The Humanist Hour

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview Amanda Knief, the National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists, touching on several issues relating to law and politics. Later, correspondent Gina James interviews Joe Dougherty about the militarization of American law enforcement and the psychological effect it can have on police officers and civilians. Amanda Knief is a public policy and constitutional expert on religious freedom and civil liberties. She is the author of The Citizen Lobbyist: A How-to Manual for Making Your Voice Heard in Government. Knief has a JD from Drake University Law School and a BS in journalism and science communication from Iowa State University. She has previously worked as a legal counsel and legislative drafter for the Iowa Legislature and the lobbyist for the Secular Coalition for America. Currently, she serves as the National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists, where she directs policy advocacy, legal strategy, and serves and In-Ho

In this episode, Bo Bennett teams up with guest co-host Peggy Knudtson at FREEFLO in Orlando, Florida for a live Humanist Hour recording. They begin with Woo Jeopardy, featuring an all-star panel of contestants including Matt Dillahunty, Seth Andrews, and Sarah Morehead. Keep listening for a religious jokes contest followed by a “wackiest beliefs” contest! FREEFLO is the annual conference of the Florida Humanist Association.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with Dr. Peter Boghossian about the “Regressive Left,” safe spaces, trigger warnings, and what appears to be an alarming change in American university culture. Dr. Peter Boghossian’s main focus is bringing the tools of professional philosophers to people in a wide variety of contexts. Peter has a teaching pedigree spanning more than 20 years and 30 thousand students – in prisons, hospitals, public and private schools, seminaries, colleges and universities, Fortune 100 companies, and small businesses. His fundamental objective is to teach people how to think through what often seem to be intractable problems. Dr. Boghossian’s primary research areas are critical thinking and moral reasoning. His doctoral research studies, funded by the State of Oregon and supported by the Oregon Department of Corrections, consisted of using the Socratic method to help prison inmates to increase their critical thinking and moral reasoning abilities and to increase their desis

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Guy P. Harrison about his latest book, Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser. Later, Peggy Knudtson speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Jarman at The Skeptics of Oz conference about the art and science of debate. Guy P. Harrison has held numerous positions in the news industry, including editorial writer, world news editor, sports editor, photographer, page designer, and columnist. He is a veteran travel writer, having visited and written about more than 25 countries on five continents. He has also had some very rewarding jobs teaching history and science to bright kids.Guy holds a degree in history and anthropology from the University of South Florida. He has won many awards for his writing, including the World Health Organization Award for Health Reporting and the Commonwealth Media Award for Excellence in Journalism. Dr. Jeffrey Jarman teaches courses in strategic communications at Wichita State University’s Elliott School of Communica

In this episode, Peggy Knudtson speaks with former scientologist Chris Shelton at The Skeptics of Oz conference. Later, correspondent Jenn Wilson speaks with Dr. John Hawks, one of the lead scientists on the Rising Star Expedition, about the practice of open science and how it has benefited this work. Chris Shelton used to be a Scientologist and got himself out of that situation in late 2013. As part of his road out of that mess, he discovered skepticism and the whole subject of critical thinking. It was an epiphany for Chris and a very important step on his road to recovery. No one wants to think that they were duped or made a fool of, and no one wants to think that they could be so easily deceived. Once he started learning about logic and reason, he made it his mission in life to spread this new “gospel” so as to help others in their lives. John Hawks is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also is the author of a widely read paleoanthropology blog.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews Michael Werner about the history of humanism and dis-cuss ethics from a secular perspective. Werner is a cofounder of SMART Recovery, a past president of the American Humanist Association, and currently a member of the AHA chapter Humanists and Freethinkers of Cape Fear. Later, Humanist Hour contributor Ron Steelman interviews Ron Flannery on artificial intelligence.

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with author and journalist Antony Lowenstein about his latest book, Disaster Capitalism, dealing with a broken political system in need of fixing. Antony Loewenstein is an Australian independent freelance journalist, author, documentarian and blogger. He has written for the The Guardian, Washington Post, New Statesman, Al Jazeera, Huffington Post, The Daily Star, Le Monde Diplomatique English, Foreign Policy, The National, Al Akhbar English, Dawn, Haaretz, The Nation, New Internationalist, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, BBC World Service, Adbusters, Al Masry Alyoum, Juan Cole, Mondoweiss, Tehelka, Sydney’s Sun-Herald, New Zealand Herald, Sydney Ideas Quarterly, The Australian Financial Review, Crikey, Melbourne’s Age, Brisbane’s Courier Mail, Canberra Times, Online Opinion, New Matilda, The Conversation, ABC Unleashed/The Drum, Amnesty International Australia, Green Left Weekly, Eureka Street, Kill Your Darlings, Tikkun, Adelaide’s Advertiser, The Bulletin, Znet, Ov

