19 March 2024
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MeaningofLife.tv videos
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Oct 10, 2018 — Aryeh Cohen-Wade & Lauren Oyler
What is it about social media that’s so depressing?
Twitter, the unpopular website that elites love
Is what happens on social media real or fake?
Is @laurenoyler the same as Lauren Oyler?
How everything in life became “toxic”
Do all online communities eventually become toxic?
The moral challenge of social media
TAGS
Donald Trump
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moral imagination
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technology
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tribalism
Jan 17, 2018 — Nikita Petrov & Tanya Luhrmann
How psychosis and prayer can make invisible entities ‘real’
Why the voices heard by American schizophrenics are especially mean
Turning madness into vocation: the shamans of West Africa
Why talking to one’s hallucinations is a good idea
How evangelicals shape their God
‘Remembering’ past lives in Scientology and ‘satanic ritual abuse’ in therapy
TAGS
consciousness
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mental health
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moral imagination
Jan 1, 2018 — Robert Wright & Timothy O'Connor
Tim explains what it means to believe in free will
Biology and free will
Science and casuality
Why Tim takes seriously the “naive stance” on free will and moral responsibility
Is subjective experience irreducible?
Determinism and deism
Philosophy departments aren’t as atheistic as you’d think
TAGS
free will
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moral imagination
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physics
Oct 9, 2017 — Daniel Kaufman & Daniel Tippens
What is the “morality everywhere” problem?
Hume on “the cautious, jealous virtue” of justice
The moral responsibility of comedians
What moral universalists get wrong about everyday choices
A critique of Daniel Tippens’ concept of moral production
Daniel Tippens explains what it takes to be morally courageous
Can moral activists win?
TAGS
moral imagination
May 22, 2017 — Robert Wright & Jay Van Bavel
The partisanship that bolsters Trump
Jay’s favorite experiments on the psychology of tribalism
Is the anti-Trump movement its own worst enemy?
What’s going on in Trump’s brain?
How a sports fan’s brain warps reality
Is there hope for overcoming our tribal psychology?
Want a retweet? Stoke moral outrage.
TAGS
cognitive science
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democracy
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Donald Trump
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moral imagination
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psychology
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science
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tribalism
Dec 25, 2016 — Robert Wright & John Paul Lederach
John Paul’s job working toward peace on Earth
How curiosity and creativity can ease conflicts
The risks of peace-making
Is there hope for Syria?
Religion’s role in fueling—and calming—violence
John Paul’s advice for cultivating moral imagination
TAGS
anger
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empathy
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ethics
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foreign policy
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human nature
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moral imagination
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peace
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psychology
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religion
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violence
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war
Dec 6, 2016 — Robert Wright & Paul Bloom
Paul’s brand new book,
Against Empathy
The damage empathy can do
The difference between empathy and compassion
Why our moral intuitions aren’t so moral
Are low empathy people more likely to hurt others?
Empathy as moral jet fuel
The costs and benefits of feeling other people’s pain
TAGS
altruism
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anger
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Buddhism
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cognitive science
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compassion
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empathy
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enlightenment
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ethics
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human nature
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meditation
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moral imagination
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Peter Singer
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psychology
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science
Dec 2, 2016 — Robert Wright & Jay Michaelson
Jay’s anti-Trump appeals
How the election unleashed hate
When “love your enemy” just won’t work
Is empathy a limited resource?
Jay’s spiritual toolkit for coping with a Trump presidency
Trump, the anti-Buddha
Can mindfulness help save the world?
TAGS
anger
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Buddhism
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Christianity
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compassion
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democracy
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Donald Trump
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empathy
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ethics
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happiness
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human nature
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identity
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Islam
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Judaism
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love
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meditation
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mental health
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mindfulness
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moral imagination
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politics
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psychology
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religion
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sadness
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spirituality
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tribalism
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Zen
Nov 14, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Kaufman
Announcing a series of “sixty-second sermons”
Tribalism and Trump’s success
Apocalypse now?
Dan vs. Bob on whether a global community is possible
The moral dimensions of the election
The backlash against political correctness
What it feels like to be an outsider
A closer look at MeaningofLife.tv’s “sermons” and other local news
TAGS
democracy
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Donald Trump
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economics
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empathy
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ethics
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human nature
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identity
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moral imagination
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nationalism
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perception
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psychology
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tribalism
Nov 1, 2016 — Robert Wright & Glenn Loury
Why Trumpism isn’t surprising
Trump’s vulgarity as a feature, not a bug
Glenn: “America first” puts humanity last
The emptiness of attacks on Trump
How liberal elites give power to Trump’s dog whistles
Does America need an anti-tribalism movement?
TAGS
Donald Trump
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moral imagination
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politics
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psychology
Oct 31, 2016 — Robert Wright & Pamela Cooper-White
Bob and Pam team up to analyze the mind of Trump
Inside the mind of a narcissist
Narcissists are made not born
Psychoanalyzing Trumpism
A moment of compassion for Trump
TAGS
Christianity
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Donald Trump
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history
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mental health
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moral imagination
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nationalism
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politics
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psychology
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religion
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tribalism
Sep 29, 2016 — Robert Wright & Roger Petersen
Roger’s work on emotions that drive ethnic conflict
Perceived threats that unite Trump supporters
The new identity of the white working class
The “basket of deplorables” and the politics of indignation
How Middle American and liberal elites see each other
Are the perils of our time exaggerated?
