What A Feckin Waffle Fest | Skeptic Generation | Episode 5 Season 2

Skeptic Generation

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TIME STAMPS & CALL NOTES
00:00 - Intro - Merch Sale Is Ending!
06:23 - Do Atheists Move the Goalposts? - Chris (he/him) - CT
19:45 - Are Essential Oils A Cure-All? - Bree (ze/zir) - IA
30:19 - Eric & Vi Disagree on Subjective Experience - Chris (he/him) - NJ
43:42 - A New Scientific Argument Against the Kalam - Bob (they/them) - UT
55:45 - Defending Weed as Medical Treatment - Joanne (she/her) - FL
1:03:15 - Do We Suffer from the Main Character Complex? - Wolfos (he/him) - TX
06:23
Why do atheists on call-in shows always move the conversation to philosophy? What benefit is it to talk with apologists in this way? This caller wants to know why Vi and Eric seem to opt for these more esoteric topics when some claims can be refuted by science or history. Vi says it’s important to speak about what you know and be ready with referrals should your conversation partner need more information. Eric suggests philosophical conversations may be able to better get to the heart of whether a person is being dishonest or not.
19:45
Do essential oils cure migraines, make your bunions fall off, and realign your root chakra? Or do they just smell kind of good? Bree wants to know, and Vi and Eric have LOTS of thoughts about the reason quack medical science and predatory MLMs are so popular in the U.S.
For more information on why essential oil companies are suspicious, check out Genetically Modified Skeptic’s video on his own experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsDrIAsVgTQ
If you want more anti-MLM content, check out The Antibot: https://youtu.be/581WyV9BQD0
30:19
Why define consciousness as anything other than “awareness”? This caller watched the hosts’ VS video and his opinions quickly set off Vi and Eric’s ongoing argument about the subject. Things get a bit heated, and Vi ultimately declares that consciousness isn’t even a falsifiable concept and therefore not worth talking about.
If you missed the new call-in debate livestream show hosted by Eric and Vi, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IM4msSw--c&t=26s
43:42
Vi is excited about this one. This caller raises an often overlooked refutation of first cause arguments like the Kalam: the problem of the A vs B theory of time. In fact, our current scientific understanding of physics implies that William Lane Craig’s signature argument may be in deep trouble! Meanwhile, Eric realizes the present might not actually exist and is shaken.
To get a better idea of what Vi and the caller are talking about, watch this video from Paulogia: https://youtu.be/GC3o4GnKJFU
55:45
Eric threw shade at cannabis oils earlier in the show, and this caller has some things to add. The lesson of this story is: be specific about your claims, because chances are we’ll agree with you!
1:03:15
Why does everyone feel like the main character in their own story? Is it possible one of the damages of religion is that it makes its followers into NPCs, in service to the “actual” main character, God? Are there cultures where individuals don’t see themselves as the main character? Wolfos brings an interesting psychological term to the hosts, and triggers a bit of a nostalgia crisis for Vi.
Upon further investigation, it looks like the correct term for this may be “main character syndrome,” a social media-based term that developed on TikTok. While it doesn’t have much basis in science, it’s an interesting social trend to observe. Read more here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/digital-world-real-world/202106/the-trouble-main-character-syndrome
Finally, for those of you interested in following up on the superchat at the end of the show regarding Project Blitz, check out this Guardian article for more information: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/04/project-blitz-the-legislative-assault-by-christian-nationalists-to-reshape-america
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