In this episode, I’m bringing you an interview with one of my personal heroes, Dr. Diana Walsh Paslka. Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka is a professor of religious studies and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. She holds a bachelor’s from UC Davis, a master’s from Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University. She is the author of Heaven Can Wait: Purgatory in Catholic Devotional and Popular Culture and American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology, which we will be discussing in this interview. LISTEN TO THESE EPISODES FIRSTIf you aren’t already familiar with Diana’s work, you’ll definitely want to start with these two episodes before listening to this interview to get the full context of our conversation.Ep 11: Nazis & UFOs [Pt. 1]: The Emergence Of UFO LoreEp 16: The Sky Calls To Us: The Occult Origins Of The Space RaceGET DR. DIANA WALSH PASULKA’S BOOKSAmerican Cosmic: UFO’s, Religion TechnologyHeaven Can Wait: Purgatory In Catholic Devotional And Popular CultureMENTIONED IN THE EPISODEThe Question Concerning Technology by Martin HeideggerWhat Is Called Thinking? by Martin HeideggerDiscourse On Thinking by Martin HeideggerI, Product by Jacques ValleeSociety of the Spectacle by Guy DubordRepublic by PlatoDr. James MaddenMarie Mutsuki Mockett2001: A Space OdysseyNopeBECOME A PATRONGET THE BOOKFOLLOWWebsiteTwitterFacebookMUSICTheme: Cabinet of Curiosities by Shaun FrearsonTIMESTAMPS00:00:30 Intro00:05:03 How does a scholar of religion end up writing a book about UFOs? [Backstory of American Cosmic]00:10:57 Why the next big breakthrough in the space program will come from the field of religious studies.00:14:33 What can we learn from studying Tyler’s protocols?00:18:14 What should we make of the simplicity of Tyler’s protocols?00:22:43 What is Tyler communicating with?00:26:07 What’s going on in the space program?00:30:25 Civil religion & UFOs00:34:11 Having a front row seat to the birth of a myth/belief/religion00:38:15 Diana’s transition from UFO atheist to UFO agnostic00:43:39 “The Question Concerning Technology” by Martin Heidegger00:57:36 What does the Monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey tell us about the relationship between media and technology?01:04:39 Jordan Peele’s Nope and the relationship between media and belief01:08:32 Society of the Spectacle01:13:17 Plato’s Cave01:24:21 Plato’s Republic & the impossibility of justice01:26:45 Ontological shock & re-entering the cave01:29:34 The danger of Technology01:34:48 What to expect from Diana’s new book