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PODCAST

The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer

The Michael Shermer Show is a series of long-form conversations between Dr. Michael Shermer and leading scientists, philosophers, historians, scholars, writers and thinkers about the most important issues of our time.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

19:31

Debra Soh and Michael Shermer at FreedomFest 2025

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/07/14

Michael Shermer in conversation with Debra Soh at FreedomFest 2025 in Palm Springs, CA. Video courtesy of FreedomFest. Additional FreedomFest videos can be viewed on CiVL.

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01:11:06

Douglas Murray on Hamas, Iran, and the Collapse of...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/07/08

Drawing from intensive on-the-ground reporting in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, Douglas Murray places the latest violence in its proper historical context. He takes listeners on a harrowing journey through the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, piecing together the exclusive accounts from victims, survivors, and even the terrorists responsible for the atrocities. Douglas Murray is a bestselling author and journalist. His books include the Sunday Times number-one bestsellers The War on the West: How

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01:08:47

Can Politics and Truth Coexist?

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/07/01

Do any of us really care about truth when it comes to politics? Should we? In a world of big lies, denialism, and conspiracy theories, democracies are experiencing two interlocked crises: a loss of confidence in democracy itself and the growing sense among many that politics is only about power—not truth. In his new book, Michael Patrick Lynch argues that truth not only can—but must—matter in politics. He shows why truth is an essential democratic value—a value we need to sustain our democratic way

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01:48:47

Michael Egnor X Christof Koch X Michael Shermer | A...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/06/25

A debate on the mind, soul, consciousness, and the afterlife. Michael Egnor, MD, is Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. He received his medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and trained in neurosurgery at the University of Miami. He has been on faculty at Stony Brook since 1991. He is the neurosurgery residency director and has served as the director of pediatric neurosurgery and as

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01:19:47

The Science Behind Menopause

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/06/17

When award-winning science writer Amy Alkon was blindsided by her first hot flash, it kicked off a cascade of symptoms—drenching night sweats, insomnia, and a rage she couldn’t explain. But what shocked her more was how little real science her doctor had to offer. In this episode, Alkon shares what she uncovered in her deep dive into the research on menopause and perimenopause—the critical yet often neglected years leading up to menopause when millions of women are misdiagnosed, dismissed, or simply

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02:13:32

Andrew Doyle: Trapped Between Woke Dogma and...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/06/10

What began as a call for justice has, in many cases, become an engine of conformity. In this searching conversation, Andrew Doyle (author, satirist, and cultural critic) joins Michael Shermer to unpack the trajectory of the woke movement: from its roots in anti-bigotry and awareness to its current entanglement with censorship, identitarian dogma, and ideological rigidity. Drawing on his new book, The End of Woke Doyle traces the intellectual history of contemporary activism, explores the

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01:45:46

The Myths of American Capitalism Explained

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/31

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, capitalism has unleashed unimaginable growth in opportunity and prosperity. And yet, at key points in American history, economic disruption has led to a greater role for government, ostensibly to protect against capitalism’s excesses. Today, government regulates, mandates, subsidizes and controls a growing share of the American economy. Today on the show, retired U.S. Senator Phil Gramm, one of America’s premier public policy advocates, and noted

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01:34:00

The Big Bang Wasn’t the Beginning? Exploring Cosmic...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/27

By most popular accounts, the universe started with a bang some 13.8 billion years ago. But what happened before the Big Bang? And how do we know it happened at all? Cosmologist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper offer a tour of the peculiar possibilities: bouncing and cyclic universes, time loops, creations from nothing, multiverses, black hole births, string theories, and holograms. Incorporating insights from Afshordi’s cutting-edge research and Halper’s original interviews

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01:22:39

Believing Is Seeing: Inside the Modern Paranormal...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/24

In 2010, in a small New Hampshire town, next door to a copy center and framing shop, a ghost lab opened. The Kitt Research Initiative’s mission was to use the scientific method to document the existence of spirits. Founder Andy Kitt was known as a straight-shooter; he was unafraid—perhaps eager—to offend other paranormal investigators by exposing the fraudulence of their less advanced techniques. But when KRI started to lose money, Kitt began to seek funding from the paranormal community, attracting

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01:33:18

Inside the CIA’s Mind Control Experiments

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/20

This is the inside story of the CIA’s secret mind control project, MKULTRA, using never-before-seen testimony from the perpetrators themselves. Sidney Gottlieb was the CIA’s most cunning chemist. As head of the infamous MKULTRA project, he oversaw an assortment of dangerous―even deadly―experiments. Among them: dosing unwitting strangers with mind-bending drugs, torturing mental patients through sensory deprivation, and steering the movements of animals via electrodes implanted into their brains. His

