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What if our view of ourselves as a unique species is wrong? This week we are joined by Oscar Lozada, an archaeologist and biological anthropologist at the University of Cambridge, to explore the other ways of being human: the Neanderthals of Shanidar Cave, the Denisovans, and a growing cast of newly discovered human relatives.

We dig into the "old man" of Shanidar, whose healed injuries hint that Neanderthals cared for their own; the long history of seeing these people as a mirror for our own prejudices; the explosion of new human species and the "ghost" lineages hiding in our DNA; why Homo sapiens ended up the sole survivors; and what deep history can teach us about climate change and extinction today.

"Over the last 170 years, Neanderthals have been a mirror for how we view ourselves. We've projected onto them everything we don't want to be." — Oscar Lozada

About the guest

Oscar Lozada is a PhD researcher in archaeology and biological anthropology at the University of Cambridge, studying the palaeoecology of the Neanderthals of Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan. A zoologist by training, he worked in rural development across sub-Saharan Africa before a master's in prehistoric archaeology at Oxford, and has excavated early human sites in Britain, Morocco and Iraq. He is also a science communicator, posting as "Oz of the Ancients."

In this episode

• Shanidar Cave and the "old man" whose healed injuries suggest Neanderthals cared for one another, plus the famous flower-burial story and why it's now doubted
• A whistle-stop tour of human evolution: Homo erectus, Neanderthals, the Denisovans ("Dragon Man"), Homo floresiensis, Homo naledi, and the ghost lineages in our DNA
• Why Homo sapiens are the sole survivors, and what deep history teaches us about climate adaptation, extinction, and reading our own past in the world around us

Links and references

• Oscar Lozada, University of Cambridge profile: https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/staff/oscar-lozada
• @Oz_of_the_Ancients — Oscar's human evolution channel (YouTube, Instagram and Bluesky)
• Reassessment of Neanderthal mortuary behaviour at Shanidar Cave (Cambridge project): https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/current-projects/reassessment-neanderthal-mortuary-behaviour-shanidar-cave-iraqi
• Uncomfortable Oxford / Uncomfortable Cambridge walking tours: https://www.uncomfortableoxford.com

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live.

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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Two years ago, Katherine Stewart came on the show with a stark warning about the long campaign of Christian nationalism in the United States. A lot has happened since. As the US approaches the midterm elections, she returns to take stock: the changes, the corruption, the resistance, and what the next two years could bring, in America and well beyond it.

James Hodgson and Katherine discuss presidential overreach and what she calls the most lawless administration in American history, how the movement long predated Trump and will outlast him, the "persecution narrative" used to justify stripping away others' rights, the erosion of the separation of church and state, parallels with Reform UK and the European far right, and where the pockets of pro-democracy resistance really are.

"The aim is not about banning abortion. If they ban all abortions, they'll move on to the next thing. What they really want is to destroy democracy itself." — Katherine Stewart

About the guest

Katherine Stewart is an award-winning investigative journalist and author who has spent more than a decade reporting on the religious right and Christian nationalism. Her books are The Good News Club (2012), The Power Worshippers (2020), which inspired the documentary God & Country, and her latest, Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (2025).

In this episode

• Why Katherine calls this the most lawless administration in US history, and how the movement predates Trump and will outlast him
• The "persecution narrative": how claiming victimhood is used to shield abuses and justify stripping away the rights of others
• The international picture, from Viktor Orbán to Reform UK, the economics behind it, and where pro-democracy resistance is winning

Links and references

• Katherine Stewart's website: https://katherinestewart.me
• Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (2025): https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/money-lies-and-god-9781635578546/
• The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism (2020): https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/money-lies-and-god-9781635578546/
• The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children (2012): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-News-Club-Religious-Americas/dp/1586488430
• God & Country, the documentary based on The Power Worshippers: https://www.godandcountrythemovie.com

Humanism Now is produced by ⁠Humanise Live⁠, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at ⁠humanise.live⁠ or ⁠hello@humanise.live⁠.

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"We are rationalising animals. We feel first, and then we look for reason — so you have to actively push against that all the time." Something a little different this week. James recently sat on the other side of the microphone as a guest on the Humanism Ireland podcast, the show from the Humanist Association of Ireland, hosted by Megan De Siún. We're sharing that conversation here as a bonus episode. About this episode

This is a crossover with the Humanism Ireland podcast from the Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI), hosted by Megan De Siún, where it first appeared as a special crossover episode. If you enjoy it, please head over and subscribe to support another humanist and secular group. Humanism Now returns to its regular interviews next week.

In this episode

• James's path to humanism:
• What 90+ episodes have taught him
• Where humanism goes next

Links and references

• Humanism Ireland podcast (Humanist Association of Ireland): https://rss.com/podcasts/humanismireland
• Humanist Association of Ireland: https://www.humanism.ie
• Humanists International Freedom of Thought Report: https://fot.humanists.international
• Sikivu Hutchinson, author and humanist (Humanism Ireland relaunch episode): https://sikivuhutchinson.com

******** Contact Humanist Ireland Podcast

https://media.rss.com/humanismireland/feed.xml

⁠Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.⁠

Join Megan for a chat with James Hodgson, host of Humanism Now podcast as they explore the world of humanist podcasting, and the wins and challenges along the way in this special crossover episode of Humanism Ireland Podcast.

