Robert Wright's Nonzero

David’s recent research on "self-transcendent experiences" ... Causes and effects of self-transcendence ... Is the loss of self real? ... Evolutionary explanations of mystical states ... The neurology of meditation ... Revisiting the mind-body problem ...

Understanding Saddam Hussein ≠ sympathy for Saddam Hussein ... The ethics of punishing bad people ... Dan vs. evolutionary psychology ... Is religion really behind Sunni-Shia conflict? ... The good side of tribalism ... What does “mindfulness” actually mean? ...

Virginia's new book, Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art ... The seductive realism of our online lives ... The angry poetry of Twitter ... Lamenting the loss of analog communication ... Why Virginia was proclaimed #WorseThanISIS on Twitter ...

Understanding the failed Egyptian revolution ... Could the U.S. have prevented a coup in Egypt... ... ...and the catastrophe in Syria? ... ISIS's claim to religious authenticity ... Is sectarian conflict religious or political? ... Ways to prevent Islamic sectarian conflict ...

The Cliff Notes version of Bob's first four talks ... Must a spiritual worldview include a “higher purpose”? ... How non-zero-sum games shaped religion ... Is God like an electron? ... Everyone is deluded (but salvation is possible) ... An ancient theology compatible with a modern mindset ... Questions from the audience ...

Are we animals in an alien zoo? ... Does evolution have a direction? A purpose? ... The emergence of the "giant global brain" ... How to get Dan Dennett mad ... Does consciousness do anything? ... Bob’s semi-crazy theory of consciousness ... Questions from the audience ...

What does Islamic exceptionalism mean? ... Islam's unique early history ... The difference between Islam and Islamism ... An Islamic Reformation? Don't hold your breath ... The nature of Islamic democracy ...

What makes Bob's worldview "spiritual" ... Scientific arguments for a spiritual discipline ... The expanding grounds for intellectual humility ... Does evolution have a purpose? ... The mystery and value of subjective experience ... Is consciousness a scientific problem? ...

Who attends a “Reason Rally”? ... The non-believers who identify as religious ... Sunday Assembly and evangelicals: compare and contrast ... The spirituality of Sam Harris ... Foreign policy and the New Atheists ... The history of “secularism” and “humanism” ... Atheist organizations in the U.S. ...

Is humanity becoming a superorganism? ... Game theory as an explanation for history’s direction ... Bob's pragmatic view of moral progress ... Homo progressivus and the tribeless tribe ... Conversation with science writer John Horgan ... Questions from the audience ...