Best Michael Shermer Podcasts (2025)

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Cosmology, Creation, and the Evidence for God 1:16:23

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1h ago1:16:23

1:16:23

In this episode, Michel-Yves Bolloré lays out his case for why modern cosmology, fine-tuning, and the limits of materialism point toward a creator. Drawing on physics, thermodynamics, probability, and philosophy, he argues that the Big Bang, the apparent beginning of the universe, and the complexity of life collectively form a compelling body of ev…

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COVID's Attack on the Church, with Rev. John Naugle, and Guest Host Jeffrey Tucker 1:12:42

1h ago1:12:42

1:12:42

There is a moral and psychological dimension to this multivalent attack on society we are undergoing. Jeffrey Tucker interviews Father John Naugle who has been fighting for workers and the freedom of religion since the disaster began in March 2020. Here he tells of his struggle to make worship possible, even as the secular authorities were fighting…

1
Why Do We Call It A Ponzi Scheme? 41:11

4h ago41:11

41:11

Charles Ponzi conducted a financial fraud so audacious he became the biggest brand name in crime. Yet most people don’t know what he actually did and those who do are often hard-pressed to explain why it was special. So why, more than 100 years later, do we call so many financial scams a Ponzi scheme? Brian tells the story of a poor boy from Italy …

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Bonus Episode 9.2C: "Unidentified Flying Canucks", feat. Anthropologist Matthew Hayes 2:42:16

2h ago2:42:16

2:42:16

The one where we explore the history of ufology in Canada, from Project Magnet and Project Second Storey to the Falcon Lake, Shag Harbour, and Montreal Bonaventure UFO investigations, with the help of Canadian athropologist Matthew Hayes, author of Search for the Unknown: Canada's UFO Files and the Rise of Conspiracy Theory. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Pr…

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Why Eastbound Flights Are Faster, and Other Strange Things About Wind (Simon Winchester) 1:20:41

12h ago1:20:41

1:20:41

Have you ever thought about the science and history of … wind? In this episode, Simon Winchester explains why eastbound flights are usually faster than flying west, and how the discovery of the jet stream was almost missed because the original research was published in Esperanto. He also talks about the debate over the Great Terrestrial Stilling—th…

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She Didn't Start the Fire: An Interview with Alex Sullivan 1:07:41

3d ago1:07:41

1:07:41

Guest host Jeffrey Tucker fills in for Trish this week. A working professional mom with two young kids has her life turned upside-down by Covid lockdowns and controls. Alex Sullivan faces a choice: do nothing, or fight for her kids to have a normal life and good education. Thus began a wild journey that turned her into a different person. It's one …

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Logic, Creativity, and the Limits of AI: How Humans Think in Ways Machines Never Will 1:49:41

11d ago1:49:41

1:49:41

In this episode, Angus Fletcher explains why the human brain doesn't work like a computer and why our deepest strengths come not from logic or data processing but from imagination, emotion, and the ability to invent new futures. Drawing on neuroscience, Shakespeare, evolutionary biology, and his work with U.S. Army Special Operations, Fletcher show…

2
The Psychology of War: Could YOU Make a Moral Choice in Wartime? 1:26:34

8d ago1:26:34

1:26:34

War begins in the human mind long before it unfolds on the battlefield. In this episode, Michael Shermer sits down with Nicholas Wright, a neurologist, neuroscientist, security strategist, and advisor to the Pentagon, to explore one of the biggest questions of our time: why do humans fight, and how does the brain shape violence, leadership, and geo…

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The Ostrich Massacre, with Guest Shaun Rickard 1:49:18

11d ago1:49:18

1:49:18

The facts about the ostrich massacre in BC are still coming out and raising some awful questions about Canada and our bureaucracies. But there is still much we don't know. The biggest question is why would they use such a cruel method with the whole world watching? Is it a message to the citizenry? Shaun Rickard joins us with his evidence. Plus, Tr…

1
Tribes, Teams, and Cults: How Groups Shape What We Believe 1:35:52

17d ago1:35:52

1:35:52

Why do smart people join dangerous cults, follow bad leaders, or stay silent when they know something's wrong? In this episode, Michael Shermer talks with organizational psychologist Colin Fisher about the science of group dynamics and conformity. From jazz bands to political mobs, Fisher explains how our evolutionary need to belong both unites and…