Want to get in touch, or share your feedback? Contact megan@humanism.ie

********

Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live.

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

Contact Humanist Ireland Podcast

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

Join Megan for a chat with James Hodgson, host of Humanism Now podcast as they explore the world of humanist podcasting, and the wins and challenges along the way in this special crossover episode of Humanism Ireland Podcast.

Want to get in touch, or share your feedback? Contact megan@humanism.ie

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"I'm a skeptic, which means I'm entitled to change my mind — and that's not a bug, it's a feature." — Massimo Pigliucci Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!⁠

Check out our new website! https://www.humanism.now/

Skepticism has a reputation problem. To many it sounds like cynicism, a reflex of doubt that drains the colour out of the world. But what if doubt is actually a path to a richer, more honest, happier life? James Hodgson is joined by scientist-turned-philosopher Massimo Pigliucci to reclaim skepticism as a way of life, from its ancient Greek roots to the vaccine debates and demagogues of today.

We trace the two great schools of ancient skepticism, explore why "skeptic" originally meant inquirer rather than denier, and get practical: how to judge expertise when you're not an expert, why changing your mind is a strength, and how doubt and happiness belong together.

About the guest

Massimo Pigliucci is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, with doctorates in both evolutionary biology and philosophy. Best known for How to Be a Stoic and his work on philosophy as a way of life, his new book is How to Be a Happy Skeptic: The Power of Doubt in a Meaningful Life.

In this episode

• Who the ancient Skeptics really were, from the Pyrrhonists to the Academic skeptics, and why "skeptic" means inquirer, not cynic
• Proportioning belief to evidence, how to judge expertise when you can't be an expert yourself, and why changing your mind is a feature, not a flaw
• Why doubt and happiness belong together: eudaimonia, "a life worth living," and the ethics of belief

Links and references

• Massimo Pigliucci, How to Be a Happy Skeptic: The Power of Doubt in a Meaningful Life: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/806907/how-to-be-a-happy-skeptic-by-massimo-pigliucci/
• Massimo Pigliucci, How to Be a Stoic: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35102306-how-to-be-a-stoic
• Massimo Pigliucci's writing, Figs in Winter: https://figsinwinter.medium.com
• Massimo in conversation with the Central London Humanists: https://www.meetup.com/central-london-humanists/events/316243117/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: can you hold doubt and joy?

00:57 Who were the Skeptics? Inquiry, not cynicism

03:52 How skepticism survived: the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Hume

06:30 Pyrrhonists vs Academic skeptics: suspending judgment

10:00 Degrees of belief: Carneades, Cicero and proto-Bayesian reasoning

15:21 The problem of expertise: who to trust

22:30 Why changing your mind is a feature, not a bug

23:47 Certainty, demagogues and the ethics of belief

29:38 Why a "happy" skeptic? Eudaimonia and a life worth living

34:28 The Stoics, the Skeptics and humanism

39:39 Changing Minds Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live.

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"I genuinely find comfort in the fact that life is finite." — Janet Ellis

She shaped the childhoods of millions on Blue Peter, and now she's making the case for living well without religion. Janet Ellis, broadcaster, actress, novelist and the new President of Humanists UK, joins James for a warm, wide-ranging conversation about how she came to humanism, what it offers in turbulent times, and why she finds genuine comfort in the idea that this life is the only one we get.

We talk about her film All We Have Is Each Other, grief and mortality after the loss of her husband, finding joy without guilt, whether Blue Peter was quietly humanist, how to talk to children about belief without indoctrination, the joy of writing, and her hopes for her time as President.

About the guest

Janet Ellis MBE is a broadcaster, actress and novelist, known to generations for presenting Blue Peter and Jigsaw. She is the author of the novels The Butcher's Hook and How It Was, hosts the podcast Twice Upon a Time, and in 2026 became President of Humanists UK.

Links and references

• All We Have Is Each Other, the Humanists UK film with Janet Ellis: https://humanists.uk/janetellisfilm/
• Janet Ellis, Humanists UK profile: https://humanists.uk/about/our-people/patrons/janet-ellis/
• Twice Upon a Time, Janet's podcast on favourite childhood books (@twiceuponapod): https://linktr.ee/twiceuponpod
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjanetellis/
• Substack: https://janetellis925764.substack.com/
• Janet's novels: The Butcher's Hook (2016): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35407568
• How It Was (2019): https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/45901019-how-it-was

In this episode

• Her slow realisation of being a humanist, joining Humanists UK, and stepping up from patron to president
• Grief, mortality and the film All We Have Is Each Other: why she finds comfort, not fear, in a finite life
• Finding joy in turbulent times, talking to children about belief without indoctrination, and a call for humanists to be "out and proud"

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: meet Janet Ellis

01:10 A slow realisation: discovering humanism

02:47 From patron to President of Humanists UK

05:07 Being publicly affiliated, and the conversations it starts

07:53 "All We Have Is Each Other": grief and a finite life

11:45 Finding joy in turbulent times

18:45 Blue Peter: was it a humanist show?

23:07 Talking to children about belief without indoctrination

27:18 Books that shaped her worldview

32:05 The joy of writing

36:53 Her hopes as President of Humanists UK

44:24 Closing question: changing minds

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live.

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! Part two of our dispatches from the World Humanist Congress 2026 in Ottawa. On the second and final day, James Hodgson caught up with more attendees, from the humanist chaplains bringing secular pastoral care into the Canadian Armed Forces, to the local Ottawa organisers who hosted the event, an Icelandic politician on humanist values in turbulent times, and two returning Humanism Now guests reflecting on the movement's past and future.

Across every conversation the theme of the Congress, humanism as resistance, keeps surfacing: resisting the erosion of truth, the normalisation of dehumanising rhetoric, and the complacency that assumes rights won can never be lost.

"It just takes one person in a room to change a whole conversation and change the course of history." — Roslyn Mould

Featured in this episode

• Silvana Morales-Boiardi, humanist chaplain with Humanist Canada, training as a military humanist chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces
• Buela Nokutubo, member of Humanist Ottawa
• Dr Richard Thain, Humanist Ottawa, long-time humanist and recipient of a service award at the Congress
• Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, President of Siðmennt (the Icelandic Humanist Association) and former member of Iceland's parliament
• Chris Cameron, historian and author, representing the Association of Black Humanists
• Roslyn Mould, of Accra Atheists and outgoing Vice President of Humanists International

Highlights

• Building humanist chaplaincy in the Canadian Armed Forces, and how the first humanist military chaplain opened the door for the next generation
• Why local groups matter: Humanist Ottawa on community, and Dr Richard Thain on four decades in the movement
• Arndís Anna on resisting the normalisation of dehumanisation, and Roslyn Mould reflecting on stepping down after years of leadership at Humanists International

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

01:06 Silvana Morales-Boiardi, Humanist Canada, humanist chaplaincy in the Armed Forces

08:12 Buela Nokutubo, Humanist Ottawa, finding community

13:50 Dr Richard Thain, Humanist Ottawa, four decades in the movement

20:17 Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, Siðmennt, humanist politics as resistance

29:02 Chris Cameron, Association of Black Humanists, humanism and history

35:15 Roslyn Mould, reflections on leaving the Humanists International board

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live.

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

World Humanist Congress, Humanists International, humanism, resistance, Ottawa, humanist chaplaincy, military chaplaincy, Humanist Canada, Humanist Ottawa, Siðmennt, Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, Chris Cameron, Association of Black Humanists, Roslyn Mould, Accra Atheists, secularism, Humanism Now

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"Evidence is most powerful when it's paired with empathy."

What is it like to come of age when politics has never felt calm? Tess Sumner has spent her entire adolescence inside a permanent sense of political crisis, and she has turned that into advocacy. In this episode, James speaks with Tess Sumner, a Harvard student and humanist writer, about her article "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" and what the fight over church and state looks like to the next generation.

We discuss how student accountability gets reframed as "religious discrimination", why so many young people feel exhausted and cynical about democracy, how the threat of doxxing and backlash quietly polices free expression, and why Tess believes humanism has a genuinely hopeful offer for Gen Z.

About the guest

Tess Sumner is a student at Harvard University studying government and English, and a youth advocate from New Hampshire focused on child welfare policy and church-state separation. A former intern with the American Humanist Association, she wrote the widely shared article "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" for The Humanist.

In this episode

• What a University of Oklahoma essay controversy reveals about how accountability gets reframed as religious discrimination
• Coming of age in permanent political crisis: why many in Gen Z feel exhausted, cynical and unsure what a functioning democracy looks like
• How the threat of doxxing and backlash quietly polices free expression, and what humanism offers as a response

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: meet Tess Sumner 01:32 The article, and the Oklahoma essay controversy 05:31 Coming of age in constant political crisis 07:21 Where a disillusioned generation turns 08:51 Christian nationalism and the threat to democracy 10:59 Young Christian influencers and who they represent 13:08 What humanism offers Gen Z 14:34 Making the humanist case better 15:34 Where humanism meets everyday life 17:09 Self-policing and the chilling of free expression 19:23 Doxxing, threats and real-world consequences 23:59 How to resist: dialogue and rebuilding institutions 26:30 What's next for Tess 27:55 A vision for the future 28:46 Closing question: changing her mind

Links and references

• Tess Sumner, "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" (The Humanist): https://thehumanist.com/news/national/when-christian-nationalism-becomes-public-policy
• Tess Sumner, contributor page at The Humanist: https://thehumanist.com/contributor/tess-sumner/
• American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live.

