Is a “theory of everything” possible? ... Dan and Massimo recap their previous discussions on progress ... In what sense has philosophy gotten “better” over time? ... How the “realists” v. “anti-realists” debate shows that philosophy progresses ... Comparing early utilitarianism to modern utilitarianism ... Why science has become increasingly segmented ... Is epistemology dead or is it advancing? ... Why philosophy matters ...

Why mysticism is not for everybody ... Language and the god-like powers it harbors ... How Kabbalah interprets biblical stories ... What is the Kabbalah that Madonna practices? ... Zohar, the Kabbalist commentary on the Torah ... The role of language in Jewish contemplative practices ...

The loving Us and the hateful Them ... Understanding a rival is easier when you're paid for it ... Why we misunderstand the motivations of others ... Why we're confused about our own minds ... Study: We tend to think immoral behavior is voluntary ... The psychology of victim blaming ...

The most intelligent life in outer space may be artificial ... Should we be worried about AI? ... Shopping for a scientific path to eternal life ... “Protomentality,” matter’s (hypothesized) latent sentience ... Would your self survive uploading to a computer? ... What if we never understand consciousness? ...

Why Benigno is a Quaker ... How do you find unity when God says different things to different people? ... The many kinds of Quakers ... What does a Quaker meeting look like? ... What does a Quaker meeting feel like? ... How the World Wars helped Quakers overcome their divisions ...

Presbyterians who say “no” to war ... What’s the connection between religion and violence? ... How Emily’s time in Guatemala led her to peacework ... Emily: Conflict zones aren’t quite as scary as you might think ... Ben: Am I praying wrong? ... How can religious institutions get better at promoting peace? ...

The transcendent experience of seeing Earth from space ... Spiritual effects of space flight ... Using virtual reality in psychological treatment ...

How Eileen’s fascination with science led to her new book, A Perfect Life ... Getting meaning from minutiae ... Why Eileen left physics for writing ... Bridging the gap between the humanities and science ...

When rage intrudes on meditation ... The internal logic of bad acts ... Susan explains the uses of lovingkindness meditation ... Resisting the temptation to take pleasure in anger ... Seeing terrorists as humans ... Susan: don’t flee from bad feelings ...

Introducing the Saunatarian movement ... Varieties of sauna ... Jack's conversion and the start of thermovangelism ... Spiritual aspects of sauna ... (Limited) data on health benefits ... Where do I sign up? ...