Beauty At Work

This episode is the second part of my conversation with Dr. Francis Collins, a pioneer physician-scientist who led the Human Genome Project and has been director of the National Institutes of Health during the tenures of three U.S. presidents. Dr. Collins shares insights from his impressive career: from the discovery of genes linked to many diseases to addressing public health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and his efforts to bring harmony between science and faith. We will also discuss the intersection of beauty and science, public health leadership, and the critical task of bridging societal divides in our polarized times. Dr. Collins’s latest book, The Road to Wisdom, deals with the relationship between truth, science, faith, and trust.In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:The transformative power of faith in scienceThe power of beauty to evoke spiritual longingBuilding bridges through healthy conflictThe need for faith communities in creation careThe pursuit of truth amidst uncertainty and misinformationTo learn more about Dr. Francis Collins's work, you can find him at: Website: https://biologos.org/?campaign=539861Twitter: https://x.com/BioLogosOrgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/biologosorg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biologosorgThis episode is sponsored by:John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show

Can science, beauty, and faith converge in our quest for truth? Joining us to discuss this topic is Dr. Francis Collins: a pioneer physician-scientist who led the Human Genome Project and has been director of the National Institutes of Health during the tenures of three U.S. presidents. Dr. Collins shares insights from his impressive career: from the discovery of genes linked to many diseases to addressing public health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and his efforts to bring harmony between science and faith. We will also discuss the intersection of beauty and science, public health leadership, and the critical task of bridging societal divides in our polarized times. Dr. Collins’s latest book, The Road to Wisdom, deals with the relationship between truth, science, faith, and trust.In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:The transformative power of scienceWhy Francis wrote The Road to WisdomHow politics has led to misinformationThe importance of trust in institutions despite failuresThe search for truth in science amidst uncertaintyTo learn more about Dr. Francis Collins's work, you can find him at: Website: https://biologos.org/?campaign=539861Twitter: https://x.com/BioLogosOrgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/biologosorg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biologosorgThis episode is sponsored by:John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show

Human beings are meaning-seeking creatures. This search is at the heart of religions all around the world. Over the past century or so, however, religion, especially in the West, has been in decline, and many commentators have marked the rise of the “nones” and “dones”--those who have no religious affiliation and those who have abandoned religion with no intention to return. What factors are behind these shifts? What does the search for meaning in the absence of religion look like? What is spirituality and what is its relevance in our contemporary context? In this episode, I interview a psychologist and philosopher who are trying to make sense of these trends.Daryl Van Tongeren, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Hope College and the director of the Frost Center for Social Science Research. A social psychologist, he has published more than 200 scholarly articles and chapters, and four books, on topics such as religion, meaning in life, and virtues. Most recently, his work has focused on the psychological and social processes of leaving religion and undergoing religious change, culminating in his newest book, Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion. His research has been covered by numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, BBC, Hidden Brain, Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR-affiliated radio stations, Scientific American, and Men’s Health. His work has been supported by numerous grants from the John Templeton Foundation, and he has won national and international awards for his research. He is also an associate editor for The Journal of Positive Psychology. He enjoys running, biking, and hiking near where he lives with his wife, Sara, in Holland, MI. David McPherson is Professor of Philosophy in the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida as well as Affiliate Professor in the Department of Philosophy. McPherson works in the areas of ethics (especially virtue ethics), political philosophy, meaning in life, and philosophy of religion. He is the author of The Virtues of Limits (Oxford University Press, 2022) and Virtue and Meaning: A Neo-Aristotelian Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2020), as well as the editor of Spirituality and the Good Life: Philosophical Approaches (Cambridge University Press, 2017). McPherson is currently the project leader for a three-year Templeton-funded grant project on “Spiritual Yearning and the Problem of Spiritual Alienation,” which will result in his third book monograph titled Spiritual Alienation and the Quest for God as well as an edited volume titled Spiritual Yearning in an Age of Secularization: Philosophical, Psychological, and Sociological Perspectives.In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:The Search for Meaning and Spiritual YearningSpiritual Alienation and the Struggle for AuthenticityThe Role of Yearning in Psychological GrowthThe Existential Challenge of Living FullySpiritual Practices and the Path to ReceptivityThe Future of Spirituality in a Secular AgeTo learn more about Daryl and his work, you can find him at:Website: http://darylvantongeren.com/Instagram: https://instagram.com/darylvantongeren/X: https://x.com/drvantongerenDone: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion: https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/done To learn more about David and his work, you can find him at:Website: https://davidmcpherson.weebly.com/X: https://Support the show

