Beauty At Work

Pauline Brown is a marketing professor at Columbia Business School, where she teaches a course on ’the Business of Aesthetics.’ Earlier in her career, she held senior executive roles at design-driven companies, including LVMH, and Estée Lauder. She also is the author of a business book, Aesthetic Intelligence, published in 2019 by HarperCollins, and the founder of an e-learning platform Aesthetic Intelligence Labs.In this episode, we talk about:1. What Aesthetic Intelligence means2. The aesthetic genius of Steve Jobs3. How can we better understand the roots of personal taste and style?4. How do we distinguish between mimetic desire, trends, and genuine personal styles?5. Unpacking the limiting nature of the education system in developing our personal identities6. Can learning to embrace other aesthetics from other people help you become “more yourself”?7. What is the role of aesthetic intelligence in organizational culture?8.  How aesthetics help better communicate and embody company cultures9. How do we actually measure aesthetic intelligence in businesses?10. Unpacking the ethics of aesthetic intelligence 11. How can individuals and organizations cultivate aesthetic intelligence?12. Why aesthetic intelligence ("the other AI") matters in the age of AITo learn more about Pauline Brown’s work, visit: https://aestheticintelligence.com/ Resources Mentioned:Pauline’s book Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond: https://a.co/d/eIUpkEH Aesthetic Intelligence Labs Course: https://www.aestheticintelligencelabs.com/course/ Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Season 2 of the Beauty at Work podcast launches on June 1st. What topics and guests would you like to see on the show?Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder is a physicist, science communicator, author, musician, and YouTuber. She has published more than 80 research papers on topics ranging from quantum gravity to particle physics, cosmology, astrophysics, statistical mechanics, and quantum foundations. She is the author of Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray, and most recently, of Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions. She is also the Creative Director of the popular YouTube channel “Science without the gobbledygook”.In this episode, we talk about: 1. What drew Sabine to pursue mathematics and physics2. How mathematics can describe the nature of the universe3. The criteria of beauty (simplicity, elegance, and naturalness) and how they help shape physics4. Why “Naturalness” is a problem in physics5. The problems with the reliance on beauty in physics6. What physics tells us about existential questions such as life after death and free will7. On how her research has affected her life8. Science communication, public support, and the inclusion of non-experts in scientific discourse9. How we can cultivate the beauty of understanding10. On her sense of meaning and her mission, and how they shape her work.Resources mentioned:Sabine's website: https://sabinehossenfelder.comYouTube Channel, Science without the gobbledygook: https://www.youtube.com/c/sabinehossenfelderDr, Hossenfelder’s book Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray:https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Math-Beauty-Physics-Astray/dp/0465094252Dr. Hossenfelder's book Existential Physicshttps://www.amazon.com/Existential-Physics-Scientists-Biggest-Questions/dp/1984879456/Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Born and raised in England, David Clayton is an internationally known artist, teacher, writer, and broadcaster living in Princeton, NJ. He is Provost of online Catholic university www.Pontifex.University where he created their unique Master of Sacred Arts program; and is currently Artist-in-Residence of Scala Foundation, a non-profit based in Princeton, which has a mission of transforming American culture through educational programs that encourage creativity. He has a popular blog at thewayofbeauty.org and writes weekly also for scalafoundation.org; and the newliturgicalmovement.org. He has written several books including: The Little Oratory, A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home; The Way of Beauty, and  The Vision for You - How to Discover the Life You Were Made  For. As an artist, he has major commissions from churches in the US and the UK. He has also illustrated several books aside from his own.In this episode, we talk about: What drew David to science and then into art.How his scientific background influences David’s iconography work.How science and mathematics are sources of creativity and inspiration.The similarities in the methodical approach of scientists and traditional artists Defining beauty in art and scienceHow beauty can mislead usThe beauty of science and how it can build trust in science for people of faith.What can mathematical and/or scientific training provide to artists?Resources mentioned:David’s blog:https://www.thewayofbeauty.org/David’s book The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home:https://www.amazon.com/Little-Oratory-Beginners-Guide-Praying/dp/1622821769Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Carlo Lancellotti is a Professor of Mathematics at the College of Staten Island and a faculty member in the Physics Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. His field of scholarship is mathematical physics, with a special emphasis on the kinetic theory of plasmas and gravitating systems. He has published in a variety of journals, including Physical Review, Physical Review Letters, the Journal of Statistical Physics, Chaos, the Journal of Transport Theory, and Statistical Physics. He has also translated into English and published three volumes of works by the late Italian philosopher Augusto Del Noce. Lancellotti has also written essays of his own on