Podcast for Inquiry S03E02: The life of a refugee in exile: “Omer” shares his story

“Omer” (a pseudonym) was born and raised in Pakistan, but his life was threatened when he expressed doubts about the inerrancy of Islam. He survived a manhunt by the Pakistani government, and now lives as a refugee in Nepal. Omer is the first Pakistani atheist to reach 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. He has been accepted by Canada as a permanent resident, but exit permit issues mean Omer cannot leave Nepal for an indeterminate period. You may contribute to supporting Omer (who is not allowed to work in Nepal) by making a donation to CFIC. 

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available: 

Podcast for Inquiry S03E01: Liberalism a post-liberal world, with Russell Blackford

 A new year, a new season of Podcast for Inquiry!

Podcast for Inquiry starts 2024 with a deep discussion into the philosophical concept of liberalism, and of how Western culture has strayed from it as an ideal. Russell Blackford (@Metamagician) is a philosopher, literary critic, and widely published author. Russell talks about how the philosophical principle of Liberalism runs through his two most recent books, The Tyranny of Opinion and How We Became Post-Liberal. Our conversation starts with a definition of how Liberalism emerged over the past few centuries, and delves into two of its core concepts: free speech and toleration. We also discuss how group dynamics can lead to polarization and how society can return to liberal values. 

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available:

Two Incredible Years of Podcast for Inquiry

The following article was initially published in the January 2024 edition of the Centre for Inquiry Canada's monthly newsletter, Critical Links.

It's been two amazing years of Podcast for Inquiry, and it continues to be a source of tremendous pride to host fascinating conversations, every two weeks. We brought you 25 discussions in 2023, plus three bonus episodes featuring Leslie defending secular principles in various contexts. 

Here are some highlights: 

We kicked off the year with a passionate defense of morality on secular grounds from Phil Zuckerman. This remains one of my favourite conversations to date. At one point, professor Zuckerman launches into a defense of secular values and governance with a passion and eloquence that rivals anything I've heard from Dawkins or Hitchens. If you haven't already listened to this episode, you're missing out.

The topic of religion and cults was a recurring theme in 2023, including conversations with:

• Dr. Joshua Bowen on Biblical [in]accuracy
• Chris Shelton on Scientology and destructive cults
  
• Philippa Carter on What is a Religion?
  
• Noah Rasheta on Secular Buddhism
  
• Seth Andrews on Christians acting in un-Christian ways (this was the year's most popular episode on YouTube, with 40,000+ views and over 200 comments!)
• David Fitzgerald claiming Solomon, Jesus and Mohammed are all fictional

Science featured prominently:

• Ashely Esakin on Gardening in any Environment
• Allan Offenberger on the Current State of Fusion Research
  
• Dana Korneisel on tetrapods (and axolotls!)
  
• Tara Moriarty on Communicating Scientific Knowledge during Covid
  

Podcast for Inquiry delved into Politics:

• Srishti Hukku on Misogyny in Humanism
• Tonya Callaghan on Homophobia in Catholic Schools
• Eunju Kim on Escaping North Korea
  

Economics was scrutinized:

• Paris Marx on “Don’t be Evil” no longer applies
  
• Dr. Evelyn Forget on Basic Income
  
• Gretchen Morgenson on How Private Equity Runs and Wrecks America
  

A couple episodes demonstrated the benefits of Research and Critical Thinking: 

• David McRaney on How Minds Change
  
• Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff on Do Cities listen to the Supreme Court?
  

Finally, three bonus episodes where I expound upon Secular Values in various contexts:

• A debate on God's Role in Politics (against a Catholic scholar and lawyer)
• A presentation to an International Humanist Conference on Humanism in Children and Women's Rights
• A diatribe about what Canadian Catholic Hospitals consider Ethics

We have a couple incredible episodes to kick off 2024: a conversation with an Australian philosopher about our post-liberal world, and an intimate view into the life of Omer, a Pakistani refugee (sponsored by CFIC) waiting to come to Canada.

I'd love to hear your feedback. Let me know what you loved, how we can improve, and what you want to hear on Podcast for Inquiry. I can always be reached at podcast@centreforinquiry.ca. 

Leslie Rosenblood, your host on CFIC's Podcast for Inquiry