Templeton Ideas Podcast

Dr. Colwell is an anthropologist, editor, and author of over a dozen books. He received his doctorate from Indiana University and was the Senior Curator of Anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for over a decade. He is currently the editor-in-chief of SAPIENS, a digital magazine that makes anthropology accessible to everyone. Chip’s latest book is entitled So Much Stuff: How Humans Discovered Tools, Invented Meaning, and Made More of Everything. Chip joins the podcast to explain how we came to live in a society where no matter how much money we spend, it’s never enough and why the average human has accumulated so many personal possessions.

What if true happiness isn’t tied to the latest trends? What if fulfillment is found somewhere else? Find out in our story “Your Hero’s Journey: The Key to Unlocking Meaning in Your Life.” 

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Shadi Hamid is a columnist and Editorial Board member at The Washington Post and a research professor of Islamic Studies at Fuller Seminary. He has authored several books, including The Problem of Democracy and Islamic Exceptionalism. Hamid is also the co-founder of Wisdom of Crowds.

Dr. Samuel Kimbriel is a political philosopher, author, and founding director of Aspen’s Philosophy & Society Initiative. He is the author of Friendship as Sacred Knowing: Overcoming Isolation. He writes widely on solidarity, ideology, democracy, power, and trust for outlets including The Washington Post and BBC. Kimbriel is Contributing Editor at Wisdom of Crowds.

In this special episode of Templeton Ideas, Shadi and Samuel join David Nassar, VP of Strategic Engagement at the John Templeton Foundation, to discuss what makes for a good society, where beliefs come from, and how disagreement can help us grow.

What’s the key ingredient to accepting differences? Listening. Find out why in our article “To Cultivate Humility, Lend an Ear.” 

Want to hear more Templeton Ideas? Listen to David Nassar’s interview with Jeffrey Rosen, President of the National Constitution Center “What the Founders of America Can Teach About Happiness”

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Dr. De Cruz is a philosophy professor and Danforth Chair of Humanities at Saint Louis University. Helen holds doctorate degrees in philosophy as well as archaeology and art studies. Her research attempts to understand why humans engage in philosophy, religious reflection, mathematics, science, and art. She explores these themes in her new book Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think. Helen joins the podcast to explain why activities like art, music, and spirituality are nearly universal among humans, even though they don’t seem necessary for survival.  

Did the recent solar eclipse inspire awe in you? Discover the inspiring accounts of scientists and amateur astronomers in our article “The Value of a Dark Night Sky: Stargazing, Splendor & Science.”

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Dr. Dacher Keltner is a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center. He also hosts a podcast called The Science of Happiness. Dacher has written over 200 scientific publications and six books, including Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.

Dacher joins the podcast to discuss his personal experiences with awe, how awe relates to life and death, and the many ways people can cultivate awe in their daily lives.

Have YOU ever gazed at the stars and felt humbled? Our story "What Stars and Saints Reveal About Awe" explains why. Read it here. 

Producer's note: This episode marks the debut of the Templeton Ideas podcast, originally released in March 2023. We're re-releasing it for our new listeners and for those who have been with us from the start. We hope you enjoy it.

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Dr. Francis Collins is the former Director of the National Institutes of Health and led the Human Genome Project to its successful completion in 2003. In his leadership, public speaking, and popular writing, including his bestselling book, The Language of God, Collins has demonstrated how religious faith can motivate and inspire rigorous scientific research. He was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2020. His newest book is entitled The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust. Francis joins the podcast to share his experience mapping the human genome, his journey directing the NIH, and how his life has been shaped by both scientific and spiritual exploration.

Learn more about the intersection of faith and science in our article “What Can Science Say About the Study of Prayer?” on Templeton Ideas. 

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Dr. Nagasawa is a global scholar who specializes in the philosophy of religion. After academic positions on three continents, in Australia, Canada, and the U.K., Yujin is now the Kingfisher College Chair of the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at the University of Oklahoma. He has published two new books this year– Global Dialogues in the Philosophy of Religion and The Problem of Evil for Atheists. Yujin joins the podcast to explain just why the problem of evil is so perplexing, not just for people who believe in God, but also for people who don’t. 

Learn more about how philosophy tackles big questions in our article Philosophy vs Science: Just What CAN You Establish From The Comfort of Your Armchair? on Templeton Ideas. 

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Dr. Walker is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist at Arizona State University, where she explores the origins of life, artificial life, and the detection of life on other worlds. At ASU, she has built a highly interdisciplinary research program and leads one of the largest theory groups in origins of life and astrobiology internationally. Her latest book Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence proposes an answer to the age-old question, “What is life?” Sara joins the podcast to explain how the search for alien life is related to the origins of life and whether we are more likely to find microbes on other planets or intelligent life. 

Can minerals provide clues in the search for the origins of life? Find out in our story: “Nine Ways to Make a Diamond” by Nate Barksdale on Templeton Ideas. 

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Ann Merchant is the Deputy Executive Director of Communications at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. She leads the institution’s creative engagement activities, including the Science & Entertainment Exchange, a program that connects entertainment industry professionals with top scientists and engineers. Since 2008, these collaborations have borne fruit in hundreds of films and TV series, including many from Marvel Studios and “The Big Bang Theory”. Ann joins the podcast to explain how Dune screenwriter Jon Spaihts and other film creators have integrated scientific inspiration with creative storytelling. 

Want to learn more about the intersection of imagination and science? Check out our story “Where Hollywood Meets The Science Community” by Alene Dawson on Templeton Ideas. 

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Gretchen Rubin is a New York Times bestselling author, podcaster and entrepreneur who is known for her thought-provoking investigations into happiness and human nature.  She began her career in law, even clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, before pivoting to a career as a writer. Some of Gretchen's most popular books include The Happiness Project and Better Than Before. Her newest book is entitled Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World.

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Still curious? https://www.templeton.org/news is where you can find the latest stories from our grantees, our staff, and contributing writers from around the world. 

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Dr. