Gardens of Love and Digital Dopamine, with Matthew LaPine

How might we be misunderstanding anxiety and mental health? Is it really an addiction crisis rather than a mental health crisis?

This episode is a far-ranging conversation with WWJT co-host Andrew Noble (PhD Candidate, Nottingham University) and Matthew LaPine, author of The Logic of the Body (PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). We dive into different visions for viewing human persons, how science might inform our understanding, and Matt's own growth and challenges amidst his work.

0:00 - Intro

05:35 - Undoing the "anxiety as sin" paradigm and The Logic of the Body

15:30 - Is the mental health crisis really a digital addiction crisis?

20:05 - Embodiment and Neuroplasticity

27:10 - Loneliness

30:15 - PhD Experience and Challenges

Matthew LaPine (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the Christian Education Director at Citylight Omaha. His book, The Logic of the Body, was a finalist for Christianity Today's book of the year in 2022.

Andrew briefly references a tiered Thomistic Anthropology: https://www.whatwouldjesustech.com/all-episodes/a-thomistic-case-for-ai-souls (see links in that episode)

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