Susan Jacoby - American Freethought Heritage

Point of Inquiry

#Philosophy #Religion #Atheism #Freethought #Politics #Reason #Society #Science #Center For Inquirys #Being Human

42:14

Episode Description: Jessica B. Harris may have been born and raised in New York City, but she has Tennessee roots through her father and has spent much of her life split between homes in the Northeast and the South – specifically New Orleans. For more than fifty years, she has been a college professor, a writer, and a lecturer, and her many books have earned her a reputation as an authority on food of the African Diaspora, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the James Beard Foundation. A few years back, Netflix adapted her book, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America , into a 4 part docuseries. And I’m very proud to say that she’s a longtime contributor to Southern Living with a regular column called The Welcome Table. This episode was recorded in the Southern Living Birmingham studios, and Sid and Jessica talked about her mother’s signature mac and cheese, the cast-iron skillet she’d be sure to save if ever her house were on fire, and her dear friend, the late New Orleans chef Leah Chase. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by : Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…

12 years ago 33:12

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Point of Inquiry is on a short hiatus right now as we transition to a new podcast team. In the meantime, enjoy these classic episodes from the POI archives, featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Susan Jacoby, and other luminaries in the science and secularism movement.

Susan Jacoby is the author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, now in its tenth hardcover printing and recently published in paperback. Freethinkers was hailed in the New York Times as an “ardent and insightful work” that “seeks to rescue a proud tradition from the indifference of posterity.” Named a notable nonfiction book of 2004 by The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, Freethinkers was cited in England as one of the outstanding international books of 2004 by the Times Literary Supplement and The Guardian. In this interview with DJ Grothe, Jacoby talks about the role that freethinkers played in American social justice movements, and discusses the forgotten history of Robert Green Ingersoll. Also in this episode, Tom Flynn asks Did You Know?, detailing facts about Robert Green Ingersoll and new data about nonbelievers from University of Akron, and Lauren Becker shares some thoughts on Darwin and Oliver Sacks and what these scientists teach us about ourselves.

653 episodes

Susan Jacoby - American Freethought Heritage

Point of Inquiry

1,434 subscribers

published 12 years ago

MP3•Episode home

653 episodes

#Philosophy #Religion #Atheism #Freethought #Politics #Reason #Society #Science #Center For Inquirys #Being Human

All episodes

1
Taking Inspiration from Greek History With Evaggelos Vallianatos 49:03

14 weeks ago49:03

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The ancient Greeks had a profound influence not only on their own world, but also on what would become Western culture as a whole. In this episode of Point of Inquiry, Jim chats with Evaggelos Villianatos, a Greek scholar who sheds an interesting light on how his ancestors helped shape the science, arts, language and governments of the modern world.…

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A Primer on Cold Reading 37:39

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The art of cold reading has convinced millions of people that gimmicks like crystal balls, palm reading, tarot cards, and other alleged paranormal abilities are real. People walk away from astrologers, mediums, and psychics saying "there's no way he could have known that" or other exclamations of amazement. But are these skills really paranormal, or can they be explained by a series of techniques just about anyone can master with practice? Longtime investigator Jim Underdown teams up with psychologist and author Richard Wiseman to deconstruct what is really happening in a typical psychic reading and sheds some light on why the experience sometimes seems so real.…

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David Miles on Point of Inquiry 54:50

28 weeks ago54:50

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Steve Hill on Point of Inquiry 1:05:19

47 weeks ago1:05:19

1:05:19

When a business owner, ex-marine, and retired peace office is questioned and later arrested for what appear to be bigoted reasons, there should be recourse in our system of justice to right such a wrong. But Steve Hill is having a hell of a time finding help with his well-documented struggles. Should the fact that he is a black man and a member of the Satanic Temple enter into whether he is treated fairly or not – or even represented in court? Not if justice is blind and secular. Jim chats with Steve about his multi-year battle with law enforcement authorities and the courts to achieve satisfaction and find justice.…

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Robert Sapolsky POI 54:43

1 year ago54:43

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There Are Definitely Atheists in Fox Holes 54:26

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Kate Cohen on Atheism and the Rewards of Honesty 1:00:09

