Yann Martel, author of the Man Booker award-winning novel Life of Pi and The High Mountains of Portugal, is not a big fan of outer space. Nor of science in general. “Science," he says on this week's episode, ". . . is a truth that exists whether I’m there or not. And that’s what I like about religion and art: To art and religion, I DO matter.” Sparked by surprise video clips on quantum entanglement, linguistic diversity, and whether or not the internet is turning us all into narcissists, Martel and host Jason Gots discuss selfies, chimpanzees, faith, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A.O. Scott: The fantasy that I would use to comfort myself [as a child, about death] was…that I’d become other people. I would still be me, but I would inhabit different bodies…and eventually I would just get to see what it was like to be everybody.Jason Gots: That’s a critic’s fantasy.A.O. Scott: Yeah! And you discover shortcuts to do that...through works of art.A.O. Scott's new book Better Living Through Criticism playfully and artfully examines what critics do and why. On this week's episode, he and host Jason Gots dig into these ideas, then react to surprise clips from Jesse Ventura, MIT professor Sherry Turkle, and philosopher John Grey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shockingly well-dressed comedian Paul F. Tompkins, host of Spontaneanation and the television show No, You Shut Up! joins host Jason Gots for improvised singing and conversation on subjects ranging from supervillains to presidential debates.Also! We debut our amazing new theme song from the mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All technology is in effect “dual use.” You can use it for good, or you can use it for ill. – Marc GoodmanAt what point does government's incompetence at policing sex predators and other internet criminals constitute breach of contract with the general public? Has anyone on Earth actually read the "terms of service"?Marc Goodman, a cybersecurity expert and author of the New York Times bestseller FUTURE CRIMES talks with Big Think'sJason Gots about these questions and more, prompted by surprise videos from Physician David Agus, Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa, and former Muslim extremist Maajid Nawaz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Justice without the opportunity for redemption is torture.” -- James DotyIn this week's episode neurosurgeon James Doty, founder of the Stanford University Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and author of Into the Magic Shop , and Think Again host Jason Gots wrestle with questions spiritual, political, and neurobiological. It's a lively good time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“We skeptics need evidence. And then, we’ll believe!” -- Michael ShermerIn this week's episode, Michael Shermer, author of Skeptic and The Moral Arc, and Think Again host Jason Gots discuss (among other things) compelling evidence that humanity's getting less evil overall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the risk of alienating your southern listeners, the American South is by far the most religious, and on every measure of turpitude it gets very good scores. -- Howard GardnerIn this week's episode, Howard Gardner, creator of the theory of Multiple Intelligences and host Jason Gots discuss (among other things) whether or not pornography can be art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’ve written hit plays. I know what a hit feels like. It doesn’t significantly change your life. You still have to start again and try and write the next one. – David HareIn this week's episode, celebrated playwright Sir David Hare opines along with host Jason Gots, on art, nuclear weapons, and whether it makes sense to bring kids into this messed up world.Sir David's latest book is The Blue Touch Paper, a poignant, searching memoir about his childhood and his life's work on stage and screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Now newness is coming at us continuously. And the brain hasn’t evolved to deal with that onslaught of newness. There has to be some sculpting of the input. Otherwise it just becomes random noise." – Daniel LevitinDo you see yourself as in control of your destiny, or do you see things the other way around? Join Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind, and Think Again host Jason Gots for a fascinating, high-energy exploration of human agency in the age of digital overload. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Art, by letting us get bored, reveals something to us about what we’ve been doing to avoid boredom.” – Alva NoëWhy are we so afraid to slow down and think? Is it possible, in any sense, to separate reason and emotion? Is there such a thing as "too far out" in physics?On this week's episode, philosopher Alva Noë, author of "Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature" and host Jason Gots hear surprise clips from a physicist, a Wall Street "quant", and magician Penn Jillette. The far-ranging conversation that ensues digs deep into the nature of art, religion, and thought itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices