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This episode is the sixth presentation in our series from the international symposium on Spiritual Yearning in a Disenchanted Age.
Dr. William Barbieri teaches in the Religion and Culture and Moral Theology/Ethics programs in the School of Theology and Religious Studies and directs the Peace and Justice Studies Program at The Catholic University of America. He is also a fellow of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies and of the Center for the Study of Culture and Values. In addition to his monographs Ethics of Citizenship: Immigration and Group Rights in Germany (Duke University Press, 1998) and Constitutive Justice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), he has edited From Just War to Modern Peace Ethics (with Heinz-Gerhard Justenhoven; De Gruyter, 2012) and At the Limits of the Secular: Reflections on Faith and Public Life (Eerdmans 2104). He has also published articles in the areas of human rights, comparative ethics, peace studies, Catholic social teaching, and German studies. His current research addresses the historicity of morals. A member of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Christian Ethics, he has also served on the boards of the Peace and Justice Studies Association and the Institut für Theologie und Frieden in Germany. Barbieri is a past recipient of an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and a Fulbright German Studies Fellowship. After studying religion and comparative area studies at Duke University, he received a doctorate in religious studies from Yale University in 1992.
In his talk, Dr. Barbieri talks about:
How agency is ecologicalContextualizing agency through social, historical, and material dimensionsThe way values can be mediated visuallyThe interconnectedness of people, history, and the earthSecularism and excarnationHow the moral life requires perceiving things beyond ourselvesTo learn more about Dr. Barbieri, you can find him at:
Website: https://trs.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/barbieri-william/index.html
Email: [email protected]Publications
Constitutive Justice: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137263254
Ethics of Citizenship: Immigration and Group Rights in Germany: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-World-Cannot-Give/Tara-Isabella-Burton/9781982170073
Here in Avalon: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Here-in-Avalon/Tara-Isabella-Burton/9781982170097
Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World: https://a.co/d/gOwySUy
Self-Made: Curating Our Image from Da Vinci to the Kardashians: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tara-isabella-burton/self-made/9781541789012/
This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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The Lost Word: Magic, Reality-Creation, and the Pursuit of God’s Language
This is the fifth presentation from our international symposium on Spiritual Yearning in a Disenchanted Age, held at McGill University in November 2024.
Dr. Tara Isabella Burton is the author of the novels Social Creature, The World Cannot Give, and Here in Avalon, as well as the nonfiction books Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World and Self-Made: Curating Our Image from Da Vinci to the Kardashians. She is currently working on a history of magic and modernity, to be published by Convergent in 2026.Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic, Granta, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and more. She also co-writes the Substack newsletter "Line of Beauty" with her husband, Dhananjay Jagannathan.
Tara received a doctorate in theology from Oxford in 2017. She is a Visiting Fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center and a Visiting Research Fellow at Catholic University of America's Institutional Flourishing Lab.
In her talk, Tara explores:
Magic’s influence on modernity, from Hermeticism to transhumanismThe pursuit of a divine language offering truth and creative powerArt as relational creation, distinct from manipulative magical thinkingThe Divine Liturgy as model for creative practices rooted in connection and participationTo learn more about Tara, you can find her at:
Website: http://www.taraisabellaburton.com/
Email: [email protected]
X: https://x.com/NotoriousTIBBooks
Social Creature: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/564730/social-creature-by-tara-isabella-burton/
The World Cannot Give: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-World-Cannot-Give/Tara-Isabella-Burton/9781982170073
Here in Avalon: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Here-in-Avalon/Tara-Isabella-Burton/9781982170097
Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World: https://a.co/d/gOwySUy
Self-Made: Curating Our Image from Da Vinci to the Kardashians: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tara-isabella-burton/self-made/9781541789012/
This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Is science a path to cosmic connection?
In this fourth episode of our series from the November 2024 symposium on Spiritual Yearning in a Disenchanted Age held at McGill University, I share results of an ongoing study on Meaning and Mystery in Science, which explores the spiritual experiences of non-religious scientists, and how the practice of science might evoke awe, wonder, and a sense of the transcendent.