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Shermer Says 3: Weird Experiences, the Meaning of Dreams, and What Mark Twain Knew About Reality 31:50

21d ago31:50

31:50

In this episode, Michael Shermer explores anomalous experiences through personal anecdotes and historical examples. He reflects on how to balance healthy skepticism with open-mindedness, and how to reckon with the very real emotional significance of such experiences—regardless of the scientific explanations behind them.…

1
Jonathan Rose 2:47:56

8d ago2:47:56

2:47:56

An earth shattering story of loss, love and lies — one that Trish witnessed first-hand — now a best-selling book. 14-year-old Joey Philion was praised around the world as a hero after being catastrophically burned in a house-fire. But the story that drove that praise has fallen apart, revealing the high price of celebrity and victimhood and the fic…

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A Former Spy Explains How AI is Changing Espionage 1:07:41

19d ago1:07:41

1:07:41

A former senior intelligence officer explains how espionage is evolving in the age of AI and amid rising global tensions with China, and why the mass harvesting of data affects not just nation-states, but all of us. The discussion also explores the history of spying, what life is really like for intelligence officers, and major intelligence failure…

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Did Lost Civilizations Really Exist? An Archaeologist Explains 1:39:19

13d ago1:39:19

1:39:19

Archaeologist Ken Feder sheds light on how archaeology separates evidence from wishful thinking and entertaining storytelling. He explains what rock art, radiocarbon dating, and DNA can really tell us about the first peoples of the Americas, and talks about the different theories about ancient human migration and the impact of European contact on N…

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Karl Harrison, Shaun Rickard, and Regina Watteel 1:42:39

25d ago1:42:39

1:42:39

They just keep fighting for us! Karl Harrison and Shaun Rickard's lawsuit against vaccine travel mandates moves forward. Trish also hosts their expert witness, Regina Watteel, with evidence of no scientific basis for a draconian edict based on politics and power. Sign up for the hearings at: : https://cas-satj.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sxTVwcnJSD…

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Bonus Episode 7.5B: "Kennedy good, CIA bad!" Feat. JFK Conspiracy critic Fred Litwin & Dallas tour guide Dan Evans 2:24:49

24d ago2:24:49

2:24:49

The one where JFK researcher Fred Litwin scrutinizes the conspiracy theories that claim the CIA murdered President Kennedy, and where we chat about Dealey Plaza, conspiracy tourism, Lee Harvey Oswald, General Edwin Walker, and President Lyndon Johnson with veteran Dallas tour guide Daniel Evans. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00:00 Pre-show announcement & eulogy 0:…

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Charles Murray: Why I'm Taking Religion Seriously 1:43:55

29d ago1:43:55

1:43:55

Michael Shermer sits down with Charles Murray (author of The Bell Curve, Coming Apart, and now Taking Religion Seriously) for a riveting 100-minute conversation about Murray's late-life turn from Harvard-bred agnosticism ("Smart people don't believe that stuff anymore") to Bayesian theism ("I put the afterlife at just over 50%"). This wide-ranging …

1
The Myth of Human Exceptionalism: Why Humans Aren't as Special as We Think 1:03:27

1M ago1:03:27

1:03:27

In this episode, Harvard primatologist Christine Webb challenges one of our deepest beliefs: that humans stand apart from the rest of nature. She traces the roots of human exceptionalism from Aristotle and Descartes to modern science, and explains why we still cling to hierarchies of intelligence. While most critiques of human exceptionalism focus …

1
Shermer Says: Why Secularists Are Turning to Religion, The Substitution Hypothesis, Sleep Paralysis 42:54

1M ago42:54

42:54

Are we entering a Fifth Great Awakening—a cultural swing back toward religion? An increasing number of books and articles are calling for a religious revival. "We need religion to keep our society functioning." "People need meaning." Michael Shermer responds to and revisits the historical waves of religious fervor that shaped American life. He also…

