Point of Inquiry
Science, Skepticism, Rationalism, Humanism -- The Podcast and Radio Show of the Center for Inquiry
Visit Show Website http://www.pointofinquiry.orgRecently Aired
-
HD
Ronald A. Lindsay: Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do
Despite the fact that the United States was founded as ...
Despite the fact that the United States was founded as a secular state, government neutrality toward religion remains a tumultuous and controversial issue -- a conversation-stopper in most public policy discussions. This week on the show, Lindsay...
-
HD
Deciphering Alan Turing, with Andrew Hodges
Alan Turing was a true visionary. Founding what we understand ...
Alan Turing was a true visionary. Founding what we understand today as computer science, he was also a mathematician, a philosopher, and an early trailblazer for gay equality. Without his genius for codebreaking, the Second World War might have gone...
-
HD
Getting Over Racial Anxiety, with Rachel D. Godsil
As a nation, the U.S. prides itself on at least ...
As a nation, the U.S. prides itself on at least aspiring to the ideal of equality, even if it often falls short. The educational, health care, and legal systems, are plagued by institutional biases against racial minorities. The good news is that...
-
HD
Surviving Saddam and Confronting Islam, with Faisal Saeed Al Mutar
As the threat posed by radical Islamists like those of ...
As the threat posed by radical Islamists like those of ISIS grows in popular awareness, Islam itself becomes more of a target for criticism; some of it fair, and some of it based in ignorance or bigotry. Can efforts to defend Islam and Muslims from...
-
HD
Steven Pinker: Using Grammar as a Tool, Not as a Weapon
The English language is often treated as delicate and precious, ...
The English language is often treated as delicate and precious, and disagreements about what is “proper English” go back as far as the 18th century. Then as now, style manuals and grammar books placed innumerable restrictions on what is...
-
HD
Ebola in the Age of Epidemics - Special Live Episode
There’s no doubt that Ebola is an incredibly dangerous and ...
There’s no doubt that Ebola is an incredibly dangerous and genuinely lethal virus, but it’s also a highly manageable one, though you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise given the kind of hyperbolic coverage we’ve seen of the...
-
HD
Halloween Extra: 18th Annual Houdini Séance with Joe Nickell
Harry Houdini, the most famous illusionist the world has ever ...
Harry Houdini, the most famous illusionist the world has ever known, spent the later part of his career fascinated with spiritualists and mediums. This led him to became a dedicated skeptic and investigator. In this special Halloween episode...
-
HD
Pro-Choice Without Apology, with Katha Pollitt
Given the divisive nature of the debates over abortion, the ...
Given the divisive nature of the debates over abortion, the subject is understandably not the best table-talk material. But despite the fact that abortion is a normal and often necessary (one in three women will have an abortion before menopause),...
-
HD
The Human Impact of Discovering Alien Life, with Astrobiologist Steven J. Dick
Our universe is made up of billions of galaxies. The ...
Our universe is made up of billions of galaxies. The cosmos is so mind-bogglingly vast, that it’s hard not to suppose that we aren’t alone, that life must exist somewhere else besides our own planet. Last month, some of the...
-
HD
The Theology of ISIS, with Dr. Adam Silverman
The rise of ISIS, the self proclaimed Islamic State in ...
The rise of ISIS, the self proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has sparked debate about the role of religion — specifically Islam — in violent extremism. This week, Dr. Adam Silverman offers us a glimpse into the theology of ISIS,...