We open the episode with a poetry reading from Marie Trotter, and following my presentation is a discussion with Dr. Rob Gilbert, Dr. Rajeev Bhargava, and Dr. Galen Watts.
Here’s a summary of the episode:
Marie Trotter opens the episode with original poetry, exploring themes of fragility, hope, and beauty, drawing inspiration from Klimt's paintingsFindings from the Meaning and Mystery in Science study reveal how non-religious scientists experience enchantment and spiritual yearning through their workBhargava notes that spiritual yearning is often disrupted by ideological, social, and political forces, which we need to contend with more seriouslyWatts explores the idea of science as play, contrasting the childlike enchantment of discovery with the institutionalized pressures of professional scienceGilbert highlights the danger of self-satisfaction in science, arguing that humility and vulnerability are essential for true insightThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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In this presentation, Prof. Robert Gilbert, Professor of Biophysics in the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford, explain how science, for the scientist, is a source of enchantment.
Prof. Gilbert and his team work on molecular mechanisms underlying pathology in humans, specifically cancer and membrane pore formation and cell adhesion. Their work is funded by Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, the Medical Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust.In this presentation, he talks about:
Scientific discoveries that have drastically changed the worldUnpacking the mechanistic lens of scienceHow delight and play are crucial for scientistsThe beauty of the form and fit of scienceOn aesthetic delight in scienceHow enchantment is essential to the scientific processTo learn more about Robert, you can find him at:
Website: https://www.strubi.ox.ac.uk/research/professor-robert-gilbert
Email: [email protected]This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Naomi Fisher is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. She earned her Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in 2016, and prior to that earned her M.S. in physics from UC Davis.
Her research focuses on Kant and German Idealism and Romanticism, specifically the relationship between nature, freedom, and rationality in Kant and Schelling. Currently, she is working on projects related to the impact of Plato and Neoplatonism on Schelling’s philosophy. She also has interests in the broader history of philosophy, philosophy of science, and philosophy of religion.
In her talk, she discusses:
The disconnect between epiphanies and everyday thoughtOn the function of imagination in philosophyThe philosophy of art according to SchellingManifesting the divine through the power of imaginationComparing Schelling’s work to the RomanticsOn accessing transcendent realitiesTo learn more about Naomi, you can find her at:
Website: https://naomifisher.weebly.com/
Email: [email protected]This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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This episode is the first of a series of presentations from an International Symposium on “Spiritual Yearning in a Disenchanted Age” held at McGill University in Montreal in November 2024.
The origins of humanity’s deeper spiritual searchWhy poetry re-enchanting a disenchanted worldHow the study of comparative religion shaped his own spiritual lifeCosmic longing explored across diverse culturesBeauty unites communities in transformative experiencesHow a secular age can spark religious rediscoveries
In this first episode, Dr. Charles Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at McGill University, shares the motivations and long history behind his new book Cosmic Connections: Poetry in the Age of Disenchantment.
Prof. Taylor is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in political philosophy, social theory, and intellectual history. Over the years, he has received numerous prestigious honors, such as the Kyoto Prize, the Templeton Prize, the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy, and the John W. Kluge Prize. In 2007, together with Gérard Bouchard, he co-led the Bouchard–Taylor Commission, which examined how to accommodate cultural differences in Quebec. Taylor has authored or edited more than thirty books, including Sources of the Self and A Secular Age.
In this episode, Prof. Taylor talks about:
To learn more about Dr. Charles Taylor’s work, you can visit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taylor_(philosopher)
Cosmic Connections: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674296084
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This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)
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#beauty #beautyatwork #podcast #symposium #science #connection #spiritual #CharlesTaylorSupport the show
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This episode is the second part of my conversation with Dr. Francis Collins, a pioneer physician-scientist who led the Human Genome Project and has been director of the National Institutes of Health during the tenures of three U.S. presidents.
