Naked Humanity

This week a listener asks me about how to be happy. She’s got a steady job, friends, romance--what gives? Why isn’t she happy? I talk about advertising in the modern world, the demand that you be happy, the illusions of social media, and why chasing happiness all make you sad. I reflect on my own journey and argue that the secret to happiness isn’t to seek it, but to seek something far more important instead.

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

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Website: http://stefaniruper.com

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Mark Juergensmeyer is a leading expert on religion and violence. In today’s episode, Professor Juergensmeyer and I dig deep into the psychology of violence in religion: what is it about religion that enables, facilitates, and exacerbates violence? What is it about humans that make us so susceptible to violent narratives? We also chat about American politics, the dangers of globalization, and how to turn a terrorist into a mechanic.

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig

Tasneem Zehra Husain is the first female Pakistani string theorist, and if that’s not impressive enough, she’s also the author of an extraordinary work of fiction. In this episode Dr. Husain and I chat about the role of exploration and discovery in the creation of our modern world, focusing on the deep emotional bonds Dr. Husain and other scientists end up building with their work. Also on the table are flaws in the public understanding of science, the power of storytelling, and how multiverse theory can make or break your spirituality.  And check out her book, Only the Longest Threads! here >>> https://amzn.to/2LwScVl

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig

Are you constantly busy? Stressed? Over-worked and over-committed? In this episode, a listener asks me how to balance commitments so she can be less stressed and feel better. I respond by questioning the idea of keeping busy altogether. Being busy for the sake of busyness is practically a national past time--but it’s far from healthy. What we should do instead is ask what is worthwhile and good, and learn to prioritise meaningful acts, while letting others slide.

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig

How much do you trust other people? The answer depends on where you live. Today, political scientist Peter Thisted Dinesen tells me all about the importance of trust for a functioning society. Some societies, like Denmark, have uniquely high amounts of social trust. Unfortunately, many of the world’s most powerful countries are seeing unprecedented amounts of distrust, the United States in particular, which might be why the world is falling apart at the seams.

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig

This week, X episodes turn into listener questions! Our first listener question is from Suzy. Suzy gave up Catholicism, but now she’s worried about losing her friendships and finding her way without traditional religion. I share what I know about religious communities and beliefs in the modern world, and offer a few potential solutions to optimize happiness, friendship, and spiritual fulfillment moving forward.

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig

In this episode I share some facts and figures about the horrifying charade of academic journal publishing. If you want to read any of most journal articles today you have to pay between thirty and sixty dollars; if you want a subscription it’ll be several hundred dollars per year. Institutions have to pay millions, tens of millions, to provide students with journal access.  Why is this relevant? Because humanity will not be able to make progress if we don’t break down the barriers between the academy and everybody else. Listen in to get excited about change I and others are trying to make. Vive la revolution!

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig

Why are we so indifferent and passive when it comes to protecting the environment? Today I chat with specialist in Native American literature Siobhan Senier. We lean into Senier’s keen insights about the nature of human relationships, rituals, and stories to get to the heart of difference between the “modern” world and traditional cultures. We wander into deep and reflective territory about the nature of the human species and ask hard questions of one another about the future of humanity, making this a must listen podcast for anyone at all interested in sustainability, the state of our world today, or the multitudes of things we can learn about the human condition by listening to native traditions--who appear to have known much of it all along.

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig

We tend to think that science robs the world of meaning. But today’s guest, world famous biologist (who’s met with the Dalai Lama) Ursula Goodenough has changed the way that we see nature forever. This is because Goodenough interprets scientific facts in unique and powerful ways that many people find spiritually fulfilling. She knows how to make sense of the world without God. Goodenough argues that what we’ve learned about nature through science is non-negotiable; we have to accept the way things are. But this can actually be great for us, because science provides the same kinds of meaning, purpose, and even myth that religion does (or better).

-The Sacred Depths of Nature: https://amzn.to/2KyKvxv

-The Religious Naturalism Association: http://religious-naturalist-association.org/

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig

Power is the most important but least talked about part of what it means to be human. Power is everywhere and in everything in your life, from your romantic relationships to your religion and to your political beliefs and practices. No matter what you do, someone's going to have more power than someone else. In this brief episode Stefani describes how academics discovered the importance of thinking about relationships in terms of power, and what that means for how we think about our governments, our religions, and our personal relationships of all sorts.

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To enter the weekly giveaway for a FREE book, write a review of the podcast on iTunes (http://stefaniruper.com/listen), take a screen shot of your review, then email it to [email protected]. Then you'll be PERMANENTLY entered into the drawing! Check out the list of books you can get @ http://stefaniruper.com/bookgiveaway.

Guests for this show are carefully curated and vetted by a team of content experts to bring you nothing less than the most interesting, most intellectually rigorous, and most exciting insights into human nature the world has to offer.

The host of Naked Humanity is Oxford PhD candidate and theorist of the human condition Stefani Ruper. Ruper has worked as a scientist studying life on Mars, as a scholar of religion, and is now a specialist on the human condition in the modern world. Her genius is in refusing to hide from hard questions and harder answers, so you get a real, honest look at what it means to be human. Never shying away from controversy or unpopular opinions, Ruper demonstrates everything is more complicated when you peer behind the curtain - but that is exactly what we must to do make a better, happier world.

*Subscribe on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2Y8fkfV

Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stefaniruper

Facebook: http://facebook.com/stefaniruper

Website: http://stefaniruper.com

*Subscribe on a podcasting app:

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JJM4Is

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ye2b9x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Y1vXig