In this episode, Chris Johnson, author of the book A Better Life and producer of the movie with the same title, talks about his experience creating these works and what it means to have “a better life.” Chris is a New York-based photographer and filmmaker. He received his undergraduate degree in film production (along with a minor in religious studies) from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. His photography has been seen in various outlets, including The New York Times. He has spent the last three years working on A Better Life, traveling across the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and other countries. Apart from his own film and photographic work, he has also collaborated with artists and directors in various roles and capacities from assistant director and stage manager, for theatre, film, and print. For the book and film of A Better Life, he interviewed many prominent atheist figures such as Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, Dan Dennett, Derren Brown, Pat Churchland, Julia Sweeney, Penn & Tel

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with author John Loftus about his new book, How to Defend the Christian Faith: Advice from an Atheist – the first book on Christian apologetics written by a leading atheist figure that teaches Christians the best and worst arguments for defending their faith against attack. From Amazon.com: The Christian faith has been vigorously defended with a variety of philosophical, historical, and theological arguments, but many of the arguments used in an earlier age no longer resonate in today’s educated West. Where has apologetics gone wrong? What is the best response to the growing challenge presented by scientific discovery and naturalistic thought? Unlike every work on Christian apologetics that has come before, How to De-fend the Christian Faith is the first one written by an atheist for Christians. As a former Christian defender who is now a leading atheist thinker, John Loftus answers these questions and more. He tells would-be apologists how to train prope

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with writer Chris Matheson about his book, "The Story of God: A Biblical Comedy about Love (and Hate)." From Amazon.com: The Bible offers some clues to God’s personality—he’s alternately been called vindictive and just, bloodthirsty and caring, all-powerful and impotent, capricious and foresighted, and loving and hateful. But no one has ever fully explored why God might be such a figure of contrasts. Nor has anyone ever satisfactorily explained what guides his relationship not just with angels, the devil, and his son, but also with all of creation. Might he be completely misunderstood, a mystery even to himself? Might his behavior and actions toward humankind tell us much more about him than it does about us? Enter the mind of the creator of the universe, travel with him through the heavenly highs and hellish lows of his story, from Genesis to Revelation, to better understand his burdensome journey: being God isn’t easy. After hearing his story—at times troubling and trag

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington have a casual chat about several topics: some fun, some exciting, and some that can have a significant impact on humanity. Listen in and enjoy!

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with world-renowned artist and humanist science fiction author Scott Burdick about how his travels led him to a humanistic world view, and how his latest science-fiction novel, Nihala, explores many humanistic issues. Scott’s bio from Amazon.com: Scott Burdick studied art at Chicago's American Academy of Art and then film and writing at Chicago's Columbia College, where his short story "Fear" was published in the Hair Trigger anthology while a student. Burdick subsequently illustrated covers for TSR's Dungeon and Dragon magazines, as well as working on the development team for Dreamworks' animated feature film, Spirit (uncredited). Unsatisfied with the prospect of living in Chicago or LA and working for others, Scott and his wife, fellow artist Susan Lyon, moved to rural NC in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, as a home base between traveling extensively across the world--researching many cultures and indigenous tribes for his artworks, novels,

In this episode, Kim Ellington speaks with Certified Forensic Examiner Derek Ellington on a host of issues in the digital age including the recent hack of online dating/affair service Ashley Madison. What should parents be aware of in the digital age? What should we all be aware of? Derek Ellington is a Certified Forensic Examiner with over twenty years of IT experience and over ten years of forensic experience. He is a court-recognized expert witness and regularly testifies in varying courts and jurisdictions. He conducts seminars and trainings, and is a contributor to family law and legal publications on the subject of digital forensics.