Human beings are meaning-seeking creatures. This search is at the heart of religions all around the world. Over the past century or so, however, religion, especially in the West, has been in decline, and many commentators have marked the rise of the “nones” and “dones”--those who have no religious affiliation and those who have abandoned religion with no intention to return. What factors are behind these shifts? What does the search for meaning in the absence of religion look like? What is spirituality and what is its relevance in our contemporary context? In this episode, I interview a psychologist and philosopher who are trying to make sense of these trends.Daryl Van Tongeren, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Hope College and the director of the Frost Center for Social Science Research. A social psychologist, he has published more than 200 scholarly articles and chapters, and four books, on topics such as religion, meaning in life, and virtues. Most recently, his work has focused on the psychological and social processes of leaving religion and undergoing religious change, culminating in his newest book, Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion. His research has been covered by numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, BBC, Hidden Brain, Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR-affiliated radio stations, Scientific American, and Men’s Health. His work has been supported by numerous grants from the John Templeton Foundation, and he has won national and international awards for his research. He is also an associate editor for The Journal of Positive Psychology. He enjoys running, biking, and hiking near where he lives with his wife, Sara, in Holland, MI. David McPherson is Professor of Philosophy in the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida as well as Affiliate Professor in the Department of Philosophy. McPherson works in the areas of ethics (especially virtue ethics), political philosophy, meaning in life, and philosophy of religion. He is the author of The Virtues of Limits (Oxford University Press, 2022) and Virtue and Meaning: A Neo-Aristotelian Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2020), as well as the editor of Spirituality and the Good Life: Philosophical Approaches (Cambridge University Press, 2017). McPherson is currently the project leader for a three-year Templeton-funded grant project on “Spiritual Yearning and the Problem of Spiritual Alienation,” which will result in his third book monograph titled Spiritual Alienation and the Quest for God as well as an edited volume titled Spiritual Yearning in an Age of Secularization: Philosophical, Psychological, and Sociological Perspectives.In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:The four main reasons people leave religionNavigating cognitive dissonance and existential anxietyVirtue ethics and the good lifeWhat is spirituality and do we need it?Spiritual alienationTo learn more about Daryl and his work, you can find him at:Website: http://darylvantongeren.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/darylvantongeren/ X: https://x.com/drvantongeren Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion: https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/done To learn more about David and his work, you can find him at: Website: https://davidmcpherson.weebly.com/ X: https://x.com/davidlmcpherson Virtue and Meaning: A Neo-Aristotelian Perspective: Support the show

This episode is the second part of the conversation between Brandon Vaidyanathan and Robert Lawrence Kuhn.Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer, host and executive producer of Closer To Truth, the long-running PBS/public television series and leading global resource on Cosmos (cosmology/physics, philosophy of science), Life (philosophy of biology), Mind (consciousness, brain/mind, philosophy of mind), and Meaning (theism/atheism/agnosticism, global philosophy of religion, critical thinking). Kuhn has written or edited over 30 books, including The Mystery of Existence: Why is there Anything At All? (with John Leslie); Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief; Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future; The Library of Investment Banking; How China’s Leaders Think (featuring President Xi Jinping); The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin (China’s best-selling book in 2005 and in December 2022); and "The Origin and Significance of Zero: An Interdisciplinary Perspective” (with Peter Gobets).An international corporate strategist and investment banker, Dr. Kuhn is a recipient of the China Reform Friendship Medal and is a frequent commentator in the international media and Chinese media. Kuhn’s comprehensive review article on consciousness – “A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a Taxonomy of Explanations and Implications” – is published in Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology (August 2024), and is considered the most comprehensive article written on the landscape of consciousness theories. Dr. Kuhn is chairman of The Kuhn Foundation. He has a BA in Human Biology (Johns Hopkins), PhD in Anatomy/Brain Research (UCLA), and SM (MBA) in Management (MIT).In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:The Landscape of Consciousness article, which develops a comprehensive taxonomy of theories of consciousnessThe value of loving the questions more than seeking certaintyThe humility of acknowledging the limits of one's own beliefsThe impact of Closer to TruthTo learn more about Robert, you can find him at:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-lawrence-kuhn-4b893221Closer to Truth: https://closertotruth.com/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV/videosApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/closer-to-truth/id411527781A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a taxonomy of explanations and implications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38281544/The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything At All?: https://a.co/d/izIoY8IWhy anything? Why this? by Derek Parfit: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n02/derek-parfit/why-anything-why-thisThis episode is sponsored by:John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show

