Rationally speaking is a presentation of New York City skeptics dedicated to promoting critical thinking, skeptical inquiry, and science education.

For more information, please visit us at NYCCEPTICs.org.

Welcome to Rationally Speaking, the podcast where we explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense.

I'm your host, Massimo Pilducci, and with me as always is my co-host, Julia Gallif.

Julia, what are we going to talk about today?

Well, Massimo, today you and I are on a field trip at the Center for Inquiry in Indianapolis, Indiana, and we're at a

conference on defending science in which we've been exploring with several other speakers and with

our host, John Shook. We've been exploring how science and religion and philosophy relate to each other, both politically and

strategically, how science and religion have been interacting with each other in recent years,

and also philosophically, whether there are conflicts and where the conflicts and

compatibilities are between science, religion, and philosophy.

And we're entering into this podcast hot on the heels of our host John Shook's talk,

in which he voiced an objection to the establishment of this, what he argued, to be

artificial or nonsensical demarcation line,

where science is considered to have a range of legitimacy just within that demarcated line.

And then on the other side of the line is where other things are allowed to take

over, like religion or like certain kinds of philosophy, such as metaphysics. So John was complaining

about, John, is that an accurate summary? Yes. Hi, Julia. Hi, Masuma. Hi, John. I'm really delighted

you guys could join us here in Indianapolis. It's really terrific.

Thank you. It's been really interesting, and I'm excited. And cold. If you hear a shiver in our voices, that's because we're all cold.

In a refrigerator known as the State Library. Yes. A beautiful refrigerator, though. Let it be noted.

So, yes, I'm sorry, with that long lead-in,

...