1 year ago1:00:09

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Almost 30 percent of the U.S. population is religiously unaffiliated, but only a fraction of those so-called "Nones" identify as atheist or agnostic. Fewer still feel comfortable revealing to the people in their lives that they don't believe in God. Kate Cohen was one of those people. Though she had determined that God was a human-made fiction from a young age, the challenges of navigating social pressures and familial expectations led her to "play along" with God and religion well into adulthood. But then she had children of her own, and something changed. She decided to stop pretending to believe. On this episode, Free Inquiry Editor Paul Fidalgo talks to Cohen about her new book, We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (And Maybe You Should Too). It's the story of her evolution from closeted atheist to truth-teller that illustrates the rewards of honesty, as well as a call to action for fellow nonbelievers to embrace the truth, both for their own sake and the country’s. Kate Cohen is a columnist for the Washington Post, and a chapter from her new book is excerpted in the February/March 2024 issue of Free Inquiry magazine.…

1
Sarah An Myers on Secularism and the Millennial Mind 38:15

1 year ago38:15

38:15

Members of Gen X and older grew up in an America in which being religious was the default and atheism was, as best, on the fringes. A lot has changed in the last couple of decades, and for many Millennials and members of Gen Z, being nonreligious is really no big deal. Folks in younger generations are accustomed to living among people of various religious and ethnic backgrounds, and as the percentage of Nones (the religiously unaffiliated) has risen, relatively few young Americans feel the need to explicitly identify as a nonbeliever. So what does that mean for atheism and building a secular humanist community? Sarah An Myers is a regular contributor to Free Inquiry magazine, as well as Psychology Today and other publications. She has been giving a lot of thought to these questions, and in this conversation with Free Inquiry editor Paul Fidalgo, she discusses what secular humanism might be able to offer those who don't jibe with traditional religion but are tolerant and curious about other forms of spirituality. Can a community of the rational embrace a little irrationality? You can read Sarah An Myers’ work at Free Inquiry here .…

1
Vaccine Hesitancy With Filmmaker Scott Kennedy 1:03:09

1 year ago1:03:09

1:03:09

In 2019, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Scott Kennedy was working on a film about the years-long anti-vaxxer movement. Filming with top public health officials–including Tony Fauci–as well as rare interviews with anti-vaccine activists who were persuading parents by the millions to refuse vaccines for their children. And then COVID hit, and further fueled immunization fears that would kill countless people. Scott chronicled the subsequent events from day one in his film, Shot in the Arm , released in late 2023. Jim's conversation with Scott about his film, his process, and his other work is testimony to the fact that there are still documentarians out there with integrity, and use their skills to bring out the truth. Visit the documentary's website for more information.…

1
To The Temple of Tranquility, and Step on It 32:32

2 years ago32:32

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1
Supreme Injustice 1:01:41

2 years ago1:01:41

1:01:41

The U.S. Supreme Court -- that over sixty years ago ruled against state-led prayer in public schools -- has swung back the other way with a vengeance. The ultra-conservative majority on the current court has reversed 60 years of progress and put the rights of non-believers in jeopardy. In this episode, Jim Underdown speaks to Nick Little, former Director of CFI's Legal department, and Eddie Tabash, Chair of the CFI Board of Directors. The two lawyers talk about the state of the court, recent decisions, and the problematic future for secular Americans.…

1
Dr. Juhem Navarro-Rivera on the Challenge of Rallying the Nones 54:08

2 years ago54:08

54:08

The Nones are on the rise! When asked about their religious affiliation, year after year, more and more Americans are choosing “none of the above.” The number of religiously unaffiliated Americans, which includes atheists and agnostics, has been rocketing up over the past couple of decades, and today these Nones make up about one-third of the American population. But they’re not matching their religious counterparts in terms of political organization or cultivating tightly bonded communities, so what’s going on? In this episode of Point of Inquiry, Free Inquiry editor Paul Fidalgo talks to political scientist Dr. Juhem Navarro-Rivera, Political Research director and Managing Partner at Socioanalitica Research and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Humanist Studies. His article “The Boundaries of Secularism: Who’s in? Who’s Out?” is featured in the October/November 2023 issue of Free Inquiry , and he has some important observations about the rise of the nones and what’s preventing the nonreligious from becoming a social and political force to be reckoned with.…

1
Getting to Know US Congressman Jared Huffman 36:54

2 years ago36:54

36:54

Of the 535 Members of Congress, only one is an out-of-the-closet atheist. His name is Jared Huffman, and he is a U.S. Representative from Northern California. He is also the co-chair (with Rep. Jamie Raskin) of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, a group all secular Americans should know about and support. In this episode, Jim Underdown chats with the congressman about a number of different issues, including the religiosity of his fellow representatives.…

1
The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project 58:07

2 years ago58:07