Dr. Collins shares insights from his impressive career: from the discovery of genes linked to many diseases to addressing public health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and his efforts to bring harmony between science and faith. We will also discuss the intersection of beauty and science, public health leadership, and the critical task of bridging societal divides in our polarized times. Dr. Collins’s latest book, The Road to Wisdom, deals with the relationship between truth, science, faith, and trust.In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:
The transformative power of faith in scienceThe power of beauty to evoke spiritual longingBuilding bridges through healthy conflictThe need for faith communities in creation careThe pursuit of truth amidst uncertainty and misinformation
To learn more about Dr. Francis Collins's work, you can find him at:Website: https://biologos.org/?campaign=539861
Twitter: https://x.com/BioLogosOrg
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/biologosorg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biologosorgThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Can science, beauty, and faith converge in our quest for truth? Joining us to discuss this topic is Dr. Francis Collins: a pioneer physician-scientist who led the Human Genome Project and has been director of the National Institutes of Health during the tenures of three U.S. presidents. Dr. Collins shares insights from his impressive career: from the discovery of genes linked to many diseases to addressing public health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and his efforts to bring harmony between science and faith. We will also discuss the intersection of beauty and science, public health leadership, and the critical task of bridging societal divides in our polarized times. Dr. Collins’s latest book, The Road to Wisdom, deals with the relationship between truth, science, faith, and trust.
In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:
The transformative power of scienceWhy Francis wrote The Road to WisdomHow politics has led to misinformationThe importance of trust in institutions despite failuresThe search for truth in science amidst uncertainty
To learn more about Dr. Francis Collins's work, you can find him at:Website: https://biologos.org/?campaign=539861
Twitter: https://x.com/BioLogosOrg
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/biologosorg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biologosorgThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Human beings are meaning-seeking creatures. This search is at the heart of religions all around the world. Over the past century or so, however, religion, especially in the West, has been in decline, and many commentators have marked the rise of the “nones” and “dones”--those who have no religious affiliation and those who have abandoned religion with no intention to return. What factors are behind these shifts? What does the search for meaning in the absence of religion look like? What is spirituality and what is its relevance in our contemporary context? In this episode, I interview a psychologist and philosopher who are trying to make sense of these trends.
Daryl Van Tongeren, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Hope College and the director of the Frost Center for Social Science Research. A social psychologist, he has published more than 200 scholarly articles and chapters, and four books, on topics such as religion, meaning in life, and virtues. Most recently, his work has focused on the psychological and social processes of leaving religion and undergoing religious change, culminating in his newest book, Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion. His research has been covered by numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, BBC, Hidden Brain, Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR-affiliated radio stations, Scientific American, and Men’s Health. His work has been supported by numerous grants from the John Templeton Foundation, and he has won national and international awards for his research. He is also an associate editor for The Journal of Positive Psychology. He enjoys running, biking, and hiking near where he lives with his wife, Sara, in Holland, MI.David McPherson is Professor of Philosophy in the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida as well as Affiliate Professor in the Department of Philosophy. McPherson works in the areas of ethics (especially virtue ethics), political philosophy, meaning in life, and philosophy of religion. He is the author of The Virtues of Limits (Oxford University Press, 2022) and Virtue and Meaning: A Neo-Aristotelian Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2020), as well as the editor of Spirituality and the Good Life: Philosophical Approaches (Cambridge University Press, 2017). McPherson is currently the project leader for a three-year Templeton-funded grant project on “Spiritual Yearning and the Problem of Spiritual Alienation,” which will result in his third book monograph titled Spiritual Alienation and the Quest for God as well as an edited volume titled Spiritual Yearning in an Age of Secularization: Philosophical, Psychological, and Sociological Perspectives.
In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:
The Search for Meaning and Spiritual YearningSpiritual Alienation and the Struggle for AuthenticityThe Role of Yearning in Psychological GrowthThe Existential Challenge of Living FullySpiritual Practices and the Path to ReceptivityThe Future of Spirituality in a Secular AgeTo learn more about Daryl and his work, you can find him at:
Website: http://darylvantongeren.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/darylvantongeren/
X: https://x.com/drvantongeren
Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion: https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/doneTo learn more about David and his work, you can find him at:
Website:Support the show
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Human beings are meaning-seeking creatures. This search is at the heart of religions all around the world. Over the past century or so, however, religion, especially in the West, has been in decline, and many commentators have marked the rise of the “nones” and “dones”--those who have no religious affiliation and those who have abandoned religion with no intention to return. What factors are behind these shifts? What does the search for meaning in the absence of religion look like? What is spirituality and what is its relevance in our contemporary context? In this episode, I interview a psychologist and philosopher who are trying to make sense of these trends.
