MeaningofLife.tv

On The Posner Show, Sarah talks with Katie about the successes and challenges of the Sunday Assembly, the "atheist megachurch." How did the Sunday Assembly spread from East London to forty cities around the world? What caused a split between the Sunday Assembly and a group in New York, which complained about prohibitions on talking about atheism? They discuss why atheist church is appealing—or not—to atheists. Katie says when you create a new church, schisms are inevitable. What is the role of charismatic leaders in keeping churches afloat? Finally: What does the future hold for atheist churches?

Why loving your enemies is easier said than done ... How meditation can reduce anger ... Metta Meditation and Loving-kindness ... Empathy for people you can't stand ... The Buddhist concept of the self ... The epidemic of self-loathing ...

Rob's book, "Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite" ... Conflicting beliefs in the mind ... What Walt Whitman knew about the brain ... The psychology of deciding not to eat chocolate ... What is the self? ... Rob's "self"-conception ...

Judson uses meditation instead of novocaine at the dentist ... Inside the brain of a meditator ... Exploring the doctrine of "no self" ... How Buddhist detachment affects everyday life ... Your thoughts are none of your business ... If everyone meditated, would there be world peace? ...

Meditation as pumping iron ... How to reduce useless pain and enrich pleasure ... How self-knowledge can lead to altruism ... How Shinzen found the Dharma before it was cool ... Synthesizing Buddhism and Western science ...

Drink this and become more vengeful! ... Selfish acts with altruistic results ... Oxytocin: The amoral molecule? ... Imagining a pill that makes you more moral ... Would taking a morality pill be immoral? ... In praise of "I don't know" ...

Gary describes happiness beyond thought ... Life without anger and lust ... Why has Gary meditated so much for so long? ... Buddhist teachings on suffering and selfhood ... Explaining the experience of no-thought ... Does Buddhism lead to nihilism? ...

Steven's book, "The Better Angels of Our Nature" ... How immutable is human nature? ... Why is America more violent than Europe? ... The Mad Max question ... Against empathy ... Steven: To hell with dignity! ...

On The Mind Report, Laurie interviews Dan Ariely about his recent book, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty. They explore the psychology of cheating and lying in competitive cycling, at Harvard, and in business. Dan explains how non-human animals are more rational than we are, and Laurie asks whether the media has contributed to people cheating more lately. Dan reveals how his research on dishonesty has affected his personal life. In closing, Dan offers some tactics to fight the eroding trust that threatens society.

Joshua talks to Dave about his research on whether people are innately selfish or cooperative. It seems intuitive that thoughtful people would be kinder—but is this so? What's the psychology behind being nice or mean to a stranger? Joshua and Dave analyze whether cooperation is part of human nature or mediated by culture. Could Americans teach cynical Romanians to be more cooperative? Finally, they consider the true source of our values.