Skeptic: Promoting Science and Critical Thinking

2012 Episodes

May 8th: Interview with Comedian “Dr. Pete”

When it comes to certain topics, people sometimes seem to turn a blind eye to the evidence and research that have been collected over the past few hundred years of systematic inquiry. Can comedy bring a bright candle to ideas that other methods struggle to illuminate? In this episode of Skepticality, Derek welcomes a special in-studio guest, Dr. Peter Ludovice (a.k.a. “Dr. Pete”), a popular stand up comedian who performs his show with a twist of science and rational thinking. Ludovice, also an Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech, discusses how he uses his interesting mix of professions to reach out to his students and audiences across the United States.

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April 24th: Interviews with Ian Harris and Bob Carroll

This week on Skepticality, Derek talks to Ian Harris, one of a troupe of comedians whose “Evolution of Comedy Tour” covers topics science-loving folks will really enjoy. Ian and Derek discuss why comedy is a great fit for talking about skeptical and scientific issues. Later in this episode, Derek checks in with Bob Carroll to discuss his new e-book, Unnatural Acts, which he produced as part his ongoing efforts on The Skeptic’s Dictionary.

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April 10th: Interviews with Guy Harrison

This week on Skepticality, Derek interviews Guy Harrison about his latest book, 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True, a guide to help steer people away from bogus pseudoscience by offering alternative explanations to commonly held unfounded beliefs. Derek also sits down with the founders of the website The Odds Must Be Crazy, a site which highlights extraordinary stories submitted by people who claim to have experienced the supernatural (yet these experiences have perfectly natural explanations).

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March 27th: Interview with Neil DeGrasse Tyson

This week on Skepticality, Derek sits down for a packed episode starting with an interview with Neil DeGrasse Tyson on his latest book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, which tackles a history of NASA and discusses the research and issues humanity now faces with regard to travel beyond the confines of our planet. Also, there is the debut of “Unnatural Virtue,” a new segment by Bob Carroll of The Skeptics Dictionary, wherein he will be discussing some of the basic foundations of critical thinking and skepticism. To round out the show we have ‘Bug Girl’ who talks a bit about why someone whose main focus is insect study is also highly involved in the world of skeptical thinking.

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March 13th: You Are Not So Smart

This week on Skepticality, Derek has a discussion with David McRainy about his latest book, You Are Not So Smart. McRainy is a journalist who mainly covers subject matter in the areas of psychology and technology, which lead him to researching many of the claims to which skeptics gravitate. In this interview, you’ll find out why you probably have too many friends on Facebook, why your memory is mostly fiction, and other ways in which you are probably deluding yourself.

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February 28th: Interview with David DiSalvo

This week on Skepticality, Derek talks with David DiSalvo about his newest book, What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite, which delves into the ways in which we can recognize our brains’ faults and use them to live more fulfilled lives. DiSalvo is an award-winning public outreach and education specialist, and a popular writer for Scientific American Mind, Psychology Today, and other publications and blogs.

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February 14th: Interviews with Tom Merritt, Bob Blaskiewicz & Eve Siebert

This week on Skepticality, Derek sits down with Tom Merritt to discuss the importance of critical thinking when assessing heated issues such as the much-reported working conditions at computer manufacturer Foxconn, a large supplier of Apple components. Then, Bob Blaskiewicz and Eve Siebert join Derek to discuss the evidence that Shakespeare was actually the man who penned the famous plays of the Globe Theater, and how the movie Anonymous is steeped in fiction.

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January 31st: Interview with Daniele Bolelli

This week on Skepticality, Derek chats with Daniele Bolelli, the author of 50 Things You’re Not Supposed To Know: Religion. Daniele is an Italian skeptic and writer, a mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor, and a university professor. His book is part a series being produced by the people behind www.disinfo.com (a website, blog, and podcast). Bolelli currently lives in the United States.

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January 17th: Interview with Sean Faircloth

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy pops in for a quick chat with Derek about what she has been doing, and has some fun, new ideas for the show. Derek interviews Sean Faircloth about his new role at the US branch of the Richard Dawkins Foundation For Reason and Science and about his new book, Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All—and What We Can Do About It (with a Foreword by Richard Dawkins).

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January 7th: 2011: A Year in Review with Tim Farley

This week on Skepticality, host Derek sits down with Tim Farley to reflect on what happened in the skeptical world over the course of 2011 and ponder what is in store for 2012. Tim Farley is the creator of the website Whats the Harm (a catalog of actual cases of people suffering physical, medical, financial or other harm because of their beliefs in concepts not supported by science) and Skeptic History (a collection of historical dates of interest to skeptics).

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