Podcasts

Discovery Institute Podcast

Jonathan Choe on the Crisis of our City Streets

_{Wesley J. Smith
November 6, 2023}

Henry Olsen on the Crisis in American Politics

_{Wesley J. Smith
October 23, 2023}

Body & Soul: Joshua Farris and The Creation of Self

_{Michael Egnor
October 19, 2023}

How does the body contribute to the soul? On today’s episode, host Michael Egnor and theologian Dr. Joshua Farris discuss the implications of a neo-Cartesian understanding of the human soul on divisive cultural issues such as transgenderism and abortion. Farris, author of the recent book The Creation of Self: A Case for the Soul, argues that the body supplies certain controls and powers to the soul, and that separating the body from the soul would do harm to the soul. He also addresses the question of when ensoulment occurs in human development and explores the idea of switching souls among identical twins and the challenges it poses to philosophies of mind-body dualism. He concludes by discussing the rise in popularity of metaphysical theories and their connection to cultural …

Mind Matters

From Physicalism to Idealism: Challenging Assumptions about Reality

_{265
Michael Egnor
November 16, 2023}

Can the mind be understood independently of physical matter? On today’s episode, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor continues his conversation with Dr. Angus Menuge, Chair of Philosophy at Concordia University, about his book Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science. They discuss various models of the mind-brain problem, including idealism, which posits that matter does not exist and that Read More ›

Exploring the Mind-Brain Relationship and Challenging Materialism

_{264
Michael Egnor
November 9, 2023}

Can the mind be explained in purely physical terms? Or is it something else entirely? In this interview, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor kicks off a three-part discussion with Dr. Angus Menuge about his book Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science. The book brings together contributors from various academic disciplines to challenge the dominant materialist paradigm in the Read More ›

Philosophies of Mind: Jim Madden on Hylomorphism and Neuroscience

_{263
Pat Flynn
November 2, 2023}

Is matter governed by an immaterial form, as Aristotle once argued? Or is the physical world all there is? On today’s episode, guest host Pat Flynn interviews philosopher Jim Madden, author of a chapter in the new book Minding the Brain. Madden discusses his involvement in the book project and his contribution to the volume. He explains the concept of hylomorphism, Read More ›

ID the Future

Bill Dembski Reflects on The Origins of a Classic

_{1826
William A. Dembski
November 15, 2023}

Hailed as "sparklingly original" and an "important contribution", mathematician William Dembski's 1998 book The Design Inference gave the modern design hypothesis a firm empirical footing and quickly inspired demonization and dismissal from disgruntled Darwinists. Twenty-five years later, Dembski's arguments stand firm, and a second edition with fresh analysis and insight is now available to a new generation of truth seekers. On this ID The Future, physicist Brian Miller invites Dr. Dembski to take us back to the 1980s to tell us the story of how The Design Inference came to be. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 next!

How to Destroy Love with Darwinism

_{1825
November 13, 2023}

When we make sacrifices that benefit others, is it a real conscious choice? Or are we just unconsciously acting on an evolved genetic trait? On today’s ID the Future from the vault, host Andrew McDiarmid presents an Evolution News essay, “How to Destroy Love with Darwinism.” Altruism, as defined by evolutionists, means “behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind.” It’s not an easy fit with Darwinism, since Darwinian evolution is all about passing your favored genes onto your offspring. From a design perspective, though, such behaviors are not baffling, for they are not genetically determined acts, as if humans are only robots governed by genes. They are acts of true self-sacrificial love, done freely and made possible because reality is more than matter and energy, and humans are more than just DNA survival machines.

Dembski & Tour: Why Chance Doesn’t Have a Chance

_{1824
William A. Dembski
November 10, 2023}

Are life and the universe products of chance, necessity, or design? In anticipation of a new updated second edition of his classic book The Design Inference, out this month, today’s ID the Future from the archive features Rice University synthetic organic chemist James Tour and intelligent design pioneer William Dembski concluding their discussion about the origin and role of information in living things. Here in Part 2, Dr. Dembski tackles questions from Dr. Tour's audience on topics like information theory, probability theory, the origin of life, evolution, the multiverse hypothesis, and Dembski’s contributions to the theory of intelligent design. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