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! Something a little different this week. James Hodgson took Humanism Now on the road to the World Humanist Congress 2026 in Ottawa, hosted by Humanists International and Humanists Canada, where more than 500 attendees from over 60 countries gathered around a single theme: resistance. Between sessions, James grabbed five minutes each with fellow attendees, some returning guests and many new faces, to hear what brought them there and what they are building back home.

The result is a whistle-stop tour of the global humanist movement: civic participation and chaplaincy, coalition-building between atheists and humanists, humanist confirmations and ceremonies, and a first look at where the next Congress will be held.

"One of the ways we build power to ensure society better reflects our values is by coming together." — James Croft

Featured in this episode

• Bob Reuter, president of the Alliance of Humanists, Atheists and Agnostics (AHA) Luxembourg and co-host of the radio show Iwwer Gott an d'Welt
• James Croft, humanist chaplain and lead faith advisor at the University of Sussex
• Nick Fish, president of American Atheists
• Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, founder of HERE (formerly Happy Human Lithuania)
• Christian Lomsdalen, president of the Norwegian Humanist Association
• Maggie Ardiente, president of Humanists International

Highlights

• Why "humanism as resistance" is the theme for this moment, and Maggie Ardiente on a movement responding to authoritarianism worldwide (plus a first look at the next Congress)
• James Croft and Nick Fish on civic participation, building coalitions, and why atheists and humanists share the same fight
• How Norway's 75 years of humanist confirmations built a movement approaching 198,000 members, and Lithuania's drive to scale humanist ceremonies around the world

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 00:52 Bob Reuter, AHA Luxembourg 02:44 James Croft, humanist chaplaincy at the University of Sussex 10:16 Nick Fish, American Atheists 17:06 Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, HERE (Lithuania) 20:53 Christian Lomsdalen, Norwegian Humanist Association 26:34 Maggie Ardiente, President of Humanists International

Links and references

• Bob Reuter, AHA Luxembourg: https://www.aha.lu
• James Croft: https://www.croftspeaks.org
• Nick Fish, American Atheists: https://www.atheists.org
• Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, HIA: /https://www.hia.lt/en/
• Christian Lomsdalen, Norwegian Humanist Association: https://www.human.no
• Maggie Ardiente, Humanists International: https://humanists.international

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live.

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"It's harder for the mass market to hit a moving target." — Rory Booth Punks had the mohawk. Ravers had the warehouse. What does humanism have?

Historian and filmmaker Rory Booth studies how subcultures form, thrive and die, from 19th century Parisian bohemians to the British rave scene of the 1990s. He is also a founding member of Leicester Humanists. In this episode, we ask whether humanism qualifies as a subculture, and what organisers can steal from scenes that got it right.

Rory argues that the visual definition of subculture, all style and shock, has been overplayed. What actually holds a scene together is language, humour, and above all space: the shared understanding that in this room, with these people, you are allowed to be a slightly different version of yourself. That, he suggests, is exactly what a humanist group offers, and it is why the venue you pick matters far more than most organisers realise.

We also get into the life cycle problem. A subculture dies the moment the mainstream understands it, or worse, misunderstands it. So is being small and slightly illegible an advantage? And has the internet, with its infinite choice and its everyone-is-a-creator economy, made real subcultures impossible?

Rory Booth is a historian and filmmaker specialising in cultural and urban history, with a focus on 19th century bohemianism and the 1990s rave scene. He is a founding member of Leicester Humanists, where he leads on events and works on school speaking and interfaith engagement. He also plays in punk and noise rock bands.

In this episode

• Definitions of subculture as style, and why Rory thinks the visual emphasis has been overdone
• Why a scene often dies the moment the mainstream can name it, and what that means for a movement trying to grow
• Frame analysis, and the practical reason your venue changes what people feel able to say
• Did the internet killed the subculture? Too much choice, no physical presence, and a scene where everyone is a creator and nobody is the audience
• Hard-won advice for anyone starting or running a local group

Links and references

• Leicester Humanists: https://humanists.uk/local-group/leicester/
• Find your local humanist group (Humanists UK): https://humanists.uk/community/local-humanism/
• Dick Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning of Style (1979): https://www.routledge.com/Subculture-The-Meaning-of-Style/Hebdige/p/book/9780415039499
• Erving Goffman, Frame Analysis (1974) and The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
• E. M. Forster, Howards End, chapter 9, source of the "conversational hare": https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/howardsend/full-text/chapter-9/
• Leicester Secular Hall, the world's first purpose-built secular hall: https://heritage.humanists.uk/leicester-secular-hall/

Related Humanism Now episodes

• Nicole Shasha, Rory's co-founder at Leicester Humanists, has appeared on the show several times, including Ep. 014, Ep. 019 and Ep. 059.

Chapters:

00:00 Rory Booth on Exploring Subcultures: Definitions and Context

08:00 The Role of Subcultures in Society

13:38 Humanism as a Subculture

18:43 The Impact of the Internet on Subcultures

25:43 Creating and Sustaining Subcultures

31:40 Reflections on Change and Growth

Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"I've never heard of humanism, but is this what I've been all along?" What happens when you discover the word for what you've believed your whole life? Shay Leonia came to humanism only recently, and rather than hide the learning curve, she has made it the heart of her work. In this episode, James Hodgson talks with Shay about her journey into humanism, the art of admitting what you don't know, and how to bring humanist values to people who have never heard the term.

We discuss growing up with everyday kindness as a lived value, letting go of the supernatural without losing what matters, the AHA Creator Program and building coalitions beyond the secular space, and why humanism needs to become more accessible and more representative if it is going to grow.

About the guest

Shay Leonia is the communications manager at the American Humanist Association (AHA), where she hosts the How to Humanist podcast and runs AHA's Creator Program, partnering with content creators to bring humanism to new audiences. A lifelong musician based in Philadelphia, she founded the media company 44th Minute Media and came to humanism recently, arriving, as she puts it, curious, a little confused, and glad she stayed.

In this episode

• How Shay discovered humanism through a job posting and realised it named the values she'd held all along
• Learning out loud: the "fourth wall break" behind How to Humanist, and why admitting what you don't know builds trust
• The AHA Creator Program, giving people a "soft landing" into humanism, and why the movement must become more accessible and representative

Chapters 00:00 Introduction: meet Shay Leonia

01:18 Growing up, and early humanist values

03:11 A reformed Jewish upbringing

04:01 Discovering humanism through a job posting

05:17 Learning humanism in public

06:00 Talking across belief systems, and reforming your own views

08:53 Letting go of the supernatural

10:05 Breaking the fourth wall on How to Humanist

14:39 The AHA Creator Program

17:12 Building coalitions beyond the secular space

19:59 Giving people a "soft landing" into humanism

22:57 Humanism's blind spots: accessibility and representation

25:51 What role should the AHA play?

28:24 Advice for talking with allies

31:04 Leading with curiosity and compassion

31:32 Changing minds and letting go

Links and references

• How to Humanist podcast: https://americanhumanist.org/how-to-humanist-podcast/
• American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org
• Greg Epstein, Good Without God (mentioned in the episode): https://www.gregmepstein.com

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"If there's a theme that unites all of Spinoza's philosophical writings, it's freedom: both personal freedom, how we become liberated from irrational passions, and political and social freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of belief and freedom of association." — Steven Nadler

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!⁠ Baruch Spinoza was excommunicated by his own community, condemned across Europe, and called the most dangerous philosopher of his age. Centuries later, scholars still argue over what he actually believed. In this episode, James Hodgson speaks with Steven Nadler, one of the world's foremost authorities on Spinoza, about the man, his radical ideas, and the case that Spinoza was, in the modern sense, a genuine atheist.

We explore what "atheist" even meant in the 17th century, why "God or nature" is not the same as pantheism, how Spinoza's defence of democracy and free expression anticipated modern liberal values, and why Einstein said his God was Spinoza's God.

About the guest

Steven Nadler is a Vilas Research Professor and the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and one of the world's leading authorities on Spinoza. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, his books include Spinoza: A Life and A Book Forged in Hell. His latest is Spinoza, Atheist.

In this episode

• Who Spinoza was, his 1656 excommunication, and why his works were branded "soul-destroying" and "forged by the devil"
• What "atheist" meant in the 17th century, and how it differs from Spinoza's atheism in the modern sense
• Why "God or nature" (Deus sive natura) marks the line between the pantheist and the atheist
• Spinoza's timeless case for democracy, freedom of belief, and separating church from state

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: who was Spinoza? 01:27 Excommunication and the major works 03:51 The Dutch Republic, Amsterdam and religious tolerance 06:23 What "atheist" meant in the 17th century 09:59 Adriaan Koerbagh and the Theological-Political Treatise 13:35 What Spinoza was really advocating for 16:32 How radical the ideas were, and how they spread 20:23 "God or nature": the pantheism question 24:19 Einstein's God and Spinoza's God 26:03 The many Spinozas: interpretation vs claiming him 29:06 Why Spinoza was an atheist in the modern sense 30:13 Was Spinoza a humanist? 32:08 Spinoza's legacy: freedom and human flourishing 34:45 Closing question: changing his mind

Links and references

Steven Nadler

• Spinoza, Atheist (Princeton University Press): https://press.princeton.edu/our-authors/nadler-steven
• A Book Forged in Hell: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Forged-Hell-Spinozas-Scandalous/dp/069116018X

Spinoza's works and resources

• The Ethics (full text, Project Gutenberg): https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3800
• Theological-Political Treatise (full text, Project Gutenberg): https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/989
• Museum Het Spinozahuis, the Spinoza House: https://spinozahuis.nl/en/home-en/
• Baruch Spinoza, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/spinoza/

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"Education shouldn't be about telling young people what to think. It should be telling them how they can think." — Sharon Booth

How do you hold an honest conversation about one of the world's most divisive conflicts, in a school classroom, without it descending into a shouting match? This episode looks at peace education: the skills, the psychology and the facilitation that let people disagree deeply while still recognising each other's humanity.

