21 December 2024
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MeaningofLife.tv videos
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Sep 9, 2016 — Robert Wright & Mark Oppenheimer
What Mark learned writing the New York Times “Beliefs” column
Wittgenstein on religion
What does the “spiritual” in “spiritual but not religious” mean?
Crossfit and other secular communities that seem religious
The puzzle of Jewish identity
Being religious but not spiritual
TAGS
family
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humanism
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Judaism
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philosophy
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religion
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ritual
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secularism
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spirituality
Aug 19, 2016 — Robert Wright & Douglas Osto
Doug’s book
Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America
Psychedelics as gateway drugs to Buddhism
Common ground between Buddhism and psychedelic spirituality
What is Psychedelic Buddhism?
When are psychedelics unhealthy?
Compare and contrast between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism
TAGS
Buddhism
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consciousness
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drugs
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enlightenment
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happiness
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meditation
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mental health
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mindfulness
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religion
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spirituality
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Zen
Aug 6, 2016 — Philip Menchaca & Benigno Sánchez-Eppler
Why Benigno is a Quaker
How do you find unity when God says different things to different people?
The many kinds of Quakers
What does a Quaker meeting look like?
What does a Quaker meeting feel like?
How the World Wars helped Quakers overcome their divisions
TAGS
Christianity
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religion
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ritual
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spirituality
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war
Jul 30, 2016 — Roohi Choudhry & Eileen Pollack
How Eileen’s fascination with science led to her new book,
A Perfect Life
Getting meaning from minutiae
Why Eileen left physics for writing
Bridging the gap between the humanities and science
TAGS
literature
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religion
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science
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spirituality
Jul 22, 2016 — Robert Wright & Jack Tsonis
Introducing the Saunatarian movement
Varieties of sauna
Jack’s conversion and the start of thermovangelism
Spiritual aspects of sauna
(Limited) data on health benefits
Where do I sign up?
TAGS
meditation
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ritual
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spirituality
Jul 10, 2016 — Robert Wright & Kenneth Folk
The bell-curve of awakening
Being enlightened feels “meta-okay”
The benefits of experiencing life impersonally
Does enlightenment have to have a moral dimension?
Awakening as growing up
The lenses and filters through which we see life
TAGS
altruism
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Buddhism
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consciousness
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drugs
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enlightenment
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ethics
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happiness
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meditation
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mindfulness
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perception
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psychology
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religion
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sadness
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self
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spirituality
Jun 25, 2016 — Robert Wright & David Bryce Yaden
David’s recent research on “self-transcendent experiences”
Causes and effects of self-transcendence
Is the loss of self real?
Evolutionary explanations of mystical states
The neurology of meditation
Revisiting the mind-body problem
TAGS
Buddhism
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consciousness
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meditation
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mind-body problem
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psychology
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science
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self
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spirituality
Jun 20, 2016 — Robert Wright
The Cliff Notes version of Bob’s first four talks
Must a spiritual worldview include a “higher purpose”?
How non-zero-sum games shaped religion
Is God like an electron?
Everyone is deluded (but salvation is possible)
An ancient theology compatible with a modern mindset
Questions from the audience
TAGS
Buddhism
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Christianity
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consciousness
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game theory
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Islam
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meditation
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religion
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spirituality
Jun 14, 2016 — Ben Casnocha & Dina Kaplan
Dina’s startup The Path teaches meditation in a modern way
Meditation sessions as networking events
Does God need to be involved?
Dina’s path to founding The Path
Dina’s personal practice
The best meditation app may be a timer
TAGS
Buddhism
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meditation
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spirituality
Jun 11, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Kaufman
What makes Bob’s worldview “spiritual”
Scientific arguments for a spiritual discipline
The expanding grounds for intellectual humility
Does evolution have a purpose?
The mystery and value of subjective experience
Is consciousness a scientific problem?
TAGS
consciousness
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evolution
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science
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spirituality
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 19, 2016 — Robert Wright & Hank Peirce
The roots of Unitarian Universalism
Who are the Unitarian Universalists today?
