#1162 Michael Huemer - Progressive Myths

Oct 13, 2025

Join Dr. Michael Huemer, a philosophy professor and author of Progressive Myths, as he tackles controversial topics like systemic racism and the gender pay gap. He challenges common media portrayals of crime and policing, advocating for case-by-case analysis. Huemer also critiques the implicit association test and discusses whether gender is a social construct. With an insightful take on wealth origin and the impact of misinformation, he argues for rational civic responsibility in understanding political beliefs.

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INSIGHT

Top Percent Carry Much Of The Burden

The tax system effectively makes the bottom 40% net beneficiaries while the top 20% bear most costs.
Huemer argues complaints about the rich 'not paying their fair share' ignore how benefits and burdens are currently allocated.

INSIGHT

Value Comes From Many Productive Roles

Productivity includes founders, managers, and capital providers, not only frontline workers.
Huemer explains marginal productivity can justify large differences in compensation.

INSIGHT

Trust Experts, Not Headlines

'Trust the science' means trusting communicators and consensus, which can be unreliable due to journalism and politics.
Huemer advises deferring to expert consensus but warns about politicized or misreported claims.

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Dr. Michael Huemer is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado. He is the author of more than seventy academic articles in epistemology, ethics, metaethics, metaphysics, and political philosophy, as well as several books, like Skepticism and the Veil of Perception, Ethical Intuitionism, The Problem of Political Authority, Approaching Infinity, Paradox Lost, and Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism. His latest book is Progressive Myths.

In this episode, we focus on Progressive Myths. We start by discussing what a myth is. We talk about how criminal cases get portrayed on the media, whether the police are racists, what causes crime, and the idea of systemic racism. We discuss feminist myths like the gender pay gap, and campus rape culture. We talk about gender and trans people. We discuss generational wealth, and whether the rich are paying their fair share of taxes. We talk about what it means to trust the science, scientific consensus, and the case of climate change. Finally, we discuss whether political myths are widespread, whether political beliefs are different from other beliefs, and how people can find reliable sources of information.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航豊川, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JAMES, JORDAN MANSFIELD, CHARLOTTE ALLEN, PETER STOYKO, DAVID TONNER, LEE BECK, PATRICK DALTON-HOLMES, NICK KRASNEY, RACHEL ZAK, AND DENNIS XAVIER!

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