The Humanist Hour

By American Humanist Association

Science & Medicine Education Social Sciences Religion & Spirituality Higher Education Other

What's The Humanist Hour about?

The Humanist Hour (HH) Audio Podcast is a monthly one-hour talk show produced by the American Humanist Association. Every episode of the HH Audio Podcast explores a different area of humanist thought, from politics to pop culture.

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The Humanist Hour #218: Vic...

11.09.2016

We act sometimes as though we think women are new to the freethought movement, to atheist and humanist leadership. We're not. We've been here all along, and we've never gone away. Our history has just sat in boxes, disregarded where ...

The Humanist Hour episodes:

11.09.2016 The Humanist Hour #218: Vickie Stangl on Etta Semple We act sometimes as though we think women are new to the freethought movement, to atheist and humanist leadership. We're not. We've been here all along, and we've never gone away. Our history has just sat in boxes, disregarded where ...
11.02.2016 The Humanist Hour #217: Vic Wang and Benita Malone on Humanists of Houston The Humanists of Houston are American Humanist Association's largest local chapter and they're on pace to become the largest secular movement Meetup group very shortly. They've achieved that growth largely through reaching out to groups that we don't often see ...
10.19.2016 The Humanist Hour #216: Susan Jacoby on "Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion" We tend to think of the process of converting from one religion to another as a religious experience, but how much of that reflects the outlook of the people who usually talk about conversion? When author Susan Jacoby set out ...
10.12.2016 The Humanist Hour #215: What Humanists Can Bring to Interfaith Dialogue? "Interfaith" is not a word that comes easily to all humanists. Even more difficult for some is the idea of partnering with religious leaders and believers to work together on the world's problems. However, a panel composed of humanist minister ...
09.28.2016 The Humanist Hour #214: Annie Laurie Gaylor on Anne Nicol Gaylor and FFRF If anyone in today's secular movement should require no introduction, it's Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-founder and now co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). Fresh off a speech this past weekend at the Women in Secularism conference about her ...
09.21.2016 The Humanist Hour #213: Growing Up Humanist Today's adolescent humanists in the U.S. aren't the first generation of young people to be raised in a nonreligious philosophy. They are, however, the largest in modern times here – and the demographic shift means the generations that follow will ...
09.14.2016 The Humanist Hour #212: Lauren Lane on Skepticon and Rethinking Conferences Skepticon is an unusual conference in several ways. It started as a student-run event that survived its founders' graduation. It's an independent event, run as its own nonprofit organization. It's a free conference and vows to remain that way. In ...
09.07.2016 The Humanist Hour #211: Noelle George on Foundation Beyond Belief We like to say that we’re “good without a god,” but the fact of the matter is that we’re not always very organized about it. One of the good things organized religion has introduced to the world is ways to ...
08.10.2016 The Humanist Hour #207: Kelly McCullough on Building Religion through Stories Kelly McCullough is a fantasy and science fiction author with twelve novels under his belt to date. Despite being raised outside religion, his work often focuses on what it means to exist in a world where gods are real. In ...
07.20.2016 The Humanist Hour #204: Callie Wright on the “Gaytheist Manifesto” When Callie Wright came out as a trans woman in 2013, there weren't a lot of queer voices in the secular movement that focused on issues affecting queer people. She set out to change that. With her partner in crime ...
07.06.2016 The Humanist Hour #202: Amanda Marcotte on Feminist Topics in Current Politics Any year in which we have the first female major party presumptive nominee for president is going to be a busy one in feminist politics. Beyond Hillary Clinton, however, there's still plenty going on in current political discourse that's of ...
06.29.2016 The Humanist Hour #201: David Niose & Monica Miller on the Appignani Humanist Legal Center This year, the American Humanist Association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center celebrates a decade of service. The center provides legal assistance to defend the constitutional rights of religious and secular minorities by directly challenging clear violations of the Establishment Clause and ...
06.22.2016 The Humanist Hour #200: Women in Secularism & Secular Woman In spring of 2012, the secular movement was a different place for women. We were grossly underrepresented on stage, in print, and in the membership of our organizations. In a movement that prides itself on asking questions, the people asking ...
06.15.2016 The Humanist Hour #199: Greta Christina on "The Way of the Heathen" "So you're an atheist. Now what? The way we deal with life—with love and sex, pleasure and death, reality and making stuff up—can change dramatically when we stop believing in gods, souls, and afterlives. When we leave religion—or if we ...
06.08.2016 The Humanist Hour #198: Humanist Alliance Advisor Interviews, Part 1 Just before the American Humanist Association's 75th Anniversary Conference a couple of weeks ago, the organization announced that it was launching a new Black Humanist Alliance and the revamped and revitalized Feminist Humanist Alliance and LGBTQ Humanist Alliance. Stephanie Zvan ...
06.01.2016 The Humanist Hour #197: Josiah Mannion and Baba Brinkman on Art and Activism Art has the potential to reach people in ways no simple argument can. As such, it's always been harnessed for activist pursuits. From design that adds impact to a message, to providing the sugar coating on an educational pill, to ...
