David Silverman joins us to talk about an awesome convention coming up in AAcon2018 ! I really valued David's response to the nonsense that happened in Milwaukee last September, and he's putting his money where his mouth is in how American Atheists has organized their 2018 conference. It's atheism, but with a heart and with compassion. We talk about that and much more! Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support the show at seriouspod.com/support ! Follow u...
Feb 26, 2018•58 min
No the title isn't just clickbait. I've decided I do want to take your guns away. I'm tired of Democrats saying they don't actually want that, and then being labeled as such by the right anyway. So why not embrace it? Sources: NRA Payouts ; Bret Stephens Repeal the 2nd Amendment ; Vox Comprehensive Article on US Gun Violence ; Most Gun Deaths Are Suicides ; New Quinnipiac Poll ; Trump Budget Cuts Mental Health ; Injuries and Deaths Due To Firearms in the Home Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-...
Feb 22, 2018•48 min
Should we ever talk to the alt-right? When we do so, why does it feel so unproductive? Why can't we on the left ever seem to "win" debates with the alt-right? Why are Gamer-Gaters so angry? These are just a few of the questions Ian Danskin of the YouTube channel Innuendo Studios has sought to answer. He does so brilliantly and incisively. I've found his work to be incredibly illuminating. He was kind enough to come on the show and talk about his background, how he got into this line of work, and...
Feb 19, 2018•59 min
I'm so excited to finally present what I've been vaguebooking about! Today's show features episode 1 of a new project called Philosophers In Space! Each episode uses our favorite science fiction to teach related philosophical concepts. In this episode, we use the USS Callister episode of Black Mirror to talk about The Experience Machine by Nozick. Try it on, see how you like it, and if you want to hear more check out patreon.com/0g ! Eventually the show will be on iTunes but for now it's only av...
Feb 15, 2018•42 min
Jex Blackmore is the spokeswoman for the Satanic Temple! They've been responsible for a lot of provocative and effectively targeted public performances. Their target is very often Christian theocrats who either don't realize they're inflicting their religious views on everyone else, or they don't care. Jex takes us through the basics of the Satanic Temple and her experiences! Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support the show at seriouspod.com/support ! F...
Feb 12, 2018•46 min
***For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit HelloFresh.com and enter seriouspod30! Michael Marshall is the host of Be Reasonable and co-host of Skeptics with a K . He is heavily involved in the UK Skeptic movement, and has been somewhat alarmed by the state of movement atheism in the US. We talk about some of the differences and possible reasons for them. Later in the show, he takes us through a very difficult article he co-wrote about Jonathan Bryan - a child with severe brain damage wh...
Feb 08, 2018•1 hr 4 min
Today I'm joined by Jaclyn Friedman! From her website : She is a writer, speaker and activist, and creator of the hit books Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape (one of Publishers’ Weekly’s Top 100 Books of 2009, and #11 on Ms. Magazine’s Top 100 Feminist Nonfiction of All Time list) and What You Really Really Want: The Smart Girl’s Shame-Free Guide to Sex & Safety . Her podcast, Unscrewed , is paving new paths to sexual liberation, and was named one of the ...
Feb 05, 2018•55 min
Every atheist's favorite Christian, Jordan B. Peterson, went on Channel 4 News and had a heated exchange with Cathy Newman. Though she made some good points, Newman's technique centered around replying with "..so you're saying.." and then straw man Peterson. So what was he actually saying? Is there a better way of trying to engage with people like Peterson or should we not bother at all? Joining me to sift through Peterson's paranoid nonsense about gender and postmodernism is philosopher Aaron R...
Feb 01, 2018•1 hr 5 min
You might laugh, but it happened in Rhode Island! My two guests, Dr. Manisha Shah and Dr. Scott Cunningham, did an extensive study on the results. It's called "Decriminalizing Indoor Prostitution: Implications for Sexual Violence and Public Health." What happened might surprise you! Special thanks to Lydia for arranging this recording! Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support the show at seriouspod.com/support ! Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook...
Jan 29, 2018•47 min
The last episode, the debate between Chris and Tracey on the Aziz Ansari incident, caused a decent amount of controversy. Many women were frustrated by Chris and also felt like we didn't need to hear from another male on this issue. I talk about these valid concerns and what I was trying to do with this episode and in general. This first half is very meta and involves working through criticism, so if that's not something you're interested in, please skip to 26:40 because there are two incredible...
