Marilynne Robinson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, and Marcelo Gleiser, an Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy, engage in a thought-provoking discussion on the beauty of science and the mysteries of existence. They explore the limitations of modern science and the philosophical implications of a unifying theory. Insights into the intersection of science and spirituality emerge as they delve into consciousness and complexity. Their conversation highlights the importance of diverse narratives in understanding our origins and the human experience.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Einstein Connection
Marcelo Gleiser received an autographed picture of Albert Einstein for his bar mitzvah.
Einstein had visited Brazil in 1925 and was hosted by Gleiser's grandfather.
insights INSIGHT
Outdated Models
Both Robinson and Gleiser observe that we operate on outdated models of reality.
These limited conceptions affect our understanding of humanity, the universe, and even science itself.
insights INSIGHT
Impossibility of a Theory of Everything
A theory of everything is impossible because it assumes we can measure everything.
Our measurement tools and inherent human limitations restrict our knowledge.
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In 'Gilead', Marilynne Robinson crafts a deeply personal and introspective narrative through the eyes of John Ames, a 76-year-old pastor writing to his seven-year-old son in 1956. The novel explores themes of faith, forgiveness, and redemption as Ames recounts his life, his family's history, and the tensions between his abolitionist grandfather and his pacifist father. The book is a meditation on the human condition, highlighting the beauty in everyday moments and the profound bond between fathers and sons. It won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Religion and Human Evolution
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Robert Bella
Absence of mind
The Dispelling of Inwardness from the Modern Myth of the Self
Marilynne Robinson
In 'Absence of Mind', Marilynne Robinson critiques modern thought, particularly what she terms 'parascience' or 'scientism', which reduces human experience to purely scientific explanations. The book, derived from the Dwight Harrington Terry Foundation Lectures on Religion in the Light of Science and Philosophy, explores the relationship between religion, science, and human subjectivity. Robinson defends the individual mind's capacity for reflection and its role in creating art and culture, challenging reductive views that diminish human complexity. She also delves into the works of Sigmund Freud and other thinkers to argue for a more holistic understanding of human consciousness[1][4][5].
Housekeeping
Marilynne Robinson
Home
Warsan Shire
A Tear at the Edge of Creation
Marcelo Gleiser
In this book, Marcelo Gleiser challenges the long-standing scientific pursuit of a Theory of Everything, arguing that it is fundamentally misguided. He presents evidence that everything in the universe emerges from fundamental imperfections, such as primordial asymmetries in matter and time, cataclysmic accidents in Earth’s early life, and duplication errors in the genetic code. Gleiser advocates for a new 'humancentrism' to reflect our position in the universal order, emphasizing that life, especially intelligent life, is a rare and precious accident. He argues that science should abandon the old aesthetic that equates perfection with beauty and instead look at evidence without the influence of centuries of monotheistic thought.
Novelist Marilynne Robinson and physicist Marcelo Gleiser are both passionate about the majesty of science, and they share a caution about what they call our modern “piety” toward science. They connect thrilling dots among the current discoveries about the cosmos and the new territory of understanding our own minds. We brought them together for a joyous, heady discussion of the mystery we are.
Marcelo Gleiser is Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College. He’s the author of The Dancing Universe, A Tear at the Edge of Creation, and, most recently, The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected: A Natural Philosopher’s Quest for Trout and the Meaning of Everything. He was awarded the 2019 Templeton Prize.
Marilynne Robinson is a professor emeritus of the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She’s the author of several novels, including Housekeeping, Home, and Gilead, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Her works of nonfiction include Absence of Mind and, most recently, What Are We Doing Here?
This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the
On Being
episode "Marilynne Robinson and Marcelo Gleiser — The Mystery We Are." Find more at
On Being with Krista Tippett 
