Why You Believe Weird Things (Michael Shermer)

Hard Knox with Amanda Knox

Knox Robinson Productions

True Crime, Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2026

⏱️ 82 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What is truth, and why does finding it actually matter? Amanda sits down with Dr. Michael Shermer, founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine, longtime Scientific American columnist, and author of Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters, for a conversation that starts with epistemology and ends in a full-throated debate about free will. They talk about why our brains evolved more like lawyers than scientists — to win arguments, not find facts. They get into the hard problem of consciousness, what meditation might reveal that neuroscience can't yet measure, and whether the legal system could ever be redesigned around actual truth-seeking. And then Amanda makes the case for hard determinism and nearly talks Shermer into it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	For ad-free episodes of Hard Knocks, subscribe at Amandanox.substack.com, where you'll also find access to essays, bonus episodes, and more. Enjoy.
0:13.0	Now, are all the traitors present? Let's get started, shall we? From rags to riches. I'm so sick of this.
0:20.4	Working like a dog and being treated worse.
0:21.6	Yorkshire to New York.
0:23.6	Or climbers you and me.
0:25.6	A life dedicated to revenge.
0:27.6	Let's make this an occasion to remember.
0:29.6	A Woman of Substance on Channel 4, stream now.
0:33.6	We all love a good meal, but there's no feeling quite like cooking one. Whether it's everyone at yours for a Sunday roast, or after-school sausage and mash.
0:42.3	Quick, simple, gone in minutes.
0:45.3	One thing brings it all together.
0:48.3	Ah, Bisto, the original gravy.
0:53.3	Rich, smooth, and unmistakable since 1908. Ah, Bisto. The original gravy.
0:58.1	Rich, smooth, and unmistakable since 1908.
1:01.5	When the gravy makes the dish, make the gravy.
1:03.2	Ah, Bisto.
1:10.0	I'm Amanda Knox, and you're listening to Hard Knox. Welcome back to Hard Knox, everyone.
1:18.6	This is Amanda Knox.
1:21.6	Today's guest is Dr. Michael Shermer, who is the founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine and host of the podcast, The Michael
1:28.2	Shermer Show. So for those who are not familiar with Michael Shermer, he has spent 30 years
1:34.4	teaching in colleges and universities about critical thinking. He worked for 18 years, doing a
1:40.1	monthly column for Scientific American, and he's the author of numerous, numerous books
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Knox Robinson Productions, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Knox Robinson Productions and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.