Jan 25, 2018•48 min
Where does the Babe.net article on Aziz Ansari land on the spectrum of #metoo moments? Are the old-school feminists correct when they say women ought to say no and call a cab ? Today's episode is a discussion between two people who come out on different ends of some of these questions. It's an attempt to find some common ground and understanding on a very important issue. Note: This episode contains strong language and discussion of sexual activity. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, reme...
Jan 22, 2018•1 hr 14 min
***For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit HelloFresh.com and enter seriouspod30! Today's episode begins with some thoughts on what can be a moral blindspot when it comes to fat shaming and looks shaming Trump. Is there a way to hit all the criticism we want to while not unnecessarily insulting and offending innocent bystanders? I think so, and I outline my case. Then I go through several listener voicemails! They cover a range of recent topics from reparations to Sam Harris. Athletes w...
Jan 18, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Andrew Torrez joins me from world-famous podcast Opening Arguments to break down the James Damore lawsuit against Google! Is it the most important lawsuit in modern history as some have called it ? You'll have to listen to find out! Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support the show at seriouspod.com/support ! Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email thomas@seriouspod.com Direct Download...
Jan 15, 2018•1 hr 12 min
*I mention Eiynah as the one who sent me the video. I just want to emphasize she had the full context and I didn't mean to imply she was spreading the fake news version without thinking. She has a great thread on it here . Recently, an edited video circulated and caused an uproar among liberals. It features Steven Pinker seeming to praise the intelligence of the alt-right and asserting that there are certain "truths" to be found there. Is there more to the story? Always. But it doesn't mean he i...
Jan 11, 2018•57 min
Is Twitter real life? Tom from Cognitive Dissonance is here with me to talk about his philosophy on dealing with criticism and unpleasant people online. It's very zen and interesting, but is it something you and I would be able to adopt? Then we move on to the broader topic of the morphing of analog and digital lives and how the world is changing. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support the show at seriouspod.com/support ! Follow us on Twitter: @serious...
Jan 08, 2018•57 min
What in the hell is the atheism world coming to when atheist horse-person Sam Harris would agree with a religious conservative on a matter of Church-State Separation over the Freedom from Religion Foundation? I talk about the details of this strange and depressing convergence, as well as some of the other broader implications of the Eric Weinstein, Ben Shapiro, Sam Harris conversation, and Weinstein's so-called Intellectual Dark Web. Sources: Harris Podcast ; FFRF View on Masterpiece Cake Case ;...
Jan 04, 2018•46 min
Back for another great conversation is Alix Jules! This was originally going to be a follow up commentary but in speaking with Alix, it became clear that having him on would make for a much better episode! We discuss a Coates critique Twitter thread that got a lot of traction with the anti-feminist, anti-BLM factions but that I find quite off-base. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support the show at seriouspod.com/support ! Follow us on Twitter: @seriou...
Jan 01, 2018•1 hr 4 min
... and another great round of your voicemails! A website called thewrap.com unearthed some old blog posts by Cenk Uygur in which he wrote some alarmingly sexist things. He has since apologized and emphasized that he doesn't believe those things anymore. Here is their article and here's the biased Gateway Pundit Article . How ought we to evaluate something like this in the wake of the #metoo moment? I have a lot to say about that, and about the cynical, bad-faith attempts on the right to both cl...
Dec 28, 2017•56 min
Dr. Topher Stephenson joins me today to talk about traumatic brain injuries. He educates us a bit on the basics, and then we talk about how he, as a parent, evaluates the decision of letting his kids play sports. Which ones are safe? Should youth soccer require headgear? And much more. Check out his organization here . Also the CDC page on TBI is a good resource. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support the show at seriouspod.com/support ! Follow us on T...
Dec 25, 2017•58 min
Ok so maybe the left is eating its own... After brushing by a couple points on the tax bill, I talk about a few instances of people on the left being unfairly demonized and harassed by other people on the left. It sucks. ContraPoints on YouTube seemed to me to be very affected by harassment over her decision to attend an event with Blaire White and Theryn Meyer. I talk briefly about that but then I move onto a bigger example that I discuss in depth, and that is Cornel West's hit-piece on Ta-Nehi...
