Why You Believe Weird Things (Michael Shermer)

Why You Believe Weird Things (Michael Shermer)

Author: Knox Robinson Productions March 24, 2026 Duration: 1:22:53
What is truth, and why does finding it actually matter? Amanda sits down with Dr. Michael Shermer, founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine, longtime Scientific American columnist, and author of Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters, for a conversation that starts with epistemology and ends in a full-throated debate about free will. They talk about why our brains evolved more like lawyers than scientists — to win arguments, not find facts. They get into the hard problem of consciousness, what meditation might reveal that neuroscience can't yet measure, and whether the legal system could ever be redesigned around actual truth-seeking. And then Amanda makes the case for hard determinism and nearly talks Shermer into it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a particular kind of confinement that has nothing to do with physical walls, a feeling Amanda Knox understands in a way few others do. In Hard Knox with Amanda Knox, she moves beyond the headlines of her own story to examine the universal prisons we all inhabit-those of expectation, trauma, fear, and our own minds. This isn't a true-crime podcast; it's a series of conversations about the path out. Through candid talks with writers, artists, philosophers, and everyday people who've faced their own hard truths, the show digs into the raw materials of a resilient life. Listeners will hear explorations of mental fortitude, the messy pursuit of physical well-being, and how culture shapes our understanding of justice and personal freedom. Each episode feels like a deep, meandering walk with a curious friend, tackling how we rebuild after life fractures us. Produced by Knox Robinson Productions, the podcast creates a space where struggle is acknowledged not as a failure, but as a catalyst for becoming more grounded and authentic. For those who subscribe, there's an added layer of direct dialogue with Amanda herself in regular segments where she answers listener questions with remarkable candor. It’s ultimately about finding agency, the kind that can’t be taken away.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Hard Knox with Amanda Knox
Podcast Episodes
Ask Amanda Anything: Pivots, Joy, Dance Floors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:02
In this Ask Amanda Anything episode, Amanda and Chris tackle big, tender questions about career pivots, privacy, creativity, and what it means to live openly without losing yourself. They share raw and funny stories abou…
Why Adaptation Is a Human Superpower (Maya Shankar) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:11
Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist, writer, and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, whose new book The Other Side of Change explores who we become when life takes an unexpected turn. In this rich and intimat…
Tending Your Garden in a Burning World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:40
In a moment when the news feels relentless and outrage is often treated as a moral obligation, Amanda reflects on what meditation is really for. Is sitting quietly a form of disengagement, or a way of learning how to res…
New Beginnings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:59
In this episode of Hard Knox, Amanda is joined by her husband Chris for an intimate and surprisingly funny conversation about the practice of beginning again. Drawing from Zen practice, a New Year’s fight, and a walk in…
Why Hope Is Learnable (Scott Barry Kaufman) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:15
Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist and bestselling author whose work explores creativity, intelligence, and what helps people grow after hardship. In this episode, Amanda and Scott talk about how we get stuck i…
Who's Right? - The True Meaning of Christmas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:26
Amanda and Chris debate the true meaning of Christmas through stories about Charlie Brown, gift giving, religion, pagan traditions, and very strong opinions about gift cards. They explore why Christmas has always been le…
How Journalism Can Be an Act of Hope (Nicholas Kristof) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:51
Nicholas Kristof is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and longtime New York Times columnist whose reporting has taken him from the Tiananmen Square massacre to the brothels of Cambodia and the opioid-ravaged communitie…
Ask Amanda Anything - Life Advice, Dark Humor, Bad Dates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:02
In this Ask Amanda Anything episode, Amanda answers listener questions that range from deeply personal to playfully unexpected, touching on disability, identity, creativity, politics, joy, and very bad dates. She reflect…
Why Win-Win Thinking Is So Hard (Liv Boeree) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:44
Liv Boeree is a former professional poker champion turned science communicator whose work explores game theory, technology, and the incentive systems shaping our world. In this wide-ranging conversation, Amanda and Liv e…