Our guest is Sharon Booth, founder and executive director of Solutions Not Sides (SNS), an educational charity that brings young Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders into UK schools to share their stories and equip students to think for themselves. Sharon moderated the acclaimed "No Hope But Peace" dialogue at the Festival of Humanism in Bournemouth.

In this conversation we cover:

• The SNS "PEACE" model and the three E's (exploration, empathy, empowerment), and why dialogue alone can do harm if it doesn't lead to change
• How social media and the "age of outrage" made people less willing to participate, and what Haidt's elephant and rider teaches us about why
• Creating "safe and brave" spaces, defusing in-group / out-group thinking, and the role Sharon believes humanists should play in peacebuilding

Links:

• Solutions Not Sides: https://www.solutionsnotsides.co.uk
• No Hope But Peace (our earlier episode with Yaniv Aknin and Jasr Kawkby): https://humanismnow.buzzsprout.com
• Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: https://righteousmind.com

Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Sharon Booth and Solutions Not Sides

02:02 Founding SNS and what peace education means

04:15 The three E's: exploration, empathy, empowerment

06:09 A more divided society: social media, COVID and outrage

08:53 The PEACE model, step by step

15:24 What young people teach us, and Haidt's elephant and rider

19:20 Creating safe and brave spaces

23:15 The Bournemouth dialogue and facilitating hard questions

28:31 Two stories from the classroom

34:53 Religion, nationalism and internal transformation

39:13 What role should humanists play in peacebuilding?

44:25 How to book or support SNS

45:29 Closing question: leaving evangelical Christianity Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live

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"We are creatures of matter who long to matter — and one of the strongest manifestations of this is people who deny that we are matter."

Professor Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is a philosopher, novelist, and MacArthur Fellow whose books include The Mind-Body Problem, Incompleteness, Betraying Spinoza, and 36 Arguments for the Existence of God (a work of fiction). In 2015 she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama and has been named Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association. She joins us to discuss her latest book, The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us, and will be the keynote speaker at the World Humanist Congress in Ottawa this August.

Topics we cover

✔︎ What the mattering instinct is, where it comes from, and why it may be the defining feature of our species
✔︎ The four locations on the mattering map — transcenders, communal materers, heroic strivers, and competitors — and what they reveal about human motivation
✔︎ Why public debates about religion so often fail — and what understanding mattering tells us about how to talk across belief divides

Connect with Rebecca and find out more

• The Mattering Instinct: https://www.rebeccagoldstein.com/books/the-mattering-instinct
• Rebecca's website: https://www.rebeccagoldstein.com
• World Humanist Congress, Ottawa, August 2026: https://humanists.international/world-humanist-congress

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"I found atheism is not an inoculation against irrationality or awfulness." — Seth Andrews

Seth Andrews spent 14 years as a Christian radio host before becoming one of the most recognisable voices in atheist and humanist media as host of The Thinking Atheist Podcast. In this conversation, he traces his slow-burn deconstruction from devout evangelical broadcaster to skeptic, why he now leads with "humanist" rather than "atheist," and why leaving religion is no inoculation against tribalism, dogma, or bad ideas, on either side of the God question.

Our guest is Seth Andrews, host of The Thinking Atheist podcast, YouTube channel and online community, and of the podcast True Stories with Seth Andrews. A former Christian radio broadcaster, he is the author of six books, including Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason and his latest, Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot.

In this conversation we cover:

• His decades-long, slow-burn deconstruction from devout evangelical broadcaster to "The Thinking Atheist," and the fear that kept him anonymous for the show's first two years
• Why he leads with "humanist" rather than "atheist" today, and why disbelief in God guarantees nothing about a person's rationality or character
• How online tribalism and algorithm-driven echo chambers have reshaped debate on both sides of the God question, and why he's leaned harder into humanism and politics as a result

LINKS & REFERENCES

Seth Andrews

• Personal site: https://www.sethandrews.com
• The Thinking Atheist: https://www.thethinkingatheist.com
• True Stories with Seth Andrews: https://www.truestoriespodcast.com
• Books: https://www.sethandrews.com/books
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sethandrewstta/
• X: https://x.com/SethAndrewsTTA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheThinkingAtheist

Mentioned in this episode

• Seth Andrews, Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1977250785
• Seth Andrews, Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason: https://www.sethandrews.com/books

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"I don't think that we have any solid evidence of a religious revival underway in England, or for that matter, anywhere else." — David Voas

In April 2025, the Bible Society published a report claiming church attendance in England had surged by more than 50% since 2018, with young men's churchgoing up fivefold. It made national headlines. A year later, both YouGov and the Bible Society retracted it. This episode unpacks what actually went wrong: bots and bogus respondents in online survey panels, why the data never supported the story, and what decades of solid evidence tell us instead about religious decline in Britain.