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with author Seth Andrews about his latest book Sacred Cows: A Lighthearted Look at Belief and Tradition Around the World. “[I]nto the 21st century, our species continues to participate in beliefs and customs that seem more suited to the Bronze Age than the Information Age, some of which involve poisonous snakes, holy smoke, urine bubbles, crystals, tarot cards, aliens, costumed virgins and, of course, an offering plate.” A Christian of 30 years and former religious broadcaster, Seth Andrews ultimately found himself dissatisfied with the explanations and doctrines of scripture and the church. His search for answers let him to reject, completely, Christianity and all other religions, and Seth now hosts one of the largest online atheist communities in the world, The Thinking Atheist. His "everyman" approach and skills as a broadcaster and video producer have brought, literally, millions into the conversation regarding religious beliefs and the benefits/damage they do in the

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with AHA Legal Director David Niose about many of the issues humanist students can face in public school, and more importantly, what can be done about these issues. David Niose's background includes experience in law and mass communication. Having practiced law in Massachusetts since 1990, Niose has also worked in print and broadcast media, taught both history and law, and written extensively on a wide array of issues. Upon joining the AHA board in 2005, Niose initiated and helped develop the AHA's media campaign. Niose has appeared in national media and spoken to groups around the country, emphasizing the importance of utilizing mass media to inject humanist ideas into the public dialogue, improve the public image of humanists, and sway public opinion away from the religious right. As an attorney, Niose has advocated for church/state separation and the rights of humanists and other nontheists, and he is currently involved in implementing a legal strategy to enforce the r

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and Executive Director of the Humanist Hub, about his recent article in Salon, "Ta-Nehisi Coates woke me up: Lessons on race, atheism, and white privilege". From HumanistHub.org: Greg M. Epstein serves as the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, and is author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe. He sits on the executive committee of the 36-member corps Harvard Chaplains. In 2005 he received ordination as a Humanist Rabbi from the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, where he studied in Jerusalem and Michigan for five years.

In this episode, Kim Ellington speaks with Dr. Richard Carrier about the historicity of Jesus. They discuss the fine line between history, philosophy, and science and why Jesus was more likely just a literary figure than a real person. From Dr. Carrier’s website: Richard Carrier is a world-renowned author and speaker. As a professional historian, published philosopher, and prominent defender of the American freethought movement, Dr. Carrier has appeared across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and on American television and London radio, defending sound historical methods and the ethical worldview of secular naturalism. His books and articles have received international attention. With a Ph.D. from Columbia University in ancient history, he specializes in the intellectual history of Greece and Rome, particularly ancient philosophy, religion, and science, with emphasis on the origins of Christianity and the use and progress of science under the Roman empire. He is also a published expert in the modern philosop

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Matt Dillahunty, host of the Atheist Experience cable access television show broadcast from Austin, Texas. The discussion covers many aspects of debate and common Christian argument, along with some suggestions on how to respond and how not to respond. From The Atheist Experience website: I was raised in a loving, Southern Baptist home and was a fundamentalist Christian for over 20 years. After 8 years in the Navy and several years in the hi-tech game, I set out to re-affirm my faith with designs on attending seminary and continuing with a life in the ministry. What began as an attempt to bolster my faith became a continuing investigation into more topics than I ever suspected I'd enjoy. After the first couple of years, reason forced me to acknowledge that my faith had not only been weakened by my studies - it had been utterly destroyed. The thoughts, writings and wisdom of people like; Robert Ingersoll, Voltaire, Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins, Farrell Till and many o

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with author and journalist Johann Hari about the failed war on drugs, its history, and a proposed solution that has been tested. Hari’s new book, "Chasing the Scream," explores the war on drugs through the stories of people across the world whose lives have been transformed by this war. From ChasingTheScream.com: Johann Hari is a British journalist. He has written for many of the world’s leading newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Le Monde, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, the New Republic, Nation, Slate, El Mundo, and the Sydney Morning Herald. He was a lead op-ed columnist for the Independent, one of Britain’s leading newspapers, for nine years. He was born in 1979 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has lived in London since he was a baby. His mother is from the Scottish tenements and his father is from the Swiss mountains. He graduated from King’s College, Cambridge with a double first in Social and Political Sciences in 2001. Johann was named ‘Nationa

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Dr. Ginger Campbell, host of the Brain Science Podcast, about neuroscience and the many issues that science can shed light on such as the concepts of self, freewill, belief, consciousness, morality, and others. Dr. Campbell is an experienced emergency physician with a long-standing interest in mind-body medicine, the brain, and consciousness. She is also interested in a wide variety of other topics including the history of science and ideas. She began podcasting in 2006 and has discovered that it is a great way to share ideas with people from around the world. In July 2014, Dr. Campbell left emergency medicine to begin a Fellowship in Palliative Care at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. She has continued to produce her Brain Science Podcast fairly regularly. In May, Dr. Campbell spoke at the 2015 American Humanist Association Annual Conference in Denver, CO, delivering a talk on “What Every Humanist Needs to Know about Palliative Care.”