Professor Peter T. Leeson’s paper on 'Ordeals' looks at the medieval superstition 'iudicium dei' – or the judgment of God - the practice of judging a person’s innocence or guilt by ordeal. This could include putting your arm into boiling water, being dunked or even being burnt alive.

"It was expected that God, approving the act imposed or permitted by an authorized judge, would give a distinct manifestation of the truth to reveal the guilt or innocence of the accused. It was believed from these premises that an equitable judgment must surely result."

While many of us can see the humor in the overeager peasants wanting to burn a witch in the film 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', belief in witchcraft and use of torture in their confession has continued for centuries. Even now, it demonstrates how sometimes superstitions can not only draw in mob support - but can be used to kill.

The article read out during the episode is called 'A Nigerian Witch-Hunter Defends Herself' from the New York Times, from the 22nd May, 2010, written by Mark Oppenheimer.

To learn more about the work of Leo Igwe, his work is documented at www.iheu.org/iheu and you can find some of his articles on his website.

Professor Peter T. Leeson is the BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University  

The Token Skeptic podcast site is at www.tokenskeptic.org.

Theme songs are 'P&P' by Derek K Miller of Penmachine.com and ‘365’ by Milton Mermikides, at www.miltonmermikides.com.

This is the second half of the Professor AC Grayling lecture recorded on the second of March at ChristChurch Grammar school! This particular episode is on the concept of rights.

Anthony Grayling MA, DPhil (Oxon) FRSL, FRSA is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. He has written and edited over twenty books on philosophy and other subjects; among his most recent are “Ideas That Matter”, “Liberty in the Age of Terror” and “To Set Prometheus Free”. For several years he wrote the “Last Word” column for the Guardian newspaper and now writes a column for the Times. He is a frequent contributor to the Literary Review, Observer, Independent on Sunday, Times Literary Supplement, Index on Censorship and New Statesman, and is an equally frequent broadcaster on BBC Radios 4, 3 and the World Service. He writes the Thinking Read column for the Barnes and Noble Review in New York, is the Editor of Online Review London, and a Contributing Editor of Prospect magazine.

Thanks again to Christ Church Grammar School and the Philosophy Department there, for making this available.

The Token Skeptic podcast site is at www.tokenskeptic.org.

Theme songs are 'P&P' by Derek K Miller of Penmachine.com and ‘365’ by Milton Mermikides, at www.miltonmermikides.com.

This is episode twenty-one and a slight deviation from the usual fare!

This is a recorded lecture from A.C Grayling, taken at a presentation he did in Perth earlier this year, suitable for high-school students. My final-year Philosophy and Ethics students attended this and it is thanks to Christ Church Grammar School in Perth that they were able to do so.

Anthony Grayling MA, DPhil (Oxon) FRSL, FRSA is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. He has written and edited over twenty books on philosophy and other subjects; among his most recent are “Ideas That Matter”, “Liberty in the Age of Terror” and “To Set Prometheus Free”. For several years he wrote the “Last Word” column for the Guardian newspaper and now writes a column for the Times. He is a frequent contributor to the Literary Review, Observer, Independent on Sunday, Times Literary Supplement, Index on Censorship and New Statesman, and is an equally frequent broadcaster on BBC Radios 4, 3 and the World Service. He writes the Thinking Read column for the Barnes and Noble Review in New York, is the Editor of Online Review London, and a Contributing Editor of Prospect magazine.

No, it’s not the usual content for the Token Skeptic podcast, but it’s a useful way of sharing this resource with other institutions, as I have classes that are studying this at the moment. Enjoy the variety! You can hear the second half in Episode #22, 'On Rights'.

The Token Skeptic podcast site is at www.tokenskeptic.org.

Theme songs are 'P&P' by Derek K Miller of Penmachine.com and ‘365’ by Milton Mermikides, at www.miltonmermikides.com.

Welcome to episode twenty of the Token Skeptic!

This week I’m interviewing Warren Bonett of Embiggen Books. We also discuss some great science books and I hope will be a regular feature in forthcoming shows.

Warren’s bookstore, Embiggen Books, is in Noosaville on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia. Their website is www.embiggenbooks.com.

The books reviewed for this episode are:

• Michael Specter’s Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms The Planet and Threatens Our Lives

• Deirdree Barrett’s Supernormal Stimuli - How Primal Urges Overan Their Evolutionary Purpose.

You'll also hear us mention in passing The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot and Bruce M. Hood's Supersense: From Superstition to Religion, the Brain Science of Belief.

If you’d like to suggest  some books for us to look at or make some recommendations, please feel free to contact either myself or Warren about this episode.

The Token Skeptic podcast site is at www.tokenskeptic.org.

Theme songs are 'P&P' by Derek K Miller of Penmachine.com and ‘365’ by Milton Mermikides, at www.miltonmermikides.com.