Our guest is Dr. David Voas, Emeritus Professor of Social Science at UCL, where he led the Social Research Institute from 2016 to 2020. A quantitative social scientist, he has spent his career studying religious change in modern societies, and his TEDx talk, "Why There Is No Way Back for Religion in the West," has been viewed nearly two million times.

In this conversation we cover:

• How AI chatbots, survey farming and bogus respondents undermined the survey data, and why this is an industry-wide problem, not a one-off
• The three ways sociologists actually measure religiosity — identity, practice and belief — and why they don't always move together
• Why secularisation is a generational process that plays out over centuries, and what fills the space religion leaves behind

LINKS & REFERENCES

David Voas

• UCL profile: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/56605-david-voas
• TEDx talk, "Why There Is No Way Back for Religion in the West": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtAR_OGzlcg
• "Why Humanism Is the Future" — Humanists UK Convention 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfI7VgkDFMg
• "Is there really a religious revival in England? Why I'm sceptical of a new report" (UCL News/The Conversation, 16 June 2025): https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/jun/comment-there-really-religious-revival-england-why-im-sceptical-new-report
• British Religion in Numbers: https://www.brin.ac.uk

Mentioned in this episode

• Bible Society, "The Quiet Revival" report (retracted): https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival
• BBC News coverage of the report's retraction: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwjxx5eyn1o
• Christian Smith, Why Religion Went Obsolete (Oxford University Press): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/why-religion-went-obsolete-9780197800737

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review — it helps more people find the show. Support Humanism Now from just £5/month for exclusive content, a say in future episodes, and we'll plant a tree each month in your name. Follow us @HumanismNowPod.

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"I used to think eugenics had died out after the Second World War. I no longer believe that, unfortunately." — Rebecca Sear

Most of us think of eugenics as a horror confined to the past. It isn't. This episode examines the worrying re-emergence of eugenics and scientific racism, from discredited claims about race and intelligence to the far-right money funding them, and asks how we defend good science against bad-faith actors. Along the way, Rebecca overturns another myth, that the isolated nuclear family is "traditional", and explains why demographers are far calmer about falling birth rates than the headlines suggest.

Our guest is Professor Rebecca Sear, an evolutionary behavioural scientist and demographer at Brunel University London, where she directs the Centre for Culture and Evolution. She is co-founder of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association and a Fellow of the British Academy.

In this conversation we cover:

• The re-emergence of eugenics and biological essentialism, and how old ideas are being repackaged for a modern audience
• Richard Lynn's discredited national IQ database, the far-right money behind scientific racism, and how to spot bad-faith science
• Why cooperative childrearing is the human norm, and how "population panic" over falling fertility has been used to justify real human rights abuses

In this conversation we cover:

• Why cooperative childrearing is the human norm, and what the "male breadwinner" nuclear family gets wrong
• Why demographers are not panicking about falling fertility, and how "population panic" has been used to justify real human rights abuses
• The modern resurgence of eugenics and scientific racism, from Richard Lynn's discredited national IQ database to how to spot bad-faith science

LINKS & REFERENCES

Rebecca Sear

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rebeccasear.bsky.social
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sear-8183551
• Sear, R. (2021) The male breadwinner nuclear family is not the 'traditional' human family. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 376: 20200020. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0020
• Sear, R. (2021) Demography and the rise, apparent fall and resurgence in eugenics. Population Studies 75(Suppl 1): 201-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2021.2009013
• Samorodnitsky, Bird, Carlson, Lingford, Phillips, Sear & Townsend (2024) Journals should retract Richard Lynn's racist 'research' articles. STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/20/richard-lynn-racist-research-articles-journals-retractions/

Mentioned in this episode

• Sarah Hrdy (2009) Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674060326
• Quinn Slobodian (2025) Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right. https://press.princeton.edu/books/ebook/9781890951931/hayeks-bastards
• The Guardian / Hope not Hate investigation into a US-funded 'race science' network (October 2024). https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/16/revealed-international-race-science-network-secretly-funded-by-us-tech-boss

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Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"One of the things I heard again and again was: I thought I was the only one." — Muhammad Syed

Leaving religion can be one of the most liberating decisions of a person's life. For those leaving Islam, it can also be one of the most dangerous. This episode looks at why so many ex-Muslims stay hidden, how community breaks that isolation, and what the data really tells us about people leaving the faith worldwide.

Our guest is Muhammad Syed, human rights activist, writer, and co-founder and president of Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA), the first ex-Muslim advocacy and community organisation in North America.

