The Humanist Hour

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews social justice comedian and advocate Sam Killermann on gender issues, feminism, humanism, and intolerance. Also, find out how NOT to make small talk with Bo! Sam loves and appreciates all people, and hopes to someday live in a world where everyone shares those views and we all stop being jerks. He uses humor as a “social lubricant” to put people at ease confronting difficult issues, drawing on his master’s education in college student development from Bowling Green State University and his eight years of experience working stand-up comedian for guidance. Sam is a dedicated ally and advocate for social justice. Ultimately, he would prefer shows and websites like “It’s Pronounced Metrosexual” to become unnecessary and irrelevant, even at the cost of his dream job. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go before he has to worry about that.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews author Benjamin Radford about his book, "Scientific Para-normal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries." Ben is deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and a Research Fellow with the non-profit educational organization the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has written over a thousand articles on a wide variety of topics, including urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, and media literacy. He is author of six books: "Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking" (with sociologist Robert Bartholomew); "Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us," examining the ways in which deception is used in various media to influence decision making and public policy; "Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World’s Most Elusive Creatures" (with Joe Nickell), a scientific examination of lake monsters around the world; "Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries;" "Tracking the

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews author Marshall Brain about his book, "How 'God' Works: A Logical Inquiry on Faith". From the book description: "Does God exist? Using an intellectually rigorous, scientific approach, Marshall Brain—the founder of HowStuffWorks.com and author of the How Stuff Works series—sets out to resolve the eternal debate once and for all. With a compelling sense of curiosity, he breaks down mankind's search for a higher power, tackling such quandaries as: Who is God? What are his attributes? What is God doing and why? How does God interact with humanity? And ultimately, how can humans know with certainty whether God is real or imaginary? 'How God Works' is an enlightening journey in critical thinking that challenges readers to boldly approach the subject of personal faith and put aside intuition in favor of objectivity and logic." Marshall Brain is best known as the founder of HowStuffWorks.com, and is the bestselling author of the How Stuff Works book series. He has appeared on

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview Ian Dodd and Amy Boyle from the Sunday Assembly in Los Angeles, CA. They talk how it got started, what it is, what it is not, and how they are keeping it going strong. From SundayAssemblyLA.org: Sunday Assembly Los Angeles is a new godless community that meets monthly to hear great talks, connect for service projects, sing songs and generally celebrate life. Assemblies are free to attend, and everyone is welcome. The Sunday Assembly: 1) Is 100% celebration of life. We are born from nothing and go to nothing. Let’s en-joy it together. 2) Has no doctrine. We have no set texts so we can make use of wisdom from all sources. 3) Has no deity. We don’t do supernatural but we also won’t tell you you’re wrong if you do. 4) Is radically inclusive. Everyone is welcome, regardless of their beliefs – this is a place of love that is open and accepting. 5) Is free to attend, not-for-profit and volunteer run. We ask for donations to cover our costs and support

This is a special live presentation episode of a presentation on positive humanism, given by Bo Bennett to the Concord Humanists in Concord, MA on December 3, 2014. What is positive humanism? Positive humanism is an applied humanistic philosophy based on the scientific findings of positive psychology that focuses on personal, professional, and societal flourishing. Translation: As an applied philosophy it offers practical solutions to increase well-being. As a humanistic philosophy, there are no appeals to the supernatural, the magical, or the mystical—the philosophy is founded on reason and critical thinking. The philosophy is science-based, meaning it is void of the unsupported and/or exaggerated claims and the constant confusing of correlation with causality often found in the self-help genre. The philosophy is grounded in the theories of positive psychology, which is the study of the other side of the mental health spectrum—human thriving. The philosophy focuses on concrete strategies to help indivi

In this episode, Kim Ellington interviews Sincere Kirabo, continuing the conversation from last week. Kirabo is a Board Member with Black Nonbelievers and a Regional Director for American Atheists. He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding, and interested only in the cerebral. Kirabo’s hope is to dissect every observation, grasp the fundamentals of executing knowledge in his daily walk, and question the very fabric of reality. Kirabo on Skepticism: "Skepticism goes beyond doubt or disbelief. It is not close-mindedness or being negative about every new or controversial idea. Skepticism is a process of critical thinking and analyzing evidence to determine the validity of a hypothesis. It is a rational and an open-minded process to find a conclusion that is supported by evidence. It is not used to justify preconception. It is not used to irrationally reject evidence based on a personal desire for only one conclusion."

