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Religion, belief & skepticism: videos Hacker News recommends
Religion and belief: atheism, theology, comparative religion, Buddhism, cults, pseudoscience, skepticism, critical thinking, debates on God, spirituality, mythology. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (9 lectures, 7 commentarys, 6 explainers), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- 17 HN recommenders 15 months 2020–2026HN treats it as the definitive, compassionate documentary on why people fall into conspiracy theories.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2022Several HN commenters credit the lecture series with helping them through depression or personal collapse and recommend it as long-form learning.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2009–2024R Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science · lectureHN regards it as a famous, mesmerizing talk, especially for the point that distant galaxies will become unobservable.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2025T The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures · lectureHN recommends it as a funny, fascinating talk on cuneiform tablets and the ancient world by an engaging curator.
- 8 HN recommenders 5 months 2022–2025Pointed to as the clearest, evidence-based debunk of the Gimbal footage, and a model of how to analyze such claims.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2023–2025M Miniminuteman · commentaryHN points people to it as an entertaining, thorough takedown of Hancock's pseudoarchaeology whenever his claims come up.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2018HN cites it in threads on churches, tax exemption and religious fundraising, as the go-to explainer on seed faith televangelism.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2019–2024HN commenters recommend it as an entertaining and thoughtful look at flat earthers that frames the belief as a distrust of failing institutions.
- 6 HN recommenders 4 months 2019–2023HN commenters repeatedly cite it as a checkable, math-based debunking of the famous UFO clips whenever UAP stories come up.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2024Recommended whenever population growth comes up, as a data-driven correction to common assumptions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2024HN fans say it offers value even to atheists by interpreting Bible stories as psychological and evolutionary archetypes, and some credit it with helping them through depression.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2022HN points to it whenever the 432 Hz versus 440 Hz debate or tuning systems come up, and as an accessible entry point to music theory for non-musicians.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2024E ESOTERICA · lectureHN users recommend it as an impressively well-sourced, academic look at the origins of the Abrahamic religions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2026S stormmovie · comedy videoQuoted often for its line on alternative medicine that works being called medicine, and recommended as a full-length listen.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2022D Discovery Science · lectureRecommended by some as a blunt expert critique of origin-of-life research, while others question its claims and length.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2025H Holy Post Media · explainerRecommended as a concise, broad-strokes history of racial injustice, including the lasting effects of redlining.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2020N Non-Dual Couch · interviewCited to explain the default mode network and how meditation may quiet it.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2025A Aprendiendo Juntos · lectureRecommended when religion, mental health or psychedelics come up, for Sapolsky's biological framing.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2025P Premier Unbelievable? · interviewPointed to for Penrose's own explanations of the Big Bounce and his three-worlds idea.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2017A Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc · talkHN commenters point to it as a liberating account of present-moment awareness and mindfulness.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2022J James Dearden Bush · talkRecommended by some as a provocative critique of scientific dogma, and also cited as the talk TED pulled.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2023P poejavlo · lectureHN uses it as the go-to rebuttal to irreducible complexity, showing that even simple photoreceptors are useful and stages exist in living animals.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2022V Vivekananda Samiti, IIT Kanpur · lectureRecommended in threads about consciousness and reality as a clear exposition of the Vedantic view of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2024–2025I Insider Food · documentaryHN cites it as an example of efficient, machine-assisted mass feeding of people for free.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2026S SisyphusRedeemed · talkHN uses it as a reference for epistemic humility and how wrong even the smartest people have been.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2025HN points to it as an example of a YouTuber getting radioactive scam products delisted by reporting them to the NRC.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2025Cited as an example of someone publicly changing their mind on the Moon landing hoax and of why skeptics had rational-seeming doubts.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2025T TheDamnWreckless · comedy videoHN commenters link it as a funny, quotable takedown of alternative medicine and cite its lines (such as 'alternative medicine that works is called medicine') in threads on homeopathy.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023Used by skeptics in UFO threads as a debunking of the Navy pilot videos.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2020K Karuna Films LTD · documentaryCited as evidence that meditation can work as prison reform.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2025HN links it as an approachable interview with a working astronomer who is also a Jesuit, whenever the Vatican Observatory or science and religion comes up.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2023Pointed to in discussions about engaging with fringe beliefs and distrust of institutions rather than dismissing people.
- cited 10× 0 months 2020–2025HN cites it as the debunking behind news stories about radioactive anti-5G pendants and wellness trinkets sold on Amazon.
- cited 3× 0 months 2017–2026J Jamie Anderson · commentaryHN uses it as shorthand for the divide between systematizing and humanistic outlooks, applied to arguments about science, society and language.
- cited 4× 0 months 2019–2022HN commenters point to it to explain the religious motivations behind US evangelical support for Israel.
- cited 4× 0 months 2020–2022A All Gas No Brakes · comedy videoHN mentions it mostly as an amusing look at flat earthers in their own words, not as a recommendation.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2026G gudbuytjane · comedy videoUsed as a punchline in threads about snake oil, bogus tests and startup fraud, rather than recommended as such.
- cited 6× 0 months 2023–2026K Kazwire · commentaryLinked by commenters as a reaction or meme reference in unrelated threads, with little explanation.
- cited 3× 0 months 2013–2023A asingularlifeman · comedy videoHN commenters cite it as a quick, witty reference whenever someone warns against being so open-minded that you become gullible.
- cited 4× 0 months 2010–2017J J · videoIt is cited as an example of mystical or energy-based martial arts failing against real fighters, alongside the Tai Chi master incident.
Questions
What is the most recommended religion, belief & skepticism video on Hacker News?
In Search Of A Flat Earth by Folding Ideas: HN treats it as the definitive, compassionate documentary on why people fall into conspiracy theories.
How is this religion, belief & skepticism list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.