The Enduring Enigma of the Mind Where does the human mind begin? If we equate the mind with consciousness, should we account for its emergence as a by-product of evolution, or should we accept it instead as a fundamental feature of reality, on a par with concepts such as matter and energy? Does the mind only exist in animals with brains, or does it have a deeper, possibly cosmic meaning? The question runs through the intellectual... Learn More Thursday, November 17, 2022 Unraveling the Mind: The Mystery of Consciousness Few words in our language appear to cover such a broad and flexible swath of ideas as “the mind.” But what, actually, is the human mind? How does it relate to and differ from its seemingly inseparable companion, the brain? Where does the mind begin or emerge from? Is it merely a by-product of neural activities within the brain, or... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Fathoming the Mind: A Closer Look at the Formation of Self Recent research in animal behavior and culture shows that the mental capacities of animals have been largely undervalued. And yet it is hard to resist the impression of a gap—a difference in nature rather than degree—between humans and non-humans when it comes to certain tasks involving abstraction, planning, sustained attention, or the transmission of culture over generations. How different is... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Cultivating the Mind: Reason and the Pursuit of Ethical Transformation Rationality, long considered a distinctive characteristic of the human mind, provides us with the capacity for understanding and discernment, as well as the ability to introduce order into our thoughts by allowing us to form higher-order volitions, adopt values, establish priorities, and achieve a level of consistency in our actions across time. The ancient Socratic ideal of the “examined life”... Learn More Richard Davidson, PhD Richard Davidson is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, he is the Director... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details The Power of Wonder: Modern Marvels in the Age of Science The feelings of awe and wonder engendered by astonishing or mysterious natural phenomena are as old as humanity itself. According to the classical account of rationality, the end of inquiry—the production of a viable explanation—should also serve to diffuse these emotions. Yet, the cultural and spiritual significance of wonder and its psychological underpinnings seem to suggest a different... Learn More Thursday, October 10, 2019 Unpacking Wonder: From Curiosity to Comprehension Social psychologist Michelle "Lani" Shiota, writer Caspar Henderson, and astrophysicist Alex Filippenko unpack the emerging science behind the emotion of awe and wonder, and its function in our ongoing quest for understanding and knowledge.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Beyond Oneself: The Ethics and Psychology of Awe Prof. of religious studies and ethicist Lisa Sideris joins psychologists Jennifer Stellar and Piercarlo Valdesolo to explore our understanding of how awe shapes our perspectives and views on everything from science to morality.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Enigma of Life: Confronting Marvels at the Edges of Science Physicist Marcelo Gleiser, experimental psychologist Tania Lombrozo, and physician Gavin Francis analyze the impact of awe and wonder on their own work and on the mindsets of their colleagues carrying out cutting-edge scientific research.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Marcelo Gleiser, PhD is a world-renowned theoretical physicist and award-winning author, and is currently the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Conversations on the Nature of Reality For millennia, humans have sought to answer a seemingly unsolvable problem: What is the relationship between our conscious, subjective experience—what we see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and think—and the physical world that surrounds us? Is the reality of the physical world constructed through our subjective experience, or does the physical world we perceive have an independent,... Learn More Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe Theoretical physicist S. James Gates Jr. and science writer Margaret Wertheim join Steve Paulson to explore the mystery of our universe and the uncanny potential of mathematics to reveal the laws of nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More S. James Gates Jr., PhD S. James Gates Jr. is the Ford Foundation Professor of Physics at Brown University. He was previously at the University... Learn More Margaret Wertheim Margaret Wertheim is a science writer, curator, and artist whose work focuses on relations between science and the wider cultural landscape. She is... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, December 6, 2018 Human Cognition and the AI Revolution Logician/mathematician Roger Antonsen and computer science pioneer Barbara J. Grosz join Steve Paulson to break down the fundamental elements of human understanding and analyze what lies ahead on the horizon of AI.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Roger Antonsen Roger Antonsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics in the research group Logic and Intelligent Data (LogID) at the University... Learn More Barbara J. Grosz Barbara J. Grosz is the Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences at Harvard University. From 2007-2011 Grosz served as interim dean and then... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, February 7, 2019 Reality Is Not As It Seems Cognitive scientist Donald D. Hoffman and neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan join Steve Paulson to discuss the elusive quest to understand the fundamental nature of consciousness, and why our perception of reality is not necessarily what it seems.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Donald D. Hoffman Massimo Pigliucci is a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York-Lehman College. His research is concerned with philosophy of... Learn More Suzanne O’Sullivan Suzanne O’Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, first working at The Royal London Hospital and now as a consultant in... Learn More Watch Details The Will to Meaning: Seeking the “Why” of Our Existence At their core, multiple branches of knowledge have emerged in response to two age-old questions: First, why are we here? And second, how can we lead a meaningful life? Historically, these questions were the province of religion and spirituality, but with the declining influence of religious traditions and waning academic interest in the humanities, we have been left with a vacuum of meaning. Learn More Tuesday, October 10, 2017 The Power of Meaning: The Quest for an Existential Roadmap Neurologist Jay Lombard, philosophers Massimo Pigliucci and Michael Ruse, and author Emily Esfahani Smith join forces to shed light on these perennial questions from their respective disciplines.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jay Lombard is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Genomind, and is in private practice as the Clinical Director of Neuroscience at LifeSpan Medicine. Previously,... Learn More Massimo Pigliucci, PhD Massimo Pigliucci is a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York-Lehman College. His research is concerned with philosophy of... Learn More Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Wekmeister Professor and Director of the History and Philosophy of Science Program at Florida State University. Before coming to... Learn More Emily Esfahani Smith is an instructor in positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a columnist for The New Criterion, as well... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, December 7, 2017 The Story of Life: Critical Insights from Evolutionary Biology Paleoanthropologists Melanie Chang and Ian Tattersall, and paleontologist Simon Conway Morris share their insights on these competing concepts, and explain how meaning and purpose can be gleaned from the remarkable story of life itself.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Melanie Chang is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Portland State University. Dr. Chang completed a dual PhD in physical anthropology and ecology/evolutionary biology at the University... Learn More Ian Tattersall is Curator Emeritus of Human Origins, Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History, and Professor Emeritus, Richard Gilder Graduate School.... Learn More Simon Conway Morris is professor of evolutionary palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Morris received his PhD in... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 7, 2018 A Touch of Awe: Crafting Meaning from the Wonder of the Cosmos Theoretical physicists Paul Davies and Ard Louis, and astrophysicist Lucianne Walkowicz tackle the “big questions” of existence, sharing their perceptions based on years of gazing upward and beyond our own intimate planet.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in... Learn More Ard Louis is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford, where he leads an interdisciplinary research group studying problems on the border... Learn More Lucianne Walkowicz is an Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. She studies stellar magnetic activity and how stars influence a planet’s suitability as a... Learn More Watch Details Unlocking the Unconscious: Exploring the Undiscovered Self In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in the science of consciousness, considered to be one of the last unchartered frontiers. Yet as neuroscientists attempt the daunting task of mapping the human brain, they must also wrestle with the central challenge of explaining how our thoughts and emotions—including our sense of self-awareness—emerge from the trillions of neural circuits in... Learn More Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Delving Within: The New Science of the Unconscious Experts from neuroscience, neuropsychiatry and psychotherapy join forces to shed light on the latest insights into the fascinating and still emerging science of the unconscious.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Heather Berlin is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She received her... Learn More Efrat Ginot, PhD is a graduate of the NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Ginot is currently an instructor at the Institute for... Learn More George Makari, MD is Director of the DeWitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry, a Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Dreaming: A Gateway to the Unconscious? Our panel of experts examines dreams from a variety of perspectives, including how they might be interpreted and even directed in some cases.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Deirdre Leigh Barrett, PhD is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s Behavioral Medicine Program. She is a Past President of both the... Learn More Kelly Bulkeley, PhD is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is also director of the Sleep and Dream Database... Learn More Rubin Naiman, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in integrative sleep and dream medicine. He is the sleep and dream specialist and clinical assistant professor... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Deeper Self: An Expanded View of Consciousness A panel of distinguished experts tackles everything from the varieties of noetic experience and the role of intuition to the phenomenon of peak experience and Jung’s concept of the “collective unconscious.”Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Siri Hustvedt, PhD is Lecturer in Psychiatry at the Dewitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry, Weill Medical School of Cornell University. She has... Learn More Sonu Shamdasani, PhD is a London-based author, editor, and professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London WIHM/UCL,... Learn More Mark Solms, PhD is a psychoanalyst and a professor in neuropsychology. He holds the Chair of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote... Learn More Watch Details From Knowledge to Wisdom: Science and the Good Life Ever since Socrates declared “the unexamined life is not worth living,” philosophers have been engaged in a passionate debate: What is the good life? What is the nature of happiness, and how can it be attained? Is morality or virtue a prerequisite to the good life? Is a meaningful life also a happy one? What is the path toward human flourishing? Learn More Thursday, October 8, 2015 A New Science of Happiness: The Paradox of Pleasure Attorney and author Kim Azzarelli, historian Darrin McMahon, and social psychologist Barry Schwartz join forces to share their research and insight on happiness, pleasure, and the coveted good life.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Kim K. Azzarelli is a business, philanthropic, and legal advisor focused on advancing women and girls. Together with Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ms. Azzarelli is a... Learn More Darrin M. McMahon is a historian, author, and Professor of History at Dartmouth College. He was formerly the Ben Weider Professor and Distinguished Research Professor... Learn More Barry Schwartz is the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College, where he has been teaching for over 40 years.... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Moral Animal: Virtue, Vice & Human Nature Philosopher Christian Miller joins forces with cognitive neuroscientist Heather Berlin and science writer Michael Shermer to take a closer look at our moral ecology and its influence on our underlying assumptions about human nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Heather Berlin is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She received her... Learn More Christian Miller is Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. from the University... Learn More Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He has been... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Cultivating Character: The Art of Living Philosopher of science Philip Kitcher joins Humean philosopher Valerie Tiberius and distinguished psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett to explore the role of wisdom in the interplay between positive emotions, virtues, and character.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Lisa Feldman Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, where she is director of the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory. Barrett received... Learn More Philip Kitcher is John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. He specializes in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of biology, the philosophy of... Learn More Valerie Tiberius is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, an institution she has been affiliated with since 1998. Tiberius received a bachelor’s degree... Learn More Watch Details Beyond the Big Bang: Searching for Meaning in Contemporary Physics Perhaps more than any other scientific discipline, modern physics has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos by tackling a number of age-old existential questions: How did the universe begin? How can something emerge from nothing? What is the fabric of reality? Why do the laws of physics seem to be uniquely suited for life on Earth? Do we live in a deterministic universe?... Learn More Tuesday, October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? How is it possible for something to emerge from nothing, or has a universe in some form always existed? This question of origins — both of the universe as a whole and of the fundamental laws of physics — raises profound scientific, philosophical, and religious questions, culminating in the most basic existential question of all: Why are we here?