Skeptic: Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
-
Skepticality
-
browse past episodes
-
MonsterTalk
-
browse past episodes
-
other skeptical podcasts
Episode Notes for
Cthulhu Rises
PZ Myers favorite monster: the Vampire Squid
(a 1910 illustration from Thiele in Chun, C. 1910. Die Cephalopoden)
H.P. Lovecraft
That is not dead which can eternal lie And with strange aeons even death may die.
The literary work of Howard Phillips Lovecraft is dark and macabre. It casts a long shadow in American Literature, influencing such writers as Rod Serling, Steven King, Bob Howard, Robert Bloch, and many others. In his stories he wove a tapestry of mad alien gods and unspeakable horrors and the insignificance of man. And of a mountainous evil that sleeps in the ocean, worshipped by mad cults and known only as … Cthulhu.
In this episode
Robert M. Price, a noted Lovecraft scholar, discusses:
- The life of H.P. Lovecraft
- The history of the Cthulhu Mythos
- Lovecraft’s philosophy, religious beliefs and racism
- The cultural impact of Lovecraft’s work
- We then interview biologist PZ Myers about Cthulhu’s biological inspiration, discussing the weird alien biology and physiology of cephalopods.
PZ Myers
Links of interest
- Works by H.P. Lovecraft from Amazon.com
- More on PZ Myers’ favorite monster
- Robert M. Price’s interview of ST Joshi on Point of Inquiry
- Quirks and Quarks on the evolution of Cephalopod legs
Music
-
Monstertalk Theme: Monster
by Peach Stealing Monkeys - Intro Music: Death by 1000psi
Robert W. Price
- Interstitial Music: Goblin Dreams A.R. Morgan
- Outro Music: Hey There Cthulhu by The Eben Brooks Band and used by special permission.
Episode Transcript
Read a complete transcript of this episode
The views expressed on this program are not necessarily the views of the Skeptics Society or Skeptic magazine.
search
Help the
Skeptics Society
at no cost to you!
Planning on shopping at Amazon.com? Start your shopping by clicking the button below, and the Skeptics Society will receive a commission. Your prices for all Amazon products will remain exactly the same, yet you’ll provide essential financial support for the work of the nonprofit Skeptics Society.
See our affiliate links page for Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, and iTunes links.
get eSkeptic
our free newsletter
Free science articles delivered to your inbox once a week.
eSkeptic is our free email newsletter. Delivered once a week to your inbox, you will receive fascinating & provocative articles, event announcements, podcasts, book reviews, and timely updates from Skeptic.
FREE PDF Download
Top 10 Myths About Evolution (and how we know it really happened)
This concise pamphlet provides answers to common objections to evolution, such as: If humans came from apes, why aren’t apes evolving into humans?; Only an intelligent designer could have made something as complex as an eye; The second law of thermo-dynamics proves that evolution is impossible; Evolution can’t account for morality; and more…
FREE PDF Download
Top 10 Things You Should Know About Alternative Medicine
Harriet Hall, MD (aka the SkepDoc), shares her wit and wisdom about alternative medicine including: chiropractic, the placebo effect, homeopathy, acupuncture, and the questionable benefits of organic food, detoxification, and ‘natural’ remedies.
FREE PDF Download
Learn to be a Psychic in 10
Easy Lessons
Psychic readings and fortunetelling are an ancient art — a combination of acting and psychological manipulation. While some psychics are known to cheat and acquire information ahead of time, these ten tips focus on what is known as “cold reading” — reading someone “cold” without any prior knowledge about them.