Dr. Gary Laderman is the Goodrich C. White Professor of American Religious History and Cultures at Emory University, and the author of numerous books on death, spirituality, and culture, including Don’t Think About Death.

In this episode we talk about Gary’s research on cultural perspectives on death throughout American history, including throughout the Civil War and after the development of the funeral industry. We discuss the role spirituality and religion play in conceptions of death, cross-culturally, and how conceptions of what is sacred extend beyond the traditionally religious. We also talk about how psychedelics and other drugs influence our perceptions on life and death, which will be the subject of Gary’s next book Sacred Drugs.