
Join Thomas for some critical thinking on questions of science, philosophy, skepticism and politics. These serious topics are discussed with some serious guests, but in an entertaining and engaging way! This is not your typical interview podcast; it's a friendly dialogue, conducted thoughtfully and with plenty of humor. It's Serious Inquiries Only; but like, not boring or anything.
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 848 | Founded | 13 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | PoliticsNewsNews Commentary | |||

It's Election Day, and the polls look almost too good. So what can Democrats actually DO if they take back Congress? Thomas runs the scenarios, a one-seat Senate (hello again, John Fetterman) or something bigger, and makes the case that the Supreme C... more
We welcome back Dr. Eric Jaffe to help us understand a really cool, groundbreaking scientific discovery! Our brains are not one organ! Turns out your forebrain and your hindbrain might be two completely separate lineages that never actually came from... more
You've seen the headline: AI "solved" one of math's Millennium Prize problems. Thomas and Jenessa (here as a friend, not an expert) are joined by David Souther, a software engineer and LLM researcher, who's SO annoyed about it. Why did he answer Jene... more
How does AI use affect learning? You'd be surprised how much we already know. Dr. Jenessa Seymour takes us through the research on screen use, metacognition, cognitive offloading, and some recent papers
Sources:
• Clinton, V. (2019). Reading fr... more
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Reacting to the 02/11/2027 episode : It’s very frustrating to listen to a progressive guy telling you that the Democrats aren’t doing anything because of us; because the people somehow are not doing enough FOR THEM. Yeah the system is terrible, but using your voice to tell everyone that the only option is to hope that it will miraculously change itself is just sad.
If the only conclusion is that the system is bad, maybe advocate for an alternative way, for real change, for a better system than ... more
Variety of science, culture, and political topics. Down to earth and trustworthy.
Casino and debt consolidation and shitty counselling services ads mar great insightful discussions. Change your ad service.
Thomas has always delivered sharp thoughtful analysis but his latest batch of episode since the election has been on fire! If you recognize what’s happening in our government as the slow motion disaster it is, this is the podcast you need in your ears. If you think everything’s fine… Well, enjoy the view from under that rock.
Love Thomas's take on science stuff.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #182 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
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Thoughtful, humorous conversations apply critical thinking to science, psychology, philosophy, education, technology and politics. Thomas Smith leads discussions with subject-matter experts, asking follow-up questions and making technical ideas accessible without avoiding methodological detail or uncertainty. Topics range from cancer biology and child development to AI, higher education costs and the way political claims are framed. The format is a friendly dialogue rather than a conventional question-and-answer interview, with occasional solo commentary and analysis of films or public arguments. Its distinctive appeal is the combination of expert explanation, skeptical scrutiny and an informal tone: listeners get both context on the resear... more
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1. Where There's Woke
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3. The Skepticrat
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5. Cognitive Dissonance
Serious Inquiries Only launched 13 years ago and published 848 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Serious Inquiries Only include:
1. David Souther
2. Jenessa Seymour
3. Tania Lombrozo
4. David O'Brien
5. Dr. Eric Jaffe
6. Dr. Jenessa Seymour
7. Sari Altschuler
8. Doug Mills
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