What does it look like to live a life in pursuit of understanding? Our guest today exemplifies this quest across a wide range of domains. Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer, host and executive producer of Closer To Truth, the long-running PBS/public television series and leading global resource on Cosmos (cosmology/physics, philosophy of science), Life (philosophy of biology), Mind (consciousness, brain/mind, philosophy of mind), and Meaning (theism/atheism/agnosticism, global philosophy of religion, critical thinking). Kuhn has written or edited over 30 books, including The Mystery of Existence: Why is there Anything At All? (with John Leslie); Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief; Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future; The Library of Investment Banking; How China’s Leaders Think (featuring President Xi Jinping); The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin (China’s best-selling book in 2005 and in December 2022); and "The Origin and Significance of Zero: An Interdisciplinary Perspective” (with Peter Gobets).An international corporate strategist and investment banker, Dr. Kuhn is a recipient of the China Reform Friendship Medal and is a frequent commentator in the international media and Chinese media. Kuhn’s comprehensive review article on consciousness – “A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a Taxonomy of Explanations and Implications” – is published in Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology (August 2024), and is considered the most comprehensive article written on the landscape of consciousness theories. Dr. Kuhn is chairman of The Kuhn Foundation. He has a BA in Human Biology (Johns Hopkins), PhD in Anatomy/Brain Research (UCLA), and SM (MBA) in Management (MIT).In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:The beauty of understandingRobert's trajectory from neuroscience to business to China policyThe drive to explore big existential questionsThe creation of Closer to TruthTo learn more about Robert, you can find him at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-lawrence-kuhn-4b893221 Closer to Truth: https://closertotruth.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV/videos Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/closer-to-truth/id411527781 A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a taxonomy of explanations and implications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38281544/ The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything At All?: https://a.co/d/izIoY8I Why anything? Why this? by Derek Parfit: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n02/derek-parfit/why-anything-why-thisThis episode is sponsored by:John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show

Maggie Jackson is an award-winning author and journalist with a global reach. Her new book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure, explores why we should seek not-knowing in this era of angst and flux. Nominated for a National Book Award and named to multiple “Best Books of 2023” lists, Uncertain is an official selection of the Next Big Idea Club curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, Adam Grant, and Susan Cain. Lauded as “incisive and timely” (Dan Pink), “surprising and practical” (Gretchen Rubin), and “remarkable and persuasive” (Library Journal), Uncertain was named a Top 10 Summer Reading pick by Nautilus magazine.Jackson’s previous book, Distracted, sparked a global conversation on the steep costs of fragmenting our attention. A former longtime columnist for the Boston Globe, Jackson has written for The New York Times and major publications worldwide. Her work has been translated into numerous languages and is widely covered by the press. She lives in New York and Rhode Island and seeks a daily dose of uncertainty by swimming in the sea nearly every day, year-round.In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:The value of taking time to think before reacting.How uncertainty can help us learn and grow.The strengths that can come from growing up in tough situations.Making AI more adaptable by embracing uncertainty.Finding deeper beauty by being open to different perspectives.To learn more about Maggie Jackson, you can find her at: https://www.maggie-jackson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggie.jackson.books/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiejackson/Website: https://www.maggie-jackson.com/Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Maggie-Jackson/author/B001JP8IEAThis episode is sponsored by:John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show