How a Christian church became “post-Christian”
Belief in God is analog not digital
The search for a universal religion
Does embracing all beliefs mean holding no beliefs?
Providing pastoral care to people who have no god
TAGS
agnosticism
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atheism
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music
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religion
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spirituality
May 6, 2016 — David Bryce Yaden & Roland Griffiths
The road to scientific study of psilocybin
The dark side of psilocybin use
Spiritual experience is difficult to define—or miss
Flavors of unity and sacredness
Using psilocybin to give up smoking
TAGS
meditation
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spirituality
May 3, 2016 — Philip Menchaca & Jenny Butler
The diversity of Pagan beliefs
What happens during a Pagan ritual?
Magic!
Putting the Irish in Irish Paganism
Environmentalism as a spiritual practice
Why study Paganism?
TAGS
climate change
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religion
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ritual
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spirituality
Apr 12, 2016 — David Bryce Yaden & Alex Belser
Treating cancer-related anxiety with psilocybin
How do you study a mystical experience?
A bad trip as a path to catharsis and resolution
Drug-induced vs. natural mystical experiences
Will magic mushrooms become a prescription drug?
Spirituality is collective work, says Alex, not a solo journey
TAGS
psychology
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spirituality
Apr 5, 2016 — Robert Wright & Krista Tippett
The origins of Krista’s show, On Being
Considering “spiritual” vs. “religious”
Krista’s new book,
Becoming Wise
Faith, fear, and the flesh
The challenge of loving others
A hopeful vision of the future
TAGS
history
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language
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love
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politics
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religion
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science
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spirituality
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the future
Mar 6, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Ingram
What is it like to be an arhat?
Perspectives on the self: It’s nothing, it’s everything
What enlightenment is, and what’s so great about it
Dwelling in enlightenment is easy, but getting there can be hard
Does enlightenment entail moral improvement?
Can meditation save—or impede salvation of—the world?
TAGS
Buddhism
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Christianity
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consciousness
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enlightenment
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happiness
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Hinduism
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meditation
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mysticism
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psychology
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religion
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self
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spirituality
Feb 28, 2016 — Nikita Petrov & Daniele Bolelli
Daniele’s new book
Not Afraid
and the practice of cage fighting
In martial arts, you want to play it safe—but not too safe
Raising a baby girl: the greater battle
Other practices: meditation, psychedelics, and life in general
The changing face and functions of online media
Daniele’s mix-and-match approach to philosophy and religion
TAGS
meditation
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philosophy
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religion
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spirituality
Feb 19, 2016 — Philip Menchaca & Pablo Sender
What is Theosophy?
A Theosophical explanation of psychic phenomena
Do all religions contain the same truth?
Synthesizing religion, philosophy, and science
Is there an ordering force in the universe?
Theosophy’s most important teaching
TAGS
meditation
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occult
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philosophy
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religion
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science
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spirituality
Feb 16, 2016 — Robert Wright & Melanie Brewster
Melanie Brewster and other
Atheists in America
Can atheism be a source of community?
What about hope, consolation and wonder?
Melanie’s book and why it was originally titled
The Other Closet
Why do New Atheists tend to be white, male and angry?
Are atheists understudied?
TAGS
atheism
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Christianity
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ethics
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Islam
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psychology
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religion
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spirituality
Feb 7, 2016 — Robert Wright & Paul Froese
What do we mean by a meaningful life?
Finding purpose in being a part of something bigger
How social context determines our understanding of meaning
Fantasies about uniting humanity: one cause, one God, one reality
Are we making moral progress?
Is it empowering or terrifying to think we create our own meaning?
TAGS
atheism
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happiness
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human nature
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mindfulness
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philosophy
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psychology
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religion
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spirituality
Feb 4, 2016 — Robert Wright & Heather Hurlburt
Finding meaning in Washington D.C.
Heather’s spiritual life
Ways Episcopalians think about God
Tempting things public servants should avoid
The importance of being hokey
“There is no having it all”
TAGS
Christianity
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Donald Trump
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family
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Judaism
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Paul Tillich
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politics
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religion
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spirituality
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tribalism
Jan 11, 2016 — Daniel Kaufman & Barbara Block
What does it mean to be Jewish?
