Cringey, Absurd, Touchy-Feely Garbage | Skeptic Generation | Episode 20 Season 2

This week we got a rave review from a fan, namely that we are more cringey, absurd, and touchy-feely garbage with each passing week. We're so excited to be making such consistent progress, and hope you'll join us this Sunday to witness us taking one more step toward greatness: call us at 585-526-8774 or tiny.cc/callSG.

SOME EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS

May 19th: Senior Patron Hangout on Discord
May 21st: Watch Eric Build Our Production Computer! (Limited livestream event)
May 22nd: Surprise Birthday Episode
Week of June 6th (TBD): Eric & Vi Are In Portland, OR!
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TIME STAMPS & CALL NOTES

00:00 - Intro
05:11 - “Help! My Brother Is Watching Jordan Peterson” - Erika (she/her) - TX
23:06 - Theist Says THIS Makes Skeptics Look Silly - Joe (he/him) - KS
36:57 - Could You Identify God If You Met One? - Lucas (he/him) - BR
46:53 - Crypto Bro Proves God Using Empirical Evidence - Xeno (he/him) - SK
1:15:35 - Sex, Drugs, and Televangelists - Benji (he/him) - US
1:24:45 - This Call Gave Us Goosebumps! - Fancy Monkey (he/him) - GA

05:17
How do you have conversations with someone who thinks being a math teacher makes them qualified to debunk evolution? What if that person is your Christian brother? What if he has started listening to Jordan Peterson? This caller needs help figuring out family communication as a new skeptic.

This is the book that Vi recommended: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/informal-logic-a-pragmatic-approach_douglas-n-walton/794396/item/4024815/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyYKUBhDJARIsAMj9lkG7RD3zS794oZvRQRZ2R7mV_lu---2rIah9m47AIsI_Zt1a2FosPIkaAhqyEALw_wcB#idiq=4024815&edition=5988947

23:10
Repeat theist caller Joe asks why skeptics are so concerned about astrology and horoscopes. Aren’t they harmless fun most of the time? Eric points out some situations when relying on astrology could be really dangerous, and Vi highlights the underlying problem of magical thinking that normalizes accepting harmful claims.

37:09
Star Trek nerd alert on this one! This caller wants to know if the hosts would concede that an all-powerful or manipulative creature was a god. Well, what does being a god even mean? Why do we call things “god” in the first place? Eric approaches this from a linguistic perspective, while Vi highlights the moral and aesthetic baggage weighing down the word “god”.

47:00
Xeno calls back to teach us why God is real, using NFTs as an example. The only problem is, Vi and Eric remain resoundingly unimpressed. Eric especially is having none of it, and this caller ends up being hung up on after telling the hosts to “sit down and shut up.”

1:15:41
This caller is an atheist working undercover at an international televangelist organization. He is grappling with some guilt because while it pays well, he knows he’s helping the baddies. Should he quit his job? Publish a tell-all? Become a mole and report dirt to the government? Eric and Vi have some ideas, and also definitely want to read his future book.

1:24:55
This atheist caller tells the hosts about an answered prayer from his past, and it is genuinely a beautiful story. The three of them break down why it might be compelling for believers, why it probably was just coincidence, and how that doesn’t make it any less special.

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