Friendly Atheist Podcast

Conor Robinson graduated from Yale University, where he launched the Yale Humanist Society. He is a Teach for American alumnus. And last year, he began and took part in the Pathfinders Project, a year-long international service project for Humanists. Consider it a Mission Trip minus the religion. He visited Cambodia, Uganda, Ghana, and Haiti, among other places. (Full disclosure, I’m on the board of Foundation Beyond Belief, which helped sponsor this project...

Jessica spoke with Skeptics Guide to the Universe host and neuroscientist Steven Novella and magician Jon Armstrong about skepticism and the brain, our faulty memories, and how the placebo effect is not what you may think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Arel has written articles about religion, science, and politics for websites like Salon, AlterNet, and the Huffington Post. His first book, called Parenting Without God, was released in August. We spoke with Dan about how his religious teacher used to fast-forward through science videos, what it was like growing up in a Pentecostal Christian home, and why it's important to discuss parenting without religion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica sat down with TAM emcee George Hrab and Psychology Professor Sheldon Helms to talk about their reflections on the conference and the importance of communication in the science community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pam Mueller may be best known as a frequent contestant on Jeopardy! where she has won more than $180,000 during her many, many episodes, including her run to become champion of the 2000 College Tournament. She also worked on Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign, graduated from Harvard Law School, and is now a grad student in Psychology at Princeton University. We spoke with Pam about her research into notetaking, the end of Howard Dean's campaign, and the oddest place she's been recognized...

Dave Silverman is the President of American Atheists, a frequent guest on Fox News Channel, and the inspiration for a popular meme. Paul Provenza is a stand-up comedian, director of The Aristocrats, and author of Satiristas! Kira Soltanovich is a stand-up comedian who has appeared on the Oxygen Network's "Girls Behaving Badly...

Myq Kaplan is a comedian who has appeared on Last Comic Standing and every late night talk show you can think of. He’s known for his brilliant wordplay as well as his self-deprecating humor. His albums “Vegan Mind Meld” and “Meat Robot” are absolutely hilarious, but his latest show “Small, Dork and Handsome” is, in my opinion, his best one yet. It’s on Netflix right now and you’re gonna want to watch it… after we’re done with this interview...

Daniel Dennett is a philosopher/professor at Tufts University and the author of Breaking the Spell. Jessica spoke with him about the term "atheist" and its alternatives, his project "Caught in the Pulpit" about preachers who no longer believe what they preach, and the culture of Americans who prefer to stay put instead of travel abroad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein are the producers and directors of An Honest Liar, a documentary about James "The Amazing" Randi. Jessica spoke with them about the movie, the archival footage they found, and Randi "victims" psychic Uri Geller and televangelist Peter Popoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Randi is the legendary investigator of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims and the namesake of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Banachek is the mentalist who created the "bullet catch" trick made famous by Penn & Teller and the director of JREF's One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. Jessica spoke with them about the difficulties of testing so-called supernatural powers, performing mentalism and fooling people, and what they still love about watching magic shows...