A podcast for scientific, skeptical, secular, rational and humanistic inquiry.

You’ve got answers? We’ve got questions.

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What is Podcast for Inquiry (PFI)?

The Centre for Inquiry Canada (CFIC) is proud to present the Podcast for Inquiry (PFI), a series of conversations about science, secularism, critical thinking, and humanism. PFI was officially launched in January 2022.

As the official podcast of the Centre for Inquiry Canada, Podcast for Inquiry’s mandate is to host challenging, respectful conversations about complex topics. After an extensive discussion filled with intelligence and nuance, listeners should come away with more than just a surface-level understanding of the episode’s topic.

Podcast for Inquiry is all about having hard conversations.

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Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry and join us for compelling interviews, discussions, and explorations of ideas that matter.

Enjoying the podcast? Consider supporting Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon to help us produce more episodes and reach more listeners.

Your voice matters to us. Send your thoughts, questions, and feedback to our email (podcast@centreforinquiry.ca) and join the conversation.

Our Latest Podcasts

ENCORE: Saving civilization is about more than climate change, says Professor Katherine Richardson

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.

July 8, 2026

We’ve been here before: Apocalypses past and present with Lizzie Wade

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/

June 24, 2026

Leslie’s Diatribes #5: The Arc of the Moral Universe

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.

June 10, 2026

Everyone – including you! – is intensely creative. Dr. Caroline Brookfield explains.

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.

June 3, 2026

Rooting out biases in medical studies and health advice with Dr. Christopher Labos

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.

May 20, 2026

Religion, theism, and race: The Black Practice of Disbelief with Dr. Anthony Pinn

Dr. Anthony Pinn is a professor, prolific author and much sought-after lecturer committed to academic rigor. Known internationally as a leading expert in the field of African American religion, Dr. Pinn’s teaching and research interests span liberation theologies, black religious aesthetics, religion and popular culture, and African American humanism.

On today’s episode, I speak with Dr. Pinn about his book The Black Practice of Disbelief. We start with how he defines religion, which might differ slightly from what many Inquirers understand. We talk What distinguishes Black Humanism from Humanism in general, and the need to partner with progressive theists to achieve the social change Humanists strive for. Black Humanists are often considered outsiders even within the Black community, a minority within a minority. Nonetheless, according to Dr. Pinn, Black Humanism is always about what we can do to reduce suffering in this world.

May 6, 2026