Serious Inquiries Only

Latest Episodes:

SIO288: The AHA Dawkins Debacle, Part 2 Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

This episode is the sequel to the last one, so make sure to check that out. I go into the "whataboutism" around the AHA Dawkins award thing, and talk about a really terrible thing another atheist said that I think people should know about.

SIO287: AHA Revokes Dawkins Award, Atheists Lose Minds Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

Sorry, we interrupt the scheduled programming to bring you a yelly rant episode about how terrible all the arguments around the Richard Dawkins humanist award revocation are. It's a bunch of the "smartest people on the internet" saying really stupid things and I've had enough.

SIO286: Studies of Racial Bias in Criminal Justice Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

Official co-host Dr. Lindsey Osterman is here to give us a breakdown of some studies measuring racial bias in Criminal Justice. Part 1 talks about split decision shooting studies, part 2 will focus on sentencing discrepancies.

Links: Meta-analysis on racial bias in first-person shooter tasks, Across the Thin Blue Line: Police Officers and Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot, When Fatigue Turns Deadly: The Effects of Cognitive Depletion and Sleep Deprivation on the Decision To Shoot, When Practice Fails to Reduce Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot: The Case of Cognitive Load

SIO285: Debunking "The End of Gender" Part 2 Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

Here is Part 2 of our debunking of a book by Dr. Debra Soh called "The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society." Soh is someone with a relevant credential, which perhaps makes her anti-trans schtick even more dangerous. Within the text are kernels of truth about the science of sex and gender, but she abuses that science beyond recognition to defend cultural conservative norms. Lindsey has the breakdown for us!

Links: (for both parts)

Proposal about the definition of "sex," Nature editorial responding to the definition, Teen vogue video on gender diversity, Myth of persistence, Response to Soh re: rapid onset gender dysphoria, Original study on ROGD, Transgender suicide, Review on current best practices in care of transgender youth

SIO284: Debunking "The End of Gender" Part 1 Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

Somehow, esteemed co-host Dr. Lindsey Osterman got through all of the terribly transphobic book by Dr. Debra Soh called "The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society." Soh is someone with a relevant credential, which perhaps makes her anti-trans schtick even more dangerous. Within the text are kernels of truth about the science of sex and gender, but she abuses that science beyond recognition to defend cultural conservative norms. Lindsey has the breakdown for us, and it's too much for one episode so look for part 2 tomorrow!

Links: (for both parts)

SIO283: Quantum Physics 101, with the What the FUP Podcast! Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

What is the "What the FUP?" Podcast, you ask? It's none other than Dr. Lindsey Osterman's new show with physicist Dr. Brian Gentry! We all watched "What the BLEEP Do We Know?" with a mind to critique it, but the episode turned into a fascinating Quantum Physics 101 lecture because there was so much to go over before we could even dive into how wrong the documentary is on every level!

SIO282: Debunking the Latest 'Campus Craziness' Stories Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

If you're thinking "are they still doing this whole thing?" about 'campus craziness' then you're not alone. But fortunately Dr. Lindsey Osterman is here to do some debunking for us! Did a professor get fired for racist tweets? Did a research paper get retracted due to progressive outrage? Find out!

Links:

Jussim's blogpost, Articles on the Negy firing: Orlando Sentinel, NYT, pro-Negy article about it: Inside Sources Sources for the AlShebli retraction: Original article, Retraction note from the editors, Response, More Response: https://osf.io/ybfk6

SIO281: Frank and Dan Want You To Run for Something! Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

Somehow we've all been podcasting for 10 years in atheism and never done anything together (except a midnight tryst back on NYE) but Frank and Dan of Thank God I'm Atheist are finally on the show! We talk about their background and also their drive to get more atheists into office! That could mean you! Click on the link and check it out, but also listen to this really fun interview!

SIO280: A Scientific Case for Repressed Memory? Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

After last week's episode with Carrie Poppy, I got a number of responses saying we might have been a little too dismissive of the evolutionary case for repressed memory. As it turns out, Dr. Jennifer Freyd, has developed a theory that could account for something like it. Yes, that Jennifer Freyd, the accuser whose story was told in The Cut's article that started this whole thing! The entire situation is as fascinating as it is tragic for virtually everyone involved, but Dr. Lindsey Osterman is here to give us a more complete understanding of the science!

SIO279: How 'The Cut' Dangerously Mishandled Recovered Memory, with Carrie Poppy Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

A recent article in The Cut discusses allegations of sexual abuse which were made based on "recovered memories." Regardless of the truth or falsity of the accusations, the science of memory may have been very badly represented in this article, to harmful effect. Carrie of Oh No Ross and Carrie breaks it down for us! Complete with a Satanic Panic tie-in.

(Link to the letters.)

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