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Author
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Topic: Science Programs on Radio, TV and Internet
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 1 of 115 (348333)
09-12-2006 9:19 AM
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Starting this thread for links to evolutionist podcasts. Someone should start an equivalent thread for creationist podcasts. I've been listening to the podcasts from the Center for Inquiry. The Center for Inquiry is headed by Paul Kurtz, a radical secular humanist, and his organization publishes free inquiry magazine:
AbE: I'm changing the title of this thread to be Science Programs on Radio, TV and Internet, thereby expanding it's focus. --Percy Edited by Percy, : Expand focus of thread. Edited by Percy, : Get title right.
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 5 of 115 (366314)
11-27-2006 1:00 PM
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Podcast Recommendation
In post number one of this thread I recommended the Center for Inquiry's podcasts. That was two months ago, and starting from the oldest I've already worked my way up to their 4th podcast, dated December 4th of last year (hey, I listen slow, leave me alone!). It has a wonderful little editorial commentary by Lauren Becker that occurs near the beginning, starting at 3:40. It's about why the fundamentalist perspective on science is dangerous. They've got things all neatly wrapped up in their own little Macromedia Flash Player box, so I can't provide an MPEG link, but you get to it like this:
- Visit .
- In the right hand navigation bar, click on the item at the top, "Listen Now".
- In the box that appears, scroll to the bottom and select "Susan Jacoby - The History of American Secularism".
- Drag the scroll bar over to 3:40.
The Susan Jacoby interview is well worth listening to, also, but it's much longer. --Percy
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 7 of 115 (368804)
12-10-2006 11:32 AM
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Interview with Eugenie Scott
In this Center for Inquiry podcast from January 6, 2006, Eugenie Scott is interviewed about creationism/ID and the then recent Dover decision. This is a must listen. Listen now, or put it on your iPod, listen to it in the car, whatever, but listen. Scott states the issues with a rare clarity. Instructions:
- Visit .
- In the right hand navigation bar, click on the item at the top, "Listen Now".
- In the box that appears, scroll most of the way to the bottom and select "Eugenie Scott - The Dover Trial: Evolution vs. Intelligent Design".
- Drag the scroll bar over to 3:30.
Example excerpt from Scott at 19:00:
We're talking about what do you teach in high school science class. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude, well, you teach science. So, what a high school teacher does, say in biology, is take a look at the whole field of biology and say, "Okay, for high school students the most important things for them to learn are this, this and this. Now how do I translate this into something that is understandable to high school students who don't have any background? Well, I guess we have to leave out that and that, but what we'll do is we'll build the curriculum around these principles this, this, this and this." Now, what the Intelligence Design people, and the creation science proponents before them, wanted to do is say, "Okay, in addition to teaching the consensus view of science in a biology class, we want you to teach something that hasn't been accepted yet by scientists. We want you to bring in something that's outside of the general scientific canon, because we think it's really a good idea to give the students all views. And that has a tremendous amount of attraction, unless you really think it through, because in essence what they are doing is something that's really very, very unfair. They're really cutting to the head of the line here, you know. They're saying, "Take our idea and teach it in high school even though the scientific community hasn't accepted it yet, even though we haven't done an adequate job of presenting these views to the scientific community, and working them through and really trying to earn our way, so to speak, by convincing the professional scientists." My answer to that is to say, "Well, once you convince the professional scientists, then you may indeed trickle down into high school, just like all other new ideas." And immediately following this at 20:45 the interviewer asks how ID theorists convince professional scientists, and the response is yet another gem. And after that response, Scott continues to explain why what Behe is doing is so far outside the scientific process. --Percy
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 8 of 115 (369315)
12-12-2006 2:36 PM
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Richard Dawkins gets No Free Ride
You might expect a secular humanist podcast a series of softballs to toss strident atheist and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, but such was not the case. Host D. J. Grothe pitched several innings of hardball with several brushbacks up and in. Some examples of Grothe's questions:
- Why is an evolutionary bioligist and professor of the public understanding of science at Oxford so hell-bent on criticizing religion and belief in God?
- Are you implying by that that it is intellectually indefensible to believe in God and Evolution at the same time, as you say many liberal religionists do?
- A lot of people make the argument that it takes as much faith to be an atheist as it does to be a believer. What do you say to that?
