The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

Episode Notes for
On Monsters

THIS WEEK on MonsterTalk, author Stephen Asma (Professor of Philosophy at Columbia College Chicago) speaks about his comprehensive book surveying Western monster-lore.

Is humankind’s fascination with monsters broader than any single cause? Asma’s On Monsters examines hundreds of legends — and their cultural, psychological and social implications.

In this episode

• the roots of fear
• the fascination some find with birth defects
• the saint who had a dog’s head
• when humans become monsters
• how Darwin impacted society’s perception of monstrous births
• are body exhibits making monsters of the natural?
• demons as rules-lawyers

Music

• Monstertalk Theme: Monster by Peach Stealing Monkeys

The views expressed on this program are not necessarily the views of the Skeptics Society or Skeptic magazine.