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Cognitive Dissonance

Atheist and Skeptical News
Donald Trump
Trump Administration
Conspiracy Theories
Elon Musk
Trump
Project 2025
Republican Party
Supreme Court
Immigration
Mental Health
Covid-19
Jeffrey Epstein
JD Vance
Climate Change
Artificial Intelligence
Iran
Misinformation
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kamala Harris
Immigration Policy

Every episode we blast anyone who gets in our way. We bring critical thinking, skepticism, and irreverence to any topic that makes the news, makes it big, or makes us mad. It's skeptical, it's political and there is no welcome mat.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes947Founded15 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Comedy

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Cognitive Dissonance

Latest Episodes

Say nice things to Tom! if not....we're lookin' for you, we gon' find you... so you can run and tell that, homeboy!

Revealed: Reform rakes in £20m in donations from crypto investors | The Independent Nigel Farage, U.K. far-right leader and former Trump ally, resigns amid finance scandal in high-risk gamble - CBS News Glasgow dad taking legal action against far-rig... more

Tom is in the hospital this week so I give an update on his condition. I also tell a story about my conceal carry renewal class that Tom and I had signed up for.

The U.S. Is Burning Through Weapons in Iran. Russia and China Are Taking Note. - The New York Times New Evidence Shows Agents Using Slurs, Bolstering Profiling Claims Fact-Checking Trump's Claims About Childhood Vaccines After Executive Order - The N... more

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Recent Guests

Paulina Maggibut
Content and creative director at the DNC
Democratic National Committee
Episode: Episode 921: Steven Miller: The Ugly *uckling
Dr. Aaron Rabinowitz
Ethics Director at the Creator Accountability Network; host of Embrace the Void and Philosophers in Space
Creator Accountability Network
Episode: Episode 908: Artificial Intelligence and Ethics with Dr. Aaron Rabinowitz
Dr. Darryl Ray
Founder of Recovering from Religion and the Secular Therapy Project
Recovering from Religion
Episode: Episode 875: No Kings, Santos Sentence Commuted
Michael Marshall
A frequent guest and contributor on various discussions
Episode: Episode 850: Trump Drops Multiple Bombs
Jonathan Jarry
Science communicator with McGill University's Office for Science and Society
McGill University
Episode: Episode 843: Jonathan Jarry - Joseph Mercola and His Medium
Noah Lugeons
Co-host of The Scathing Atheist and other skeptic-oriented podcasts
The Scathing Atheist
Episode: Episode 812: President Musk, Vatican on Brink of Bankruptcy - With Noah Lugeons
Heath Enright
Co-host of Skeptocrat, Citation Needed, and Skated Atheism
Skeptocrat
Episode: Episode 799: Vatican Stealing Babies, Brand Name Magic Amulets
Seth Andrews
Host of The Thinking Atheist Podcast, advocate for atheism and critical thought
The Thinking Atheist
Episode: Episode 796: Intelligent Design Discussion With Seth Andrews
Carl Allen
Author of The Polls Weren't Wrong
Episode: Episode 792: Debate Wrap Up and "The Polls Weren't Wrong"

Hosts

Cecil Cicirello
Host of Cognitive Dissonance
Tom Curry
Co-host of Cognitive Dissonance

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 5.5k ratings
  • Explored a new (to me) podcast "Cognitive Dissonance," episode 12/1/2025. Lots of cussing, yelling, silly teenage boy-like laughing, locker room humor... Made it until they said Repubs fabricate nonexistent problems in order to (falsely) claim they're fixing things. Their example? Borders that were never open but Republicans are falsely claiming to close and fix borders that have *never* been open. I'm done here. Could people really believe the border wasn't open!?!? Can they ever see reality?

    Podcast Addict
    1
    anon-tx
    4 months ago
  • Good

    Podcast Addict
    4
    Quartz
    4 months ago
  • The purpose of reeses pieces

    Chocolate cake with reeses pieces is next-level. 10/10

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jorgan_Garlath
    United States5 months ago
  • Decent show for sure

    I’m glad Tom’s wife is doing comparatively well now

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Zomfibame
    United States5 months ago
  • Painful Truth Spoke Here

    Just listened to the summary of progress toward meeting Project 2025 goals. As a retired public school teacher, everything you said about the dismantling of public education is on point. It is heartbreaking and will add no value to our nation’s future. Keep speaking truth.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    NeverMoreForSure
    United States5 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the skepticism and willingness to challenge mainstream viewpoints.
Critical, sharp takes on current events and media narratives are a hallmark.
The hosts balance rigorous critique with humor, making dense topics accessible.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 908: Artificial Intelligence and Ethics with Dr. Aaron Rabinowitz
Q: What are we talking about when we talk about what we currently have as AI?
We define AI broadly as systems that replicate or assist cognitive tasks, with emphasis on generative AI and large language models, while acknowledging that capabilities evolve rapidly and that there are important distinctions between different AI types and uses.
Episode 883: Boat Strike War Crimes
Q: What consequences should Trump and his administration face for their actions?
The hosts emphasize the need for accountability and punishment for those who have committed war crimes and abused their power.
Episode 883: Boat Strike War Crimes
Q: What do you think about the military presence on U.S. soil?
The hosts argue that it creates a target-rich environment for potential attacks, making DC less safe.
Mailbag February 2024
Q: What should we make of the email about Rupert Murdoch's control over media?
They elaborate on Murdoch's motivations, which include maintaining influence and media ratings by keeping Trump in the news.
Mailbag February 2024
Q: How do the right-wing narratives impact people's voting based on morals?
The hosts discuss how the rhetoric from the right frames the opposition as evil, leading to a punitive mindset that adversely affects societal perceptions, especially towards marginalized groups.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Cognitive Dissonance

What is Cognitive Dissonance about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A sharp, skeptical show that tackles current events, politics, media narratives, and tech with a biting sense of humor. Across recent episodes, themes include corporate accountability in the gig economy, surveillance and civil liberties, inflation and election dynamics, and the influence of media figures and online discourse on public perception. The hosts fuse rigorous critique with pop-cultural riffs, delivering contrarian takes and calls for greater accountability, regulators, and evidence-based discussion. Listeners are likely drawn to punchy, no-nonsense analysis that challenges partisan narratives and invites skeptical thinking, with a penchant for irreverent humor even when tackling serious issues.

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How many listeners does Cognitive Dissonance get?

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Which podcasts are similar to Cognitive Dissonance?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Cognitive Dissonance:

1. The Skepticrat
2. The Scathing Atheist
3. Citation Needed
4. God Awful Movies
5. The Know Rogan Experience

How many episodes of Cognitive Dissonance are there?

Cognitive Dissonance launched 15 years ago and published 947 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Cognitive Dissonance?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Cognitive Dissonance?

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What guests have appeared on Cognitive Dissonance?

Recent guests on Cognitive Dissonance include:

1. Paulina Maggibut
2. Dr. Aaron Rabinowitz
3. Dr. Darryl Ray
4. Michael Marshall
5. Jonathan Jarry
6. Noah Lugeons
7. Heath Enright
8. Seth Andrews

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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