Day of Reason: 12 Days To Go
Podcasts can make you smarter!
One of the best things a skeptic can do is continue his or her education. One of the best ways to stay informed and keep abreast of the latest science news and other cool skeptical stuff is with podcasts!
Here is my short list of free skeptical podcasts, in no particular order. I recommend all of them. (Note—parts of some of the descriptions are taken from the web pages of the podcasts themselves.) All podcasts are available on iTunes or on the 'casts' individual pages:
- The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe—Hosted by brothers Steven, Jay and Bob Novella, Evan Bernstein and the delicious Rebecca Watson (of Skepchick fame). Produced by the New England Skeptical Society in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation, discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view.
- Skeptoid—Produced by Brian Dunning. Each weekly episode focuses on a single phenomenon — paranormal, spiritual, alternative, or just plain stupid — that you've heard of, and that you probably believe in. Skeptoid attempts to expose the folly of belief in such phenomena, and more importantly, explains the factual scientific reality.
- Skepticality—The official podcast of Skeptic magazine. One of the original skeptical podcasts, with cool guests and cool hosts Derek and Swoopy.
- Robert Ingersoll Podcast—(Available from iTunes.) 16 episodes of articles and speeches by 19th Century freethinker Robert Green Ingersoll, ably performed by James Carr. Ingersoll was a rock star in his day, a widely sought-after speaker who packed the lecture halls on the same circuit as such luminaries as Mark Twain and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
- Point of Inquiry—Point of Inquiry is the premiere podcast ofthe Center For Inquiry. Each episode combines incisive interviews, features and commentary focusing on CFI's issues: religion, human values and the borderlands of science.
- Science Talk—Probably the most "produced" of the podcasts I listen to, this is the podcast of the magazine Scientific American. The home page also links to a couple of daily podcasts, "60 Second Science" and "60 Second Psyche," that you should also check out.
Of course I'm aware there are other podcasts. I don't live in a cave—not even a cave with wifi. So why aren't there more podcasts here? Well, I've been listening to podcasts of this sort for a couple of years now, and although my standards are not terribly high, neither are the standards of a fair number of podcasts. Some of them just plain suck. Others seem to misrepresent themselves and are not really skeptical at all. (Skeptiko, I'm talking about you!)
And some I just haven't gotten around to yet. There are more than ever, and despite some technical stinkers, the overall quality is improving. There's a lot of good stuff out there for people who want to keep up on the latest scientific news and cultural developments regarding belief and skepticism. For DOR 2008, check out a new skeptical podcast!
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