The Michael Shermer Show

The Michael Shermer Show

How to Protect Children from Social Media and AI

September 9, 2025

The pervasive use of smartphones and social media among adolescents is strongly linked to a significant rise in mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, due to mechanisms like displacement of healthy activities, social comparison, and sleep deprivation.

The Future of Space Exploration Amid NASA Mission Shutdowns

September 6, 2025

Commercial space activities now significantly dwarf government spending and innovation in the space sector, driving a new era of space economy and exploration.

Why Do Humans Speak?

September 2, 2025

The evolution of human language is a complex interplay of genetic "flukes," morphological changes like a descended larynx, and the selective pressures of raising highly dependent, premature infants within a social structure.

Depopulation: The Silent Global Emergency

August 30, 2025

Global population growth has historically been driven by increased survival rates, not necessarily higher birth rates, and birth rates have been steadily declining for centuries, leading to a projected global depopulation.

Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion

August 26, 2025

The history of concepts like brainwashing and mind control reveals a persistent human fascination with understanding how individuals can be influenced to act against their perceived self-interest, a phenomenon that continues to be relevant in contemporary discussions of persuasion and manipulation.

How Foreign Governments Influence U.S. Universities

August 19, 2025

Authoritarian governments are increasingly engaging in transnational repression, extending censorship beyond their borders into areas like higher education and technology, impacting global free speech.

Can We Prevent Aging? Eric Topol on Genes, Lifestyle, and AI in Healthcare

August 18, 2025

The future of medicine lies in leveraging AI and personalized data to prevent age-related diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's, rather than solely focusing on treatment.

Is Nuclear Energy Our Best Shot at Saving the Planet?

August 12, 2025

The historical association of nuclear technology with atomic bombs and accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima has created a deep-seated, often irrational, public fear that hinders its adoption as a clean energy solution.

Why the Left Needs Its Own Reckoning

August 11, 2025

The left's critical analysis of Western history, while valuable, has failed to apply the same rigorous self-critique to its own historical support of authoritarian regimes, leading to a "purity narrative" that sanitizes its past.

Is Traditional Religion Doomed?

The decline of traditional religion in the US is a well-established fact driven by generational displacement and a cultural shift towards obsolescence, rather than a single cause.

Drowning in Decisions: Do We Have Too Many Choices?

The concept of 'choice' as a fundamental aspect of human freedom and identity is a relatively modern invention, evolving significantly from the 17th century onwards, driven by commercial, religious, and political shifts.

Are We Alone? Martin Rees on Aliens, The Fermi Paradox & The Fate of Humanity

Scientific understanding of the universe progresses through piecemeal advances and fitting together fragmentary data, rather than direct assaults on great problems.

The True Cost of Conviction

Sacred values, which are deeply held beliefs about actions rather than outcomes, can lead to decision-making that bypasses rational consequentialist analysis, often resulting in polarization and conflict.

Debra Soh and Michael Shermer at FreedomFest 2025

The pervasive exposure of children to pornography, starting as young as age 10, is a significant concern with potential negative impacts on their sexual development and views of relationships.

Douglas Murray on Hamas, Iran, and the Collapse of the Two-State Solution

The glorification of death and a desire for an afterlife reward for dying are core tenets of ideologies like Hamas and Hezbollah, making them fundamentally different from rational actors in Western political thought.

Can Politics and Truth Coexist?

Democratic politics inherently creates 'political fog' by politicizing everything, making rational discussion and truth-seeking difficult, yet democracy fundamentally requires truth and evidence for its legitimacy.

Michael Egnor X Christof Koch X Michael Shermer | A Debate on the Mind, Soul, and the Afterlife

Neuroscience, while revealing the brain's role in emotions, sensations, and memory, does not fully explain abstract thought or consciousness, suggesting the potential for immaterial aspects of the mind or soul.

The Science Behind Menopause

A significant portion of medical care, particularly concerning perimenopause and menopause, lacks adequate scientific evidence, leading to patient mistreatment and misunderstanding.

Andrew Doyle: Trapped Between Woke Dogma and Right-Wing Populism

The term "woke" has evolved from its origins as a call to awareness of racial injustice to become a pejorative shorthand for an authoritarian, identity-obsessed, and illiberal movement that seeks equity through group identity by authoritarian means.