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Tom Bibby 1:27:20

20d ago1:27:20

1:27:20

Why is new tech like AI embraced without a thought of how it might negatively impact the citizenry? Experts have exploded with warnings about the currently unchecked power of artificial intelligence. Trish welcomes Tom Bibby, from a UK citizen's group trying to do something about it. Pause AI has a Montreal chapter, too. Plus, Chris and Tamara toge…

1
If God designed it, why is it so badly built? 13:09

1M ago13:09

13:09

In this episode, Richard Dawkins revisits a 2012 conversation from the Great Minds program, produced by the Educational Broadcasting System in South Korea. He examines why life looks designed yet is full of flaws, showing how imperfections in nature reveal the true workings of evolution and expose the limits of intelligent design. Hosted by Simplec…

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The Serial Killer Era of the 70s/80s: Lore, Patterns, and Plausible Explanations 1:35:46

2M ago1:35:46

1:35:46

Pulitzer-winner Caroline Fraser maps the lives and crimes of Ted Bundy and his infamous peers—the Green River Killer, the I-5 Killer, the Night Stalker, the Hillside Strangler, and even Charles Manson—and explores an intriguing hypothesis: might environmental factors have played a role in the rise of serial killers in the 1970s and '80s? Caroline F…

1
Shermer Says: Debate Skills, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Autism, Vaccines, ANTIFA, Bari Weiss & CBS News 29:28

1M ago29:28

29:28

First installment of our new series Shermer Says. Topics covered: Debate Skills Nobel Peace Prize 2025 Autism & Tylenol COVID Vaccines & Myocarditis ANTIFA Bari Weiss & CBS News New Skeptic Research Center StudyBy Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer Podcasts

1
The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer

1
Trish Wood is Critical

Trish Wood

1
World's Greatest Con

Dog And Pony Show Audio

1
Paranoid Planet

Burden Of Proof Media

1
The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins

1
IFC's Conversations for Open Minds

St. Olaf College

1
Cosmology, Creation, and the Evidence for God 1:16:23

1
COVID's Attack on the Church, with Rev. John Naugle, and Guest Host Jeffrey Tucker 1:12:42

1
Why Do We Call It A Ponzi Scheme? 41:11

1
Bonus Episode 9.2C: "Unidentified Flying Canucks", feat. Anthropologist Matthew Hayes 2:42:16

1
Why Eastbound Flights Are Faster, and Other Strange Things About Wind (Simon Winchester) 1:20:41

1
She Didn't Start the Fire: An Interview with Alex Sullivan 1:07:41

1
Logic, Creativity, and the Limits of AI: How Humans Think in Ways Machines Never Will 1:49:41

2
The Psychology of War: Could YOU Make a Moral Choice in Wartime? 1:26:34

1
The Ostrich Massacre, with Guest Shaun Rickard 1:49:18

1
Tribes, Teams, and Cults: How Groups Shape What We Believe 1:35:52

751
Shermer Says 3: Weird Experiences, the Meaning of Dreams, and What Mark Twain Knew About Reality 31:50

1
Jonathan Rose 2:47:56

1
A Former Spy Explains How AI is Changing Espionage 1:07:41

1
Did Lost Civilizations Really Exist? An Archaeologist Explains 1:39:19

1
Karl Harrison, Shaun Rickard, and Regina Watteel 1:42:39

1
Bonus Episode 7.5B: "Kennedy good, CIA bad!" Feat. JFK Conspiracy critic Fred Litwin & Dallas tour guide Dan Evans 2:24:49

1
Charles Murray: Why I'm Taking Religion Seriously 1:43:55

1
The Myth of Human Exceptionalism: Why Humans Aren't as Special as We Think 1:03:27

1
Shermer Says: Why Secularists Are Turning to Religion, The Substitution Hypothesis, Sleep Paralysis 42:54

1
Tom Bibby 1:27:20

1
If God designed it, why is it so badly built? 13:09

1
The Serial Killer Era of the 70s/80s: Lore, Patterns, and Plausible Explanations 1:35:46

1
Shermer Says: Debate Skills, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Autism, Vaccines, ANTIFA, Bari Weiss & CBS News 29:28