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

AS97: Holidays; ReThink Prize Results

The ReThink prize results are in and they are very interesting. Winners Did they accomplish what they set out to do though? I have some thoughts. Also, general holiday stuff. And this: http://www.ijreview.com/2014/12/223008-smartest-guy-universe-tm-neil-de-grasse-tyson-trolls-christians-christmas/ Please get in touch with me if you'd like to be on a little panel about parenting as an atheist!

Dec 29, 2014 · 41 min · With Thomas Smith

AS96: Sony Hack Part 2; Patreon of the Week!

We continue the discussion with computer expert Michael about the Sony hack. Then, it's Patreon of the week Katie!

Dec 25, 2014 · 60 min · With Thomas Smith

AS95: The Sony Hack, with Michael

This week listener and computer expert (imprecise term, I know..) Michael give us a great run down of the Sony hack. I learned a lot from our discussion and I highly recommend listening if you're curious about the workings of these high profile hacks!

Dec 22, 2014 · 40 min · With Thomas Smith

AS94: Islamism; Patron of the Week

You've no doubt heard of the awful incidents of the past few days. In Australia, several people were held hostage for hours and two ended up losing their lives. And of course, in Peshuar in a far more horrifying incident, the Taliban killed 141, most of whom were school children. Do these two atrocities committed …

Dec 18, 2014 · 45 min · With Thomas Smith

AS93: Enhanced Interrogation

In this episode I discuss the Senate Report on Torture that came out last week. As you've no doubt heard by now, it's pretty horrifying. But does Sam Harris condone such behavior? According to CJ Werleman, yes. According to Sam Harris, likely not. Here are some links I discussed. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/john-yoo-torture-report-dustbin-article-1.2039758 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/11/370055472/dick-cheney-on-senate-torture-investigation-the-report-is-full-of-crap http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/09/senate-torture-report-details_n_6295396.html

Dec 15, 2014 · 48 min · With Thomas Smith

AS91: Former Officer Bobby C on Ferguson

This week I'm joined by Bobby C of No Religion Required. I'm very grateful to Bobby for coming on to give us some insight on what it means to be a police officer. We talk about the NYC case a little as the news broke the day we recorded, but we focus more on Ferguson …

Dec 8, 2014 · 41 min · With Thomas Smith

AS90: Atheism in the Netherlands, with Marcel

Atheistically Speaking welcomes to the show an avid listener and fantastic supporter, Marcel! We talked about a wide range of differences between the Netherlands and the US. Turns out they are quite different.. who knew! It was an excellent discussion and provided a really neat look into what it's like not being an American, something I don't have much experience with.

Dec 5, 2014 · 49 min · With Thomas Smith

AS89: Comments and Tommentary

In this episode I revisit some Ferguson stuff in light of your comments. I have to revise something I said last week. Then, I do some Tommentary about comments Ayaan Hirsi Ali made a week ago, as well as an interview Dawkins had. Ayaan Hirsi Ali: What I'm Thankful For Dawkins' take on sexual harassment …

Dec 1, 2014 · 45 min · With Thomas Smith

AS88: Ferguson Followup

Several months ago I gave my initial thoughts on the happenings in Ferguson. Well, as you've no doubt heard, the grand jury came back with no charges filed. Also, the evidence has been made public, so it's time to dive into it. Also, new segment, Patron of the week! I am going to do a …

Nov 27, 2014 · 51 min · With Thomas Smith

AS87: On Privilege, with Erik

Listener Erik sent me a very thoughtful email outlining some thoughts he had on the James Lindsay episodes, especially our brief discussion on privilege. Since Erik comes from a different background, I thought it would be a good idea to get a different voice in on the discussion so it wasn't just another case of …

Nov 24, 2014 · 52 min · With Thomas Smith

AS86: Jonathan Figdor, Part 2; Commentary

We finish up the discussion with Jonathan Figdor. Lots of interesting stuff! Then I move onto some commentary about last week's episodes. Definitely a lot to think about and discuss moving forward. Hopefully I can get some more guests on to represent all sides.

Nov 20, 2014 · 53 min · With Thomas Smith

AS85: Jonathan Figdor

This week Jonathan Figdor joins us to discuss a multitude of topics. First up, he's promoting a new book, Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart. That can be found on Amazon or on the home page here : http://www.atheistmindhumanistheart.com/ Also at that link you can find info on his ReThink prize! It sounds really cool and I'm thinking …

Nov 17, 2014 · 42 min · With Thomas Smith

AS84: James Lindsay, part 2

Continued discussion on discussion. We maxed out the time, so I'm going to have to address comments and give more thoughts on a later date. Thanks for the many good comments on this topic!

Nov 13, 2014 · 51 min · With Thomas Smith

AS83: Category 5 Shitstorms, with James Lindsay

This week I have James Lindsay on the show, @goddoesnt on Twitter, to discuss the recent shitstorm that resulted from Peter Boghossian's tweets. This is a chance to talk at a deeper level about what's going on when these shitstorms happen. Does the phrase "gay pride" make sense? If so, is it the most effective …

Nov 10, 2014 · 44 min · With Thomas Smith