Fermenting Opinions

What is tribalism and where does it come from? How does it effect the way we see the world and how we interact with each other? Friend of the Ferment and counter-terrorism professional, Richard Suttles walks us through the works of Edward Wilson, Pascal  Boyer, Johnathan Haidt, and others as he explains the evolutionary roots … Continue reading S02E14: On Tribalism with Richard Suttles

Justin Kanew is running for Congress in Tennessee’s district 7. In this episode we touch on his background in entertainment, to include his appearances in The Amazing Race and how that inspired the theme of his campaign as he “races” through the District. From there we get into the meat of how the 2016 election … Continue reading S02E13: Kanew for Congress

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions, we talk to Anthony Magnabosco, a practitioner and advocate for a method of discussing beliefs called Street Epistemology (SE). Anthony walks us through how this method works and his successes and failures in using this approach when discussing beliefs with people he encounters on the “street.” Street Epistemology has … Continue reading S02E12: Street Epistemology with Anthony Magnabosco

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions, we talk with Michael Fulbright, the current Maury County Commissioner for District 4 who is running for the Republican nomination in the race for the 64th District of the Tennessee General Assembly. Mr. Fulbright has been the District 4 County Commissioner for the past four years and is seeking … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S02E11: Michael Fulbright For TN State Rep.

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions, we talk with Colby Block, a local attorney who is running for Maury County Commissioner in District 4. Specifically, we explore what Ms. Block would bring to this office, what drove her to run, and what pressing issues are facing the County Commission.

On this episode Fermenting Opinions, we are joined by one of the moderators of  the Facebook group “Incelistan” and who is a self-professed “incel.” What does that mean? Glad you asked! Incel is sociological term that stands for “involuntary celibate” and embraced by those who describe themselves this way. The term gained notoriety in 2014 … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S02E09: Incels and Involuntary Celibacy

Today on Fermenting Opinions we have local Democrat, AJ Holmes who is running for State Representative in the 64th district in Tennessee. We ask him about why he decided to run, where he stands on issues facing his potential constituents, and what his strategy will be to win in November.

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions we wanted to talk about the idea of Second Amendment Absolutism, which is the belief that the plain text reading of the phrase “shall not be infringed” should stand as a bulwark against any and all attempts to legislate restrictions on firearms in the US.  The question is how … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S02E07: “Shall Not Be Infringed”

The city of Austin, Texas is currently dealing with a “serial bomber.” This month, there have been four bombings in the city, killing two people and injuring four. The first three bombings were caused by packages left on neighbors doorsteps, while the last bombing involved an explosion left near a hiking trail that was triggered … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S02E06: A Local Fermenter Reports on the Serial Bomber of Austin

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions, we talk to Amanda Kelton, a resident of Columbia, Tennessee who has decided to throw her hat in the ring for the position of Maury County Mayor in a local August 2nd election. Mrs. Kelton is running on a non-partisan platform, on the basis that a local mayor should … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S02E05: Amanda Kelton and the Race for Maury County Mayor

On this Episode of Fermenting Opinions we get to introduce friend of the Ferment, Ezra E. Fitz. Ezra is a long time friend of our co-host, James, but more importantly he had a recent undertaking that he wanted to share with us. For the last several years he has been working with prominent news anchor … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S02E04: On Jorge Ramos’s ‘Stranger,’ with Ezra E. Fitz

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions our last guest, Ben Watkins of the Real Atheology podcast, returns to us following a bizarre exchange that took place on social media between several Facebook “friends” and himself in regards to the Nunes memo being released. We first discuss the actual content of this memo which alleges bias … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S02E03: An Unintentional Part Two with Ben Watkins

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions we are pleased to introduce Benjamin Watkins who is a philosopher and co-host of the Real Atheology Podcast.  We discuss Ben’s interest, as an Atheist, in the philosophy of religion as well as his approach to the bigger questions in life.  From the we move on to discuss his … Continue reading FO S02E02: An Interview with Ben Watkins of the Real Atheology Podcast

Happy New Year and welcome to Season 2! On this episode of Fermenting Opinions, we delve into Quantum non-realism with Johanan Raatz, a proponent of the concept. Mr. Raatz has a backround in physics and he explains the basics of the theory to us. From there we explore the political and theological implications associated therewith.

Today on FO we have an interview with a charter Fermenter, Lacey Rochester, who spent her weekend in Mobile, Alabama to canvass neighborhoods for the Doug Jones campaign.  Jones is the Democratic nominee in the Senate special election that is occurring on 12/12/2017. This race, which would normally be a republican landslide if it weren’t … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions SO1E17: Canvassing for Doug Jones

On this episode, we talk with Thom Gray about cryptocurrencies, the varied applications afforded by blockchains therefrom, as well as the intricacies of Net Neutrality in terms of the free market and consumer liberty.  Mr. Gray is an attorney barred in both Tennessee and Virginia who works for a media consulting firm that utilizes a … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S01E16: Thom Gray and the Call to Freedom

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions, we discuss the ethical considerations in using violence in response to hate speech and violent rhetoric with a proponent of these tactics, Ronald Wuest. Mr. Wuest argues that “punching Nazis” is a justifiable response to the message and behavior of white nationalists.

On this episode of Fermenting Opinion, we speak with Rebecca Baillie, who joined the peaceful counterprotest organized by a movement called Murfreesboro Loves that brought over 800 counterprotestors together at a White Lives Matter rally scheduled for October 28, 2017.  Rebecca discusses the organization’s strong presence at the white nationalist rally and the role that … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S01E14: The Murfreesboro Loves Victory

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions, we talk with Gleb Tsipursky, a proponent of the Pro-Truth Pledge.  In doing so, we seek to understand more about discerning fact from fiction or opinion in sources we read daily online, and we seek to establish a groundwork for doing just that.

On this episode of Fermenting Opinions, we discuss the issues with Mariah Phillips, Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Congress in the 4th District of Tennessee. In doing so, we give Mrs. Phillips the opportunity to explain her policy stances and to answer questions about how she would advocate for Tennesseans and our country as a … Continue reading Fermenting Opinions S01E12: Talking Issues with Mariah Phillips