Maggie Jackson is an award-winning author and journalist with a global reach. Her new book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure, explores why we should seek not-knowing in this era of angst and flux. Nominated for a National Book Award and named to multiple “Best Books of 2023” lists, Uncertain is an official selection of the Next Big Idea Club curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, Adam Grant, and Susan Cain. Lauded as “incisive and timely” (Dan Pink), “surprising and practical” (Gretchen Rubin), and “remarkable and persuasive” (Library Journal), Uncertain was named a Top 10 Summer Reading pick by Nautilus magazine.Jackson’s previous book, Distracted, sparked a global conversation on the steep costs of fragmenting our attention. A former longtime columnist for the Boston Globe, Jackson has written for The New York Times and major publications worldwide. Her work has been translated into numerous languages and is widely covered by the press. She lives in New York and Rhode Island and seeks a daily dose of uncertainty by swimming in the sea nearly every day, year-round.In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:The value of embracing uncertainty as a superpowerThe distinction between aleatory and epistemic uncertaintyThe cultural and psychological effects of our aversion to uncertaintyThe role of adaptive expertise in leadership and problem-solvingThe relationship between humility and uncertaintyTo learn more about Maggie Jackson, you can find her at: https://www.maggie-jackson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggie.jackson.books/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiejackson/ Website: https://www.maggie-jackson.com/ Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Maggie-Jackson/author/B001JP8IEAThis episode is sponsored by:John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show

Daniel McInerny is associate professor and chair of the philosophy department at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. He is also a novelist and dramatist. As a scholar, Daniel is foremost interested in reactivating an Aristotelian understanding of mimetic art, long out of favor among philosophers. His latest book is Beauty and Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts. At Christendom College Daniel teaches courses on the Philosophy of Art & Beauty, the Philosophy of Technology, the Philosophy of Culture, and Poetic Experience & Truth. In March 2023 Chrism Press published his novel, The Good Death of Kate Montclair. Daniel is also the author of a play, The Actor, which will premiere in November 2024. Daniel also writes the Substack newsletter, The Comic Muse, where he shares stories and sketches from his studio.In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:The importance of choice over chance in compelling narrativesThe moral dimension of storytellingThe relationship between subjective and objective beauty in artThe significance of context in art appreciationTo learn more about Daniel and his work:Newsletter: https://danielmcinerny.substack.com/Beauty and Imitation: https://a.co/d/cNquN03The Good Death of Kate Montclair: https://a.co/d/0KKy0PSPodcast: https://danielmcinerny.substack.com/podcast This episode is sponsored by:John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show

How is art relevant to our yearning for flourishing? In this episode, I interview philosopher Daniel McInerny about his new book, Beauty and Imitation.Dr. Daniel McInerny is associate professor and chair of the philosophy department at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. He is also a novelist and dramatist. As a scholar, Daniel is foremost interested in reactivating an Aristotelian understanding of mimetic art, long out of favor among philosophers. His latest book is Beauty and Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts. At Christendom College Daniel teaches courses on the Philosophy of Art & Beauty, the Philosophy of Technology, the Philosophy of Culture, and Poetic Experience & Truth. In March 2023 Chrism Press published his novel, The Good Death of Kate Montclair. Daniel is also the author of a play, The Actor, which will premiere in November 2024. Daniel also writes the Substack newsletter, The Comic Muse, where he shares stories and sketches from his studio.In this first part of our conversation, we talk about:What is mimetic art?Mimetic art as storytellingDelighted contemplation as the ultimate goal of artTo learn more about Daniel and his work:Newsletter: https://danielmcinerny.substack.com/ Beauty and Imitation: https://a.co/d/cNquN03 The Good Death of Kate Montclair: https://a.co/d/0KKy0PS This episode is sponsored by:John Templeton Foundation (https://www.templeton.org/)Templeton Religion Trust (https://templetonreligiontrust.org/)Support the show