The development of different Jewish movements
Barbara: God doesn’t change; our understanding of God changes
The Torah, the Talmud, and the Jewish canon
Bringing the old ways into modern times
Why moral philosophy alone isn’t enough
TAGS
history
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Judaism
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philosophy
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religion
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ritual
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spirituality
Nov 30, 2015 — Robert Wright & Steven Pinker
Why humans are becoming less violent
The dark side of our moral sense
Just how deluded are we?
Bob tries to get Steve to say something nice about religion
How science gives Steve’s life meaning
The problem with “evil”
TAGS
altruism
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Buddhism
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empathy
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ethics
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evil
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psychology
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spirituality
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violence
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war
Nov 15, 2015 — David Bryce Yaden & David Vago
Science and mindfulness meditation
Dave: “Self” and “other” are societal constructs
Teaching cognitive neuroscience to Tibetan monks
Understanding the self as “500 milliseconds of selfing”
Are mindfulness and creativity in conflict?
New technology to facilitate meditation
TAGS
Buddhism
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cognitive science
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meditation
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mindfulness
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psychology
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religion
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self
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spirituality
Oct 30, 2015 — David Bryce Yaden & Julien Musolino
Yes, you can be a “spiritual atheist”
Intuitive beliefs about the body and the soul
Julien: The soul (most likely) doesn’t exist
How believing in the soul makes you more punitive
Crime, moral responsibility, and a suffering boulder
Julien: We don’t need God to provide us with meaning
TAGS
atheism
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death
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free will
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justice
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philosophy
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religion
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soul
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spirituality
Oct 20, 2015 — Robert Wright & Jay Michaelson
Jay’s new book on sadness,
The Gate of Tears
The most common mistake we make in dealing with sadness
Examining the contours of your negative emotions
Connections between Jewish and Buddhist teachings
Jay: Pushing away the difficult is 90% of the difficult
Spirituality and the power of negative thinking
TAGS
Buddhism
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foreign policy
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happiness
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Judaism
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meditation
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psychology
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sadness
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spirituality
Oct 19, 2015 — Robert Wright & Jorge Ferrer
Do all religions have the same “esoteric core?”
The psychedelic origins of transpersonal psychology
Aligning your instincts, consciousness, and heart through “participatory spirituality”
Constructing reality through “embodied cognition”
Why Jorge would object to making participatory spirituality a religion
The complicated morality of “enlightened” spiritual teachers
TAGS
Buddhism
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consciousness
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psychology
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religion
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spirituality
Oct 12, 2015 — Robert Wright & David Frum
David’s “noodle art” metaphor for religious truth
Would aliens have the same morality as humans?
Why we need rituals
What Judaism offers to non-believers
David: Heaven doesn’t sound very interesting
Leaving the right kind of legacy
TAGS
death
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Judaism
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religion
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spirituality
Oct 11, 2015 — David Bryce Yaden & Crystal Park
Distinguishing between spirituality and religion
The bonus benefits of searching for the sacred
Measuring one’s religiosity and spirituality
States of mind fostered by spiritual practices
Meaning as a predictor of well-being
The Protestant ethic and the science of spirituality
TAGS
mindfulness
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psychology
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religion
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spirituality
Oct 10, 2015 — Robert Wright & John McWhorter
What gives John’s life meaning?
Unorthodox views on evolution and natural selection
Can art provide a spiritual experience?
The difference between consuming art and making it
Fear of infirmity … but not death
John on doing what he was meant to do
TAGS
aesthetics
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atheism
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death
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evolution
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music
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religion
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spirituality
Jul 27, 2015 — Robert Wright & Michelle Goldberg
Michelle’s new book,
The Goddess Pose
Is yoga more than just exercise?
Indra Devi, the woman who helped bring yoga to the West
The amazing story of the spiritual teacher Krishnamurti
How yoga was cannily pitched to mid-century America
Yoga’s weird sort of non-attachment
TAGS
Buddhism
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history
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spirituality
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yoga
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