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01:33:04

Neanderthals and Us: A Complex Story of Coexistence...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/17

In this eye-opening episode, Michael Shermer chats with evolutionist Telmo Pievani about the surprising coexistence—and hybridization—of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. They discuss recent scientific discoveries, the evolving understanding of race and biology, and the crucial role of serendipity in advancing scientific knowledge. This episode offers a nuanced perspective on how unexpected findings continue to reshape our understanding of human origins and the scientific process itself. Telmo Pievani

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01:11:15

AI, Trade Wars, Degrowth: What's Next for the Global...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/12

Amid rising concerns about AI, inequality, trade wars, and globalization, New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize finalist John Cassidy takes a bold approach: he tells the story of capitalism through its most influential critics. From the Luddites and early communists to the Wages for Housework movement and modern degrowth advocates, Cassidy’s global narrative features both iconic thinkers—Smith, Marx, Keynes—and lesser-known voices like Flora Tristan, J.C. Kumarappa, and Samir Amin. John Cassidy

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01:23:23

Is Modern Life Making Us Miserable? What’s Fueling...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/10

What does your diet have to do with your mood? Is mercury in fish really dangerous? Psychiatrist Dr. Drew Ramsey joins Michael Shermer to discuss the science behind nutritional psychiatry and how food, sleep, exercise, and social habits influence brain health. They explore why mental health issues are rising—especially among teens—and what role parenting, social media, and modern lifestyles play. The conversation also covers the effectiveness of SSRIs and other treatments, the role of inflammation

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01:17:54

Free Speech Under Fire? From Campus Protests to...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/06

Jacob Mchangama, author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, joins Michael to examine the evolving landscape of free expression amid rising political and cultural tensions. They discuss how far governments, universities, and tech platforms should go in regulating speech, and what’s at stake when they do. In this episode: Should non-citizens have the same speech protections as citizens? Social media, mental health, radicalization, and the “moderation dilemma” The global shift

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01:19:12

Is It Possible to Change Your Entire Personality?

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/05/03

Is it really possible to change your entire personality in a year? An award-winning journalist experiments with her own personality to find out—and reveals the science behind lasting change. Research shows that you can alter your personality traits by behaving in ways that align with the kind of person you’d like to be—a process that can make you happier, healthier, and more successful. Olga embarked on an “experiment” to see whether it’s possible to go from dwelling in dread to radiating joy. For

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54:13

The Trouble with Economic Data: Flawed Metrics,...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/04/29

The ways that statisticians and governments measure the economy were developed in the 1940s, when the urgent economic problems were entirely different from those of today. Diane Coyle argues that the framework underpinning today’s economic statistics is so outdated that it functions as a distorting lens, or even a set of blinkers. When policymakers rely on such an antiquated conceptual tool, how can they measure, understand, and respond with any precision to what is happening in today’s digital

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55:45

Did Shutting Down Schools Help or Hurt? A COVID-19...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/04/26

David Zweig’s new book An Abundance of Caution (MIT Press) is an account of the decision-making process behind the extended closures of public schools during the pandemic. In fascinating and meticulously reported detail, Zweig shows how some of the most trusted members of society—from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists to eminent health officials—repeatedly made fundamental errors in their assessment and presentation of evidence. By fall 2020, many students in Europe were already back in

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01:42:17

What’s Holding You Back? Scott Barry Kaufman on...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/04/22

It’s tempting to see ourselves as damaged or powerless—defined by past traumas, overwhelming emotions, and daily struggles. But is that really the most helpful way to understand ourselves? Does seeing ourselves as victims lead to growth? Psychologist and author Scott Barry Kaufman joins us to examine how popular narratives around sensitivity, self-esteem, and emotional regulation may be holding us back. He unpacks the psychological costs of coddling (vs. empowerment), the rise of risk aversion, and

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01:31:49

Why We Follow Orders: The Neuroscience of Compliance...

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/04/19

Why do ordinary people carry out extraordinary harm when simply told to do so? From the Holocaust to the genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Cambodia, history shows how obedience to authority can lead to unimaginable acts. But what’s happening in the brain when we follow orders—even ones that conflict with our morals? In this episode, we speak with neuroscientist Emilie Caspar, whose groundbreaking research explores how authority influences cognition and behavior. Drawing from real-life accounts of

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01:14:20

Amanda Knox: Life After the Crime That Wasn’t Hers

The Michael Shermer Show ·

2025/04/15

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn’t commit—and became a notorious tabloid story in the process. Though she was exonerated, it’s taken more than a decade for her to reclaim her identity and truly feel free. Amanda’s new book, Free recounts how she survived prison, the mistakes she made and misadventures she had reintegrating into society, culminating in the untold story of her return to Italy and the extraordinary relationship she’s built

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