Humanize

Jonathan Choe on the Crisis of our City Streets

_{5
Tom Shakely
November 6, 2023}

The homelessness and addiction catastrophes on our city streets seem intractable. Unhygienic squatter tent cities. Human waste on our sidewalks. Used needles littering our parks. Crime. Collapsing commercial districts. It’s enough to make one turn away in despair and allow areas of our once most beautiful cities to become no-go zones. But some refuse to yield. One is veteran independent journalist Jonathan Choe. Choe focuses his journalism on homelessness, drug addiction, and the mental health crisis ravaging America through hard-hitting video narratives. In this episode of Humanize, Choe will describes the horrors—and heroism—he encounters daily as he covers the homelessness beat Choe is a Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering homelessness issues for its Fix Homelessness initiative. Prior to joining Discovery, Choe spent several years as one of the lead reporters at KOMO-TV, consistently the top-rated television station in Seattle. His in depth stories on crime and deep dive investigations into the homelessness crisis led to measurable results in the community, including changes in public policy. Choe has more than two decades of experience in television news behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Tribune. He has also been nominated and honored with multiple industry awards including an Emmy. As an independent journalist, Choe also contributes regularly to the Mill Creek View and Lynnwood Times and has reported on exclusive stories in the past year for Daily Wire and The Postmillennial. Choe is a New England native and Boston University journalism school graduate. (757) Choe show – YouTube Twitter: Jonathan Choe Journalist (Seattle) (@choeshow) / X (twitter.com) https://www.discovery.org/p/choe/ (757) DOWNTOWN #seattle MADNESS CONTINUES – YouTube Donate | Fix Homelessness (1) “I have never seen this much anti-Semitism.” (substack.com) Other Humanize Interviews on the Homelessness Catastrophe Robert Marbut on America’s Homelessness Crisis, Strategies for Uplifting the Homeless, and Effective Government Policies | Humanize Jim Palmer of the Orange County Rescue Mission on causes and cures for America’s homelessness crisis | Humanize

Henry Olsen on the Crisis in American Politics

_{4
Wesley J. Smith
October 23, 2023}

It is no secret that American politics are in crisis. Polls show that Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives are increasingly estranged from each other, conservative red states and progressive blue states are enacting public policies that are dramatically dichotomous, and millions of people no longer trust the integrity of our electoral system. As this program is being recorded, there is no Speaker of the House of Representatives. The two leading candidates to become president in 2024—President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump—are both highly unpopular, and most Americans don’t want a rematch of 2020. How has this crisis come to be and what can be done about it? Wesley asked one of the most respected election analysts in the country to provide some insight. Henry Olsen is a Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He was the Thomas W. Smith distinguished scholar in residence at Arizona State University for the winter/spring 2023 semester. Olsen began his career as a political consultant. After three years working for the California Assembly Republican Caucus, he went to law school, and after graduating, clerked for the Honorable Danny J. Boggs on the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Olsen later joined the think tank world where he served as the President of the Commonwealth Foundation, a Vice President at the Manhattan Institute, and Vice President and Director, National Research Initiative, at the American Enterprise Institute. He left AEI in 2013 to pursue a career in political analysis and writing at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Olsen’s writings have appeared in variety of leading publications throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. He is the author of “The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism” and co-authored, “The Four Faces of the Republican Party”. Olsen’s biennial election predictions have been widely praised for their uncanny accuracy, and he is a frequent guest on television and radio news and commentary programs. Olsen regularly speaks about American political trends and global populism in the United States, Europe, and Australia. He is also the host of the Beyond the Polls podcast. In this interview, Wesley does not ask Olsen to take sides on the issues of the day or political personalities but solicited his dispassionate analysis of what has gone wrong in our contemporary political discourse and why. Beyond the Polls With Henry Olsen – Ricochet PowerPoint Presentation (centerforpolitics.org)

Dr. Keri D. Ingraham on the Crisis in American Education

_{3
Keri Ingraham
October 9, 2023}

It’s no secret that American education is in a profound crisis. From dismal academic performance, to bitter contention over gender ideology taught in elementary school, the damage caused by COVID school lockdowns, a collapse in discipline, and fear of violence, “school days” have become much more complicated than reading, writing, and arithmetic.