Del Noce and other topics, which have appeared in Communio, Public Discourse, Church Life Journal, First Things, and other outlets.In this episode, we talk about: Beauty, structure, and harmony and their role in the study of mathematics.The aesthetic criteria used by some mathematicians.The beauty found in the Boltzmann equation.Beauty and truth in simplicity and consistency—understanding reality through math.The limitations of mathematics in what it can tell us about reality.Mathematicians and the Platonic world of ideas.Appreciating the beauty in mathematics—how beauty can help encourage the study of math.Understanding math is a necessity in learning art.Resources mentioned:David Bohm’s Wholeness and the Implicate Order:https://www.amazon.com/Wholeness-Implicate-Order-David-Bohm/dp/0415289793The Redemption of Scientific Reason by Carlo Lancellotihttps://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-redemption-of-scientific-reason/Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Dr. Mark Painter graduated from The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota with a B.S. in Biology in 2014, and subsequently entered the Graduate Program in Immunology at the University of Michigan. There, he studied how HIV evades the immune response and establishes a persistent infection, working to develop therapeutic strategies to reverse these processes. He completed his Ph.D. in Immunology in November 2020. He began a postdoctoral research fellowship to study human immunology and vaccination in John Wherry's lab at the University of Pennsylvania in January 2021. His current focus is on immune responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination, and his work has been published in journals including Science Immunology, Immunity, Nature Medicine, Science, and Cell.In this episode, we talk about: What drew Mark Painter into the study of biology and virology?Viruses, the elegance in their intricacies, and their place in the process of life.The beauty found in Mark’s work in biology and virology.The usefulness of beauty in understanding in the realm of science.The obstacles in encountering beauty in science, and what can help scientists face those obstacles.Mark’s insight into what could be done to establish more public trust in science, especially in the realm of vaccines.Cultivating the love of science and reality through deep conversation over simply sharing facts.Resources mentioned:Mark Painter’s body of work and research he was involved in:https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=mark+painter&btnG=Sponsors:This episode is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust as part of a grant on the aesthetic dimensions of science. It is also sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California, and you can learn more about them here: www.iacs.usc.eduSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Frank C. Keil is Charles C. & Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Psychology and Linguistics at Yale University, where he is also a member of the Cognition and Development Lab. After his BS in Biology at MIT in 1973, he went on to get his MA in Psychology from Stanford in 1975 and PhD in Psychology from University of Pennsylvania in 1977. Keil has published extensively on topics concerned with many areas in the development of cognition and language. He has written two books on aspects of conceptual development. He has served as president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and has received numerous awards for his scholarship, including the Boyd R. McCandless Award from the American Psychological Association (Developmental Psychology), the Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology from the American Psychological Association, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health, and the Ann L. Brown Award for Excellence in Developmental Research. His recent work focuses on how children and adults grasp the causal structure of the world around them and how they cope with explanatory gaps. His latest book is Wonder: Childhood and the Lifelong Love of Science (MIT Press, 2022).In this episode, we talk about: Defining “wonder” and how it differs from curiosity and its importance for children.Causal mechanisms and their importance in the realm of science.The factors that facilitate wonder and the drive to understand causal mechanisms.How the American school system contributes to the repression of wonder.How the pressure of chasing grants and the lack of agency is an obstacle to a scientist’s wonder.How to sustain the sense of wonder.Qualities that one can have that can contribute to the pursuit of scientific inquiry.Does learning how something works diminish the wonder we can feel for it?On the weaponization of wonder How to make assertions with confidence while also saying that it’s fallible.Tips for cultivating wonder in (1) children, (2) teachers who feel pressured to produce by the system, and (3) scientists who are losing their sense of wonder.Resources mentioned:Frank Keil’s book, “Wonder: Childhood and the Lifelong Love of Science”:https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Childhood-Lifelong-Love-Science/dp/0262046490Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Dr. Marcia Otto is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Health. Marcia's research focuses on the effects of different aspects of diet on cardiometabolic health and cognition. Marcia received her postdoctoral training in Nutritional and Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Harvard T.C. Chan School of Public Health. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health, an M.