Grothe also played a clip from Dawkin's program The Root of All Evil? It was an exchange between Dawkins and Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Haggard really gives Dawkins his comeuppance:
Haggard: We fully embrace the scientific method as American evangelicals, and we think as time goes along, as we discover more and more facts, that we'll learn more and more about how God created the heavens and the earth. Dawkins: The scientific method clearly demonstrates that the earth is more than four and a half billion years old. Do you accept that? Haggard: What you are doing is, you are accepting some of the views that are accepted in some portions of the scientific community as fact, where in fact your grandchildren might listen to the tape of you saying that and laugh at you... Dawkins: You want to bet? Haggard: Sometimes it's hard for a human being to study the ear or study the eye and think that happened by accident. Dawkins: I beg your pardon, did you say by accident? Haggard: Yeah. Dawkins: What do you mean by accident? Haggard: That the eye just formed itself somehow. Dawkins: Who said it did? Haggard: Well, some evolutionists say it. Dawkins: Not a single one that I've ever met. Haggard: Really? Dawkins: Really! Haggard: Ooooh! Dawkins: You obviously know nothing about the subject of evolution... Haggard: Or maybe you haven't met the people I have. But you see, you do understand, you do understand, that this issue right here of intellectual arrogance is the reason why people like you have a difficult problem with people of faith. (imitating Dawkins) "I don't communicate an air of superiority over the people, because I know so much more. And if you only read the books I know, and you only knew the scientists I know, then you would be great like me." Well, sir, there could be many things that you know well, but there are other things that you don't know well. As you age you'll find yourself wrong on some things and right on some other things, but please, in the process of it, don't be arrogant." Incredible how someone could have all the facts on his side and still come off so poorly. Dawkins comes off far more poorly than he does in this transcript - you wouldn't believe his angry and belittling tone. As an extra bonus, the podcast ends with an interview of Derek and Swoopy of Skepticality fame. This interview has some gems itself, one of the best coming from interviewer Grothe:
I think you would agree that the proper role of religion in education is the study of religion, not the indoctrination in a religion. The Dawkins interview begins at 8:57. The Derek/Swoopy interview begins at 57:00. Instructions:
- Visit .
- In the right hand navigation bar, click on the item at the top, "Listen Now".
- In the box that appears, scroll most of the way to the bottom and select "Richard Dawkins - The Root of All Evil?".
--Percy
| Replies to this message: | | | Message 9 by crashfrog, posted 12-12-2006 4:43 PM | | Percy has not replied | | | Message 10 by Clark, posted 12-12-2006 5:35 PM | | Percy has not replied |
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 11 of 115 (375339)
01-08-2007 11:33 AM
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Beyond Belief 2006
In his Message 296 Melatonin told us about the Beyond Belief conference that dealt with the interplay between science and religion . I've downloaded the entire set of 10 videos from the conference from Google and placed them on my iPod. I've listened to the first video and found it is a must listen. Some of the greatest minds of the day participated at this conference, and just the first video by itself contains a wealth of observations and characterizations that just can't be missed. You can go to the conference site itself and watch the videos there:
Or you can go to Google and watch them there, but a search for "Beyond Belief" does not bring up the list of videos in order, so here is a complete list of links to Google. Google provides the ability to download in mp4 format to your own computer by going to the Download line, selecting "Video iPod/Sony PSP", and then clicking on download:
The Sam Harris talk, the 3rd in Session 1, was the best in my mind, though they were all excellent. Because of his talk alone I'm ordering his book, The End of Faith. --Percy
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 13 of 115 (375522)
01-08-2007 10:39 PM
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HO-LEE-COW!!!
Or "Neil deGrasse Tyson hits a home run!" Modulous describes aspects of the talk in the opening post of the Intelligent design. Philosophy of ignorance. thread. The title is a phrase briefly used by Neil Tyson in his talk, and it fits well with the talk's context. It's the first talk of Session 2 of the Beyond Belief 2006 conference. The link again is:
Click on the link and watch Neil Tyson's talk. Now. Ignore all work, deadlines and obligations, I promise you will not regret it. The talk finishes with a segment he calls "Naming Rights" that is beyond belief! Now go, watch it! --Percy
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 16 of 115 (375927)
01-10-2007 3:27 PM
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Reply to: Message 15 by Jazzns
01-10-2007 1:39 PM
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Re: Beyond Belief 2006
Ah! Vintage Sam Harris! For those who might be interested, his two books are The End of Faith and Letters to a Christian Nation. The second is a sequel to the first. --Percy
| This message is a reply to: | | | Message 15 by Jazzns, posted 01-10-2007 1:39 PM | | Jazzns has replied |
| Replies to this message: | | | Message 18 by Jazzns, posted 01-16-2007 12:30 PM | | Percy has not replied |
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 21 of 115 (380118)
01-26-2007 12:30 PM
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Beyond Belief 2006
I just finally finished listening to the Stuart Hameroff presentation on quantum consciousness last night, the first talk of Session 4 of the conference. He seemed to be saying that the Platonic qualities of human beings are embedded in the fabric of the universe, and seemed to be claiming to have demonstrated this to some degree. It took me forever to get through it. It literally put me to sleep several times, not because it was boring, but because I just couldn't believe a word of it or connect any of it to anything I thought I understood. I stuck with it because what came before at this conference was of such high quality that I believed that this must be of the same high quality, and that perhaps in the discussion afterwards I would start to get it. But at the conclusion of the talk when Hameroff asked for questions the audience seemed stunned into silence, and session leader Roger Bingham came down and said, "I think there probably will be questions on that, you seem to have enraged just about everybody." And the first question was from Lawrence Krauss, the physicist who wrote The Science of Star Trek:
Lawrence Krauss writes: I don't want to be confused with Richard Dawkins here, but I think, uh, uh, from a physics perspective I think everything you say is nonsense. And maybe I'm being too polite. Hameroff mounted a spirited and detailed response to all skeptical questions (the only type that were asked, as it happened), and if he had converts in the audience they were silent. To me Hameroff's work is what happens when you build theories disconnected from evidence. He mentioned that he had to catch a plane immediately after his talk, and it's a shame he won't be around to respond to the many remarks about his approach that are bound to be made throughout the rest of the conference. --Percy
| Replies to this message: | | | Message 22 by Jazzns, posted 01-26-2007 12:38 PM | | Percy has not replied |
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 23 of 115 (384363)
02-11-2007 9:25 AM
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Introducing Mr. Deity
Extremely entertaining series of short videos:
In an interview at TAM (The Amazing Meeting, JREF - Home) with Swoopy of Skepticality fame ( Skepticality - The Official Podcast of Skeptic Magazine), Brain Dalton, the creator, said that they were working on making the concept into a half-hour TV show. --Percy
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 24 of 115 (384364)
02-11-2007 9:30 AM
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Julia Sweeney is Back!
