The Michael Shermer Show Shermer Says: Debate Skills, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Autism, Vaccines, ANTIFA, Bari Weiss & CBS News
Oct 13, 2025
In a thought-provoking discussion, the host explores the nuances of debate skills, emphasizing the difference between winning arguments and seeking truth. There's an intriguing analysis of why Trump wasn't considered for the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize. The complex relationship between Tylenol use in pregnancy and autism is examined, alongside a candid look at vaccine risks versus COVID threats. The show also addresses Antifa's organizational status and critiques mainstream media's neutrality through the lens of Bari Weiss's career.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Digital Attention Shapes Media Strategy
- Digital media shortens attention for written content due to massive competition for attention.
- Shermer shifted to more audio/video because listeners consume them during daily activities.
Charlie Kirk Sparked Campus Organizing
- Shermer recounts Charlie Kirk's post-assassination surge in campus organizing and public sympathy.
- He predicts many new conservative campus chapters will reveal political diversity on campuses.
Debating Aims Differ From Seeking Truth
- Debates are performance contests aimed at winning, not neutral truth-seeking.
- Shermer contrasts debate tactics with Bayesian truth-seeking he advocates in his next book.