TAGS
Donald Trump
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economics
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empathy
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fear
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human nature
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identity
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Islam
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moral imagination
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nationalism
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politics
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psychology
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tribalism
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violence
Sep 12, 2016 — Robert Wright & Robert George
Why Robby refuses to support Trump
Is history shaped more by social forces or human agency?
Robby gives an insider’s view on why Appalachia is Trump country
The declining influence of religion
How a lack of humility poisons politics
Contempt in current political rhetoric
Robby: Politicians need to get out of the identity politics game
TAGS
Christianity
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ethics
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free will
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history
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moral imagination
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philosophy
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politics
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psychology
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religion
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tribalism
Aug 9, 2016 — Robert Wright & Liane Young
The loving Us and the hateful Them
Understanding a rival is easier when you’re paid for it
Why we misunderstand the motivations of others
Why we’re confused about our own minds
Study: We tend to think immoral behavior is voluntary
The psychology of victim blaming
TAGS
ethics
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foreign policy
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moral imagination
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politics
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psychology
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science
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tribalism
Aug 3, 2016 — Benjamin Perry & Emily Brewer
Presbyterians who say “no” to war
What’s the connection between religion and violence?
How Emily’s time in Guatemala led her to peacework
Emily: Conflict zones aren’t quite as scary as you might think
Ben: Am I praying wrong?
How can religious institutions get better at promoting peace?
TAGS
Christianity
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economics
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meditation
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moral imagination
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power
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prayer
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religion
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violence
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war
Jul 27, 2016 — Oliver Burkeman & Susan Piver
When rage intrudes on meditation
The internal logic of bad acts
Susan explains the uses of lovingkindness meditation
Resisting the temptation to take pleasure in anger
Seeing terrorists as humans
Susan: don’t flee from bad feelings
TAGS
anger
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Buddhism
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compassion
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Donald Trump
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empathy
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evil
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fear
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happiness
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love
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meditation
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mindfulness
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moral imagination
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psychology
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tribalism
Jun 24, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Kaufman
Understanding Saddam Hussein ≠ sympathy for Saddam Hussein
The ethics of punishing bad people
Dan vs. evolutionary psychology
Is religion really behind Sunni-Shia conflict?
The good side of tribalism
What does “mindfulness” actually mean?
TAGS
Christianity
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ethics
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Islam
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meditation
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mindfulness
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moral imagination
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philosophy
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psychology
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religion
Jun 6, 2016 — Robert Wright & John Horgan
Is humanity becoming a superorganism?
Game theory as an explanation for history’s direction
Bob’s pragmatic view of moral progress
Homo progressivus and the tribeless tribe
Conversation with science writer John Horgan
Questions from the audience
TAGS
game theory
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history
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moral imagination
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religion
May 30, 2016 — Robert Wright & Paul Bloom
A theory of evil that isn’t supernatural
Could “moral imagination” have prevented the Iraq War?
Was saying “We are Charlie Hebdo” a bad idea?
Knowledge as a moral good
How “moral imagination” fits into a larger spiritual worldview
Paul Bloom interrogates Bob
Questions from the audience
TAGS
evil
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foreign policy
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moral imagination
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New Atheists
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psychology
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spirituality
May 10, 2016 — David Kyuman Kim & John Jackson
How does it feel to be a problem?
In praise of discomfort
Empathy isn’t enough
Confronting difference
Confronting power
“To love well is to risk”
TAGS
love
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moral imagination
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philosophy
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race
Mar 21, 2016 — Robert Wright & Sarah Posner
Why do people believe in Donald Trump?
Tapping into fear and resentment
What’s the appeal of vulgar rhetoric?
Us vs. Them
The “Trumpvangelical”
Donald Trump at AIPAC
TAGS
Christianity
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Donald Trump
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economics
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foreign policy
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moral imagination
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politics
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tribalism
Feb 9, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Kaufman
A “higher purpose” that doesn’t involve spooky forces
What does it matter whether a higher purpose exists?
What does the “meaning” in “meaning of life” mean?
Pondering the trajectory of human development
The importance of understanding other perspectives
Debating whether we’ve made moral progress
TAGS
ethics
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evolution
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moral imagination
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religion
Jan 4, 2016 — Robert Wright & David Kyuman Kim
What is Confucianism?
Living with both a Confucian and a Christian identity
Wisdom accumulates slowly
The power (and difficulty) of radical love
Melancholic freedom and existential angst
Finding and losing meaning in the scientific age
TAGS
Christianity
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compassion
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fundamentalism
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love
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moral imagination
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technology
Jul 30, 2015 — Robert Wright & Paul Bloom
Paul is pro-“compassion” but anti-“empathy”
Different types of empathy: emotional vs. cognitive
Two examples of the damage done by empathy
The myth of pure evil
Are humans naturally moral?
The unconscious biases that inform our sense of justice
TAGS
Barack Obama
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Buddhism
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empathy
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ethics
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evil
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justice
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meditation
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moral imagination
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Peter Singer
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psychology
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war
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