05.25.2016 The Humanist Hour #196: HB2, The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act Of all the recent "religious freedom" legislation passed around the country, perhaps none is so restrictive as North Carolina's "Act to Provide for Single-sex Multiple Occupancy Bathroom and Changing Facilities in Schools and Public Agencies and to Create Statewide Consistency ...
05.18.2016 The Humanist Hour #195: David Cobb on Corporate Personhood David Cobb is a lawyer and co-founder of Move to Amend, a coalition dedicated to winning a constitutional amendment to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights. He ...
05.04.2016 The Humanist Hour #194: American Humanist Association’s 75th Anniversary Conference This year is a special one for the American Humanist Association – it marks 75 years since our founding. To celebrate, our annual conference returns to the AHA's original home of Chicago this May 26–29 with lots to do for ...
04.20.2016 The Humanist Hour #193: Carrie Poppy and Ross Blocher "We show up so you don't have to." That's the tagline for the Oh No, Ross and Carrie podcast. If you've ever wanted to get out and experience all the world's weirdness for yourself, this podcast might not be for ...
04.06.2016 The Humanist Hour #192: The Humanism of Star Trek, with Susan Sackett & Scott Lohman Gene Roddenberry was openly humanist, and his best-known creation, Star Trek, reflects his views in many ways. Our guests this week talk about how Star Trek informed their humanism and how they use the show to educate others about humanism. ...
03.23.2016 The Humanist Hour #191: Sincere Kirabo on Building Social Justice Over the past year or so, the American Humanist Association has been making changes to reflect its commitment to social justice. These changes can be found in the pages of The Humanist magazine and the words of its leaders. Change ...
03.09.2016 The Humanist Hour #190: Getting "SciCurious" with Bethany Brookshire On this week's show, Stephanie Zvan interviews Dr. Bethany "SciCurious" Brookshire about effective strategies for convincing people of scientific truths, the common mistakes we make when we set out to teach people about science. Brookshire recently co-edited Science Blogging: The ...
02.24.2016 The Humanist Hour #189: Justin Scott on Interviewing Presidential Candidates In this week's show, Stephanie Zvan introduces interviewer Peggy Knudtson, and Peggy and Jenn Wilson talk to Justin Scott about his work to get politicians on record on the separation of church and state. As an Iowan, activist, and atheist, ...
02.10.2016 The Humanist Hour #188: Black Nonbelievers: The Author's Circle In this episode, Jenn Wilson introduces our new producer, Stephanie Zvan, and Kim Ellington talks to Frank Edwards, Ronald F. Murphy, Cheryl Abram, and Darrell Smith – authors who presented at the Black Nonbelievers fifth anniversary celebration in Atlanta last ...
01.27.2016 The Humanist Hour #187: Critically Thinking About the Self-Help Genre In this episode, Bo Bennett has a conversation with Dr. Michael Britt about the genre of books and programs known as “self-help,” a roughly $11 billion industry. As Bo says, the self-help movement is not much different from many religious ...
01.20.2016 The Humanist Hour #186: Mark Smith on Secular Faith: How Culture Has Trumped Religion in American Politics In this episode, Kim Ellington welcomes new Humanist Hour co-host Jenn Wilson to the podcast and they both speak with author Dr. Mark Smith about his new book, "Secular Faith: How Culture Has Trumped Religion in American Politics." Mark A. ...
01.13.2016 The Humanist Hour #185: The Sociology of Religion, with Dr. Ryan T. Cragun In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with Associate Professor of Sociology Ryan T. Cragun about the sociology of religion. Are religious people more generous than the non-religious? Smarter? Better looking? (Actually, we don’t ask that last one) ...
01.06.2016 The Humanist Hour #184: White Nights, Black Paradise, with Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson In this episode, Kim Ellington speaks with author and activist Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson about her latest book, "White Nights, Black Paradise", and the state of race in America today. Later, Peggy Knudtson speaks with Dr. Richard Carrier about the “evidence” ...
12.29.2015 The Humanist Hour #183: Dr. Dan Everett—Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes In this episode, Bo Bennett and Peggy Knudtson speak with author Dr. Daniel Everett. Dr. Everett is an American author and academic best known for his study of the Amazon Basin's Pirahã people and their language. He serves as Dean ...
12.23.2015 The Humanist Hour #182: Secular Comedy with Stewart Huff In this episode, Bo Bennett and Peggy Knudtson speak with comedian Stewart Huff about the joys and pains of performing liberal, secular comedy across the country, especially in places that aren’t so, well… liberal or secular. Stewart Huff was born ...
12.16.2015 The Humanist Hour #181: Atheist Meditation and Spirituality, with Mark W. Gura In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with Mark W. Gura, a Secular Buddhist, humanist, and freethinker. They talk about a “woo-free” version of mediation and spirituality. Mark W. Gura has more than 20 years of experience in ...
12.09.2015 The Humanist Hour #180: Everybody is Wrong About God, with Dr. James A. Lindsay In this episode, Bo Bennett and Peggy Knudtson speak with author James A, Lindsay about his new book, Everybody is Wrong About God. Later, Kim Ellington speaks with Derek Colanduno, director of the Skeptical track at DragonCon. James A. Lindsay ...
