Podcast for Inquiry S01E25: Bryan Van Norden on the importance of Chinese philosophy

Bryan Van Norden (@BryanVanNorden) is a professor of Chinese philosophy. We discuss the six titans of Chinese philosophical schools, along the parallels and differences with various Western philosophies. Bryan makes the case for studying Chinese philosophy in a world full of fascinating topics to learn about, and argues for incorporating a more diverse set of philosophical thought into the core canon. For those interested in a deeper understanding than was discussed in this episode, Bryan has compiled a bibliography of less commonly taught philosophies, written several books, and has a YouTube lecture series on Chinese Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism, from Confucius to Xi Jinping.  

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Podcast for Inquiry S01E24: David Robert Grimes on his book, Good Thinking

David Robert Grimes (@drg1985) is a scientist and author of Good Thinking (The Irrational Ape in Europe and UK). We talk about the centrality of critical thinking to human flourishing, and the many, many ways intuitive heuristics can mislead us. And yet, with training and diligence, we can overcome our biases, motivated reasoning, and logical fallacies to create the technologies that are part of modern life. David describes how and when to apply one’s critical faculties, and why doing so can save the world.  

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Podcast for Inquiry S01E23: Futures studies with Joseph Voros

Dr. Joseph Voros has been a professional futurist for over two decades. We discuss what futures studies is, and the challenges in recognizing successful efforts that prevent catastrophes. Dr. Voros describes the difference between probable, plausible, and possible futures, how to classify them and what we can do to increase the probability of bringing about a future that we (and our descendants) will want to live in. This episode is audio-only to respect Dr. Voros’ privacy.

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Podcast for Inquiry S01E22: How youth can take climate action with Jasveen Brar

Jasveen Brar is the Executive Director of Youth Climate Lab, a “non-profit organization of youth mobilizing youth to create just, climate-resilient futures.” Jasveen explains why her organization focuses on people under 30, their accomplishments to date, and what they are planning for the future. We talk about the role of the individual, municipalities, and governments around the world in mitigating the effects of the climate emergency.

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Podcast for Inquiry S01E21: Thomas Westbrook on becoming Holy Koolaid

Thomas Westbrook (@holykoolaid) was brought up as an evangelical Christian. Upon learning that truth should be able to withstand scrutiny, he eagerly looked at the tenets of his faith with a critical lens… and found it wanting. After realizing that science explained the world in a much more coherent manner than religion, he started his enormously popular Holy Koolaid YouTube channel and website. His favourite video series are Nothing Fails Like Bible History and Exposing Psychics. 

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Podcast for Inquiry Diatribe #1: Covid Vaccine Patents

 On an irregular basis, I will use my platform on Podcast for Inquiry to rail against something that really gets under my skin. In today's episode, I talk about covid vaccine patents. These are wonderful innovations, responsible for saving the lives of tens of millions of people (and preventing hundreds of millions or even billions of people from serious illness). All of them were paid for by public funds, in full or in significant part. So why did governments around the world grant patents - an exclusive right to manufacture these vaccines - to pharmaceutical companies?

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Podcast for Inquiry S01E20: Dying for Rights: Putting North Korea’s Human Rights Abuses on the Record with Dr. Sandra Fahy

In this PfI episode, Dr. Fahy describes the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Kim dynasty in North Korea, and why it is important to have them documented. Despite being considered a pariah nation by many, some defend the nation and the regime expends considerable effort to bolster its reputation internationally. Sandra and I discuss the limits of national sovereignty, when it becomes a moral obligation to intervene, and the ramifications of the radically different approach taken to North Korean relations by the former US president, Donald Trump. For those who wish to support the people of North Korea, Dr. Fahy recommends HanVoice or Liberty in North Korea.

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Podcast for Inquiry BONUS episode: TDSB Trustee Candidate Matt Farrell on Merging Ontario’s Public and Catholic School Boards

Municipal council and school board elections in Ontario will take place on Monday, October 24, 2022. One Toronto District School Board (Toronto-Danforth) Trustee candidate, Matt Farrell (@Matt4TO_Trustee), will do something that no other public school trustee has promised. If he wins, he will initiate a process “culminating in a formal request by the TDSB to recommend a merged system to the Government of Ontario.” Note: CFIC explores news idea in the political realm, but does not endorse candidates.

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Podcast for Inquiry S01E19: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World with Catherine Nixey

Catherine Nixey is the author of The Darkening Age, which documents how early Christians burned texts, defaced or demolished statues, and became increasingly intolerant of any thought or behaviour that deviated from their interpretation of Scripture. Catherine and I discuss religious pluralism in the Roman Empire and how it changed after the Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity - and why Christianity, despite its similarity to many other cults that arose at that time. It is a rare book that is well-researched, engrossing, on an interesting topic, and superbly written, but The Darkening Age is all of these. 

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Podcast for Inquiry S01E18: The Declaration of Modern Humanism with Andrew Copson

Andrew Copson (@andrewcopson) is the president of Humanists International, which published its Declaration of Modern Humanism earlier this year. Andrew describes the content of the Declaration and the process by which it was created, and we talk about how it differs from its 1952 and 2002 incarnations. 

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