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview James Croft, humanist activist involved in the events unfolding in Ferguson, MO. James Croft is the Leader in Training at the Ethical Culture Society of St. Louis - one of the largest humanist congregations in the world. He is a graduate of Cambridge and Harvard Universities, and is currently writing his doctoral dissertation as a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is a public speaker, teacher, and a passionate activist for human rights. James was raised on Shakespeare, Sagan and Star Trek, and is a proud, gay humanist. His upcoming book "The Godless Congregation", co-authored with New York Times bestselling author Greg Epstein, is being published by Simon & Schuster.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews entertainer and career skeptic Brian Brushwood. Brian is an American magician, podcaster, author, lecturer and comedian. He is known for the series Scam School, a show where he teaches the audience entertaining tricks at bars so they can "scam" a free drink from their friends. In addition to Scam School Brushwood co-hosts the podcasts Weird Things, Too Long Didn't Listen, Cordkillers and Night Attack. Brushwood is also a regular guest on the This Week in Tech podcast. Brushwood performs his Bizarre Magic stage show across the United States and is the author of six books. Brushwood has appeared on national television numerous times including on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CNN and Food Network. From Brian’s website: Ever wonder how those guys on TV seem to talk to the dead? What about ESP and psychic surgery? How do street scams and cons work? Want to know how YOU can trick your friends into believing you have psychic powers? As a magician, Brian’s wise to all the

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews Kevin deLaplante, philosophy and religious studies professor at Iowa State University. They discuss several aspects of critical thinking, including it is so important in everyday life. From Dr. deLaplante’s website, Critical Thinking Academy: When I’m not working on the Academy I teach at Iowa State University in the Depart-ment of Philosophy & Religious Studies. I was Chair of that department from 2009-2013. My early training was in physics. In graduate school I focused my studies on the history and philosophy of science. Over the years I’ve taught courses on Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, Symbolic Log-ic, Logic and Scientific Reasoning, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Physics, Phi-losophy of Biology, Philosophy of Ecology, Philosophy of Mathematics, and others. I’ve always had an interest in critical thinking, human (ir)rationality and the psychology of belief and judgment. The Academy is a place where I can indulge my interests in this area and share

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with David Niose about his new book, Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason. David is the immediate past president of the American Humanist Association. He currently serves as the legal director of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center, running the AHLC's Massachusetts office. From Amazon: The political scene is changing rapidly in America. The religious right is on the defensive, acceptance of gay rights is at an all-time high, social conservatives are struggling for relevance, and more Americans than ever identify as nonreligious. What does this mean for the country and the future? With these demographic shifts, can truly progressive, reason-based public policy finally gain traction? Or will America continue to carry a reputation as anti-intellectual and plutocratic, eager to cater to large corporate interests but reluctant to provide universal health care to all its citizens? Fighting Back the Right reveals a new alliance in the making, a pro

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with John Figdor, the current Humanist Chaplain at Stanford University where he organizes events and programs for both students and community members of the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the first Humanist Chaplain on the West Coast serving a university community. John received his B.A. with honors in Philosophy from Vassar College and holds a master’s degree (MDiv) in Humanism and Interfaith Dialogue from Harvard Divinity School. He was an Organizing Fellow of the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University and former Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard, working with Greg Epstein. John is a former Board Member of the Secular Student Alliance, and his work has been discussed in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Huffington Post and The Washington Post. In 2014, John coauthored with Lex Bayer the book "Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart: Rewriting the Ten Commandments for the Twenty-First Century".

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with James Woods, an openly-atheist congressional candidate for Arizona’s 5th district. Though he lost in the November 4 general election, his trailblazing campaign helped pave the way for other openly secular candidates in the future. Read about James Woods (in his own words): I’ve lived in Arizona my whole life. I was born in the Arizona East Valley and raised by good-hearted working class parents. My dad is one of my best friends and supporters. We lost my mom to cancer in 2002, but I think she would be proud of how close and strong our family has remained. I graduated from Dobson High in ‘97 and went to Mesa Community College, working toward a career in the tech industry. I wanted the kind of job where I could support myself and a family, but also contribute to the quality of life in Arizona by developing technology-based solutions to the problems our state faces. A month before my 27th birthday, I was hospitalized for a rare illness that nearly killed me. I didn’t

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with Bart Campolo, the Humanist Chaplain at the University of Southern California who recently left Christianity and became a “preacher of reason.” Bart talks about his journey and offers advice on how secular groups can use some of the “secret sauce” used by many religious groups to build communities. After receiving his BA in Religious Studies from Brown University, Bart served as youth pastor of the Park Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis before returning to his hometown of Philadelphia to found Mission Year, which recruits Christian young adults to live and work among the poor in urban neighborhoods across the country. During his fifteen years in that role, Bart became a popular writer and speaker in evangelical Christian circles, focusing on interpersonal relationships, community development, and social justice. In 2005 he returned to street-level ministry as leader of the Walnut Hills Fellowship, a missional, interfaith community in inner-c

