Show 456: Special Call-In Show: The Rzetelny Brothers on “Free Will”

Special Call-In Show: The Rzetelny Brothers on “Free Will”

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Do we have free will? You may have heard that question before, but what does it really mean? If we had it, how would we know? What would it look like if we did, or if we didn’t? And, more importantly, what does this mean for society? While on some level it may seem like just an abstract concept, our views of free will can affect how we treat other people, and how we build our society. Which makes it an important, and certainly interesting, topic to discuss.

Luckily, science gives us clues as to the nature of human decision-making — the essence of free will. But what should we make of it? How should we build policies out of these clues? Hosts Xaq Rzetelny and his brother, special guest host Dr. Adam Rzetelny, will be discussing these issues and more, and taking callers.

Dr. Adam Rzetelny is a licensed clinical psychologist with clinical and research experience in addiction, psychiatry, pain, neurology, and behaviorism.  Dr. Rzetelny co-authored several scientific papers and presentations, including pharmacogenetics of response to nicotine replacement therapy in smokers, drug testing in patients with addictions, and physical therapy in patients with MS.  In his clinical practice, he treated severe mental illness and addiction in both in-patient and outpatient settings.  Dr. Rzetelny currently works as a researcher and educator for a company that provides drug testing and pharmacogenetics services.

Show 455: Physics Nobel Prize recipient, Dr. John Mather

Physics Nobel Prize recipient, Dr. John Mather

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This Saturday our guest is Dr. John Mather, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his precision measurement of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which further solidified the Big Bang theory.  He is now a senior astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and senior project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope. Dr. Mather discusses his work, life, and the development of new technology that is certain to once again inform and enlighten scientists and the public on our fascinating and mysterious universe.

Show 452: Naturalistic Christmas Special

Naturalistic Christmas Special

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How and Why to Have a Naturalistic Christmas

In anticipation of our Naturalistic Christmas Special (Christmas Day from 3-5) we will enumerate the value of enjoying this holiday which is far older than the ancient Christian era.

We’ll have tips and clips and parody carols and lots more fun than would fit…ah…in a barrel?

Well anyway you get the picture.

So be sure to tune in to a program that can even get us atheists filled with Christmas cheer!

Show 450: Lawrence M. Krauss on “The Unbelievers”

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Lawrence M. Krauss on “The Unbelievers”

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Where did the universe come from? Is an intelligent creator necessary to have set the Big Bang in motion? Theoretical physicist & cosmologist Lawrence Krauss doesn’t think so, and neither says the scientific evidence.

Krauss laid out that evidence last year in his book,  “A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing”, demonstrating that it’s at least possible for a universe to arise spontaneously out of nothing. He’s also been giving talks and participating in debates, promoting science and unbelief, and this year he features with Richard Dawkins in a new documentary film called “The Unbelievers”, in which they travel the country promoting unbelief.

Krauss returns to the show to discuss science, religion, the universe from nothing, and why it’s important to talk about and debate these things. He will also discuss his new film, and much more. Krauss is a theoretical physicist and cosmologist who is a professor of physics at Arizona State University, where he also serves as Foundation Professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and director of the Origins Project. He is most well known for his contributions to cosmology, as he was one of the first physicists to suggest that most of the mass and energy of the universe resides in empty space, an idea now widely known as dark energy.

Show 447: Niles Eldredge

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Our guest was Dr. Niles Eldredge, a paleontologist who served as a curator at the American Museum of Natural History from 1969 until three years ago. He is well-known for his once controversial and now widely accepted evolutionary theory of “punctuated equilibria,” which he developed with Stephen Jay Gould. He is the author of many books, including The Pattern of Evolution, Life in the Balance, Why We Do It, and Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life.