Julia Sweeney has a new one-woman show called "Letting Go of God". Some of you may remember her as Pat in Saturday Night Live. She had an earlier one-woman show called "God said Ha!" that is available on video. "Letting Go of God" is still being performed daily in Los Angeles and so is not yet available on video, but a 17 minute excerpt is available and well worth watching:
You'll love the part about the Mormons! --Percy
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 25 of 115 (384956)
02-13-2007 4:25 PM
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Sam Harris at Idea City '05
Sam Harris outline's his position on religious fundamentalism and moderatation in about 20 minutes, great stuff: Sam Harris at Idea CIty '05 --Percy
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 26 of 115 (386513)
02-22-2007 8:03 AM
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Carl Sagan's Footprints on Space
This was originally posted by Utopia in the Proposed New Topics forum, but it's not really a proposal for a discussion topic, so I'm reposting it here. --Percy
Go to the following link for the link to listen to the show: Not Found | WBUR
quote:
Carl Sagan's Footprints on Space
Aired: Thursday, February 15, 2007 11-12PM ET When it came to explaining the vast cosmos to Americans, there was no one like superstar astronomer and great communicator of science, Carl Sagan. He reminded us of the "billions and billions" of mysteries that surround us. In books and lectures and on TV, he asked the really big questions. Carol Sagan died, too young, ten years ago. But the big questions and emerging answers did not. This hour we're going to listen back to Sagan, hear from his collaborator and wife of twenty years Ann Druyan, and come up to date on the cosmos with astrophysicst Neil DeGrasse Tyson. This hour On Point: our cosmos and ourselves, ten years after Carl Sagan. Guests · Neil Degrasse Tyson, astro-physicist and author of "Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries"
· Ann Druyan, Co-writer with Carl Sagan of the best selling book "Cosmos" and producer of the Sagan inspired movie "Contact", widow of Carl Sagan.
This is a great show and I think the folks here at EvC could appreciate it. Greg P.
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 31 of 115 (399660)
05-07-2007 9:14 AM
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The Skeptics Guide to the Universe
Last summer I loaded a number of science podcasts onto my iPod, and gradually I've winnowed many of them out for various reasons, usually because they were either too undetailed or put too much focus on being entertaining. Only a very few have survived this winnowing (not even NPR's excellent Science Friday made the grade, primarily because they devoted far too much time to listener call-ins for my taste), and a "best of the remaining bunch" has emerged. Surprisingly, it's the rather dry podcast of the The Skeptics Guide to the Universe. Hosted by Steven Novella (president of the New England Skeptical Society and an academic at Yale), this weekly podcast features discussions of a variety of topics from science to pseudoscience to the paranormal. I haven't listened to any recent programs because I downloaded every episode, and at this point I'm only up to episode 15, which is from late 2005 (Dover is starting to become a weekly topic). But I assume they've maintained their excellence, and so I highly recommend this podcast. --Percy
| Replies to this message: | | | Message 48 by Doddy, posted 07-19-2007 8:41 PM | | Percy has not replied |
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 32 of 115 (400120)
05-10-2007 2:08 PM
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The Dover Trial at YouTube
BBC broadcast a show on its Horizon program called A War On Science about the Dover Trial. It was probably broadcast here in the US, and if so I missed it, but it's at YouTube divided into five parts:
--Percy
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Percy
Member Posts: 22489 From: New Hampshire Joined: 12-23-2000 Member Rating: 5.0
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Message 36 of 115 (400360)
05-12-2007 7:53 PM
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Reply to: Message 35 by JustinC
05-12-2007 6:53 PM
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Re: The Dover Trial at YouTube
Youtube has changed and apparently doesn't provide a download feature anymore, but if you type "youtube download" into Google you'll see that there are apparently a number of solutions available. --Percy Edited by Percy, : Remove erroneous information. Edited by Percy, : Provide correct info.
| This message is a reply to: | | | Message 35 by JustinC, posted 05-12-2007 6:53 PM | | JustinC has not replied |
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