It’s a missing episode! This is an interview that is thanks to Expanding Horizons. Expanding Horizons is a Unitarian church radio show from South Australia, featured on Radio Adelaide 101.5 and hosted by Brian Menzies.

With a wide range of topics and investigations, Brian was kind enough last year to call upon both Michael McRae and I to talk about our experiences as teachers and to address that tricky question: ‘What is critical thinking’?

I thought this was a fun and insightful opportunity to address some of the misconceptions people have, that there’s a ’set’ definition of critical thinking, that it’s equivalent to skepticism and how there’s a lot going on out there that people might not know about. I hope you enjoy this addition to the podcast – and thanks again to Brian and the Expanding Horizons team, whose show you can find at their official site.

Sorry about the picture – it’s the only one I have with Michael and myself; we’re at TAM5 with Matt Stone of South Park!

Michael McRae's work can be found at Science By Email.

Sites mentioned include the Australasian Home of Philosophy in Schools - at http://www.fapsa.org.au/ and the Critical Thinking Education Group - at http://www.criticalteaching.org/

My site is www.podblack.com.

The official site for Token Skeptic is at www.tokenskeptic.org. Themes by Derek Miller (P and P) at www.penmachine.com and Milton Mermikides (365) at www.miltonmermikides.com.

It's Episode 19 - and I'm getting back into the swing of things by releasing the two missing episodes AND the required 'one episode a week'! Can't say how much I appreciate all the listeners, considering how this show has gone in a variety of directions and subjects which (I assure you) wasn't the original intention!

Where are we now? We're listening to Michael Blanford, who you may have noticed has recently joined the James Randi Educational Foundation! He's the new Director of Educational Programs! As a high-school teacher myself, I've got a lot of questions and vested interest in knowing how he's going to help with the 'E' in JREF.

"With an academic background in zoology, Blanford began his career as a field biologist, studying amphibians and reptiles in the United States and Costa Rica.  While he enjoys doing research, he has spent much of the last 15 years promoting science literacy and appreciation.  He has developed science curricula, programs, and informal content for a number of institutions, including schools, community centers, and museums.  Most recently, he was coordinator for the Saint Louis Science Center’s Life Science Lab, an innovative space with the mission of exposing the public to the tools and methods of scientific research.

Michael lives with his family in Saint Louis, Missouri, where he spends much of his spare-time promoting grassroots skepticism through a number of organizations.  Michael is founder of the Saint Louis Skeptics Meetup, founder and President of the Skeptical Society of Saint Louis, co-founder of Saint Louis Skeptics in the Pub, and has served as Vice President of the Rationalist Society of Saint Louis, America’s oldest continuously meeting free thought organization."

Head to the www.randi.org site to learn more.

The official site for Token Skeptic is at www.tokenskeptic.org.

Themes by Derek Miller (P and P) at www.penmachine.com and Milton Mermikides (365) at www.miltonmermikides.com.

Welcome to Episode Eighteen! This particular episode is another conversation with Michael McRae, about the #boobquake day, held on the 26th April, earlier this week.

I also, thanks to the Virtual Drinking Skeptically chat which inspired me, have Desiree Schell of Skeptically Speaking included! As a community outreach worker, she brings her own experiences in terms of rallies and protests - what did she think and what did fellow feminists and skeptics say to her?

After Michael McRae published an essay on the SheThought site, I decided to clear up a few things in regards to what really was happening, was it about communicating science, as some claimed - or was it something that really showed how not many of us are reflecting on the impact of actions skeptics take?

From Michael McRae's 'The Rise of the Placebo Protest':

"However, for skeptics who actually desire a public change in attitude and have hope that the next generation will have a better grasp of critical thinking, protests and stunts shouldn’t be considered as part of the solution. What’s more, they should be considered as potentially counterproductive, sacrificing the very things that make science so useful for a grab for headlines and nodding heads. In the very least, they should be treated as if they will actually produce some form of results.

Dismissing criticism of such events is no different than those who defend religion, alternative medicine or a belief in fairies as in the least harmless and at the most productive thanks to the mere possibility of their illusionary benefits. Placebo protests are fundamentally little different to placebo medicines, and demand the very same critical evaluation for evidence.

There will be more Boobquakes, homeopathic suicides and similar skeptic protests in the future. They’re simple and get a response that satisfies our confirmation-biased brains. Such events aren’t intrinsically good or bad. But to claim they’re useful for engaging the public in science, promoting skepticism or encouraging more people to think critically simply isn’t supported by the evidence."

Desiree Schell can be heard on www.skepticallyspeaking.com and Michael McRae's work can be found at Science By Email.

The official site for Token Skeptic is at www.tokenskeptic.org.

Themes by Derek Miller (P and P) at www.penmachine.com and Milton Mermikides (365) at www.miltonmermikides.com.