Point of Inquiry

Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow for CSICOP, is considered the world's leading paranormal investigator. A former professional stage magician and private investigator, he has used his varied background to investigate myths and mysteries, frauds, forgeries, and hoaxes. He has been called the modern Sherlock Holmes, the original ghost buster, and the real-life Scully (after the character in The X-Files ). A veteran of hundreds of TV and radio appearances, he is the author of over 20 books, including Secrets of the Supernatural, Entities, Psychic Sleuths, Real Life X Files, and The UFO Invasion. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, Nickell assesses some well-known psychic detectives such as Allison DuBois, on whom the NBC drama Medium is based, Carla Baron, and others. He also explains some of their methods and possible motivations. Also in this episode, Tom Flynn asks Did You Know?, detailing facts and figures about 6-6-06, the "Number of the Beast," and Tim LaHaye's Left Behind book series.

Joe Hoffmann is Campbell Professor of Religion and Human Values at Wells College, New York and chair of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER) at the Center for Inquiry. He is formerly Professor of Civilization Studies at American University of Beirut and Senior Research Scholar of St. Cross College, Oxford. Dr. Hoffmann is a specialist in the social and cultural history of early Christianity, and the author of Jesus Outside the Gospels, coeditor of Biblical versus Secular Ethics, Jesus in Myth and History, Modern Spiritualities, The Origins of Christianity, The Secret Gospels, What the Bible Really Says, and editor and translator of the Oxford University Press editions of Celsus' On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians and Porphyry's Against the Christians: The Literary Remains. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, Professor Hoffmann probes the truth and fiction behind The Da Vinci Code, explores Christianity's true origins, and examines the public's overwhelming fascination with Dan Brown's worldwide best-selling novel. Also in this episode, Sarah Jordan stresses the importance of youth education in science and human values, as well as detailing CFI's new summer camp for children, Camp Inquiry.

Matt Nisbet is assistant professor in the school of communication at the Ohio State University. He focuses on the intersections between science, media, and politics, tracking how political strategists, scientists, and the news media selectively define science in ways that shape policy decisions, public opinion, and political culture. His writing has appeared in a number of scholarly journals such as the Columbia Journalism Review, Public Opinion Quarterly, and Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, in addition to magazines such as The American Prospect. He also writes a regular web column for Skeptical Inquirer on science and the media. In this interview with DJ Grothe, Matt discusses ways he says the scientific community should reframe discussions about controversial science and its implications for the public. Also in this episode CFI summer intern Colin Koproske, from the University of Southern California, shares his views about the importance of scientific literacy.

Paul Kurtz, considered the father of the secular humanist movement and a founder of the worldwide skeptic movement, is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. As chair of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), the Council for Secular Humanism, and Prometheus Books, and as editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry Magazine, he has advanced a critical, skeptical inquiry into many of the most cherished beliefs of society for the last forty years. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been featured very widely in the media, on topics as diverse as reincarnation, UFO abduction, secular versus religious ethics, communication with the dead, and the historicity of Jesus. In this interview with DJ Grothe, Paul discusses planetary ethics and the implications of science and technology for the future of humanity. Also in this episode Thomas Donnelly discusses this summer's Student Leadership Conference, celebrating the 10th anniversary of CFI's campus outreach program.

Edward Tabash is a constitutional and civil rights lawyer in Beverly Hills, California. Graduating magna cum laude from UCLA in 1973, he graduated from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles three years later and was admitted to the California Bar that same year. He has chaired the National Legal Committee of Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1995. He has been the most publicly-active man in the abortion rights movement in California since 1981. He has argued and won before the California Supreme Court and sits as a part-time judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court system. Since 1990, he has been a member of the First Amendment Committee of the ACLU of Southern California. In election year 2000, he finished second out of four in a primary for the California State Assembly. He was the only open atheist to be a major contender for a state legislative seat in the United States during that election cycle. He has successfully represented the scientific outlook and secular humanism in public debates against the leading Christian philosophers around the world. In addition to serving on the Board of the Center for Inquiry and advising the Council for Secular Humanism's First Amendment Task Force, he chairs the Center for Inquiry West, in Hollywood, California. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, he explores the true meaning of separation of church and state, and defends secularism both for believer and unbeliever alike. Also in this episode, Lauren Becker announces Ten Amendments Day, as opposed to Ten Commandments Day, and explains ways listeners can personally get involved advancing public understanding of the Bill of Rights.

Eugenie Scott, a physical anthropologist, has been the director of the National Center for Science Education for nearly 20 years. A former president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she is one of the nation's leading defenders of the theory of evolution, and a vocal critic of creationism and Intelligent Design theory. She is the author of the widely used and comprehensive textbook Evolution Vs. Creationism. In this interview with DJ Grothe, Dr. Scott discusses evolution, its implications for religious belief, and the history of the Creation Science/Intelligent Design movement. Also in this episode, Sarah Jordan asks why the teaching of evolution matters.

Bill Nye is one of America's leading popularizers of the scientific outlook. As a scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, he hosted Bill Nye The Science Guy, which earned 28 Emmys during its six year run. He is the author of a number of children's books about science and regularly lectures at Cornell University as part of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Visiting Professorship. He is also a Fellow of CSICOP, the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. His acclaimed new show The Eyes of Nye currently airs on PBS stations across the United States. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, Bill Nye talks about the importance of science literacy, and how science best equips us to face the pressing challenges that threaten our future. Also in this episode, Point of Inquiry contributer Lauren Becker asks Have You Been Saved? (this Earth Day).

Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestseller The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. Mr. Harris is a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and has studied both Eastern and Western religious traditions, along with a variety of contemplative disciplines, for twenty years. His work has been discussed in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Economist, The Guardian, The Independent, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, New Scientist, SEED Magazine, Stanford Magazine, and many other journals. He is a columnist for Free Inquiry magazine and makes regular appearances on television and radio to discuss the danger that religion now poses to modern societies. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, Harris talks about the destructive consequences of religious beliefs and also about contemplative practice and possible benefits it may bring even the nonbeliever. Also in this episode, Free Inquiry editor Tom Flynn asks Did You Know about recent developments regarding church state separation.

Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestseller The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. Mr. Harris is a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and has studied both Eastern and Western religious traditions, along with a variety of contemplative disciplines, for twenty years. His work has been discussed in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Economist, The Guardian, The Independent, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, New Scientist, SEED Magazine, Stanford Magazine, and many other journals. He is a columnist for Free Inquiry magazine and makes regular appearances on television and radio to discuss the danger that religion now poses to modern societies. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, Harris explores what he calls the dangers of religion, and argues that because of their destructive consequences, religious beliefs should not be given special sanction in our society. Also in this episode, Free Inquiry editor Tom Flynn defends the magazine's republishing of the cartoons critical of Islam originally published in a Danish newspaper, and that some say incited riots around the world. He also talks about the recent widespread media stir caused by the Borders Books and Music's ban of the issue.

Herbert Hauptman is winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering a mathematical model for determining the molecular structures of crystallized materials. This work has proved to be of the greatest importance because it relates molecular structure to biological activity, and allows for a better understanding of life processes and making possible the development of many new disease-fighting drugs. Dr. Hauptman is president of the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, research professor in the Department of Biophysical Sciences, and adjunct professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University at Buffalo. Besides the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dr. Hauptman has received many other honors, including election to the National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of more than 170 publications. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, Dr. Hauptman discussed the "joy of science," relates the events that led to his winning the Nobel Prize, and elaborates on why science is beautiful. Also in this episode, Point of Inquiry contributor Ben Radford shares some thoughts on science and the media.