Daryl Van Tongeren, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Hope College and the director of the Frost Center for Social Science Research. A social psychologist, he has published more than 200 scholarly articles and chapters, and four books, on topics such as religion, meaning in life, and virtues. Most recently, his work has focused on the psychological and social processes of leaving religion and undergoing religious change, culminating in his newest book, Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion. His research has been covered by numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, BBC, Hidden Brain, Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR-affiliated radio stations, Scientific American, and Men’s Health. His work has been supported by numerous grants from the John Templeton Foundation, and he has won national and international awards for his research. He is also an associate editor for The Journal of Positive Psychology. He enjoys running, biking, and hiking near where he lives with his wife, Sara, in Holland, MI.David McPherson is Professor of Philosophy in the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida as well as Affiliate Professor in the Department of Philosophy. McPherson works in the areas of ethics (especially virtue ethics), political philosophy, meaning in life, and philosophy of religion. He is the author of The Virtues of Limits (Oxford University Press, 2022) and Virtue and Meaning: A Neo-Aristotelian Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2020), as well as the editor of Spirituality and the Good Life: Philosophical Approaches (Cambridge University Press, 2017). McPherson is currently the project leader for a three-year Templeton-funded grant project on “Spiritual Yearning and the Problem of Spiritual Alienation,” which will result in his third book monograph titled Spiritual Alienation and the Quest for God as well as an edited volume titled Spiritual Yearning in an Age of Secularization: Philosophical, Psychological, and Sociological Perspectives.
In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:
The four main reasons people leave religionNavigating cognitive dissonance and existential anxietyVirtue ethics and the good lifeWhat is spirituality and do we need it?Spiritual alienationTo learn more about Daryl and his work, you can find him at:
Website: http://darylvantongeren.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/darylvantongeren/
X: https://x.com/drvantongeren
Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion: https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/done
To learn more about David and his work, you can find him at:
Website: https://davidmcpherson.weebly.com/
X:Support the show
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This episode is the second part of the conversation between Brandon Vaidyanathan and Robert Lawrence Kuhn.
Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer, host and executive producer of Closer To Truth, the long-running PBS/public television series and leading global resource on Cosmos (cosmology/physics, philosophy of science), Life (philosophy of biology), Mind (consciousness, brain/mind, philosophy of mind), and Meaning (theism/atheism/agnosticism, global philosophy of religion, critical thinking).Kuhn has written or edited over 30 books, including The Mystery of Existence: Why is there Anything At All? (with John Leslie); Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief; Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future; The Library of Investment Banking; How China’s Leaders Think (featuring President Xi Jinping); The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin (China’s best-selling book in 2005 and in December 2022); and "The Origin and Significance of Zero: An Interdisciplinary Perspective” (with Peter Gobets).
An international corporate strategist and investment banker, Dr. Kuhn is a recipient of the China Reform Friendship Medal and is a frequent commentator in the international media and Chinese media.
Kuhn’s comprehensive review article on consciousness – “A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a Taxonomy of Explanations and Implications” – is published in Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology (August 2024), and is considered the most comprehensive article written on the landscape of consciousness theories.
Dr. Kuhn is chairman of The Kuhn Foundation. He has a BA in Human Biology (Johns Hopkins), PhD in Anatomy/Brain Research (UCLA), and SM (MBA) in Management (MIT).
In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:
The Landscape of Consciousness article, which develops a comprehensive taxonomy of theories of consciousnessThe value of loving the questions more than seeking certaintyThe humility of acknowledging the limits of one's own beliefsThe impact of Closer to Truth
To learn more about Robert, you can find him at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-lawrence-kuhn-4b893221
Closer to Truth: https://closertotruth.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV/videos
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/closer-to-truth/id411527781
A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a taxonomy of explanations and implications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38281544/
The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything At All?: https://a.co/d/izIoY8I
Why anything? Why this? by Derek Parfit: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n02/derek-parfit/why-anything-why-thisThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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What does it look like to live a life in pursuit of understanding? Our guest today exemplifies this quest across a wide range of domains.
Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer, host and executive producer of Closer To Truth, the long-running PBS/public television series and leading global resource on Cosmos (cosmology/physics, philosophy of science), Life (philosophy of biology), Mind (consciousness, brain/mind, philosophy of mind), and Meaning (theism/atheism/agnosticism, global philosophy of religion, critical thinking).Kuhn has written or edited over 30 books, including The Mystery of Existence: Why is there Anything At All? (with John Leslie); Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief; Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future; The Library of Investment Banking; How China’s Leaders Think (featuring President Xi Jinping); The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin (China’s best-selling book in 2005 and in December 2022); and "The Origin and Significance of Zero: An Interdisciplinary Perspective” (with Peter Gobets).
An international corporate strategist and investment banker, Dr. Kuhn is a recipient of the China Reform Friendship Medal and is a frequent commentator in the international media and Chinese media.
Kuhn’s comprehensive review article on consciousness – “A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a Taxonomy of Explanations and Implications” – is published in Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology (August 2024), and is considered the most comprehensive article written on the landscape of consciousness theories.
Dr. Kuhn is chairman of The Kuhn Foundation. He has a BA in Human Biology (Johns Hopkins), PhD in Anatomy/Brain Research (UCLA), and SM (MBA) in Management (MIT).
In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:
The beauty of understandingRobert's trajectory from neuroscience to business to China policyThe drive to explore big existential questionsThe creation of Closer to Truth
To learn more about Robert, you can find him at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-lawrence-kuhn-4b893221
Closer to Truth: https://closertotruth.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV/videos
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/closer-to-truth/id411527781
A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a taxonomy of explanations and implications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38281544/
The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything At All?: https://a.co/d/izIoY8I
Why anything? Why this? by Derek Parfit: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n02/derek-parfit/why-anything-why-thisThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Maggie Jackson is an award-winning author and journalist with a global reach. Her new book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure, explores why we should seek not-knowing in this era of angst and flux. Nominated for a National Book Award and named to multiple “Best Books of 2023” lists, Uncertain is an official selection of the Next Big Idea Club curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, Adam Grant, and Susan Cain. Lauded as “incisive and timely” (Dan Pink), “surprising and practical” (Gretchen Rubin), and “remarkable and persuasive” (Library Journal), Uncertain was named a Top 10 Summer Reading pick by Nautilus magazine.
Jackson’s previous book, Distracted, sparked a global conversation on the steep costs of fragmenting our attention. A former longtime columnist for the Boston Globe, Jackson has written for The New York Times and major publications worldwide. Her work has been translated into numerous languages and is widely covered by the press. She lives in New York and Rhode Island and seeks a daily dose of uncertainty by swimming in the sea nearly every day, year-round.
In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:
The value of taking time to think before reacting.How uncertainty can help us learn and grow.The strengths that can come from growing up in tough situations.Making AI more adaptable by embracing uncertainty.Finding deeper beauty by being open to different perspectives.To learn more about Maggie Jackson, you can find her at: https://www.maggie-jackson.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggie.jackson.books/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiejackson/
Website: https://www.maggie-jackson.com/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Maggie-Jackson/author/B001JP8IEAThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Send us a text
Maggie Jackson is an award-winning author and journalist with a global reach. Her new book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure, explores why we should seek not-knowing in this era of angst and flux. Nominated for a National Book Award and named to multiple “Best Books of 2023” lists, Uncertain is an official selection of the Next Big Idea Club curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, Adam Grant, and Susan Cain. Lauded as “incisive and timely” (Dan Pink), “surprising and practical” (Gretchen Rubin), and “remarkable and persuasive” (Library Journal), Uncertain was named a Top 10 Summer Reading pick by Nautilus magazine.