In this conversation we cover:

• Why so many ex-Muslims believe they are "the only one", and how visibility and community change that
• What scripture, interpretation and culture each contribute to the risks ex-Muslims face, from loss of family to threats of violence
• The numbers behind a global trend, and how both the political left and right get the conversation wrong

Links for support:

• Ex-Muslims of North America: https://exmuslims.org
• Faith to Faithless (UK support): https://www.humanists.uk/our-work/faith-to-faithless/
• r/exmuslim global reddit community: https://www.reddit.com/r/exmuslim/

References:

• Pakistan college student lynched after discussing Adam and Eve/incest
• Nigeria college girl lynched over a WhatsApp class chat
• Ayan Hirsi Ali threatened, lost security/neighborhood in Netherlands, moved to U.S.
• Somali gay atheist kidnapped/taken to Kenya for “re-education”
• Canadian mother whose children were taken to Africa; hasn’t seen them in over a decade
• Ex-Muslim husband/wife/siblings chain deconversion story
• IIraq lowering age of consent/marriage age to nine
•

• -Pew: one in four U.S. Muslims raised Muslim have left Islam
• -Pew: among U.S. ex-Muslims, ~55% became nonbelievers and ~23% became Christian
• -Arab Barometer: younger people in parts of North Africa around 18% nonreligious/nonbelieving
• -Turkey survey showing rising nonbelief
• -Iran survey showing roughly 40% nonbelief
• -Saudi Arabia survey showing ~4–5% confirmed atheists, higher broader nonbelief
• -Pakistan poll: ~60–70% support killing apostates
• -EXMNA data/reporting: ~60% lost friends/social circle; similar share verbal abuse; high 40s/around 50% lost family; one in three experienced threats of violence

Send us Fan Mail

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"It's really about what happens when kindness is the first response to strangeness." — Kestral Gaian

What does it take to stay human in a world that often forgets what that means? This episode explores storytelling as an act of resistance: why humans need fiction, why representation matters, and how meeting difference with curiosity rather than judgement can ease the loneliness of modern life.

Our guest is Kestral Gaian, an award-winning writer of fiction, theatre and poetry, whose debut young adult novel "The Boy From Elsewhere" is out now.

In this conversation we cover:

• The origins of "The Boy From Elsewhere", born from a 26-hour charity writing livestream, and what tiredness taught Kestral about creativity and craft
• Why storytelling is fundamental to being human, and how representation shapes what young readers believe is possible
• Whether all art is political, the recent publishing pushback against LGBTQ+ fiction, and meeting strangeness with kindness

Links:

• The Boy From Elsewhere: https://reconnectingrainbows.co.uk/book/tbfe/
• Kestral Gaian's website: https://kestr.al
• Support Humanism Now: https://ko-fi.com/humanismnowpod

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"Many in society saw the news and understood there's no hope for peace. But I understood there's no hope but peace." — Yaniv Aknin

What does humanism actually ask of us when we confront the Israel-Palestine conflict? In this episode we preview a special Festival of Humanism session, exploring how secular, rational and compassionate values can cut through motivated reasoning and moral blind spots to rebuild shared ground between Palestinians and Israelis.

Our guests are Dr Jasr Kawkby, a British-Palestinian paediatrician raised in Gaza, and Yaniv Aknin, a British-Israeli software engineer and former soldier, who work together on peacebuilding, dialogue and nonviolent advocacy.

In this conversation we cover:

• Their personal journeys from a Gaza refugee camp and a secular Zionist household in Tel Aviv to a shared humanist platform
• How humanist values (curiosity, rationality, secularism and the dignity of every life) can reframe history, accountability and the path forward
• Why both believe nonviolence and sustained dialogue, not force, are the only routes to peace, justice and equality

Jasr and Yaniv host "No Hope But Peace: A Dialogue Between an Israeli and a Palestinian" at the Festival of Humanism in Bournemouth on 13–14 June.

Links:

• Festival of Humanism 2026: https://humanists.uk/events/festival2026/

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"It's amazing how enduring humans can be with their willingness to look for good."

Kimberly Haley-Coleman is the founder and executive director of GlobeAware, a nonprofit building ethical, community-led volunteer service programmes across more than 25 countries. With a background spanning international business, nonprofit leadership, and global partnership building, Kimberly has spent years thinking deeply about how service, cultural exchange, and shared work can bring people together with dignity, curiosity, and compassion.

Topics we cover

✔︎ What ethical volunteering actually looks like — and why locally led, community-designed programmes are so different from voluntourism
✔︎ How shared work breaks down assumptions faster than almost anything else — and what that means for building genuine cross-cultural empathy
✔︎ How GlobeAware's programmes are responding to sweeping foreign aid cuts and what resilience looks like on the ground in 2026

Connect with Kimberly and Globe Aware

• Website http://www.globeaware.org/
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/globeaware
• Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyglobeaware/
• Podcasts https://open.spotify.com/show/6n9cfb4QIVb2aqUD6XSttE
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/globeaware/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@globeaware
• X Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlobeAware
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/globe-aware/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@globe_aware
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_Aware
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/globeaware.bksy.social
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/globeaware/

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at https://www.humanise.live/ or hello@humanise.live

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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