Jennifer Michael Hecht

Jennifer Michael Hecht, a poet and historian known for her thought-provoking works on doubt and existence, joins the conversation. They dive into how poetry can serve as a substitute for religion, offering meaning and connection in a secular world. Hecht shares insights on the power of personal rituals and the role of poetic expression in navigating life's profound questions. The discussion encompasses the transformative nature of poetry, its ability to foster community, and the significance of embracing uncertainty as part of the human experience.

Jennifer Michael Hecht, a poet and historian known for her book 'The Wonder Paradox,' delves into the intersection of poetry and spirituality without traditional religious frameworks. She discusses how poetry can fulfill the human need for meaning, serving as a secular ritual that articulates deep emotions. Hecht shares insights on navigating existential questions and the communal bonds fostered through shared poetic experiences, all while exploring how secular practices can provide emotional fulfillment and moral frameworks.

Poet and author Jennifer Michael Hecht reads Lucie Brock-Broido's work. They delve into the history of French anthropologists dissecting each other, analyze Brock-Broido's poem 'Noctury' with themes of identity and mortality, discuss creativity through poetry and gender dynamics, and analyze Hecht's poem 'The End of the World' reflecting on honesty in writing.

“We are indebted to one another and the debt is a kind of faith — a beautiful, difficult, strange faith. We believe each other into being.” That’s the message the philosopher, poet, and historian, Jennifer Michael Hecht, puts at the center of her unusual writing about suicide. She’s traced how Western civilization has, at times, demonized those who died by suicide, and, at times, celebrated it as a moral freedom. She has struggled with suicidal places in her life and lost friends to it. She proposes a new cultural understanding based on our essential need for each other.Jennifer Michael Hecht is the author of Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against It, Doubt: A History, and Who Said.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.This show originally aired on March 26, 2014.

Jennifer Michael Hecht, author, science historian, philosopher, and poet, discusses the changing concept of happiness in different cultures and times. She critiques the skeptic community's reliance on science resembling religion. They explore the complex relationship between faith and doubt, blending religious beliefs with skepticism, and the intersection of skepticism, atheism, and the arts. The discussion challenges societal obsessions with longevity and diet, emphasizing living a meaningful life over extending life. They touch on happiness, atheism, and the impact individuals have on each other.