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More David Z. Albert, PhD is Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy and Director of the M.A. Program in The Philosophical Foundations of Physics at Columbia... Learn More Jim Holt is an American philosopher, author and essayist. He has contributed to The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The New York... Learn More Neil Turok, PhD is one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists. Formerly Professor of Physics at Princeton and Chair of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge, he... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything Should new theories be validated solely on the basis of calculations that can never be empirically tested? Can we ever truly grasp the implications of modern physics when the basic laws of nature do not always operate according to our standard paradigms?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Katherine Freese, PhD is the George E. Uhlenbeck Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. Starting in September 2014 she is Director of Nordita,... Learn More Marcelo Gleiser, PhD is a world-renowned theoretical physicist and award-winning author, and is currently the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics... Learn More Max Tegmark, PhD is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the scientific director of the Foundational Questions Institute. He graduated from... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning What can contemporary physics offer us in the quest to understand our place in the universe? Has physics in some ways become a religion unto itself that rejects the search for existential meaning?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Adam Frank, PhD is a physicist, astronomer and writer, and is currently a professor of Astrophysics at the University of Rochester. His research focuses on... Learn More David Kaiser, PhD is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Department Head of MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society, and also a... Learn More Tim Maudlin, PhD is Professor of Philosophy at New York University. He received his BA in Physics and Philosophy from Yale and his PhD in... Learn More Priyamvada Natarajan, PhD is Professor in the Departments of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University. She is a theoretical astrophysicist whose research involves mapping the... Learn More Watch Details Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Boundaries between Life and Death Remarkable advances in resuscitation medicine—the science of bringing people back to life—have blurred the once clear demarcation between life and death. Led by physicians across the globe, these developments are creating a paradigm shift in our understanding of death, challenging the perception that it is an implacable, terminal moment with the realization that death is a dynamic, biological... Learn More Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine Emergency medicine experts Lance Becker and Sam Parnia and neurosurgeon Stephan Mayer discuss key discoveries and emerging technologies in resuscitation science that are helping to bring back those on the brink of death, and the difficult questions and ethical dilemmas they sometimes confront during medical crises.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Lance B. Becker, MD, is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the founder and Director of the Emergency Resuscitation Center... Learn More Stephan A. Mayer, MD, is Professor of Neurology and Neurological Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, and is... Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Prolonging Life: Legal, Ethical, and Social Dilemmas Medical director Christopher Comfort, organ transplant specialist Sam Shemie, ethicist Mildred Solomon, and attorney Barbara Coombs Lee will examine the underlying assumptions and considerations that ultimately shape individual and societal decisions surrounding these issues.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Christopher P. Comfort, MD, as Medical Director of Calvary Hospital, develops, coordinates, and facilitates clinical services for palliative and end-of-life care. Dr. Comfort is Board-certified... Learn More Barbara Coombs Lee is President of Compassion & Choices, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding and protecting the rights of the terminally ill. She practiced... Learn More Dr. Sam Shemie is a physician in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, and Medical Director, Extracorporeal Life Support Program at Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill... Learn More Mildred Z. Solomon, EdD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Hastings Center. She is also Clinical Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School,... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Experiencing Death: An Insider’s Perspective Join neurologist Kevin Nelson, psychiatrist Peter Fenwick, orthopedic surgeon Mary Neal, and emergency medicine expert Sam Parnia as they share some of these remarkable stories and discuss how they analyze such experiences in light of their own backgrounds and training.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Peter Fenwick is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, and associated with the Mental Health Group at the University of Southampton.... Learn More Mary C. Neal, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, former Director of Spine Surgery at the University of Southern California, and a founding partner of... Learn More Kevin Nelson, MD is Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky. He directs the Neuromuscular clinical neurophysiology laboratory and cares for patients with Neuromuscular disease.... Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Confronting Mortality: Faith and Meaning across Cultures Psychologist Lani Leary, historian of religions Jeffrey J. Kripal, and sociologist Allan Kellehear come together to share a multicultural perspective on death, dying, and what lies beyond.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jeffrey J. Kripal, PhD, is the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, where he chaired the Department of Religious... Learn More Allan Kellehear, PhD, is Professor of Community Health, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University. He was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University... Learn More Lani Leary, PhD, specializes in work with chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. She has worked for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist in... Learn More Watch Details The Emerging Science of Consciousness: Mind, Brain and the Human Experience The complexity of the human brain and how it gives rise to our understanding and experience of the world around us is one of the greatest mysteries remaining in science today. While recent discoveries in neuroscience are providing us with new insights into the workings of the brain, a comprehensive science of the mind is only just beginning to emerge. Learn More Wednesday, October 10, 2012 The Thinking Ape: The Enigma of Human Consciousness Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman, philosopher David Chalmers, expert in primate cognition Laurie Santos, and physician-scientist Nicholas Schiff will discuss what it means to be "conscious" and examine the human capacities displayed in cognitive, aesthetic, and ethical behaviors, with a focus on the place and function of the mind within nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More David Chalmers, PhD David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University and also Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Laurie Santos, PhD Laurie Santos is Associate Professor of Psychology at Yale University and the director of The Comparative Cognition Laboratory. She received her BA... Learn More Nicholas D. Schiff, MD Nicholas D. Schiff, MD, is Director of the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuromodulation at Weill Cornell Medical College where he conducts research... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, November 14, 2012 The Mystery of Memory: In Search of the Past Psychologist Daniel Schacter, neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, historian of science and medicine Alison Winter, and novelist and comparative literature professor André Aciman join forces to discuss how memory impacts our perception of ourselves, the development of personality, and the ability to construct and reconstruct our past experience.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Daniel Schacter, PhD Daniel L. Schacter is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Schacter’s research explores the relation between conscious and... Learn More Joseph LeDoux, PhD Joseph LeDoux is a University Professor at NYU in the Center for Neural Science, and he directs the Emotional Brain Institute of... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Music & the Mind: The Magical Power of Sound Cognitive neuroscientists and musicians Jamshed Bharucha and Charles Limb join music therapy pioneer Concetta Tomaino and jazz pianist Vijay Iyer to discuss the ability of music to both heal and elicit specific emotions at the interface of body, mind, and memory.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jamshed Bharucha, PhD Jamshed Bharucha is the twelfth President of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Prior to this position, he... Learn More Jazz Pianist Learn More Charles Limb, MD Charles Limb is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where... Learn More Concetta Tomaino, DA Concetta Tomaino is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function and Senior Vice President for Music... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness Neuroscientists Richard Davidson and Amishi Jha join clinical mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn to explore the role of consciousness in mental and physical health.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Richard Davidson, PhD Richard Davidson is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, he is the Director... Learn More Amishi Jha, PhD Amishi Jha is associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, prior to which she was an Assistant Professor at the... Learn More Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD Jon Kabat-Zinn is founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts... Learn More Watch Details Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity & Consciousness The perdurable question, "Who am I?" points to a deeply rooted need within the human species to understand the basis for the experience of unitary consciousness known as the Self. Today, the word "Self" has come to refer to a host of intersecting ideas, questions, concerns, and problems that are central to the human condition and predicament. At the same time, our fundamental experience of... Learn More Tuesday, December 7, 2010 To Be or Not To Be: The Self as Illusion Evidence from studies of the brain and mind point to a construct of the Self resulting from complex neurobiological processes interacting with the environment. If distinct neurobiological correlates of consciousness do in fact exist, does that necessarily imply that the Self is an epiphenomenon and illusion? Furthermore, how do these characterizations of the Self affect the way we represent ourselves,...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Pim van Lommel, MD Pim van Lommel, MD was born in 1943, graduated in 1971 at the University of Utrecht, and finished his specialization in... Learn More Thomas Metzinger, PhD Thomas Metzinger is Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and an Adjunct Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced... Learn More Evan Thompson, PhD Evan Thompson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His areas of research are cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Quid Pro Quo: The Ecology of the Self How does our concept of the Self differ from our concept of others? What makes the human concept of Self different from that of non-human selves such as animals? Philosopher and neurobiologist Owen Flanagan and psychologists Roy Baumeister and Paul Bloom will examine current biological, psychological, and anthropological research on the complex interaction between the Self and others and will...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Paul Bloom, PhD Paul Bloom is a professor of psychology at Yale University. His research explores how children and adults understand the physical and social... Learn More Owen Flanagan, PhD Owen Flanagan is James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He also holds appointments in Psychology and Neurobiology and is... Learn More Roy Baumeister, PhD Roy Baumeister is Francis Eppes Professor of Psychology and head of the social psychology graduate program at Florida State University. He earned... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, March 23, 2011 The Pursuit of Immortality: From the Ego to the Soul Are we immortal? Do our souls exist beyond our bodies? What scientific evidence is there for mystical experience? These questions and others will be addressed from a cultural, historical, and scientific perspective by evolutionary biologist Kenneth Miller and theologians John Haught and Nancey Murphy. Science, self, and immortality by John F. Haught Immortality versus resurrection in the Christian tradition by...Lisa Miller Lisa Miller is a senior editor at Newsweek. She oversees all of the magazine’s religion coverage and writes the weekly “Belief Watch column.... Learn More John F. Haught John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of... Learn More Learn More Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received her B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology)... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, April 28, 2011 A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Linking Belief to Behavior Philosopher Simon Critchley, cognitive scientist Shaun Gallagher, and physicist V.V. Raman will survey how the Self is shaped by interactions with the environment, how free will, responsibility, and other traits emerge, and how character and virtue become targets for constructing the Self. A self-fulfilling prophecy: linking belief to behavior by Esther Sternberg The self in the Cartesian brain by Shaun...Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. Dr. Esther M. Sternberg received her M.D. and Rheumatology training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and was on the faculty... Learn More Simon Critchley, PhD Simon Critchley is Chair and Professor of philosophy at The New School for Social Research. Critchley studied philosophy at the University of... Learn More Shaun Gallagher, PhD Shaun Gallagher is Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences at The University of Central Florida, where he is also a member of... Learn More V. V. Raman, PhD V. V. Raman is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Humanities at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Senior Fellow, Metanexus Institute. Professor... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, May 12, 2011 Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self How did the modern concept of the Self emerge as a subject? Does the Self described by the classical Greeks, Aquinas, and philosophers of the Enlightenment match the reality of what we know about ourselves through human experience and psychological research? Historians Gerald Izenberg and Jerrold Seigel, philosopher Raymond Martin, and sociologist Norbert Wiley will trace the evolution of the...Robert Hanna, PhD Robert Hanna is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale in... Learn More Gerald Izenberg, PhD Gerald N. Izenberg is a professor of history at Washington University. Izenberg joined Washington University in 1976, and became a professor in... Learn More Raymond Martin, PhD Raymond Martin, Philosophy Department chair at Union College, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and was a professor and director... Learn More Norbert Wiley , PhD Norbert Wiley is professor emeritus of Sociology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, and was Visiting Scholar at the University of... Learn More Jerrold Seigel, PhD Jerrold Seigel is William R. Kenan Professor of History emeritus at NYU, where he has taught since 1988, and served as chair... Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Who am I? Beyond ‘I Think, Therefore I Am’ Can we ever really answer the long-standing philosophical question, “Who am I?” Philosophers, ethicists, and psychologists have all spoken to the difficulty of achieving genuine self-knowledge and the uncertainties of our judgment in evaluating oneself. The final seminar in the series will bring together philosopher Elie During, cognitive scientist David A. Jopling, social psychologist Timothy Wilson, and ethicist Frances Kamm...Alex Voorhoeve, PhD Alex Voorhoeve is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the London School of Economics. In 2008-09 he was a Fellow at Harvard... Learn More Elie During, Ph.D. Dr. Elie During is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris 10, Nanterre, and a seminar lecturer at the... Learn More David A. Jopling, DPhil David A. Jopling is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at York University, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His research interests... Learn More Frances Kamm, PhD Frances M. Kamm is Littauer Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University... Learn More Timothy Wilson, PhD Timothy D. Wilson is the Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and a researcher of positive psychology... Learn More Watch Details Shifting Realities: Myths, Models & Morality How do we understand and define the nature of reality? Can one speak of truly objective realities, or are realities necessarily subjective and contingent upon the observer's perspective? Are realities static and immutable, or are they fluid and dynamic in nature? What forms of reasoning and criteria do we use to ascertain and establish the intrinsic reality of a phenomenon? How do we study those events and... Learn More Wednesday, May 12, 2010 The Contingent Nature of Reality When confronted with the underlying nature of any reality, including perennial questions about the origin and purpose of our existence, we thus find it necessary to engage both logos and mythos to intuit the answers that we seek. For while myths provide a steppingstone for the advancement of rationality, the ongoing discovery of new evidence allows us to continually adapt... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Life, Death & the Pursuit of Morality In this light, the second part of this symposium addresses the question of how our understanding of the concepts of life and death may affect our moral sensibility, decisions, and actions. In short, it engages scientific and humanistic focus upon the ways in which human finitude can, and perhaps should, impact moral character, values, and conduct in the rich and...James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Technology, Neuroscience, and the Nature of Being: Considerations of Meaning, Morality & Transcendence The aim of this three-part symposium series is to provide a forum for the launch of high-level interdisciplinary discussions intended to address and overcome the increasing isolation and fragmentation of the disciplines devoted to the science and advancement of the human person. The conferences, which will take place at Georgetown, Oxford University, and the United Nations in New... Learn More Friday, May 8, 2009 The Paradox of Neurotechnology Read the Conference ReportAs published in Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine Though neurotechnologies have allowed unparalleled capability to bring groups of individuals together through rapid communication and informational delivery while at the same time providing invaluable insight into the workings of the brain, the paradox remains that these technologies may also incur more dystopian possibilities by isolating individuals as...Sheri Alpert, M.A., M.P.A., Ph.D. Dr. Sheri Alpert is a Lecturer and Associate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics. Immediately prior to... Learn More Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Pharmacology of the Department of Oncology and... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D. Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology at the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University.... Learn More Jeffrey L. Krichmar, Ph.D. Jeffrey L. Krichmar is an assistant professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. His research... Learn More Dennis McBride, Ph.D., MPA Dr. McBride is an affiliated professor at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute and the Georgetown University Medical Center. Since 2001... Learn More Erik Parens, Ph.D. Dr. Erik Parens is a Senior Research Scholar at The Hastings Center, a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to bioethics and the public... Learn More Learn More Susan Schneider, Ph.D. Dr. Susan Schneider is assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and an affiliated faculty member at... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Details Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Brain, Mind & the Nature of Being As the fields that are broadly grouped under the rubric of neuroscience provide increasingly more information about the structure and function of neural systems and the brain, it becomes relatively easier to accept and use this data as “facts” to guide, if not actually dictate, our perspectives and activities. Indeed, in the past decade neuroscience has become something of a...Martin Davies, Ph.D. Dr. Martin Davies is Wilde Professor of Mental Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College. He... Learn More Richard Finn, OP Fr Richard Finn OP is a Dominican friar, and Regent (Head of House) at Blackfriars Hall since 2004. He read English at... Learn More Peter Hacker, Ph.D. Professor P.M.S. Hacker is currently Emeritus Research Fellow at Oxford University’s St. John’s College, where he had been a fellow from 1966-2006.... Learn More Ian Phillips, Ph.D. Ian Phillips is a Philosopher and Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University. He works mainly in Philosophy of Mind. From... Learn More Parashkev Nachev, Ph.D. Dr. Parashkev Nachev is an Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Neurology at University College London, and an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in... Learn More Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More John Hyman, Ph.D. John Hyman, Ph.D., is currently a Professor of Aesthetics and Senior Tutor at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford. Between 1984 and... Learn More Hanna Pickard, Ph.D. Hanna Pickard is a philosopher of mind and psychiatry at All Souls College, Oxford; and a therapist at the Complex Needs Service,... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Details Friday, September 11, 2009 Toward a Common Morality Discoveries in neuroscience and in particular neurotechnology have provided a unique window through which we can glance into the intricate workings of the human brain. Technologies such as brain scanning using positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging have enabled us to now monitor and understand the detailed geographical representation of human emotions, feelings, and thoughts within the brain....Leili Anvar, Ph.D. Dr. Leili Anvar is Professor in Persian Language and Literature at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris, where... Learn More William D. Casebeer, Ph.D. Dr. Casebeer is a career intelligence analyst and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. He holds degrees in political science... Learn More Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Pharmacology of the Department of Oncology and... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Maxwell R. Bennett, Ph.D. Dr. Bennett is Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Sydney, and Scientific Director of the Brain & Mind Research Institute... Learn More Martha J. Farah, Ph.D. Dr. Martha Farah is currently Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences and Director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at... Learn More Bernard Gert, Ph.D. Dr. Bernard Gert is currently the Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth... Learn More Farhad Mechkat Farhad Mechkat is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso who began his musical studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. After... Learn More Donald W. Pfaff, Ph.D. As head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at Rockefeller University, Dr. Pfaff uses neuroanatomical, neurochemical and neurophysiological methods to... Learn More Watch Details Beyond the Mind-Body Problem: New Paradigms in the Science of Consciousness Over the past decade, an increasing number of physicians and neuroscientists have sought to uncover the complex relationship between mind, brain, and consciousness as they continue to search for a more comprehensive perspective on the “self” and the workings of the human mind. Though much remains to be done, their findings to date have shed a more holistic light on our understanding of the... Learn More Thursday, September 11, 2008 Unraveling the Mystery of the Self: From Descartes to the Human Consciousness Project℠ The mystery of the ‘self’ is a subject that has both captivated and eluded artists, philosophers, and scientists alike for centuries. Simply stated, the human mind or self constitutes the inexplicable and intimate entity that makes each and every one of us into the unique beings that we are today. Or to put it in slightly different terms, the self... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Mind-Body Connections: How Does Consciousness Shape the Brain? certainly does not render it a good candidate for reduction to a physical basis. Noting that physical theories alone would be compatible with the absence of consciousness, popular philosophical arguments have long highlighted the fact that an adequate theory of consciousness requires more than mere brain physics can provide. In short, there is something more to our minds than meets... Learn More Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. is Research Psychiatrist at UCLA School of Medicine and a seminal thinker and researcher in the field... Learn More Henry P. Stapp, Ph.D. Dr. Henry Stapp is a theoretical physicist at the University of California’s Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, specializing in the mathematical and logical... Learn More Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Why God Doesn’t Use Biostatistics: Science and the Study of the Mind, the Body, and Spirituality With the rapidly expanding field of research exploring mystical and spiritual phenomena as well as altered states of consciousness, there have been many perspectives as to the validity, importance, relevance, and need for such research, in addition to the ultimate issue of how such research should be interpreted with regard to epistemological questions. Ultimately, this information may bear important practical...Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Beyond the Brain: The Experiential Implications of Neurotheology As explorations into the neuropsychology of religious and spiritual experience provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the interplay of consciousness, volition, and emotion, the central question remains: to what extent does the mind transcend its neural basis? Conventional wisdom holds that assemblies of neurons must account for consciousness, and, by extension, for all subjective facets of lived experience.... Learn More Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Christina M. Puchalski, M.D. Dr. Puchalski is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Health Care Sciences at The George Washington University School... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Strings Resonance: A Musical Performance A special musical performance featuring a series of solo and duet pieces inspired by a vision of converging Eastern and Western musical traditions into a seamless, harmonious whole that reflects the universal nature of humankind. Renaud Garcia-Fons: Often referred to as “The Paganini of double bass,” the largest bowed stringed instrument in the orchestra, world-renowned double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons is... Learn More Learn More Watch Details From Tragedy to Unity: A Celebration of the Human Spirit Few would argue that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 did not devastate this nation and forever change the course of its destiny. Thousands of innocent lives were senselessly lost to an enemy that shamelessly preys on vulnerable and defenseless civilians. In response, the world community has joined together in unanimously denouncing these horrible acts of misguided hatred and destruction. Wednesday, September 11, 2002 Symposium Commemorating the First Anniversary of September 11 Few would argue that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 did not devastate this nation and forever change the course of its destiny. Thousands of innocent lives were senselessly lost to an enemy that shamelessly preys on vulnerable and defenseless civilians. In response, the world community has joined together in unanimously denouncing these horrible acts of misguided hatred and... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 11, 2003 Symposium Commemorating the Second Anniversary of September 11 On the second anniversary of the unforgettable events of September 11, the Virtue Foundation has once again invited a select group of prominent experts from multiple disciplines–including Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Gordon Conway, President of the Rockefeller Foundation; James Rubin, Former Assistant Secretary of State; and Chris Cramer, President of CNN International Networks–to engage in... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Friday, September 10, 2004 Private: Healing the World: The Ethical Dimension of Globalization and Interdependence in the Age of Terror Coinciding with the United Nations World Day of Peace, Virtue Foundation’s Third Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium commemorating the anniversary of September 11 will feature a long list of distinguished speakers and panelists, including Kate Adie, Chief Correspondent of the BBC; Ken Bacon, President of Refugees International; Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme; John Chambers, Managing Director of Standard &... DetailsAudio Programs Death (Audio Series) Across the country – in cafés, dining rooms, and community centers – there's a new conversation taking shape. After decades of sanitizing and sequestering death and dying, America seems to be ready to talk about death. For the next five weeks, we'll be exploring how to start conversations about death with your family, your doctors, and yourself. We'll also take a look at the phenomenon of near-death experience, learn about the conscious death movement, consider how we die and grieve around the world, and much more. Learn More Sunday, November 9, 2014 The Reckoning Did you hear? There's a death movement going on in America. After decades of sanitized death, with dying, funerals, burial and grief shielded from public view, some people are now working to make death a greater part of life. In this hour, we talk with experts about how to begin these difficult conversations, and how they can transform both the...Lani Leary, PhD, specializes in work with chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. She has worked for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist in... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 16, 2014 Exit Plan We live much longer than we used to, thanks to medical advances, but what are the emotional and financial costs of extending life? Some doctors don't know how to talk with their patients about preparing for death, so there's now a push to have frank conversations about end-of-life care. Also,one family's story of working within Oregon's "Death with Dignity" law. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 23, 2014 The Last Moment We'll hear conflicting perspectives on the debate over near-death experiences. Do these extraordinary experiences reveal a transcendent reality, or are they simply the biochemical product of a brain that’s shutting down? Tune in for conversations about "conscious death," and how people are reclaiming the final moments of their lives. Learn More Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 30, 2014 The Wake How do we mark death and celebrate lost lives around the globe? In this hour, we hear stories from inside the funeral industry, wonder why dead bodies can compell or repell us, and learn about the new Ghanaian tradition of "fantasy" coffins inspired by people's work and dreams. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 7, 2014 After Life In this hour, we explore the philosophical and religious dimensions of mortality and the afterlife. We talk about the art and poetry of remembrance, and now that much of our lives are lived online, how do we plan for our digital afterlives? Learn More Learn More Allan Kellehear, PhD, is Professor of Community Health, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University. He was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Meet Your Mind: A Users Guide to the Science of Consciousness (Audio Series) Your thoughts and feelings, your joy and sorrow… it’s all part of your identity, of your consciousness. But what exactly is consciousness? It may be the biggest mystery left in science. In this six-hour series, you’ll hear interviews with the world’s leading experts—neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, philosophers, writers and artists. You’ll be taken inside the brains of Buddhist monks, and across the ocean to visit France’s ancient cave paintings. You’ll find out how to build a memory palace, and meet one of the first scientists to study the effects of LSD. Learn More Sunday, November 4, 2012 Mind and Brain Neuroscientists have made remarkable discoveries about the brain, but so far, no one's come close to cracking the biggest mystery of all—the connection between the brain and the mind: how a tangle of neurons inside your skull produces… you?David Chalmers, PhD David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University and also Professor... Learn More Learn More Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Jazz Pianist Learn More Details Sunday, November 11, 2012 Memory and Forgetting Do you think your memory is a record of what actually happened? Chances are, it's not. New scientific findings show that with every act of remembering, our brains produce new neural circuits… creating new memories. Learn More Learn More Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 18, 2012 Wiring the Brain Scientists are launching one of the most audacious projects ever conceived: a detailed map of the human brain, neuron by neron, synapse by synapse. For some scientists, the goal isn't just to map the brain; it's to crack the mystery of consciousness. Explore the "connectome" and the differences between the left and right sides of the brain. Learn More Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Creative Brain Creativity is a little like obscenity: You know it when you see it, but you can't exactly define it…unless you're a neuroscientist. In labs around the country, a new generation of scientists tackles the mystery of human creativity—where it comes from and how it works. Learn More Charles Limb, MD Charles Limb is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where... Learn More Learn More Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 2, 2012 Extraordinary Minds Certain brain disorders can lead to remarkable insights....even genius. We'll peer into the world of autistic savants and dyslexics, and contemplate our cyborg future, when our brains merge with tiny, embedded computers. Also, one of the most fascinating investigations of consciousness: Stanislav Grof's pioneering study of LSD. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 9, 2012 Higher Consciousness Suppose neuroscientists map the billions of neural circuits in the human brain…are we any closer to cracking the great existential mysteries—like meaning, purpose or happiness? Scientists, contemplatives and religious thinkers are now exploring the connections between neuroscience and contemplative practice and creating a new science of mindfulness. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details On Being: The Civil Conversations Project (Audio Series) The Civil Conversations Project is an ongoing series of radio shows and an online destination that mines fresh vocabulary, lived virtues and practices, and lessons learned where ideals meet hard reality. And, we want you to be part of this diverse, ongoing public conversation. We’re hungry for fresh ways to tell hard truths and redemptive stories, to sit with questions. We learn to speak in new ways in order to live in new ways. But how do we find new ways to speak and listen to each other, to live forward together, even while holding passionate disagreements? Learn More Thursday, July 28, 2011 Words That Shimmer Poetry is something many of us seem to be hungry for these days. We’re hungry for fresh ways to tell hard truths and redemptive stories, for language that would elevate and embolden rather than demean and alienate. Elizabeth Alexander shares her sense of what poetry works in us — and in our children — and why it may become more...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 4, 2011 Sidling up to Difference Our Civil Conversations Project continues with the Ghanaian-British-American philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah. His parents’ marriage helped inspire the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. He’s studied ethics in a world of strangers and how unimaginable social change happens. We explore his erudite yet down-to-earth take on disarming moral hostilities in America now.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 11, 2011 Listening Beyond Life and Choice Frances Kissling is known for her longtime activism on the abortion issue but has devoted her energy more in recent years to real relationship and new conversations across that bitter divide. She’s learned, she’s written, about the courage to be vulnerable in front of those with whom we passionately disagree.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 18, 2011 Restoring Political Civility Richard Mouw challenges his fellow conservative Christians to civility in public discourse. He offers historical as well as spiritual perspective on American Evangelicals’ navigation of disagreement, fear, and truth.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 25, 2011 Civility, History, and Hope As part of our Civil Conversations Project, we experience the civil rights veteran Vincent Harding. He has a long lens of wisdom on contemporary divisions and confusions. He says America is still a developing nation when it comes to democratic encounter across real difference. But he finds hope in the young people he’s been bringing into creative contact with civil...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 1, 2011 Alive Enough? Sherry Turkle directs the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Her book, Alone Together, created a catchword for anxiety about the alienating potential of technology. But that’s not really her message. We explore the real challenge she poses — that we can and must lead examined lives with our digital objects — actively shaping technology to human purposes.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Science and the Search for Meaning: Five Questions (Audio Series) To the Best of Our Knowledge, Wisconsin Public Radio and Public Radio International's Peabody Award-winning magazine of ideas, presents a major 5-hour series on the complex relationship between science and spirituality. Through a series of in-depth interviews with leading experts, executive producer Steve Paulson examines 5 central ideas in modern science and their impact on some of the most profound questions facing philosophers and religious thinkers today. Learn More Sunday, November 21, 2010 What is Life? Scientists can now explain virtually every stage of the evolutionary process. But there’s a basic question that still mystifies even the best scientists: How did life first begin on Earth? Or to put in another way, how did non-life somehow turn into life? And can we say the Earth itself is alive? This hour explores some of the fundamental mysteries...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in... Learn More Details Sunday, November 28, 2010 What Does Evolution Want? Are human beings just an evolutionary accident? What if the evolution of humans, or some brainy creature like us, was inevitable once life first appeared on Earth? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, maverick paleontologist Simon Conway Morris explains why he believes evolution must ultimately lead to intelligent beings. Original Air Date: November 28, 2010Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Simon Conway Morris is professor of evolutionary palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Morris received his PhD in... Learn More Learn More Learn More John F. Haught John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 5, 2010 Does the “Soul” Still Matter? For centuries, we’ve been told the soul is what makes each of us unique. It’s why we have moral responsibility. And it’s the part of us that lives on after we die. But many scientists now say the soul is just an outdated myth, an idea that can be explained away by new insights from neuroscience and evolutionary biology. In...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received her B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology)... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 12, 2010 Can Islam and Science Coexist? Islamic culture was once the center of the scientific world. During Europe’s Dark Ages, Baghdad, Cairo and other Middle Eastern cities were the key repositories of ancient Greek science. Muslim scholars themselves made breakthroughs in medicine, optics, and mathematics. Today the Islamic world lags far behind the West in science and technology. What happened? This hour of To the Best...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 19, 2010 Can Science Be Sacred? What if you don’t believe in God, and the thought of church makes you queasy? Can you still experience the sacred? There’s a growing movement of secular scientists who revel in the awe and wonder of nature. In fact, many consider this a religious experience – without God. This hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge examines the search...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sort by: NewestOldest Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Intersection of Life and Death Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Spiritual Materialism: Transcendent Encounters with the Sacred Tuesday, October 10, 2023 The Spiritual Impulse: Understanding the Experience of God Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Cultivating the Mind: Reason and the Pursuit of Ethical Transformation Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Fathoming the Mind: A Closer Look at the Formation of Self Thursday, November 17, 2022 Unraveling the Mind: The Mystery of Consciousness Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Enigma of Life: Confronting Marvels at the Edges of Science Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Beyond Oneself: The Ethics and Psychology of Awe Thursday, October 10, 2019 Unpacking Wonder: From Curiosity to Comprehension Saturday, April 6, 2019 The Musical Art of Ostad Elahi Friday, April 5, 2019 The Musical Legacy of Ostad Elahi Thursday, February 7, 2019 Reality Is Not As It Seems Thursday, December 6, 2018 Human Cognition and the AI Revolution Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe Wednesday, February 7, 2018 A Touch of Awe: Crafting Meaning from the Wonder of the Cosmos Thursday, December 7, 2017 The Story of Life: Critical Insights from Evolutionary Biology Tuesday, October 10, 2017 The Power of Meaning: The Quest for an Existential Roadmap Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Deeper Self: An Expanded View of Consciousness Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Dreaming: A Gateway to the Unconscious? Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Delving Within: The New Science of the Unconscious Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Cultivating Character: The Art of Living Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Moral Animal: Virtue, Vice & Human Nature Thursday, October 8, 2015 A New Science of Happiness: The Paradox of Pleasure Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning Sunday, December 7, 2014 After Life Wednesday, December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything Sunday, November 30, 2014 The Wake Sunday, November 23, 2014 The Last Moment Sunday, November 16, 2014 Sunday at the MET Sunday, November 9, 2014 The Reckoning Sunday, November 16, 2014 Exit Plan Tuesday, October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? Saturday, September 6, 2014 Opening Event Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Confronting Mortality: Faith and Meaning across Cultures Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Experiencing Death: An Insider’s Perspective Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Prolonging Life: Legal, Ethical, and Social Dilemmas Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Music & the Mind: The Magical Power of Sound Sunday, December 9, 2012 Higher Consciousness Sunday, December 2, 2012 Extraordinary Minds Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Creative Brain Sunday, November 18, 2012 Wiring the Brain Wednesday, November 14, 2012 The Mystery of Memory: In Search of the Past Sunday, November 11, 2012 Memory and Forgetting Sunday, November 4, 2012 Mind and Brain Wednesday, October 10, 2012 The Thinking Ape: The Enigma of Human Consciousness Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Who am I? Beyond ‘I Think, Therefore I Am’ Thursday, May 12, 2011 Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self Thursday, April 28, 2011 A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Linking Belief to Behavior Wednesday, March 23, 2011 The Pursuit of Immortality: From the Ego to the Soul Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Quid Pro Quo: The Ecology of the Self Sunday, December 19, 2010 Can Science Be Sacred? Sunday, December 12, 2010 Can Islam and Science Coexist? Tuesday, December 7, 2010 To Be or Not To Be: The Self as Illusion Sunday, December 5, 2010 Does the “Soul” Still Matter? Sunday, November 28, 2010 What Does Evolution Want? Sunday, November 21, 2010 What is Life? Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Life, Death & the Pursuit of Morality Wednesday, May 12, 2010 The Contingent Nature of Reality Friday, September 11, 2009 The Neurobiology of Virtue: Evolution, Cognition and Human Flourishing Friday, September 11, 2009 Toward a Common Morality Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Brain, Mind & the Nature of Being Thursday, September 11, 2008 Strings Resonance: A Musical Performance Thursday, September 11, 2008 Unraveling the Mystery of the Self: From Descartes to the Human Consciousness Project℠ Thursday, September 11, 2008 Mind-Body Connections: How Does Consciousness Shape the Brain? Thursday, September 11, 2003 Symposium Commemorating the Second Anniversary of September 11 Wednesday, September 11, 2002 Symposium Commemorating the First Anniversary of September 11
The Enduring Enigma of the Mind Where does the human mind begin? If we equate the mind with consciousness, should we account for its emergence as a by-product of evolution, or should we accept it instead as a fundamental feature of reality, on a par with concepts such as matter and energy? Does the mind only exist in animals with brains, or does it have a deeper, possibly cosmic meaning? The question runs through the intellectual... Learn More Thursday, November 17, 2022 Unraveling the Mind: The Mystery of Consciousness Few words in our language appear to cover such a broad and flexible swath of ideas as “the mind.” But what, actually, is the human mind? How does it relate to and differ from its seemingly inseparable companion, the brain? Where does the mind begin or emerge from? Is it merely a by-product of neural activities within the brain, or... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Fathoming the Mind: A Closer Look at the Formation of Self Recent research in animal behavior and culture shows that the mental capacities of animals have been largely undervalued. And yet it is hard to resist the impression of a gap—a difference in nature rather than degree—between humans and non-humans when it comes to certain tasks involving abstraction, planning, sustained attention, or the transmission of culture over generations. How different is... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Cultivating the Mind: Reason and the Pursuit of Ethical Transformation Rationality, long considered a distinctive characteristic of the human mind, provides us with the capacity for understanding and discernment, as well as the ability to introduce order into our thoughts by allowing us to form higher-order volitions, adopt values, establish priorities, and achieve a level of consistency in our actions across time. The ancient Socratic ideal of the “examined life”... Learn More Richard Davidson, PhD Richard Davidson is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, he is the Director... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details The Power of Wonder: Modern Marvels in the Age of Science The feelings of awe and wonder engendered by astonishing or mysterious natural phenomena are as old as humanity itself. According to the classical account of rationality, the end of inquiry—the production of a viable explanation—should also serve to diffuse these emotions. Yet, the cultural and spiritual significance of wonder and its psychological underpinnings seem to suggest a different... Learn More Thursday, October 10, 2019 Unpacking Wonder: From Curiosity to Comprehension Social psychologist Michelle "Lani" Shiota, writer Caspar Henderson, and astrophysicist Alex Filippenko unpack the emerging science behind the emotion of awe and wonder, and its function in our ongoing quest for understanding and knowledge.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Beyond Oneself: The Ethics and Psychology of Awe Prof. of religious studies and ethicist Lisa Sideris joins psychologists Jennifer Stellar and Piercarlo Valdesolo to explore our understanding of how awe shapes our perspectives and views on everything from science to morality.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Enigma of Life: Confronting Marvels at the Edges of Science Physicist Marcelo Gleiser, experimental psychologist Tania Lombrozo, and physician Gavin Francis analyze the impact of awe and wonder on their own work and on the mindsets of their colleagues carrying out cutting-edge scientific research.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Marcelo Gleiser, PhD is a world-renowned theoretical physicist and award-winning author, and is currently the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Conversations on the Nature of Reality For millennia, humans have sought to answer a seemingly unsolvable problem: What is the relationship between our conscious, subjective experience—what we see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and think—and the physical world that surrounds us? Is the reality of the physical world constructed through our subjective experience, or does the physical world we perceive have an independent,... Learn More Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe Theoretical physicist S. James Gates Jr. and science writer Margaret Wertheim join Steve Paulson to explore the mystery of our universe and the uncanny potential of mathematics to reveal the laws of nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More S. James Gates Jr., PhD S. James Gates Jr. is the Ford Foundation Professor of Physics at Brown University. He was previously at the University... Learn More Margaret Wertheim Margaret Wertheim is a science writer, curator, and artist whose work focuses on relations between science and the wider cultural landscape. She is... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, December 6, 2018 Human Cognition and the AI Revolution Logician/mathematician Roger Antonsen and computer science pioneer Barbara J. Grosz join Steve Paulson to break down the fundamental elements of human understanding and analyze what lies ahead on the horizon of AI.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Roger Antonsen Roger Antonsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics in the research group Logic and Intelligent Data (LogID) at the University... Learn More Barbara J. Grosz Barbara J. Grosz is the Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences at Harvard University. From 2007-2011 Grosz served as interim dean and then... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, February 7, 2019 Reality Is Not As It Seems Cognitive scientist Donald D. Hoffman and neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan join Steve Paulson to discuss the elusive quest to understand the fundamental nature of consciousness, and why our perception of reality is not necessarily what it seems.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Donald D. Hoffman Massimo Pigliucci is a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York-Lehman College. His research is concerned with philosophy of... Learn More Suzanne O’Sullivan Suzanne O’Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, first working at The Royal London Hospital and now as a consultant in... Learn More Watch Details The Will to Meaning: Seeking the “Why” of Our Existence At their core, multiple branches of knowledge have emerged in response to two age-old questions: First, why are we here? And second, how can we lead a meaningful life? Historically, these questions were the province of religion and spirituality, but with the declining influence of religious traditions and waning academic interest in the humanities, we have been left with a vacuum of meaning. Learn More Tuesday, October 10, 2017 The Power of Meaning: The Quest for an Existential Roadmap Neurologist Jay Lombard, philosophers Massimo Pigliucci and Michael Ruse, and author Emily Esfahani Smith join forces to shed light on these perennial questions from their respective disciplines.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jay Lombard is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Genomind, and is in private practice as the Clinical Director of Neuroscience at LifeSpan Medicine. Previously,... Learn More Massimo Pigliucci, PhD Massimo Pigliucci is a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York-Lehman College. His research is concerned with philosophy of... Learn More Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Wekmeister Professor and Director of the History and Philosophy of Science Program at Florida State University. Before coming to... Learn More Emily Esfahani Smith is an instructor in positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a columnist for The New Criterion, as well... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, December 7, 2017 The Story of Life: Critical Insights from Evolutionary Biology Paleoanthropologists Melanie Chang and Ian Tattersall, and paleontologist Simon Conway Morris share their insights on these competing concepts, and explain how meaning and purpose can be gleaned from the remarkable story of life itself.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Melanie Chang is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Portland State University. Dr. Chang completed a dual PhD in physical anthropology and ecology/evolutionary biology at the University... Learn More Ian Tattersall is Curator Emeritus of Human Origins, Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History, and Professor Emeritus, Richard Gilder Graduate School.... Learn More Simon Conway Morris is professor of evolutionary palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Morris received his PhD in... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 7, 2018 A Touch of Awe: Crafting Meaning from the Wonder of the Cosmos Theoretical physicists Paul Davies and Ard Louis, and astrophysicist Lucianne Walkowicz tackle the “big questions” of existence, sharing their perceptions based on years of gazing upward and beyond our own intimate planet.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in... Learn More Ard Louis is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford, where he leads an interdisciplinary research group studying problems on the border... Learn More Lucianne Walkowicz is an Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. She studies stellar magnetic activity and how stars influence a planet’s suitability as a... Learn More Watch Details Unlocking the Unconscious: Exploring the Undiscovered Self In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in the science of consciousness, considered to be one of the last unchartered frontiers. Yet as neuroscientists attempt the daunting task of mapping the human brain, they must also wrestle with the central challenge of explaining how our thoughts and emotions—including our sense of self-awareness—emerge from the trillions of neural circuits in... Learn More Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Delving Within: The New Science of the Unconscious Experts from neuroscience, neuropsychiatry and psychotherapy join forces to shed light on the latest insights into the fascinating and still emerging science of the unconscious.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Heather Berlin is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She received her... Learn More Efrat Ginot, PhD is a graduate of the NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Ginot is currently an instructor at the Institute for... Learn More George Makari, MD is Director of the DeWitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry, a Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Dreaming: A Gateway to the Unconscious? Our panel of experts examines dreams from a variety of perspectives, including how they might be interpreted and even directed in some cases.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Deirdre Leigh Barrett, PhD is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s Behavioral Medicine Program. She is a Past President of both the... Learn More Kelly Bulkeley, PhD is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is also director of the Sleep and Dream Database... Learn More Rubin Naiman, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in integrative sleep and dream medicine. He is the sleep and dream specialist and clinical assistant professor... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Deeper Self: An Expanded View of Consciousness A panel of distinguished experts tackles everything from the varieties of noetic experience and the role of intuition to the phenomenon of peak experience and Jung’s concept of the “collective unconscious.”Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Siri Hustvedt, PhD is Lecturer in Psychiatry at the Dewitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry, Weill Medical School of Cornell University. She has... Learn More Sonu Shamdasani, PhD is a London-based author, editor, and professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London WIHM/UCL,... Learn More Mark Solms, PhD is a psychoanalyst and a professor in neuropsychology. He holds the Chair of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote... Learn More Watch Details From Knowledge to Wisdom: Science and the Good Life Ever since Socrates declared “the unexamined life is not worth living,” philosophers have been engaged in a passionate debate: What is the good life? What is the nature of happiness, and how can it be attained? Is morality or virtue a prerequisite to the good life? Is a meaningful life also a happy one? What is the path toward human flourishing? Learn More Thursday, October 8, 2015 A New Science of Happiness: The Paradox of Pleasure Attorney and author Kim Azzarelli, historian Darrin McMahon, and social psychologist Barry Schwartz join forces to share their research and insight on happiness, pleasure, and the coveted good life.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Kim K. Azzarelli is a business, philanthropic, and legal advisor focused on advancing women and girls. Together with Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ms. Azzarelli is a... Learn More Darrin M. McMahon is a historian, author, and Professor of History at Dartmouth College. He was formerly the Ben Weider Professor and Distinguished Research Professor... Learn More Barry Schwartz is the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College, where he has been teaching for over 40 years.... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Moral Animal: Virtue, Vice & Human Nature Philosopher Christian Miller joins forces with cognitive neuroscientist Heather Berlin and science writer Michael Shermer to take a closer look at our moral ecology and its influence on our underlying assumptions about human nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Heather Berlin is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She received her... Learn More Christian Miller is Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. from the University... Learn More Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He has been... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Cultivating Character: The Art of Living Philosopher of science Philip Kitcher joins Humean philosopher Valerie Tiberius and distinguished psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett to explore the role of wisdom in the interplay between positive emotions, virtues, and character.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Lisa Feldman Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, where she is director of the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory. Barrett received... Learn More Philip Kitcher is John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. He specializes in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of biology, the philosophy of... Learn More Valerie Tiberius is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, an institution she has been affiliated with since 1998. Tiberius received a bachelor’s degree... Learn More Watch Details Beyond the Big Bang: Searching for Meaning in Contemporary Physics Perhaps more than any other scientific discipline, modern physics has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos by tackling a number of age-old existential questions: How did the universe begin? How can something emerge from nothing? What is the fabric of reality? Why do the laws of physics seem to be uniquely suited for life on Earth? Do we live in a deterministic universe?... Learn More Tuesday, October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? How is it possible for something to emerge from nothing, or has a universe in some form always existed? This question of origins — both of the universe as a whole and of the fundamental laws of physics — raises profound scientific, philosophical, and religious questions, culminating in the most basic existential question of all: Why are we here?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More David Z. Albert, PhD is Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy and Director of the M.A. Program in The Philosophical Foundations of Physics at Columbia... Learn More Jim Holt is an American philosopher, author and essayist. He has contributed to The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The New York... Learn More Neil Turok, PhD is one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists. Formerly Professor of Physics at Princeton and Chair of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge, he... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything Should new theories be validated solely on the basis of calculations that can never be empirically tested? Can we ever truly grasp the implications of modern physics when the basic laws of nature do not always operate according to our standard paradigms?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Katherine Freese, PhD is the George E. Uhlenbeck Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. Starting in September 2014 she is Director of Nordita,... Learn More Marcelo Gleiser, PhD is a world-renowned theoretical physicist and award-winning author, and is currently the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics... Learn More Max Tegmark, PhD is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the scientific director of the Foundational Questions Institute. He graduated from... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning What can contemporary physics offer us in the quest to understand our place in the universe? Has physics in some ways become a religion unto itself that rejects the search for existential meaning?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Adam Frank, PhD is a physicist, astronomer and writer, and is currently a professor of Astrophysics at the University of Rochester. His research focuses on... Learn More David Kaiser, PhD is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Department Head of MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society, and also a... Learn More Tim Maudlin, PhD is Professor of Philosophy at New York University. He received his BA in Physics and Philosophy from Yale and his PhD in... Learn More Priyamvada Natarajan, PhD is Professor in the Departments of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University. She is a theoretical astrophysicist whose research involves mapping the... Learn More Watch Details Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Boundaries between Life and Death Remarkable advances in resuscitation medicine—the science of bringing people back to life—have blurred the once clear demarcation between life and death. Led by physicians across the globe, these developments are creating a paradigm shift in our understanding of death, challenging the perception that it is an implacable, terminal moment with the realization that death is a dynamic, biological... Learn More Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine Emergency medicine experts Lance Becker and Sam Parnia and neurosurgeon Stephan Mayer discuss key discoveries and emerging technologies in resuscitation science that are helping to bring back those on the brink of death, and the difficult questions and ethical dilemmas they sometimes confront during medical crises.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Lance B. Becker, MD, is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the founder and Director of the Emergency Resuscitation Center... Learn More Stephan A. Mayer, MD, is Professor of Neurology and Neurological Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, and is... Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Prolonging Life: Legal, Ethical, and Social Dilemmas Medical director Christopher Comfort, organ transplant specialist Sam Shemie, ethicist Mildred Solomon, and attorney Barbara Coombs Lee will examine the underlying assumptions and considerations that ultimately shape individual and societal decisions surrounding these issues.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Christopher P. Comfort, MD, as Medical Director of Calvary Hospital, develops, coordinates, and facilitates clinical services for palliative and end-of-life care. Dr. Comfort is Board-certified... Learn More Barbara Coombs Lee is President of Compassion & Choices, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding and protecting the rights of the terminally ill. She practiced... Learn More Dr. Sam Shemie is a physician in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, and Medical Director, Extracorporeal Life Support Program at Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill... Learn More Mildred Z. Solomon, EdD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Hastings Center. She is also Clinical Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School,... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Experiencing Death: An Insider’s Perspective Join neurologist Kevin Nelson, psychiatrist Peter Fenwick, orthopedic surgeon Mary Neal, and emergency medicine expert Sam Parnia as they share some of these remarkable stories and discuss how they analyze such experiences in light of their own backgrounds and training.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Peter Fenwick is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, and associated with the Mental Health Group at the University of Southampton.... Learn More Mary C. Neal, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, former Director of Spine Surgery at the University of Southern California, and a founding partner of... Learn More Kevin Nelson, MD is Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky. He directs the Neuromuscular clinical neurophysiology laboratory and cares for patients with Neuromuscular disease.... Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Confronting Mortality: Faith and Meaning across Cultures Psychologist Lani Leary, historian of religions Jeffrey J. Kripal, and sociologist Allan Kellehear come together to share a multicultural perspective on death, dying, and what lies beyond.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jeffrey J. Kripal, PhD, is the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, where he chaired the Department of Religious... Learn More Allan Kellehear, PhD, is Professor of Community Health, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University. He was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University... Learn More Lani Leary, PhD, specializes in work with chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. She has worked for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist in... Learn More Watch Details The Emerging Science of Consciousness: Mind, Brain and the Human Experience The complexity of the human brain and how it gives rise to our understanding and experience of the world around us is one of the greatest mysteries remaining in science today. While recent discoveries in neuroscience are providing us with new insights into the workings of the brain, a comprehensive science of the mind is only just beginning to emerge. Learn More Wednesday, October 10, 2012 The Thinking Ape: The Enigma of Human Consciousness Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman, philosopher David Chalmers, expert in primate cognition Laurie Santos, and physician-scientist Nicholas Schiff will discuss what it means to be "conscious" and examine the human capacities displayed in cognitive, aesthetic, and ethical behaviors, with a focus on the place and function of the mind within nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More David Chalmers, PhD David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University and also Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Laurie Santos, PhD Laurie Santos is Associate Professor of Psychology at Yale University and the director of The Comparative Cognition Laboratory. She received her BA... Learn More Nicholas D. Schiff, MD Nicholas D. Schiff, MD, is Director of the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuromodulation at Weill Cornell Medical College where he conducts research... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, November 14, 2012 The Mystery of Memory: In Search of the Past Psychologist Daniel Schacter, neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, historian of science and medicine Alison Winter, and novelist and comparative literature professor André Aciman join forces to discuss how memory impacts our perception of ourselves, the development of personality, and the ability to construct and reconstruct our past experience.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Daniel Schacter, PhD Daniel L. Schacter is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Schacter’s research explores the relation between conscious and... Learn More Joseph LeDoux, PhD Joseph LeDoux is a University Professor at NYU in the Center for Neural Science, and he directs the Emotional Brain Institute of... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Music & the Mind: The Magical Power of Sound Cognitive neuroscientists and musicians Jamshed Bharucha and Charles Limb join music therapy pioneer Concetta Tomaino and jazz pianist Vijay Iyer to discuss the ability of music to both heal and elicit specific emotions at the interface of body, mind, and memory.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jamshed Bharucha, PhD Jamshed Bharucha is the twelfth President of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Prior to this position, he... Learn More Jazz Pianist Learn More Charles Limb, MD Charles Limb is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where... Learn More Concetta Tomaino, DA Concetta Tomaino is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function and Senior Vice President for Music... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness Neuroscientists Richard Davidson and Amishi Jha join clinical mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn to explore the role of consciousness in mental and physical health.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Richard Davidson, PhD Richard Davidson is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, he is the Director... Learn More Amishi Jha, PhD Amishi Jha is associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, prior to which she was an Assistant Professor at the... Learn More Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD Jon Kabat-Zinn is founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts... Learn More Watch Details Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity & Consciousness The perdurable question, "Who am I?" points to a deeply rooted need within the human species to understand the basis for the experience of unitary consciousness known as the Self. Today, the word "Self" has come to refer to a host of intersecting ideas, questions, concerns, and problems that are central to the human condition and predicament. At the same time, our fundamental experience of... Learn More Tuesday, December 7, 2010 To Be or Not To Be: The Self as Illusion Evidence from studies of the brain and mind point to a construct of the Self resulting from complex neurobiological processes interacting with the environment. If distinct neurobiological correlates of consciousness do in fact exist, does that necessarily imply that the Self is an epiphenomenon and illusion? Furthermore, how do these characterizations of the Self affect the way we represent ourselves,...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Pim van Lommel, MD Pim van Lommel, MD was born in 1943, graduated in 1971 at the University of Utrecht, and finished his specialization in... Learn More Thomas Metzinger, PhD Thomas Metzinger is Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and an Adjunct Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced... Learn More Evan Thompson, PhD Evan Thompson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His areas of research are cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Quid Pro Quo: The Ecology of the Self How does our concept of the Self differ from our concept of others? What makes the human concept of Self different from that of non-human selves such as animals? Philosopher and neurobiologist Owen Flanagan and psychologists Roy Baumeister and Paul Bloom will examine current biological, psychological, and anthropological research on the complex interaction between the Self and others and will...