Dec 21, 2017•50 min
Samantha Corbin is a Sacramento lobbyist who was fed up with the pervasive culture of sexual misconduct in the Capitol . She and some colleagues wrote an open letter and started an organization called #WeSaidEnough . It has absolutely caught fire! Her co-founder ended up on the cover of Time Magazine. In this interview, Samantha takes us through how pervasive this behavior has been and what her and others plan to do about it! Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the po...
Dec 18, 2017•44 min
Congratulations to Doug Jones and thank you so much to black voters of Alabama for turning out and getting us 1 vote closer to taking back the Senate!!!! First up today I've got an update on the Patreon situation. They backed down, but I'm still going forward with a membership option on my website. I explain in more depth, and then I've got a fantastic conversation with Aaron Rabi of Embrace the Void ! Due to a great response to the idea of me taking on the anti-natalism topic again, I endeavor ...
Dec 14, 2017•1 hr 6 min
Natalie Newell was just a science loving mom who wanted to make a documentary about some other science loving moms ... but once she did, she found herself the topic of some bizarre conspiracies! We talk about that experience, and we discuss some common anti-scientific attitudes in this country, like chiropractic, vaccinations, GMOs, and alternative medicine. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Tw...
Dec 11, 2017•56 min
It's finally here! Part of of my series examining the arguments in the "documentary" "The Red Pill." Today we talk about video game addiction, porn addiction, toxic masculinity, and then the main topic: sentencing disparity. Are men treated unfairly by the justice system? Spoiler, the answer is actually yes. Here's the study most in line with MRA claims. Others have it lower, but this one is very convincing. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on...
Dec 07, 2017•53 min
Crystal Lee was First Runner-Up in the 2014 Miss America pageant, and now she's part of a tech startup in Silicon Valley. Crystal has written some incisive pieces including one for CNN.com in response to what happened at the most recent Miss America - that is, a contested answered a question competently and the world exploded. We talk about her background, how exactly one becomes a Miss America contestant, and whether she thinks pageants will be able to escape their undeniably sexist roots!...
Dec 04, 2017•55 min
...unless you're a bazillionaire or a bank or some other corporation. I talk about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - the brainchild of one future president Elizabeth Warren - and that the only reason you could possibly be against it is if you hate people and prefer banks. So, naturally the Republicans are against it. Then I'm onto another rousing voicemail segment that takes up most of the show because I love hearing from you and engaging your arguments and criticisms! Leave Thomas a vo...
Nov 30, 2017•1 hr 9 min
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, during which you no doubt spent hours arguing with your conservative family members, I bring you a discussion with a Trump supporting Republican. Though undoubtedly a gigantic underdog, Lonnie Miller is making a grassroots effort to become Governor of Tennessee. We talk about how he decided to do that, and we have some cross-political dialogue and the electoral college, healthcare, and taxes. Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and ...
Nov 27, 2017•1 hr 10 min
In the first part of this episode I do some followup on Monday's show. There's another Franken accuser (and another 2...) and there are some more points to be made. A woman tweeted that she didn't care that men might be falsely accused, and the internet exploded. Did it matter that she clarified and apologized? Nah. Also, the process for dealing with sexual harassment in Congress is AWFUL. Then at 27:30, I discuss the latest obsession of the free speech warriors, and that is a secretly recorded ...
Nov 23, 2017•58 min
In a world where we're finally starting to take allegations of sexual misconduct seriously, what is next? How do we as a society treat the perpetrators? Does it matter if they are contrite? Are there different levels of seriousness? All these are very tough questions that I don't think we, as a whole, quite have the answers to yet. Here to help us get the dialogue started are Dr. Kristi Winters and Charone Frankel ! Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Suppo...
Nov 20, 2017•1 hr 4 min
A House vote on the new Republican Tax Bill is happening as early as today, so I reluctantly have decided to take a peek into Paul Ryan's deepest fantasies. I cover some of the low-lights, and then talk about putting the Bill and income inequality into historical context. Do we really need a tax cut right now? Paul Ryan Explains Himself ; Biggest Tax Cut Ever? ; 538 on House Reps Who Could Cause Trouble ; Blue States Hit Harder ; NYT Breakdown of House Bill ; Dem Medium Post on the Bill ; Grad S...
Nov 16, 2017•1 hr 4 min