12.02.2015 The Humanist Hour #179: The Myths that Stole Christmas, with Dr. David Kyle Johnson In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview Dr. David Kyle Johnson about his new book, "The Myths that Stole Christmas: Seven Misconceptions that Hijacked the Holiday (and How We Can Take It Back)". Later, Humanist Hour correspondent Patty ...
11.25.2015 The Humanist Hour #178: Dr. Abby Hafer on Unintelligent Design In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Dr. Abby Hafer live, in studio, about her new book, "The Not-So-Intelligent Designer: Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not." Dr. Hafer is a speaker, writer, and humorist who ...
11.18.2015 The Humanist Hour #177: Amanda Knief on America's "Right to Know" and the "Atheist Voter" In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview Amanda Knief, the National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists, touching on several issues relating to law and politics. Later, correspondent Gina James interviews Joe Dougherty about the militarization ...
11.10.2015 The Humanist Hour #176: LIVE at FREEFLO 2015! In this episode, Bo Bennett teams up with guest co-host Peggy Knudtson at FREEFLO in Orlando, Florida for a live Humanist Hour recording. They begin with Woo Jeopardy, featuring an all-star panel of contestants including Matt Dillahunty, Seth Andrews, and ...
11.04.2015 The Humanist Hour #175: The “Regressive Left” and Safe Spaces, with Dr. Peter Boghossian In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with Dr. Peter Boghossian about the “Regressive Left,” safe spaces, trigger warnings, and what appears to be an alarming change in American university culture. Dr. Peter Boghossian’s main focus is bringing ...
10.28.2015 The Humanist Hour #174: Good Thinking, with Guy P. Harrison In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Guy P. Harrison about his latest book, Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser. Later, Peggy Knudtson speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Jarman at The Skeptics of ...
10.21.2015 The Humanist Hour #173: Chris Shelton Talks Scientology In this episode, Peggy Knudtson speaks with former scientologist Chris Shelton at The Skeptics of Oz conference. Later, correspondent Jenn Wilson speaks with Dr. John Hawks, one of the lead scientists on the Rising Star Expedition, about the practice of ...
10.14.2015 The Humanist Hour #172: The History of Humanism & a Primer on Ethics, with Michael Werner In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews Michael Werner about the history of humanism and dis-cuss ethics from a secular perspective. Werner is a cofounder of SMART Recovery, a past president of the American Humanist Association, and currently a member of ...
10.07.2015 The Humanist Hour #171: Disaster Capitalism: Making a Killing out of Catastrophe, with Antony Lowenstein In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with author and journalist Antony Lowenstein about his latest book, Disaster Capitalism, dealing with a broken political system in need of fixing. Antony Loewenstein is an Australian independent freelance journalist, author, documentarian and blogger. ...
09.30.2015 The Humanist Hour #170: Live at the Harvard Humanist Hub: A Better Life, with Chris Johnson In this episode, Chris Johnson, author of the book A Better Life and producer of the movie with the same title, talks about his experience creating these works and what it means to have “a better life.” Chris is a ...
09.23.2015 The Humanist Hour #169: How to Defend the Christian Faith – Advice from an Atheist, with John Loftus In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with author John Loftus about his new book, How to Defend the Christian Faith: Advice from an Atheist – the first book on Christian apologetics written by a leading atheist figure ...
09.16.2015 The Humanist Hour #168: The Story of God, with Chris Matheson In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with writer Chris Matheson about his book, "The Story of God: A Biblical Comedy about Love (and Hate)." From Amazon.com: The Bible offers some clues to God’s personality—he’s alternately been called vindictive and just, ...
09.09.2015 The Humanist Hour #167: Bo and Kim Chat about DragonCon, The Reason Rally, and GMOs! In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington have a casual chat about several topics: some fun, some exciting, and some that can have a significant impact on humanity. Listen in and enjoy!
08.26.2015 The Humanist Hour #165: Humanistic Considerations in the Digital Age, with Derek Ellington In this episode, Kim Ellington speaks with Certified Forensic Examiner Derek Ellington on a host of issues in the digital age including the recent hack of online dating/affair service Ashley Madison. What should parents be aware of in the digital ...
08.19.2015 The Humanist Hour #164: Sacred Cows, with Seth Andrews In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with author Seth Andrews about his latest book Sacred Cows: A Lighthearted Look at Belief and Tradition Around the World. “[I]nto the 21st century, our species continues to participate in beliefs and customs that ...
08.12.2015 The Humanist Hour #163: Back to School Advice for Humanist Students, Parents, and Teachers, with David Niose In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with AHA Legal Director David Niose about many of the issues humanist students can face in public school, and more importantly, what can be done about these issues. David Niose's background includes experience in ...
08.05.2015 The Humanist Hour #162: Lessons on Race, Atheism, and White Privilege, with Greg Epstein In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and Executive Director of the Humanist Hub, about his recent article in Salon, "Ta-Nehisi Coates woke me up: Lessons on race, atheism, and white privilege". From ...

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