Aaron Devor explains the ABCs of the Trans+ community
Release Date: 06/18/2025
ENCORE: Kelly Weinersmith asks: Are we ready to live off-planet?
The Podcast For Inquiry
Dr. Kelly Weinersmith () is the co-author (with her husband Zach) of Soonish and A City on Mars. Kelly maintains that while having humans living off Earth would be awesome, we’re simply not ready for it yet. She answers many of Leslie’s questions: Why can’t we go to Mars if we have the will? Why can’t we all just get along? Why should we expand? Why is building a habitable space station harder than settling on Mars or the moon? What laws would apply in any off-Earth settlement? Where should we focus our space research efforts? Kelly also goes on a rant about Helium 3. ...
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ENCORE: Solomon, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Gandalf: All fictional! With David Fitzgerald
The Podcast For Inquiry
After years of research, has come to a surprising conclusion: that all the main characters in the world’s major religions are entirely the product of human imagination. While many have long doubted the supernatural feats that religious figures are purported to have done, the assumption that these are grounded in at least a kernel of historical fact is widely held. David explains how the stories we are familiar with today accreted over time, and the utter lack of evidence that any of the major figures of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, or Buddhism ever actually existed....
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ENCORE: Saving civilization is about more than climate change, says Professor Katherine Richardson
The Podcast For Inquiry
All life on earth ultimately depends on energy and how it flows between biological and geochemical systems on the planet. Katherine Richardson and her team identified which need to be respected if our planet is to remain conducive to human thriving. Climate change is just one of them. We are exceeding six boundaries, and in recent years they are all getting worse. Katherine discusses how she and her team identified the nine planetary boundaries and why it is essential to consider how they interact, instead of viewing them as independent issues. The effects of exceeding planetary boundaries...
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We’ve been here before: Apocalypses past and present with Lizzie Wade
The Podcast For Inquiry
is the author of : How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures. She is a science writer focusing on archaeology and anthropology, a contributing correspondent for Science, and her work has also appeared in Wired, Archaeology, National Geographic, and Slate. Follow her work via The Antiquarian newsletter at The conversation starts with how ancient Egypt, which was very hierarchical and funneled lots of resources to its ruling class, collapsed when a prolonged drought struck. Lizzie explains how the Mayan civilization still very much existed when it was first...
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Leslie’s Diatribes #5: The Arc of the Moral Universe
The Podcast For Inquiry
Leslie spoke about CFIC for a few minutes at the 2026 conference in early May. The brief talk wasn’t recorded but seemed to resonate with many attendees, so today’s bonus episode is Leslie recreating the speech for Podcast for Inquiry subscribers. As with all Diatribes, the opinions expressed are Leslie’s alone and do not represent CFIC or any other organization. Podcast for Inquiry is hosted by Leslie Rosenblood and brought to you by the . ! Produced by Zack Dumont, Martin Zielinski, and Leslie Rosenblood. Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon: . Send your thoughts and...
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Everyone - including you! - is intensely creative. Dr. Caroline Brookfield explains.
The Podcast For Inquiry
is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. Caroline helps "non-creatives" connect with a creative mindset to build confidence in change, buffer against burnout, and leverage individual originality for adaptability and problem-solving, even when facing the most perplexing challenges. Today’s conversation starts with a definition of creativity. Caroline distinguishes between Big C, small c, and mini-c creativity. Can AI be creative? Is scientific investigation a creative act? Caroline delves into her DANCE model - the five habits that will allow anyone to harness their creative energy. Podcast...
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Rooting out biases in medical studies and health advice with Dr. Christopher Labos
The Podcast For Inquiry
is a cardiologist and an affiliate member of the Department of Global and Public Health of McGill University. He is a columnist with the Montreal Gazette and Medscape, featured on the Sunday Morning House Call on CJAD radio, and has a regular TV segment with CTV Montreal and CBC Morning Live. He hosts the award-winning podcast “.” He is the author of “” a story about food epidemiology and why food headlines are usually wrong. Occasionally, he finds time to practice as a cardiologist so he can buy groceries. Christopher starts by answering the question his book asks -...
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Religion, theism, and race: The Black Practice of Disbelief with Dr. Anthony Pinn
The Podcast For Inquiry
is a professor, prolific author and much sought-after lecturer committed to academic rigor. Known internationally as a leading expert in the field of African American religion, Dr. Pinn’s teaching and research interests span liberation theologies, black religious aesthetics, religion and popular culture, and African American humanism. On today’s episode, I speak with Dr. Pinn about his book The Black Practice of Disbelief. We start with how he defines religion, which might differ slightly from what many Inquirers understand. We talk What distinguishes Black Humanism...
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Richard Carrier believes Secular Humanism is the best political philosophy
The Podcast For Inquiry
is the author of Sense and Goodness without God, On the Historicity of Jesus, The Scientist in the Early Roman Empire, and many other books, chapters, and articles. With a Ph.D. in ancient history from Columbia University, he specializes in the modern philosophy of naturalism, the origins of Christianity, and the intellectual history of Greece and Rome. In today’s episode, Richard defends the premise that a government run along secular humanist principles is the best form of societal governance. His two core tenets are that human interests matter above all, and that rational,...
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Persistence, not patience, is required for progress: Feminism in 2026 with Linda Silver Dranoff
The Podcast For Inquiry
is a precedent-setting lawyer, an empowering author about law, public policy and women’s rights, and a successful feminist activist for equality and family law reform. She is the author of . Linda has been honoured with the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario and Law Society Medal. Her latest effort is - A new web series that looks at today’s threats to women’s equality rights and warns that we cannot take past advances for granted. Linda begins the conversation by describing how women were viewed by the law well into the 20th century. Women were considered property - effectively...
info_outlineLeslie speaks with Aaron about many issues related to transgender people, or the Trans+ community. They discuss how the perceived binaries of sex, sexual preference, gender, and gender expression are more complicated and nuanced in reality. Aaron details how many people identify as transgender and nonbinary in Canada, and provides insights into many current controversies including pronouns, sports, puberty blockers, and incarceration.
Dr. Aaron Devor, PhD, FSSSS, FSTLHE, is an internationally recognized leader in Transgender Studies who has been studying and teaching about transgender topics since the early 1980s. He established and holds the world’s first Chair in Transgender Studies; initiated and hosts the international, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational Moving Trans History Forward conferences; and founded and is the subject matter expert for the world’s largest Transgender Archives. He has published widely on transgender topics and has received numerous awards for his research and advocacy work. His opinions are frequently sought by the media, and he has delivered more than 40 keynote and plenary addresses to audiences around the world. He is a national-award-winning teacher, a former Dean of Graduate Studies, and a professor of Sociology, at the University of Victoria.
Podcast for Inquiry is hosted by Leslie Rosenblood and brought to you by the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Join today! Produced by Zack Dumont, Martin Zielinski, and Leslie Rosenblood. Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon: https://patreon.com/PodcastforInquiry. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@centreforinquiry.ca.