The Meaning of Life (A Message for the Holidays)

FromThe Michael Shermer Show

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The Meaning of Life (A Message for the Holidays)

FromThe Michael Shermer Show

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Length:

2 minutes

Released:

Dec 24, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

The meaning of life is in the here and now.

Released:

Dec 24, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

In the tradition of the Enlightenment salons that helped drive the Age of Reason, Science Salon is a series of conversations between Dr. Michael Shermer and leading scientists, scholars, and thinkers, about the most important issues of our time.

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Dr. Stephon Alexander — The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe: In The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe, physicist and jazz saxophonist Dr. Stephon Alexander revisits the ancient realm where music, physics, and the cosmos were one. This cosmological journey... by The Michael Shermer Show
94 min listen
Dr. Benjamin Bergen — What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves: Dr. Benjamin Bergen is a professor of cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego, and in his new book he explains why profanity is so appealing to us. Let’s face it, we all swear. Whether we’re happy or mad, uttering a... by The Michael Shermer Show
102 min listen
Dr. Walter Scheidel — The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the 21st Century: Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, the Stanford... by The Michael Shermer Show
58 min listen
Dr. Lisa Randall — Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe: The renowned Harvard cosmologist and theoretical physicist explores a scenario in which a disk of dark matter—the elusive stuff in the universe that interacts through gravity like ordinary matter, but that doesn’t emit or absorb light—dislodged... by The Michael Shermer Show
72 min listen
Michelle Feynman — The Quotable Feynman & His Van: Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918–88) was a towering scientific genius who could make himself understood by anyone and who became as famous for the wit and wisdom of his popular lectures and writings as for his fundamental... by The Michael Shermer Show
76 min listen
Gary Taubes — The Case Against Sugar: Among Americans, diabetes is more prevalent today than ever; obesity is at epidemic proportions; nearly 10% of children are thought to have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. And sugar is at the root of these, and other, critical society-wide,... by The Michael Shermer Show
68 min listen
Dr. Alan Stern and Dr. David Grinspoon — Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto: Listen in on this remarkable conversation with mission leader Dr. Alan Stern and co-author of the spell-binding new book Chasing New Horizons, Dr. David Grinspoon, as they recount the story of the men and women behind this amazing mission: of their... by The Michael Shermer Show
73 min listen
Dr. Bart Ehrman — How a Forbidden Religion (Christianity) Swept the World: In this remote Science Salon (recorded on February 19, 2018), Dr. Shermer converses with the great bible scholar and historian Dr. Bart D. Ehrman, the Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr.... by The Michael Shermer Show
79 min listen
Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan — Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal The Cosmos: Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan is a cosmologist and theoretical astrophysicist from Yale University, specializing in dark matter, dark energy, and black holes. She also holds the Sophie and Tycho Brahe Professorship of the Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr... by The Michael Shermer Show
93 min listen
Nina Teicholz — The Big Fat Surprise About Diet and Nutrition: In this fascinating conversation with Michael Shermer, the investigative journalist Nina Teicholz reviews the scientific literature on diet and nutrition, the link (or lack thereof) between dietary cholesterol and heart disease, the history of the... by The Michael Shermer Show
71 min listen
Dr. Nancy Segal — Twin Mythconceptions: False Beliefs, Fables, and Facts about Twins: Dr. Nancy Segal, the world’s leading expert on twins, has a new book that sheds light on over 70 commonly held ideas and beliefs about the origins and development of identical and fraternal twins. Using the latest scientific findings from... by The Michael Shermer Show
54 min listen
Dr. Arthur Benjamin — The Magic of Math: Solving for x and Figuring Out Why: The Magic of Math is the math book you wish you had in school. Using a delightful assortment of examples—from ice cream scoops and poker hands to measuring mountains and making magic squares—this book empowers you to see the beauty, simplicity,... by The Michael Shermer Show
93 min listen
Dr. Yuval Noah Harari — 21 Lessons for the 21st Century: In this dialogue with one of the most interesting minds of our time, the Hebrew University historian and best-selling author (Sapiens, Homo Deus), Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, he and Dr. Shermer discuss the central ideas of his new book, 21... by The Michael Shermer Show
83 min listen
Dr. Janna Levin — Gravitational Waves, Black Holes and the Nature of the Cosmos: On Thursday, February 11, 2016, the National Science Foundation made a thrilling announcement: gravitational waves—first predicted by Einstein as part of his general theory of relativity in 1916—had been detected for the first time. This... by The Michael Shermer Show
63 min listen
Dr. Robert Trivers — Evolutionary Theory & Human Nature: Dr. Robert Trivers and Dr. Michael Shermer have a lively conversation on everything from evolutionary theory and human nature to how to win a knife fight and Trivers’ membership in the Black Panthers. Don’t miss this engaging exchange with one of... by The Michael Shermer Show
50 min listen
Bill Nye the Science Guy Saves the World on Netflix: Michael Shermer interviews Bill Nye the Science Guy about his new Netflix series “Bill Nye Saves the World,” which aired Friday, April 21, 2017. The conversation took place on December 18, 2016 at the offices of the Planetary Society, for which... by The Michael Shermer Show
86 min listen
Derren Brown — Magic, Happiness, and Skepticism: In this remote Science Salon, Michael Shermer talks with Derren Brown, a British magician and writer. His TV show Derren Brown: Mind Control received immediate success after airing in 2000. His specials include Russian Roulette, Seance, The Heist,... by The Michael Shermer Show
76 min listen
Dr. Michael Shermer — Ask Me Anything # 1: In this first Ask Me Anything (AMA) Dr. Shermer attempts to answer as many questions as possible in a reasonable time among the hundreds submitted by readers. There were so many good ones, in fact, that he will produce a second AMA on these, as well... by The Michael Shermer Show
62 min listen
Dr. Leonard Mlodinow — Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of Change: Out of the exploratory instincts that allowed our ancestors to prosper hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans developed a cognitive style that Mlodinow terms elastic thinking, a collection of traits and abilities that include neophilia (an... by The Michael Shermer Show
52 min listen
Richard Rhodes — Energy: A Human History: This is one of the best dialogues Dr. Shermer has ever had in his quarter century of talking to the leading scientists and scholars of our time. Listen in as he and Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author Richard Rhodes discuss nuclear... by The Michael Shermer Show
80 min listen
Dr. Sean B. Carroll — The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters: How does life work? How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna, or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies produce the right numbers of cells in our organs and bloodstream? In The Serengeti Rules, award-winning... by The Michael Shermer Show
95 min listen
Dr. Jonathan Haidt — The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure: In this fascinating dialogue Dr. Haidt and Dr. Shermer discuss what has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak... by The Michael Shermer Show
79 min listen
Dr. Carol Tavris — Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why is it so hard to say “I made a mistake”—and really believe it? Social psychologist Dr. Carol Tavris, one of the most influential thinkers and writers of our time, explores in dialogue with Michael Shermer cognitive dissonance and what... by The Michael Shermer Show
64 min listen
Dr. Clay Routledge — The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything: In this dialogue on life’s deepest and most meaningful issues Michael Shermer talks with psychologist Clay Routledge about: the evolution of motivation and goals in animals and humans ● what a “purpose driven life” really means ● how... by The Michael Shermer Show
121 min listen
Dr. Michael Shermer — Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia: In his most ambitious work yet—a scientific exploration into humanity’s obsession with the afterlife and quest for immortality—bestselling author and skeptic, Michael Shermer, sets out to discover what drives humans’ belief in life after... by The Michael Shermer Show
56 min listen
Dr. Gregory Berns — What It’s Like to Be a Dog…and Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience: In this wide-ranging dialogue (recorded on September 1, 2017) on the nature of consciousness Dr. Michael Shermer talks with Dr. Gregory Berns, Distinguished Professor of Neuroeconomics and Director of the Center for Neuropolicy and Facility for... by The Michael Shermer Show
70 min listen
Dr. Tali Sharot — The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About our Power to Change Others: In her new book, The Influential Mind, neuroscientist Tali Sharot takes readers on a thrilling exploration of the nature of influence, so she and Shermer start the conversation by discussing how we can influence, for example, climate deniers to accept... by The Michael Shermer Show
59 min listen
Donald Prothero & Timothy Callahan — UFOs, Chemtrails, and Aliens: What Science Says: UFOs. Aliens. Strange crop circles. Giant figures scratched in the desert surface along the coast of Peru. The amazing alignment of the pyramids. Strange lines of clouds in the sky. The paranormal is alive and well in the American cultural landscape.... by The Michael Shermer Show
67 min listen
Dr. Andrew Shtulman — Scienceblind: Why Our Intuitive Theories About the World Are So Often Wrong: Why do we catch colds? What causes seasons to change? And if you fire a bullet from a gun and drop one from your hand, which bullet hits the ground first? In a pinch we almost always get these questions wrong. Worse, we regularly misconstrue... by The Michael Shermer Show
76 min listen
Colin McGinn — Paradoxes, Puzzles, and Philosophy: In their second Science Salon conversation Michael Shermer and Colin McGinn consider the broader sweep of philosophy after their first encounter in which they focused on consciousness, free will, and God. In this dialogue they review some of the... by The Michael Shermer Show
71 min listen

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How Rhetoric Shapes Your Opinions: Robin Reames breaks down the major techniques of rhetoric, pulling back the curtain on how politicians, journalists, and “journalists” convince us to believe what we believe—and to talk, vote, and act accordingly. Understanding these techniques... by The Michael Shermer Show
71 min listen
Accomplishment and Happiness (Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker): We push ourselves toward the highest-paying, most prestigious jobs, seeking promotions and public recognition. As Adam Gopnik points out, the result is not so much a rat race as a rat maze, with no way out. Except one: to choose accomplishment over... by The Michael Shermer Show
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Should We Prepare for Nuclear War? (Annie Jacobsen): Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen investigated this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, been privy to the response plans, and are responsible for those... by The Michael Shermer Show
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An AI... Utopia? (Nick Bostrom, Oxford): Nick Bostrom’s previous book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, changed the global conversation on AI and became a New York Times bestseller. It focused on what might happen if AI development goes wrong. But what if things go right?... by The Michael Shermer Show
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Life on Mars? (Robert Zubrin): When Robert Zubrin published his classic book The Case for Mars a quarter century ago, setting foot on the Red Planet seemed a fantasy. Today, manned exploration is certain, and as Zubrin affirms in The New World on Mars, so too is colonization. From... by The Michael Shermer Show
101 min listen
Robots and the People Who Love Them: Shermer and Herold discuss: social robots, sex robots, robot nannies, robot therapists • flying cars, jetpacks and The Jetsons • Masahiro Mori • emotions, animism, mind • emotional intelligence • artificial intelligence • large language... by The Michael Shermer Show
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The Formation, Diversification, and Extinction of World Religions: Thousands of religions have adherents today, and countless more have existed throughout history. What accounts for this astonishing diversity? This extraordinarily ambitious and comprehensive book demonstrates how evolutionary systematics and... by The Michael Shermer Show
121 min listen
The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Uncertain: In an era of terrifying unpredictability, we race to address complex crises with quick, sure algorithms, bullet points, and tweets. How could we find the clarity and vision so urgently needed today by being unsure? Uncertain is about the triumph of... by The Michael Shermer Show
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An Unfinished History of the Holocaust: The Holocaust is much discussed, much memorialized, and much portrayed. But there are major aspects of its history that have been overlooked. Spanning the entirety of the Holocaust, this sweeping history deepens our understanding. Dan Stone—Director... by The Michael Shermer Show
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What Evolution and Human Nature Imply About the Meaning of Our Existence: Generations have been taught that evolution implies there is no overarching purpose to our existence, that life has no fundamental meaning. We are merely the accumulation of tens of thousands of intricate molecular accidents. Some scientists take this... by The Michael Shermer Show
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The Meaning of Life (A Message for the Holidays)

The Meaning of Life (A Message for the Holidays)

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from The Michael Shermer Show