We try not to plug too many other things around here. Except for all those times where we did just that. And by “we” I basically mean Pylorns and to a lesser extent Finley, who I am completely not throwing under the bus at all in any way, because I will shamelessly name drop and publicize anything I want to any goddamned time.

Brian Dunning is the host of one of my favorite podcasts, Skeptoid. This weekly show is usually about 10-15 minutes long, and it is jam-packed with knowledge and production value. Brian is a man who really does his homework, and backs up nearly everything he says with a footnote as if he was writing a thesis for my 300-level Baroque critical analysis class (Hey Dr. J!) The show is fun and easy to listen to, but it really does focus on applying critical thinking to a lot of pop culture and pseudoscience.

This week’s episode, “Did Jewish Slaves Build the Pyramids?” (answer: No) is a really fun one, and it addresses an issue I’ve run in to a LOT. I went to Catholic school for, like, ever, and had a lot of teachers who said everything in the Bible was true, and a lot who said it was kind of true, and one who told me to go to the principal’s office when I asked if there were aliens on other planets and if God would have to send Jesus to die for their sins too. The question of faith aside, a fair number of people who claim to not take the Bible as an infallible document will look you in the eye and tell you that the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt under Ramses II and built the pyramids, etc… etc… dead babies and raining fire and so forth. There are even theories claiming to give scientific explanations for the Plagues of Egypt. These are all, in a word, bullshit.

Give the link a once over, at least, and go back through the archives. He’s got over 100 episodes covering everything from Wheatgrass Juice to the Illuminati (that one’s a musical!) If you absolutely hate everything in it, I will personally give you the 12 minutes of your life back.

Skeptoid.com