are co-authors of a new paper in Science Advances titled: "A reassessment of the 'hard-steps' model for the evolution of intelligen...

Sex Work, Ethics, and Evolutionary Psychology: What REALLY Happens on Sugar Daddy Websites?

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is a sugar daddy, really? The answer might disturb you. Brook Urick takes us into the shadowy world of sugar dating, where young women are lured ...

Half a Thousand Episodes: Still Chasing Truth

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our 501st episode, Michael Shermer takes a moment to reflect on his long journey with skepticism and what he learned recording half a thousand epis...

The Faith Deficit: Does America Need a Spiritual Backbone?

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens to American democracy if Christianity is no longer able, or no longer willing, to perform the functions on which our constitutional order...

The Psychology of Serial Killers

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Rachel Toles, a licensed forensic psychologist, delves into the psychology of criminals, addressing the motivations behind some of the world's mo...

What if Death Isn't the End? The Science of Forever

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just as surgeons once believed pain was good for their patients, some argue today that death brings meaning to life. But given humans rarely live beyo...

What Are We Really Fighting Over? Understanding Outrage Through Moral Psychology

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Kurt Gray offers a groundbreaking perspective on the moral mind, challenging the assumption that liberals and conservatives have radi...

How to Start a New Country

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's clear states, borders, and countries constantly evolve. But how do countries form? And what does it take to start a new one? In this episode, Mic...

How the Greatest Investors Win in Life and Markets

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

William Green delves into the lives of iconic investors like Buffett, Munger, and Templeton, unraveling how their approaches extend beyond financial s...