Jackson’s previous book, Distracted, sparked a global conversation on the steep costs of fragmenting our attention. A former longtime columnist for the Boston Globe, Jackson has written for The New York Times and major publications worldwide. Her work has been translated into numerous languages and is widely covered by the press. She lives in New York and Rhode Island and seeks a daily dose of uncertainty by swimming in the sea nearly every day, year-round.
In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:
The value of embracing uncertainty as a superpowerThe distinction between aleatory and epistemic uncertaintyThe cultural and psychological effects of our aversion to uncertaintyThe role of adaptive expertise in leadership and problem-solvingThe relationship between humility and uncertaintyTo learn more about Maggie Jackson, you can find her at: https://www.maggie-jackson.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggie.jackson.books/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiejackson/
Website: https://www.maggie-jackson.com/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Maggie-Jackson/author/B001JP8IEAThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Daniel McInerny is associate professor and chair of the philosophy department at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. He is also a novelist and dramatist. As a scholar, Daniel is foremost interested in reactivating an Aristotelian understanding of mimetic art, long out of favor among philosophers. His latest book is Beauty and Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts. At Christendom College Daniel teaches courses on the Philosophy of Art & Beauty, the Philosophy of Technology, the Philosophy of Culture, and Poetic Experience & Truth. In March 2023 Chrism Press published his novel, The Good Death of Kate Montclair. Daniel is also the author of a play, The Actor, which will premiere in November 2024. Daniel also writes the Substack newsletter, The Comic Muse, where he shares stories and sketches from his studio.
The importance of choice over chance in compelling narrativesThe moral dimension of storytellingThe relationship between subjective and objective beauty in artThe significance of context in art appreciation
In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:
To learn more about Daniel and his work:
Newsletter: https://danielmcinerny.substack.com/
Beauty and Imitation: https://a.co/d/cNquN03
The Good Death of Kate Montclair: https://a.co/d/0KKy0PS
Podcast: https://danielmcinerny.substack.com/podcastThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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How is art relevant to our yearning for flourishing? In this episode, I interview philosopher Daniel McInerny about his new book, Beauty and Imitation.
What is mimetic art?Mimetic art as storytellingDelighted contemplation as the ultimate goal of art
Dr. Daniel McInerny is associate professor and chair of the philosophy department at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. He is also a novelist and dramatist. As a scholar, Daniel is foremost interested in reactivating an Aristotelian understanding of mimetic art, long out of favor among philosophers. His latest book is Beauty and Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts. At Christendom College Daniel teaches courses on the Philosophy of Art & Beauty, the Philosophy of Technology, the Philosophy of Culture, and Poetic Experience & Truth. In March 2023 Chrism Press published his novel, The Good Death of Kate Montclair. Daniel is also the author of a play, The Actor, which will premiere in November 2024. Daniel also writes the Substack newsletter, The Comic Muse, where he shares stories and sketches from his studio.
In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:
To learn more about Daniel and his work:
Newsletter: https://danielmcinerny.substack.com/
Beauty and Imitation: https://a.co/d/cNquN03
The Good Death of Kate Montclair: https://a.co/d/0KKy0PSThis episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)
Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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In this episode, sociologist Brandon Vaidyanathan interviews MIT Physicist Dr. Alan Lightman about his spiritual materialism.
Alan Lightman is an American physicist, writer, and social entrepreneur. He holds a PhD in physics from Caltech. He has served on the faculties of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was the first person at MIT to receive dual faculty appointments in science and in the humanities. He is currently professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. Lightman is the recipient of six honorary doctoral degrees. He is the author of numerous books, both nonfiction and fiction, including Einstein’s Dreams, an international bestseller, and The Diagnosis, a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction. His essays concern the intersection of science, culture, philosophy, and theology. Lightman is the host of the public television series “SEARCHING: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science,” funded by the John Templeton Foundation. In 2005, Lightman founded Harpswell, a nonprofit organization devoted to empowering young women leaders in Southeast Asia, and he has served as chair of its board. In August 2023, Lightman was appointed a member of the United Nations’ Scientific Advisory Board. His latest book is The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science (2023).
