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

AS52: Is Alcoholics Anonymous a Cult? Part 2

Is Alcoholics Anonymous a Cult? This week I have two guests on the show with the experience to answer this important question. First there's Mike of the Digression Sessions Podcast, http://digressionsessions.com/. Mike was a very precocious alcoholic who was able to hit rock bottom at the impressive age of 21. Just in time to actually legally …

Jul 24, 2014 · 67 min · With Thomas Smith

AS51: Is Alcoholics Anonymous a Cult?

Is Alcoholics Anonymous a Cult? This week I have two guests on the show with the experience to answer this important question. First there's Mike of the Digression Sessions Podcast, http://digressionsessions.com/. Mike was a very precocious alcoholic who was able to hit rock bottom at the impressive age of 21. Just in time to actually legally …

Jul 21, 2014 · 61 min · With Thomas Smith

AS50: Free Will, Part 2 of 2.5

I continue the discussion of free will, covering a ton more territory. The debate between Harris and Dennett got a little bit hostile and I wish Dennett had written another response to Harris. In this episode I've got tons of thought experiments that I think outline the difficulties of the problem. I think I have …

Jul 17, 2014 · 61 min · With Thomas Smith

AS49: Free Will, Part 1 of ….

This week I'm going to attempt to tackle the topic of free will! This is a favorite of mine. Do we have free will? Who was right in the debate between Harris and Dennett? Does determinism by definition negate free will or is there some way that they are, one might say, compatible? This is …

Jul 14, 2014 · 58 min · With Thomas Smith

AS48: Nonresistant Unbeliever Justin Schieber, Part 2

This week we have Justin Schieber who I'm sure all of my listeners know from Reasonable Doubts, http://doubtcast.org! His website though is http://Justinsweh.com where you'll find some great debate videos and other content. For Thursday's show we ventured deeper into counter apologetics and religious philosophy. I loved this discussion! Don't miss it!

Jul 10, 2014 · 48 min · With Thomas Smith

AS47: Nonresistant Unbeliever Justin Schieber

This week we have Justin Schieber who I'm sure all of my listeners know from Reasonable Doubts, http://doubtcast.org! His website though is http://Justinsweh.com where you'll find some great debate videos and other content. Justin is a perfect guest for Atheistically Speaking because he brings a calm, well-read and meticulous approach to religious philosophy. Tune in as …

Jul 7, 2014 · 49 min · With Thomas Smith

AS46: Moral Philosophy

Is consequentialism the obvious choice for moral theory? Well not according to most philosophers. But then again, no one theory is the obvious choice for philosophers. They are split 3 ways. What are we to make of this? Hear Thomas's thoughts on moral philosophy and consequentialism in particular in light of last week's episodes featuring …

Jul 3, 2014 · 56 min · With Thomas Smith

AS45: Religion and Sports

We've gone a ton of shows in a row with demanding, intellectual topics. While this is definitely my favorite thing to do, occasionally it's good to mix it up a little! So today is a more lighthearted topic: soccer. Is Ann Coulter right when she says it's a liberal conspiracy to ruin America? No. It's …

Jun 30, 2014 · 51 min · With Thomas Smith

AS44: The Moral Landscape, with Ryan Born, Part 2

We continue our talk with the winner of Sam Harris's essay contest, Ryan Born! We have a very enlightening discussion of philosophy, specifically moral philosophy. Is Sam Harris right when he says that science can determine moral values? Is wellbeing really the bottom line objective in terms of morality? These are some of the many questions …

Jun 26, 2014 · 59 min · With Thomas Smith

AS43: The Moral Landscape, with Ryan Born

This week we have the winner of Sam Harris's essay contest, Ryan Born! We have a very enlightening discussion of philosophy, specifically moral philosophy. Is Sam Harris right when he says that science can determine moral values? Is wellbeing really the bottom line objective in terms of morality? These are some of the many questions …

Jun 23, 2014 · 60 min · With Thomas Smith

AS42: Creating Atheists with Tracey Moody

On today's show we have The Moody Atheist for a first ever Atheistically Speaking book review segment! It's not just a simple review though, we go in depth into A Manual for Creating Atheists, by Peter Boghossian. Is it a bit insulting to believers? Is it a little too evangelical in nature or is it …

Jun 19, 2014 · 48 min · With Thomas Smith

AS41: Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta!

We're joined by Hemant Mehta! We talk about a range of topics, first focusing on what it means to be friendly as an atheist and how that plays out for Hemant. Then, we talk about the recent Ken Ham related incident where Hemant's book, The Young Atheist's Survival Guide, was involved in a bit of controversy. …

Jun 16, 2014 · 67 min · With Thomas Smith

AS40: Ex-Witness Harley

We continue the conversation with ex-Jehovah's Witness Harley, @secularlad. Such a gripping story. I can't even imagine having to go through the loss of friends and family to the extent that Harley has simply because he no longer buys into absolute nonsense. Make sure to check out http://atheisticallyspeaking.com/trial for a free month of premium content!

Jun 12, 2014 · 63 min · With Thomas Smith

AS39: Blake Follow Up, Ex-Witness Harley

First we have a follow up with Blake from last week, fresh off his appearance on Dogma Debate. Then, we begin a very gripping and engaging interview with Harley, an ex-Jehovah's Witness who has somewhat recently come out atheist. This is no easy task and there have been many challenges and heartbreaks for him along …

Jun 9, 2014 · 74 min · With Thomas Smith

AS38: Debate with Blake Giunta, Part 2

I continue my debate with Blake Giunta. Can an immaterial mind even exist? Seems ridiculous to me, but let's see what Blake has to say about that! Then, I do a bit of a post-mortem on the debate, as well as discuss several listener comments. Thanks for all the feedback and participation! Blake's impressive website: http://treesearch.org/ …

Jun 5, 2014 · 68 min · With Thomas Smith