Point of Inquiry

Natalie Anger is a Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist for the New York Times. Born in the Bronx borough of New York City, New York, she studied physics and English at Barnard College, where she graduated with high honors in 1978. From 1980 to 1984, Angier wrote about biology for Discover Magazine. She also worked as a science writer for Time Magazine. She is the recipient of a number of honors for her writing on science, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) prize for excellence in science journalism and the Lewis Thomas award for distinguished writing in the life sciences. The author of a number of critically accliamed books, her most recent is The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science. In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, she explores the reasons why everyone should work to become scientifically literate. She also details specific reasons why chemistry, evolutionary biology, astronomy and other fields should interest the non-scientist public. Other topics discussed include atheism and science, and the future of science writing.

Tom Clark is founder and director of the Center For Naturalism, a non profit advocacy organization in the Boston area devoted to educating the public about naturalism, policy development, and community building. He is the editor of the popular online website, Naturalism.Org, which is among the web's most comprehensive resources on scientific naturalism, its implications and its applications. He is also the author of Encountering Naturalism. In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Tom Clark explores the differences between methodological naturalism and scientific / philosophical / metaphysical naturalism. He also talks about some of the implications of naturalism for society's beliefs about religion, the paranormal, and concepts like free-will. He also explores how naturalism can help foster a sense of secular spirituality among those who adopt its worldview.

Joe Hoffmann, formally at Oxford, is director of Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER). He has appeared widely in the media and at venues across the United States speaking on Christian origins, the historical Jesus, the proper role of religion in society, and similar topics. He is the author or editor of a number of books, including Just War and Jihad: Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Dr. Hoffmann details a new project involving scholars from many disciplines that is trying to determine the likelihood of Jesus of Nazareth having ever existed. The goal of The Jesus Project, according to Dr. Hoffmann, is not to "prove" the non-existence of Jesus, but to take the theory as a "testable hypothesis" and use the best methods of critical inquiry to reach a probable conclusion. Additionally, Dr. Hoffmann addresses critics by clarifying the agenda of the project.

Chris Wisnia has been involved with the comics self-publishing for several years. The creator of the celebrated comic books Tabloia, and Doris Danger Seeks Where Giant Monsters Creep, he also recently began a comic book with a decidedly skeptical theme titled Dr. DeBunko, which features a character who investigates and debunks the supernatural and paranormal beliefs in our culture. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Wisnia discusses Dr. DeBunko, the reception the book has garnered in the skeptical community, and what effect he thinks it has (or that he intends it to have) on his readers. He also explores Dr. DeBunko's methods versus other methods of investigating the paranormal, and whether there is reason to be optimistic about the long-term effects of the skeptical movement.

David Triggle is distinguished professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo and president of the Center for Inquiry Institute. He is the author and editor of several books dealing with the autonomic nervous system and drug-receptor interactions, some two hundred and fifty research papers and some one hundred and fifty chapters and reviews. Currently, his research and teaching interests have expanded to include the philosophical basis of ethics and issues around the science-policy-public interface through the Center for Inquiry Institute. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, David Triggle explains the new Science and the Public masters degree jointly sponsored by the Center for Inquiry and the State University of New York. He also talks about various arguments for public science literacy, the difference between the need for science literacy and the need for the public's appreciation of the "ethos" of science, and various questions at the interface of science and public policy. He also treats the topic of whether science and religion are compatible.

Jennifer Michael Hecht is the author of award-winning books of philosophy, history, and poetry. Her Doubt: A History (HarperCollins, 2003) demonstrates a long, strong history of religious doubt from the origins of written history to the present day, all over the world. Hecht's The End of the Soul: Scientific Modernity, Atheism and Anthropology (Columbia University, 2003), won the Phi Beta Kappa Society's 2004 prestigious Ralph Waldo Emerson Award for scholarly studies that contribute significantly to interpretations of the intellectual and cultural condition of humanity. Hecht's first poetry book, The Next Ancient World won the Poetry Society of America's 2002 Norma Farber First Book Award. Her most recent poetry book, Funny, won the University of Wisconsin's 2005 Felix Pollak Poetry Prize, and Publisher's Weekly called it one of the most original and entertaining books of the year. Her book reviews appear in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her newest book, The Happiness Myth, has achieved wide critical praise. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Hecht discusses the history of the idea of happiness, and various ways that people throughout history have sought happiness. She also explores how people in today's society may sometimes undermine their happiness by the ways they seek it, such as through recreational drug use, consumerism, health and fitness and religion or spirituality. She concludes by talking about how focusing on one's death may be a vital part of living happily in a universe without God.

David Koepsell is the Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism, North America's leading organization for nonreligious people. An author, philosopher and an attorney, David's work focuses mostly on the nexus of science, technology, ethics and public policy. In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, David explores the relationship between secular humanism and religion, whether secular humanism is just a religion for the nonreligious, the "tenets" of secular humanism, and addresses many challenges to the worldview both from Christian activists and from those in the "atheist movement." He also justifies it as a viable naturalistic life-stance, competitive with supernatural ways of looking at the world.

The world's leading paranormal investigator, Joe Nickell is a regular contributor to Skeptical Inquiry science magazine. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books, including Inquest on the Shroud of Turin (1983, 1998) and most recently, The Relics of the Christ (2007).In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Nickell talks about his new book, Relics of the Christ, and various Holy Artifacts he has scientifically investigated over the years. He details current skeptical thinking on the Shroud of Turin, purported to be Jesus of Nazareth's original burial cloth, certain relics cults throughout history, and the important role that relics have played in the history of the Catholic Church. He also touches on his research on the Holy Grail, investigations of the famed James Ossuary, the burial container claimed to belong to James the brother of Jesus, and fragments of the Cross of Jesus.

Hemant Mehta is an honors graduate from the university of Illinois, and has been involved in secularist student activism for years. Early on, he attended one of CFI's summer sessions on scholarship, becoming that year's student volunteer president of CFI's campus outreach program. He is now in graduate school at DePaul University. Mehta once held an unique auction on eBay wherein the highest bidder could send Mehta to a church of his or her choice. This led to his writing his new book, I Sold My Soul On Ebay. In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Mehta discusses common misconceptions people (and especially atheists) have about Christians, his impressions of various churches he has visited in the process of researching his book, and details specific mega-churches such as Ted Haggard's in Colorado Springs, and Joel Osteen's in Houston, Texas. He also offers suggestions about how churches can be more effective at reaching out in dialogue with the skeptical community.

Taner Edis, born and raised in Turkey, is associate professor of physics at Truman State University and the author of The Ghost in the Universe: God in Light of Modern Science and Science and Non-belief, among other publications. His latest book is An Illusion of Harmony: Science and Religion in Islam. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Taner Edis explores whether the Koran anticipates the modern scientific understanding of the world, the intelligent design creationist movement within Islam, and whether science is even compatible with the Muslim faith. He also shares his views about the future of Islam, especially in relation to the secular, more scientific West.