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Paul Bloom, PhD Paul Bloom is a professor of psychology at Yale University. His research explores how children and adults understand the physical and social... Learn More Owen Flanagan, PhD Owen Flanagan is James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He also holds appointments in Psychology and Neurobiology and is... Learn More Roy Baumeister, PhD Roy Baumeister is Francis Eppes Professor of Psychology and head of the social psychology graduate program at Florida State University. He earned... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, March 23, 2011 The Pursuit of Immortality: From the Ego to the Soul Are we immortal? Do our souls exist beyond our bodies? What scientific evidence is there for mystical experience? These questions and others will be addressed from a cultural, historical, and scientific perspective by evolutionary biologist Kenneth Miller and theologians John Haught and Nancey Murphy. Science, self, and immortality by John F. Haught Immortality versus resurrection in the Christian tradition by...Lisa Miller Lisa Miller is a senior editor at Newsweek. She oversees all of the magazine’s religion coverage and writes the weekly “Belief Watch column.... Learn More John F. Haught John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of... Learn More Learn More Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received her B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology)... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, April 28, 2011 A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Linking Belief to Behavior Philosopher Simon Critchley, cognitive scientist Shaun Gallagher, and physicist V.V. Raman will survey how the Self is shaped by interactions with the environment, how free will, responsibility, and other traits emerge, and how character and virtue become targets for constructing the Self. A self-fulfilling prophecy: linking belief to behavior by Esther Sternberg The self in the Cartesian brain by Shaun...Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. Dr. Esther M. Sternberg received her M.D. and Rheumatology training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and was on the faculty... Learn More Simon Critchley, PhD Simon Critchley is Chair and Professor of philosophy at The New School for Social Research. Critchley studied philosophy at the University of... Learn More Shaun Gallagher, PhD Shaun Gallagher is Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences at The University of Central Florida, where he is also a member of... Learn More V. V. Raman, PhD V. V. Raman is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Humanities at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Senior Fellow, Metanexus Institute. Professor... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, May 12, 2011 Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self How did the modern concept of the Self emerge as a subject? Does the Self described by the classical Greeks, Aquinas, and philosophers of the Enlightenment match the reality of what we know about ourselves through human experience and psychological research? Historians Gerald Izenberg and Jerrold Seigel, philosopher Raymond Martin, and sociologist Norbert Wiley will trace the evolution of the...Robert Hanna, PhD Robert Hanna is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale in... Learn More Gerald Izenberg, PhD Gerald N. Izenberg is a professor of history at Washington University. Izenberg joined Washington University in 1976, and became a professor in... Learn More Raymond Martin, PhD Raymond Martin, Philosophy Department chair at Union College, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and was a professor and director... Learn More Norbert Wiley , PhD Norbert Wiley is professor emeritus of Sociology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, and was Visiting Scholar at the University of... Learn More Jerrold Seigel, PhD Jerrold Seigel is William R. Kenan Professor of History emeritus at NYU, where he has taught since 1988, and served as chair... Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Who am I? Beyond ‘I Think, Therefore I Am’ Can we ever really answer the long-standing philosophical question, “Who am I?” Philosophers, ethicists, and psychologists have all spoken to the difficulty of achieving genuine self-knowledge and the uncertainties of our judgment in evaluating oneself. The final seminar in the series will bring together philosopher Elie During, cognitive scientist David A. Jopling, social psychologist Timothy Wilson, and ethicist Frances Kamm...Alex Voorhoeve, PhD Alex Voorhoeve is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the London School of Economics. In 2008-09 he was a Fellow at Harvard... Learn More Elie During, Ph.D. Dr. Elie During is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris 10, Nanterre, and a seminar lecturer at the... Learn More David A. Jopling, DPhil David A. Jopling is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at York University, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His research interests... Learn More Frances Kamm, PhD Frances M. Kamm is Littauer Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University... Learn More Timothy Wilson, PhD Timothy D. Wilson is the Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and a researcher of positive psychology... Learn More Watch Details Shifting Realities: Myths, Models & Morality How do we understand and define the nature of reality? Can one speak of truly objective realities, or are realities necessarily subjective and contingent upon the observer's perspective? Are realities static and immutable, or are they fluid and dynamic in nature? What forms of reasoning and criteria do we use to ascertain and establish the intrinsic reality of a phenomenon? How do we study those events and... Learn More Wednesday, May 12, 2010 The Contingent Nature of Reality When confronted with the underlying nature of any reality, including perennial questions about the origin and purpose of our existence, we thus find it necessary to engage both logos and mythos to intuit the answers that we seek. For while myths provide a steppingstone for the advancement of rationality, the ongoing discovery of new evidence allows us to continually adapt... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Life, Death & the Pursuit of Morality In this light, the second part of this symposium addresses the question of how our understanding of the concepts of life and death may affect our moral sensibility, decisions, and actions. In short, it engages scientific and humanistic focus upon the ways in which human finitude can, and perhaps should, impact moral character, values, and conduct in the rich and...James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Technology, Neuroscience, and the Nature of Being: Considerations of Meaning, Morality & Transcendence The aim of this three-part symposium series is to provide a forum for the launch of high-level interdisciplinary discussions intended to address and overcome the increasing isolation and fragmentation of the disciplines devoted to the science and advancement of the human person. The conferences, which will take place at Georgetown, Oxford University, and the United Nations in New... Learn More Friday, May 8, 2009 The Paradox of Neurotechnology Read the Conference ReportAs published in Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine Though neurotechnologies have allowed unparalleled capability to bring groups of individuals together through rapid communication and informational delivery while at the same time providing invaluable insight into the workings of the brain, the paradox remains that these technologies may also incur more dystopian possibilities by isolating individuals as...Sheri Alpert, M.A., M.P.A., Ph.D. Dr. Sheri Alpert is a Lecturer and Associate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics. Immediately prior to... Learn More Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Pharmacology of the Department of Oncology and... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D. Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology at the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University.... Learn More Jeffrey L. Krichmar, Ph.D. Jeffrey L. Krichmar is an assistant professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. His research... Learn More Dennis McBride, Ph.D., MPA Dr. McBride is an affiliated professor at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute and the Georgetown University Medical Center. Since 2001... Learn More Erik Parens, Ph.D. Dr. Erik Parens is a Senior Research Scholar at The Hastings Center, a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to bioethics and the public... Learn More Learn More Susan Schneider, Ph.D. Dr. Susan Schneider is assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and an affiliated faculty member at... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Details Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Brain, Mind & the Nature of Being As the fields that are broadly grouped under the rubric of neuroscience provide increasingly more information about the structure and function of neural systems and the brain, it becomes relatively easier to accept and use this data as “facts” to guide, if not actually dictate, our perspectives and activities. Indeed, in the past decade neuroscience has become something of a...Martin Davies, Ph.D. Dr. Martin Davies is Wilde Professor of Mental Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College. He... Learn More Richard Finn, OP Fr Richard Finn OP is a Dominican friar, and Regent (Head of House) at Blackfriars Hall since 2004. He read English at... Learn More Peter Hacker, Ph.D. Professor P.M.S. Hacker is currently Emeritus Research Fellow at Oxford University’s St. John’s College, where he had been a fellow from 1966-2006.... Learn More Ian Phillips, Ph.D. Ian Phillips is a Philosopher and Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University. He works mainly in Philosophy of Mind. From... Learn More Parashkev Nachev, Ph.D. Dr. Parashkev Nachev is an Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Neurology at University College London, and an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in... Learn More Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More John Hyman, Ph.D. John Hyman, Ph.D., is currently a Professor of Aesthetics and Senior Tutor at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford. Between 1984 and... Learn More Hanna Pickard, Ph.D. Hanna Pickard is a philosopher of mind and psychiatry at All Souls College, Oxford; and a therapist at the Complex Needs Service,... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Details Friday, September 11, 2009 Toward a Common Morality Discoveries in neuroscience and in particular neurotechnology have provided a unique window through which we can glance into the intricate workings of the human brain. Technologies such as brain scanning using positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging have enabled us to now monitor and understand the detailed geographical representation of human emotions, feelings, and thoughts within the brain....Leili Anvar, Ph.D. Dr. Leili Anvar is Professor in Persian Language and Literature at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris, where... Learn More William D. Casebeer, Ph.D. Dr. Casebeer is a career intelligence analyst and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. He holds degrees in political science... Learn More Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Pharmacology of the Department of Oncology and... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Maxwell R. Bennett, Ph.D. Dr. Bennett is Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Sydney, and Scientific Director of the Brain & Mind Research Institute... Learn More Martha J. Farah, Ph.D. Dr. Martha Farah is currently Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences and Director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at... Learn More Bernard Gert, Ph.D. Dr. Bernard Gert is currently the Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth... Learn More Farhad Mechkat Farhad Mechkat is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso who began his musical studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. After... Learn More Donald W. Pfaff, Ph.D. As head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at Rockefeller University, Dr. Pfaff uses neuroanatomical, neurochemical and neurophysiological methods to... Learn More Watch Details Beyond the Mind-Body Problem: New Paradigms in the Science of Consciousness Over the past decade, an increasing number of physicians and neuroscientists have sought to uncover the complex relationship between mind, brain, and consciousness as they continue to search for a more comprehensive perspective on the “self” and the workings of the human mind. Though much remains to be done, their findings to date have shed a more holistic light on our understanding of the... Learn More Thursday, September 11, 2008 Unraveling the Mystery of the Self: From Descartes to the Human Consciousness Project℠ The mystery of the ‘self’ is a subject that has both captivated and eluded artists, philosophers, and scientists alike for centuries. Simply stated, the human mind or self constitutes the inexplicable and intimate entity that makes each and every one of us into the unique beings that we are today. Or to put it in slightly different terms, the self... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Mind-Body Connections: How Does Consciousness Shape the Brain? certainly does not render it a good candidate for reduction to a physical basis. Noting that physical theories alone would be compatible with the absence of consciousness, popular philosophical arguments have long highlighted the fact that an adequate theory of consciousness requires more than mere brain physics can provide. In short, there is something more to our minds than meets... Learn More Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. is Research Psychiatrist at UCLA School of Medicine and a seminal thinker and researcher in the field... Learn More Henry P. Stapp, Ph.D. Dr. Henry Stapp is a theoretical physicist at the University of California’s Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, specializing in the mathematical and logical... Learn More Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Why God Doesn’t Use Biostatistics: Science and the Study of the Mind, the Body, and Spirituality With the rapidly expanding field of research exploring mystical and spiritual phenomena as well as altered states of consciousness, there have been many perspectives as to the validity, importance, relevance, and need for such research, in addition to the ultimate issue of how such research should be interpreted with regard to epistemological questions. Ultimately, this information may bear important practical...Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Beyond the Brain: The Experiential Implications of Neurotheology As explorations into the neuropsychology of religious and spiritual experience provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the interplay of consciousness, volition, and emotion, the central question remains: to what extent does the mind transcend its neural basis? Conventional wisdom holds that assemblies of neurons must account for consciousness, and, by extension, for all subjective facets of lived experience.... Learn More Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Christina M. Puchalski, M.D. Dr. Puchalski is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Health Care Sciences at The George Washington University School... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Strings Resonance: A Musical Performance A special musical performance featuring a series of solo and duet pieces inspired by a vision of converging Eastern and Western musical traditions into a seamless, harmonious whole that reflects the universal nature of humankind. Renaud Garcia-Fons: Often referred to as “The Paganini of double bass,” the largest bowed stringed instrument in the orchestra, world-renowned double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons is... Learn More Learn More Watch Details From Tragedy to Unity: A Celebration of the Human Spirit Few would argue that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 did not devastate this nation and forever change the course of its destiny. Thousands of innocent lives were senselessly lost to an enemy that shamelessly preys on vulnerable and defenseless civilians. In response, the world community has joined together in unanimously denouncing these horrible acts of misguided hatred and destruction. Wednesday, September 11, 2002 Symposium Commemorating the First Anniversary of September 11 Few would argue that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 did not devastate this nation and forever change the course of its destiny. Thousands of innocent lives were senselessly lost to an enemy that shamelessly preys on vulnerable and defenseless civilians. In response, the world community has joined together in unanimously denouncing these horrible acts of misguided hatred and... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 11, 2003 Symposium Commemorating the Second Anniversary of September 11 On the second anniversary of the unforgettable events of September 11, the Virtue Foundation has once again invited a select group of prominent experts from multiple disciplines–including Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Gordon Conway, President of the Rockefeller Foundation; James Rubin, Former Assistant Secretary of State; and Chris Cramer, President of CNN International Networks–to engage in... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Friday, September 10, 2004 Private: Healing the World: The Ethical Dimension of Globalization and Interdependence in the Age of Terror Coinciding with the United Nations World Day of Peace, Virtue Foundation’s Third Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium commemorating the anniversary of September 11 will feature a long list of distinguished speakers and panelists, including Kate Adie, Chief Correspondent of the BBC; Ken Bacon, President of Refugees International; Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme; John Chambers, Managing Director of Standard &... DetailsAudio Programs Death (Audio Series) Across the country – in cafés, dining rooms, and community centers – there's a new conversation taking shape. After decades of sanitizing and sequestering death and dying, America seems to be ready to talk about death. For the next five weeks, we'll be exploring how to start conversations about death with your family, your doctors, and yourself. We'll also take a look at the phenomenon of near-death experience, learn about the conscious death movement, consider how we die and grieve around the world, and much more. Learn More Sunday, November 9, 2014 The Reckoning Did you hear? There's a death movement going on in America. After decades of sanitized death, with dying, funerals, burial and grief shielded from public view, some people are now working to make death a greater part of life. In this hour, we talk with experts about how to begin these difficult conversations, and how they can transform both the...Lani Leary, PhD, specializes in work with chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. She has worked for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist in... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 16, 2014 Exit Plan We live much longer than we used to, thanks to medical advances, but what are the emotional and financial costs of extending life? Some doctors don't know how to talk with their patients about preparing for death, so there's now a push to have frank conversations about end-of-life care. Also,one family's story of working within Oregon's "Death with Dignity" law. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 23, 2014 The Last Moment We'll hear conflicting perspectives on the debate over near-death experiences. Do these extraordinary experiences reveal a transcendent reality, or are they simply the biochemical product of a brain that’s shutting down? Tune in for conversations about "conscious death," and how people are reclaiming the final moments of their lives. Learn More Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 30, 2014 The Wake How do we mark death and celebrate lost lives around the globe? In this hour, we hear stories from inside the funeral industry, wonder why dead bodies can compell or repell us, and learn about the new Ghanaian tradition of "fantasy" coffins inspired by people's work and dreams. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 7, 2014 After Life In this hour, we explore the philosophical and religious dimensions of mortality and the afterlife. We talk about the art and poetry of remembrance, and now that much of our lives are lived online, how do we plan for our digital afterlives? Learn More Learn More Allan Kellehear, PhD, is Professor of Community Health, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University. He was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Meet Your Mind: A Users Guide to the Science of Consciousness (Audio Series) Your thoughts and feelings, your joy and sorrow… it’s all part of your identity, of your consciousness. But what exactly is consciousness? It may be the biggest mystery left in science. In this six-hour series, you’ll hear interviews with the world’s leading experts—neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, philosophers, writers and artists. You’ll be taken inside the brains of Buddhist monks, and across the ocean to visit France’s ancient cave paintings. You’ll find out how to build a memory palace, and meet one of the first scientists to study the effects of LSD. Learn More Sunday, November 4, 2012 Mind and Brain Neuroscientists have made remarkable discoveries about the brain, but so far, no one's come close to cracking the biggest mystery of all—the connection between the brain and the mind: how a tangle of neurons inside your skull produces… you?David Chalmers, PhD David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University and also Professor... Learn More Learn More Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Jazz Pianist Learn More Details Sunday, November 11, 2012 Memory and Forgetting Do you think your memory is a record of what actually happened? Chances are, it's not. New scientific findings show that with every act of remembering, our brains produce new neural circuits… creating new memories. Learn More Learn More Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 18, 2012 Wiring the Brain Scientists are launching one of the most audacious projects ever conceived: a detailed map of the human brain, neuron by neron, synapse by synapse. For some scientists, the goal isn't just to map the brain; it's to crack the mystery of consciousness. Explore the "connectome" and the differences between the left and right sides of the brain. Learn More Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Creative Brain Creativity is a little like obscenity: You know it when you see it, but you can't exactly define it…unless you're a neuroscientist. In labs around the country, a new generation of scientists tackles the mystery of human creativity—where it comes from and how it works. Learn More Charles Limb, MD Charles Limb is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where... Learn More Learn More Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 2, 2012 Extraordinary Minds Certain brain disorders can lead to remarkable insights....even genius. We'll peer into the world of autistic savants and dyslexics, and contemplate our cyborg future, when our brains merge with tiny, embedded computers. Also, one of the most fascinating investigations of consciousness: Stanislav Grof's pioneering study of LSD. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 9, 2012 Higher Consciousness Suppose neuroscientists map the billions of neural circuits in the human brain…are we any closer to cracking the great existential mysteries—like meaning, purpose or happiness? Scientists, contemplatives and religious thinkers are now exploring the connections between neuroscience and contemplative practice and creating a new science of mindfulness. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details On Being: The Civil Conversations Project (Audio Series) The Civil Conversations Project is an ongoing series of radio shows and an online destination that mines fresh vocabulary, lived virtues and practices, and lessons learned where ideals meet hard reality. And, we want you to be part of this diverse, ongoing public conversation. We’re hungry for fresh ways to tell hard truths and redemptive stories, to sit with questions. We learn to speak in new ways in order to live in new ways. But how do we find new ways to speak and listen to each other, to live forward together, even while holding passionate disagreements? Learn More Thursday, July 28, 2011 Words That Shimmer Poetry is something many of us seem to be hungry for these days. We’re hungry for fresh ways to tell hard truths and redemptive stories, for language that would elevate and embolden rather than demean and alienate. Elizabeth Alexander shares her sense of what poetry works in us — and in our children — and why it may become more...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 4, 2011 Sidling up to Difference Our Civil Conversations Project continues with the Ghanaian-British-American philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah. His parents’ marriage helped inspire the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. He’s studied ethics in a world of strangers and how unimaginable social change happens. We explore his erudite yet down-to-earth take on disarming moral hostilities in America now.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 11, 2011 Listening Beyond Life and Choice Frances Kissling is known for her longtime activism on the abortion issue but has devoted her energy more in recent years to real relationship and new conversations across that bitter divide. She’s learned, she’s written, about the courage to be vulnerable in front of those with whom we passionately disagree.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 18, 2011 Restoring Political Civility Richard Mouw challenges his fellow conservative Christians to civility in public discourse. He offers historical as well as spiritual perspective on American Evangelicals’ navigation of disagreement, fear, and truth.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 25, 2011 Civility, History, and Hope As part of our Civil Conversations Project, we experience the civil rights veteran Vincent Harding. He has a long lens of wisdom on contemporary divisions and confusions. He says America is still a developing nation when it comes to democratic encounter across real difference. But he finds hope in the young people he’s been bringing into creative contact with civil...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 1, 2011 Alive Enough? Sherry Turkle directs the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Her book, Alone Together, created a catchword for anxiety about the alienating potential of technology. But that’s not really her message. We explore the real challenge she poses — that we can and must lead examined lives with our digital objects — actively shaping technology to human purposes.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Science and the Search for Meaning: Five Questions (Audio Series) To the Best of Our Knowledge, Wisconsin Public Radio and Public Radio International's Peabody Award-winning magazine of ideas, presents a major 5-hour series on the complex relationship between science and spirituality. Through a series of in-depth interviews with leading experts, executive producer Steve Paulson examines 5 central ideas in modern science and their impact on some of the most profound questions facing philosophers and religious thinkers today. Learn More Sunday, November 21, 2010 What is Life? Scientists can now explain virtually every stage of the evolutionary process. But there’s a basic question that still mystifies even the best scientists: How did life first begin on Earth? Or to put in another way, how did non-life somehow turn into life? And can we say the Earth itself is alive? This hour explores some of the fundamental mysteries...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in... Learn More Details Sunday, November 28, 2010 What Does Evolution Want? Are human beings just an evolutionary accident? What if the evolution of humans, or some brainy creature like us, was inevitable once life first appeared on Earth? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, maverick paleontologist Simon Conway Morris explains why he believes evolution must ultimately lead to intelligent beings. Original Air Date: November 28, 2010Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Simon Conway Morris is professor of evolutionary palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Morris received his PhD in... Learn More Learn More Learn More John F. Haught John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 5, 2010 Does the “Soul” Still Matter? For centuries, we’ve been told the soul is what makes each of us unique. It’s why we have moral responsibility. And it’s the part of us that lives on after we die. But many scientists now say the soul is just an outdated myth, an idea that can be explained away by new insights from neuroscience and evolutionary biology. In...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received her B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology)... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 12, 2010 Can Islam and Science Coexist? Islamic culture was once the center of the scientific world. During Europe’s Dark Ages, Baghdad, Cairo and other Middle Eastern cities were the key repositories of ancient Greek science. Muslim scholars themselves made breakthroughs in medicine, optics, and mathematics. Today the Islamic world lags far behind the West in science and technology. What happened? This hour of To the Best...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 19, 2010 Can Science Be Sacred? What if you don’t believe in God, and the thought of church makes you queasy? Can you still experience the sacred? There’s a growing movement of secular scientists who revel in the awe and wonder of nature. In fact, many consider this a religious experience – without God. This hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge examines the search...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details
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