After years of research, David Fitzgerald 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.

There are two great conferences taking place in Ontario in August 2026:

• World Humanist Congress August 7-9 in Ottawa https://www.worldhumanistcongress.org/

• BAHACON August 21-23 in Sarnia https://bahacon.com/

Podcast for Inquiry is brought to you by the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Join today! Produced by CFIC volunteers. Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon: https://patreon.com/PodcastforInquiry. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@centreforinquiry.ca.

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 nine boundaries 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 are affecting life today, disrupting air travel, causing severe flooding, and contributing to more frequent and powerful storms. (For the most up to date overview, read Planetary Boundaries guide humanity’s future on Earth, published in Nature magazine on November 8, 2024.)

We have the knowledge and technology to live within the planetary boundaries; the question remains whether we have the will, and the time, to implement them.

The nine planetary boundaries are:

• Climate change

• Biosphere integrity

• Stratospheric ozone depletion

• Ocean acidification

• Phosphorus and nitrogen biogeochemical flows

• Land system change

• Freshwater change

• Atmospheric aerosol loading

• Novel entities

There are two great conferences taking place in Ontario in August 2026:

• World Humanist Congress August 7-9 in Ottawa https://www.worldhumanistcongress.org/

• BAHACON August 21-23 in Sarnia https://bahacon.com/

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.

Lizzie Wade is the author of APOCALYPSE: 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 theantiquarian.email

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 contacted by the Spanish, despite the centralized state dissolving centuries earlier. Lizzie ponders whether there are grand themes in the study of history, or if it’s just one damn thing after another. According to Lizzie, contemporary society is facing its own apocalypse, but there are options available to us to address it.

There are two great conferences taking place in Ontario in August 2026:

• World Humanist Congress August 7-9 in Ottawa https://www.worldhumanistcongress.org/

• BAHACON August 21-23 in Sarnia https://bahacon.com/

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.

Leslie spoke about CFIC for a few minutes at the 2026 WeCanReason 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 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.

Dr. Caroline Brookfield 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 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.

Dr. Christopher Labos 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 “The Body of Evidence.” He is the author of “Does Coffee Cause Cancer?” 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 – Does coffee cause cancer? We then talk about how nonexperts can reasonably interpret studies, and whether there is any benefit to listening to health advice beyond “Don’t smoke, exercise, and eat lots of fruit and vegetables.” Leslie shares one of his favourite xkcd web comics when Christopher describes various sources of bias in studies and the difference between frequency and Bayesian analysis when interpreting results.

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.