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Todd Stiefel interview Dr. Susan Blackmore about near death experiences, the paranormal, consciousness, and memes. Dr. Blackmore is an English freelance writer, lecturer, sceptic, and broadcaster on psychology and the paranormal, and is best known for her book The Meme Machine. She has written and contributed to over 40 books and 60 scholarly articles and is a contributor to The Guardian newspaper.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews George Eighmey, officer and spokesperson for the Death with Dignity National Center. The mission of the Center is to promote Death with Dignity laws based on their model legislation, the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, both to provide an option for dying individuals and to stimulate nationwide improvements in end-of-life care. George was an Oregon state legislator in 1997 when opponents to the Death with Dignity Act were working to dismantle the citizen's initiative passed in 1994, and he was instrumental in blocking this opposition. After the law was implemented, he took up a leadership role as the executive director of Compassion in Dying of Oregon which later became Compassion & Choices of Oregon. After twelve years helping terminally ill patients navigate Oregon's Death with Dignity Act, George retired in 2010.

In this episode. Bo Bennett speaks with Muhammad Syed and Sarah Haider on the issue of criticizing Islam and analyzing some of the recent comments made by people such as Sam Harris, Bill Maher, Reza Aslan, and Ben Affleck. Muhammad Syed is a resident of the Washington, DC metro area. Due to the desire to better understand his faith, he embarked on a long period of research and study culminating in the inevitable conclusion that Islam, like other religions, is nothing more than bronze-age mythology. He decided to be public about his apostasy in 2007 in a desire to engage in open dialogue and break the apostasy taboo, encouraging other like-minded individuals to follow suit. In 2012, following the lead of the groups in London and Toronto, he started organizing an Ex-Muslim Community in the Washington, DC area. Sarah Haider, a recent transplant to DC, was born in Pakistan and raised in the US. She grew up on a diet of debating and reading which, as a surprise to no-one, led to her atheism. Muhammad and Sarah h

In this episode, TheHumanist.com contributor Dan Moran shares his 1992 interview with the late Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922 – 2007) was an American writer of noted works such as Cat's Cradle (1963), Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), and Breakfast of Champions (1973). Known for his humanist beliefs, he was awarded the AHA’s Humanist of the Year award in 1992 and served as the AHA’s honorary president. Vonnegut grew up in a family of German-American freethinkers. His great-grandfather was the first president of the Freethinkers Society of Indianapolis and he maintained the family tradition of rejecting religious dogma in favor of humanism. The sarcastic tone of Vonnegut's work came from major personal traumas, including his mother's suicide and witnessing first-hand the 1945 bombing of Dresden, Germany while a prisoner of war. Despite such experiences, Vonnegut never felt the need to fall back on irrational beliefs to explain irrational actions. He maintained his belief in a humanist worldview through

In this episode, Bo and Kim discuss the Openly Secular campaign with the chairman of the campaign, Todd Stiefel. Todd lives in Raleigh, NC. He is a secular humanist, an atheist and full-time freethought activist. He serves as an advisor to many of the top nontheistic organizations. He has given over $4.5 million dollars to charities in the Freethought Movement. This is highlighted by $3.5 million to found the Stiefel Freethought Foundation. Todd graduated cum laude from Duke University. He worked 12 years for Stiefel Laboratories, holding positions in marketing, sales operations and strategy. During his tenure, the company’s revenues quadrupled. He was the Chief Strategy Officer, the Enterprise Leadership Team chairman and member of the executive committee of the Board.

In this episode, Bo Bennett has the honor of getting to know Maggie Ardiente and Roy Speckhardt from the American Humanist Association, when they drop by the recording studio for a live, wide-ranging discussion. Maggie Ardiente is the director of development and communications at the American Humanist Association and senior editor of TheHumanist.com. She graduated with a B.S. in sociology from James Madison University and served as Vice President of the JMU Freethinkers, a student group for atheists, agnostics, and humanists. She is a former board member of the Secular Student Alliance and a graduate (Class 15) and board member of The Humanist Institute. Roy Speckhardt has served as executive director of the American Humanist Association since 2005. He is a frequent media commentator, having appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, and NPR, among others. He also writes a regular column for The Huffington Post, and has given speeches at colleges, conferences, and local humanist groups across the coun

In this episode, Bo interviews Jason Eden, a guy who was about as “Christian” as a Christian can get, yet recently left Christianity for atheism with a Humanist worldview. Eden is a former Southern Baptist preacher, youth minister, worship leader, and Christian apologist. Now a humanist celebrant, he resides near St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and two children. He wrote about his journey away from faith and his coming-out in the book That’s Me in the Corner: Coming Out as an Atheist on Facebook. Professionally, he works in corporate education capacities in the fields of big data and cloud computing, and sometimes writes at TheHumanist.com and at TheBookofWonder.org.