Podcast for Inquiry S03E03: Everything you always wanted to know about the solar system* (*but were afraid to ask), with John E. Moores

John E. Moores (X, Bluesky) is a planetary scientist and associate professor at York University. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, formerly served as the Science Advisor to the President of the Canadian Space Agency and has contributed to five NASA and ESA-led space missions. He is the co-author of Daydreaming in the Solar System, which imagines a future when visiting other planets is as common as hiking in a national park. The book is also grounded in the latest scientific knowledge about planetary geophysics. In addition to talking about the book, John answers some of Leslie’s pressing questions about the solar system, including: How do planets and moons become tidally locked? Why are most planets in the solar system aligned in a plane? Why are there gaps in Saturn’s rings? Is there life elsewhere in the solar system, or in the universe?

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House of Commons recommends ending religious privilege

The following essay was originally published in the February 2025 edition of Critical Links.

If the primary purpose of your organization is "advancement of religion", and all your group does is proselytize, it is eligible for charitable status in Canada. Centre for Inquiry Canada documented that this single policy choice costs Canadians over $3.2 billion every year in its Cost of Religion in Canada reports.

Every year, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance publishes a report containing recommendations for the following year's budget. The latest report, published in December 2024, contained Recommendation 430: "Amend the Income Tax Act to provide a definition of a charity which would remove the privileged status of “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose."

There are many reasons why this would be good public policy:

• Financial: In a time of high deficits, saving Canadians taxpayers over $3,000,000,000 annually is wise financially, and good politics.
• Philosophical: Canada is (or should be!) a secular nation, where the government is neutral in matters of religion, neither supporting nor suppressing religious expression. Giving a multi-billion dollar subsidy to organizations that self-declare their primary purpose to be evangelizing is the government playing favourites.
• Protecting Canadian sovereignty: Canada did not decide the criteria Canada Revenue Agency's uses to determine which organizations are eligible to be recognized as charities. We inherited these rules from Britain, which made a decision over a century ago, based on the introduction to a law over 400 years old. Canada has never amended them. It's well past time for Canadians to decide what constitutes a charity in Canada.
• Accuracy: Trying to convince others to view the world as you do is certainly permissible, but it's hardly a charitable act. Such organizations should be non-profits, not charities.

To minimize disruption, the implementation could proceed in two phases: 

• Announce a deadline (say, the end of 2025) after which organizations may no longer apply to become a charity with the primary purpose of "advancement of religion".
• Give existing charities with a primary purpose of "advancement of religion" a deadline (say, the end of 2028) to either:
• Convert to a non-profit organization; or
• Declare an alternate primary purpose (advancement of education, alleviation of poverty, or other purposes beneficial to the community).

An administratively straightforward process should be created for religious charities to convert to a non-profit or designate an alternate primary purpose. 

Canada has just taken the first step on the path to becoming a more fair, just, and secular country. It's a long road from a Finance Standing Committee recommendation to implemented policy, and CFIC will continue to press for removal of "advancement of religion" as a charitable goal until this becomes a reality.

Podcast for Inquiry's amazing third year

Podcast for Inquiry's third year may be its best yet, with twenty-four regular episodes, one bonus episode, and one of my diatribes.

Episodes covered a wide range of topics. Some of my favourites from 2024 can be grouped into four categories:

Philosophy:

• Podcast for Inquiry kicked off 2024 with a thoughtful and insightful conversation with Australian philosopher Russel Blackford. We discussed the philosophical principle of Liberalism and delved into its implications for free speech and toleration. 
• If you accept that God has created you for a purpose, then what do atheists have to live for? My conversation with Dr. Ralph Lewis addresses this question directly, as we talk about his book Finding Purpose in a Godless World: Why We Care Even if the Universe Doesn’t.  
•  I speak with CFIC's Mark Maharaj about anti-natalism, the philosophical idea that choosing to have children is an unethical act.

Science:

• I have been fascinated with whether free will is real or a compelling illusion for several years. I am delighted Podcast for Inquiry dedicated two episodes to the question last year. Dr. Julien Musolino contends that free will (as commonly understood) is scientifically incoherent, but that it's not a big deal. Kevin Mitchell, on the other hand, argues that evolution gave us - not just humans, but all animals including amoebae - free will, and speculates about the ramifications for society and its institutions. 
• Tangentially related to free will was last year's final episode, about the possibility of plant intelligence with Paco Calvo. His research is ongoing; preliminary results are tantalizing but not (yet) definitive. 
• Climate change is a major, but far from the only, threat to human civilization. Professor Katherine Richardson and her team identified nine planetary boundaries which need to be respected if our planet is to remain conducive to human thriving. It remains an open question whether we will choose to do so. 
• But if we mess up Earth, we can always go elsewhere, right? Dr. Kelly Weinersmith wanted to know, so she started by reading just about everything ever published on the topic. Then she wrote A City on Mars summarizing what she learned, and talked to me about it. 

Religion and Secularism:

• In April 2021, CFIC started publishing its Cost of Religion in Canada report series. Hardly anyone read them. But when Sandra Dunham asked, "Why does Canada give $5.6 billion annually to religious charities?" on Podcast for Inquiry, secularists, atheists, and humanists across Canada took notice.  
• It's not just religious charities that benefit from government largesse. Ontario fully funds a parallel, separate school system at a cost of approximately $10 billion per year. Greg Oliver, president of the Canadian Secular Alliance, debunks many myths and discusses what can be done about public funding for Catholic schools. 
• Podcast for Inquiry had a couple guests return for encore performances in 2024. Dr. Josh Bowen revealed what the Bible has to say about slavery and genocide. And Catherine Nixey's second appearance on PfI was about her book Heresy, the many forms of early Christianity, and what humanity lost with Christianity's rise. 
• Andrew Seidel is the author of The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is un-American. The answer should be obvious, but unfortunately his arguments are more relevant now than ever. 

Critical Thinking:

• CFIC often emphasizes the importance of critical thinking, but what is it exactly? Melanie Trecek-King talks about how people can navigate complex subject areas without developing deep expertise, what constitutes good evidence, and more. 
• Relatedly, Robin Reames is trying to bring back The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself (the title of her book). Learn why emotions are more compelling persuaders than facts, the power of "alternative", and the centrality of fear.
• How can we know what is true, when each of us necessarily has an incomplete understanding of reality? Dr. Carolyn Biltoft has thought deeply about this question, and shares her insights. 
• Despite it being nearly impossible for humans to comprehend Absolute Truth (if such a thing even exists), there are some things we know about the universe with a very high degree of confidence. So why is science denial so prevalent in our society? Gale Sinatra explains that we all have biases and are vulnerable to fallacies that can lead to misunderstanding scientific topics. 
• Scientific illiteracy can have catastrophic consequences. Kat Mac trusted her alternative health provider, and taking the recommended herbal supplements nearly killed her. 

Podcast for Inquiry's 2025 season is already underway, with episodes about Canada's ongoing discrimination against its Indigenous population and growing up in Canada within an observant Muslim household already released. There will be many more conversations exemplifying the spirit of genuine open inquiry every two weeks as Podcast for Inquiry continues into its fourth year.