The Serious Pod Network

Thomas and Lydia
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Serious Inquiries Only

Join Thomas for some critical thinking on questions of science, philosophy, skepticism and politics. These serious topics are discussed with some serious guests, but in an entertaining and engaging way! This is not your typical interview podcast; it's a friendly dialogue, conducted thoughtfully and with plenty of humor. It's Serious Inquiries Only; but like, not boring or anything.

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Episodes

AS232: Finding Uncommon Ground

Today's episode was scheduled to be a Tommentary, but after a back and forth with a listener by the name of Ben Young, I decided to have him on for a little chat in place of my normal monologuing! We touch on a number of different topics involving the infamous Gad Saad story, blocking people …

Apr 14, 2016 · 55 min · With Thomas Smith

AS231: Dr. Kevin Folta, Part 2

It's part 2 with Kevin! Lots more on GMOs and labeling controversies. Also, I found out WE AREN'T EVEN USING FISH GENES. My mind is blown. I've been defending something we weren't even doing. Though I still maintain it would be totally fine if we were doing it!

Apr 11, 2016 · 41 min · With Thomas Smith

AS230: Dr. Kevin Folta

In light of all this GMO debate, Dr. Kevin Folta was kind enough to hop on the show and educate us! Kevin is the professor and chairman of the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida. He doesn't like the word "advocate," but he has been very vocal about GMOs and dispelling the misconceptions …

Apr 7, 2016 · 45 min · With Thomas Smith

AS229: No Straw Men Allowed

It's a Tommentary episode! Last week I let a straw man argument get by me and I even encouraged it. So, I spend the first part of this Tommentary trying to right that wrong. I never want to perpetuate straw man arguments if I can help it! From there, I take us on a look …

Apr 4, 2016 · 38 min · With Thomas Smith

AS228: Should We Label GMOs?

In today's show, I've got two siblings! We've got Melonnie, a listener of the show and someone wary of GMO products. Also on is Derek, her brother and a scientist who has some expertise on GMO foods. Will Melonnie's concerns about labeling change Derek's mind or will Derek be able to convince Melonnie that the technology …

Mar 31, 2016 · 51 min · With Thomas Smith

AS227: Tommentary Time, Easter Edition

Several announcements in this show!!! One you may already have noticed, and another has something to do with this page here. I'm very excited! In this episode I've got a ton of Tommenting for you guys. I start with some Easter apologetics and then move onto a terrible flier some church put on my door. It …

Mar 28, 2016 · 48 min · With Thomas Smith

AS226: Sarah Morehead

Sarah Morehead recently wrote a must-read article, which you can find here. It deals with something I also expressed an opinion about online, which is the disgusting positive reaction people seem to have over news of Jared Fogle being beaten in prison. It seems odd to see so many in the humanist community advocating extrajudicial punishment …

Mar 24, 2016 · 53 min · With Thomas Smith

AS225: Andrew Torrez on Scalia's Legal Activism

Have you always known Scalia was the worst but didn't quite have the legal expertise to say exactly why? I've got the podcast for you! My guest is Andrew Torrez who is a graduate of Harvard Law and owns his own practice in Baltimore, and he's got some great blog posts on things like Scalia …

Mar 21, 2016 · 60 min · With Thomas Smith

AS224: Tommentary

Fresh off a great interview, it's time for some Tommenting! Lots of people asked if I was going to talk about Sam Harris and Omer Aziz, and while I'm definitely not doing a full review like I did with Maryam Namazie, I want to at least talk about some broad themes. So I do that, …

Mar 17, 2016 · 46 min · With Thomas Smith

AS223: Angry Black Rant

Today we've got a lot more discussion with Ishmael Brown, host of Angry Black Rant! This time we talk about Black Lives Matter and whether or not their protests go too far! And there are other topics and laughs and lots of good stuff!

Mar 14, 2016 · 47 min · With Thomas Smith

AS222: The N Word, with Ishmael Brown

My guest today is Ishmael Brown, host of Angry Black Rant! His podcast may or may not have been somewhat inspired by yours truly… But that's neither here nor there, as he's here today to talk about the N word. Should we use it? Can white people use it? If Sam Jackson tells you to use …

Mar 10, 2016 · 43 min · With Thomas Smith

AS221: Tommentary

Haven't had an opinion episode in a while, so here it is! Lots of interesting stuff discussed today. Peter Hitchens thinks Christopher and the rest of us atheists just didn't believe in god because we want to have lots of sex. He's only half right… Also, are Republicans the only party that rejects science? A …

Mar 7, 2016 · 38 min · With Thomas Smith

AS220: Eiynah Returns

My guest today is Eiynah, @nicemangos on Twitter. She's a blogger/writer/and now podcaster who has been on the show before. Being an ex-Muslim is a distinctly difficult place to be because of the hate mail comes in from all sides! Today, Eiynah is here to talk about Tommy Robinson and anti-Muslim bigotry. Eiynah sees Islamophobia …

Mar 3, 2016 · 63 min · With Thomas Smith

AS219: The Sam Harris Maryam Namazie Breakdown

The Sam Harris Maryam Namazie Breakdown Today's episode is all about breaking down the Sam Harris Maryam Namazie breakdown which happened on Harris's Waking Up Podcast. The episode in question can be found here. While my podcast will provide a more detailed explanation, I'm also going to do a bit of a blog post here to hit some …

Feb 29, 2016 · 52 min · With Thomas Smith