The limits of scientific inquiryHow to interpret spiritual experiencesThe concept of creative transcendenceWhy spirituality matters for us allAlan's humanitarian work
In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:To learn more about Alan and his work:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-lightman-6bb7191b6Website: https://cmsw.mit.edu/alan-lightman/Email: [email protected]: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000APY6Q4Scientific Publications: https://cmsw.mit.edu/alan-lightman/#SCIENTIFIC%20PUBLICATIONSHarpswell Organization: https://harpswell.org/This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/) andTempleton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Send us a text
In this episode, sociologist Brandon Vaidyanathan interviews MIT Physicist Dr. Alan Lightman about his spiritual materialism.
Alan Lightman is an American physicist, writer, and social entrepreneur. He holds a PhD in physics from Caltech. He has served on the faculties of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was the first person at MIT to receive dual faculty appointments in science and in the humanities. He is currently professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. Lightman is the recipient of six honorary doctoral degrees. He is the author of numerous books, both nonfiction and fiction, including Einstein’s Dreams, an international bestseller, and The Diagnosis, a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction. His essays concern the intersection of science, culture, philosophy, and theology. Lightman is the host of the public television series “SEARCHING: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science,” funded by the John Templeton Foundation. In 2005, Lightman founded Harpswell, a nonprofit organization devoted to empowering young women leaders in Southeast Asia, and he has served as chair of its board. In August 2023, Lightman was appointed a member of the United Nations’ Scientific Advisory Board. His latest book is The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science (2023).
Balancing interests in art and science from a young ageThe role of beauty in scientific discoveryAlan's concept of spiritual materialismTranscendence and the Hindu concept of "darshan"
In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:To learn more about Alan and his work:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-lightman-6bb7191b6Website: https://cmsw.mit.edu/alan-lightman/Email: [email protected]: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000APY6Q4Scientific Publications: https://cmsw.mit.edu/alan-lightman/#SCIENTIFIC%20PUBLICATIONSHarpswell Organization: https://harpswell.org/This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/) andTempleton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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Send us a text
Elizabeth Oldfield is the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. She has spent her career trying to lever open space for deeper conversations - about what it means to be a human being, where we can find wisdom and how we build a society where we hate each other a little less. She has worked at BBC Radio 4, led a Westminster think tank, and is now the host of The Sacred podcast, speaking to guests like Nick Cave, Sally Philips, Rabbi Sacks, Rainn Wilson, Sathnam Sanghera and Krista Tippett about their deepest values. She lives with her family in a Christian intentional community in South London.
Moving beyond individualismMoving from wrath to peacemakingMoving from greed to generosity and gratitudeFinding freedom in commitmentThe concept of God
In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:To learn more about Elizabeth and her work:
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-oldfield-5a5b6216 Website: https://www.elizabetholdfield.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethsaraholdfield/ X: https://x.com/esoldfield Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times: https://a.co/d/4iFq69r Substack Newsletter: https://morefullyalive.substack.com/ Larger Us Organization: https://larger.us/ The Sacred podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=1326888108This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/) andTempleton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
-
Send us a text
Elizabeth Oldfield is the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. She has spent her career trying to lever open space for deeper conversations - about what it means to be a human being, where we can find wisdom and how we build a society where we hate each other a little less. She has worked at BBC Radio 4, led a Westminster think tank, and is now the host of The Sacred podcast, speaking to guests like Nick Cave, Sally Philips, Rabbi Sacks, Rainn Wilson, Sathnam Sanghera and Krista Tippett about their deepest values. She lives with her family in a Christian intentional community in South London.
How cultural narratives shape our understanding of the worldMaking sense of our turbulent timesHow religious traditions can be a source of wisdom The concept of sin as our tendency to f*** things upOur deep need for connection
In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:To learn more about Elizabeth and her work:
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-oldfield-5a5b6216 Website: https://www.elizabetholdfield.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethsaraholdfield/ X: https://x.com/esoldfield Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times: https://a.co/d/4iFq69r Substack Newsletter: https://morefullyalive.substack.com/ Larger Us Organization: https://larger.us/ The Sacred podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=1326888108This episode is sponsored by:
John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/) andTempleton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show
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