What led to the decay of trust in our institutions? Michael Shermer, author of many books and executive director of the Skeptics Society, argues that an uneven commitment to reason among formerly trusted authorities, like scientists and journalists, has had a corrosive effect on our discourse and our ability (or willingness) to parse truth from error. In this episode, I ask Michael to take me through some contemporary issues where a modicum of reason could, if not settle heated political and cultural disputes, then at least turn the temperature down.
When trusted authorities like scientists and doctors cannot answer basic questions about gender without hemming and hawing, or when otherwise fair-minded experts go ballistic at the very mention of Donald Trump’s name, the populace’s faith in the institutions and practices they represent declines. And when that happens, when institutions and experts lose the trust of Americans, truly strange, dangerous ideas, like QAnon, can gain traction. A broad commitment to Michael’s conception of skepticism as a process of rational truth-seeking, in which new evidence requires us to update our priors, would certainly help untangle some of our knottiest social problems. Though I doubt it would be a panacea. After all, some of deepest questions, like those prompted by religious faith, can’t necessarily be answered with evidence alone. But, as I’m sure Michael would point out, a little better is better than nothing.
The Glenn Show is almost entirely viewer supported, so to those of us who are already full subscribers, let me extend a heartfelt thank you. And if you’re not yet a full subscriber, please consider becoming one. The Glenn Show can only do what it does through the generosity of viewers and listeners. For a mere $6/month or $50/year, you’ll get access to weekly livestreams, monthly Q&A episodes with John McWhorter, access to the full Substack archives, and other exclusive bonus content.
0:00 The crisis of belief and the crisis of speech
4:30 Michael: Deport the criminals, leave the gardeners
10:37 Michael’s list of the biggest, craziest, and most dangerous conspiracy theories
15:47 When trust in institutions breaks down
22:06 Why well-meaning people make absurd claims
26:01 Is Trump uniquely dangerous to American institutions?
29:04 Where Michael gets his news
31:49 How liberal institutions lost the plot
36:15 The roots and appeal of QAnon
41:06 Down the Jeffrey Epstein rabbit hole
44:47 Michael’s definition of truth
51:23 The stakes of religious belief
58:47 Can we live with “I don’t know” as the answer to the big questions?
Recorded January 19, 2026
Links and Readings
Michael’s new book, Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters
Michael’s book, Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational
Michael’s book, Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It?
Glenn’s most recent conversation with Charles Murray
Murray’s book, Taking Religion Seriously
Martin Rees’s book, Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe
