Zoe (https://twitter.com/ZoeWeil) is the co-founder & president of the Institute for Humane Education (https://humaneeducation.org/). She is considered a pioneer in the comprehensive humane education movement. She has authored seven books both for adults & children, including Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World & Meaningful Life. Zoe writes the Becoming a Solutionary blog at Psychology today. She has made numerous TV & radio appearances and has given six TED talks, including “Extending our Circle of Compassion.”  In these Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”  Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings."

The audio is also here on YouTube - with full show notes.

We discuss:

- Humane Education: Human rights, animal protection, environmental sustainability

- Growing up non-religious in New York but with Jewish heritage

- Having the label "Jew" but not knowing what it meant

- Taking courses on Orthodox Judaism at NYU. Finding the questioning & debate fascinating, but the "proofs of god didn't seem like proofs"

- Taking a sense that "what you do mattered more than what you believe"

- Semester at Sea, staying on an ashram, visiting Israel & Japan. Exploring religion & meaning making

- Choosing to study religion rather than a scientific veterinary track

- Doing a Masters in Theological studies at Harvard Divinity School, focusing on what religions taught about animals & environment

- "I still don't believe in god - the way god is described in most religions"

- "The mystery of the universe is awe-inspiring". Calling it "god" feels like it's narrowing something huge into something small

- Is religion restricting wonder rather than revelling in it?

- Does religion constrain the concept of god as the "universe" into something that looks remarkably like a human male?

- Awe and wonder and connection within a naturalistic worldview

- Unitarian universalism & the power of numinous, communal experience

- And much more... 

Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at https://sentientism.info/. Join our "wall" https://sentientism.info/wall/

Everyone interested, Sentientist or not, is welcome to join our groups. Our main one is on FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/groups/sentientism.

Thanks Graham for the post-prod: https://twitter.com/cgbessellieu