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Sao Paulo, and a B.S. in Physics from the University of Rio de Janeiro State. Marcia’s work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and the Department of Defense. Since 2020, Marcia has been serving as the leading investigator of a multi-site collaboration to inform the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Harris County, TX.In this episode, we talk about: Why Dr. Marcia Otto became a scientist in the first place What drew her to study health and epidemiologyThe beauty that Marcia finds in her work as a scientistThe relationship between the beauty of understanding and the usefulness of scienceNavigating institutional pressures that may become an obstacle in finding beauty in scienceMarcia’s advice for other scientists who struggle to find beauty in their work: “Do not forget your passion.”How the dedication to contribute and being receptive to discovery opens you to finding beauty in the field of science.What makes some scientists be open to being surprised, and why some are locked into a more confined goal?Navigating the difficulty of communicating research to the public despite the provisional nature of science that is always undergoing correctionWhat Marcia wants the public to understand about her work and science in general.To learn more about Dr. Otto’s work, visit: www.uth.tmc.eduSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcast Support the show

Marcelo Gleiser is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy at Dartmouth, a world-renowned theoretical physicist and public intellectual. He’s authored hundreds of technical and nontechnical papers and essays, and six books in English translated to 15 languages, the latest being Great Minds Don’t Think Alike. His popular writings explore the historical, religious, and philosophical roots of science. Marcelo is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a recipient of the Presidential Faculty Fellows Award from the White House, and founder and past director of the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement at Dartmouth. He co-founded NPR’s 13.7 Science and Culture blog, and currently writes weekly for BigThink.com. He is the 2019 Templeton Prize laureate, an honor he shares with Mother Tereza, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and scientists Freeman Dyson, Jane Goodall, Francis Collins, and Sir Martin Rees.In this episode we talk about: What first drew Marcelo to physics in his childhoodOn his first encounters with beauty in scienceWhy Marcelo finds asymmetries in the world beautifulWhy scientific models can be misleadingCan we view science as the absolute truth?On the problem with ultimate theories of everythingHow can realizing science is limited actually fuel our pursuit for more knowledge?How does our lost connection with nature affect us as a society?What is the relationship between science and spirituality?How can one overcome corrosive institutional pressures in science?To learn more about Marcelo’s work, visit: https://marcelogleiser.com Resources Mentioned:The blind spot: https://aeon.co/essays/the-blind-spot-of-science-is-the-neglect-of-lived-experienceThis episode is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust as part of a grant on the aesthetic dimensions of science (TRT0296). To learn more about them, visit www.templetonreligiontrust.orgThis episode is also sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, a global research center located at the University of Southern California. IACS works to create dialogue, spark ideas and sustain academic research on Catholic thought, creative imagination and lived experience. Learn more at iacs.usc.eduSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Dr. Punya Mishra is Associate Dean of Scholarship & Innovation and Professor in the Division of Educational Leadership & Innovation in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. He is internationally recognized for his work in technology integration in teaching; the role of creativity and aesthetics in learning; and the application of design-based approaches to educational innovation. He has received over $7 million in grants, published over 100 articles, and edited 3 books. He is an award-winning teacher, an engaging public speaker, as well as an accomplished visual artist and poet. And like any true Douglas Adams fan, he is interested in life, the universe, and everything.In this episode we talk about: How Dr. Mishra began seeing the beauty of the world through scienceHow can we revive the sense of wonder and curiosity in our classrooms?How education fails to cultivate the skill of curiosity and perceptionThe role of beauty in scienceDr. Mishra’s framework to better understand aesthetics in scienceCan curiosity be both helpful and harmful?Why do the aesthetics of coding matter?Can learning about the aesthetics of science help cultivate public trust?How can we develop generative curiosity?Why are the aesthetic aspects of science important?To learn more about Dr. Mishra work, visit: https://punyamishra.com/ You can also find him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/punyamishra Resources Mentioned:Dr. Mishra's framework for the role of aesthetics in STEM education:https://punyamishra.com/2019/02/10/aesthetics-stem-education-introducing-a-new-framework/Creativity & the Mindful Wanderings of Dr. Jonathan Schooler: https://punyamishra.com/2022/06/22/mindful-wandering-creativity-new-article/This episode is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust as part of a grant on the aesthetic dimensions of science (TRT0296). To learn more about them, visit www.templetonreligiontrust.orgThis episode is also sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, a global research center located at the University of Southern California. IACS works to create dialogue, spark ideas and sustain academic research on Catholic thought, creative imagination and lived experience. Learn more at iacs.usc.eduSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show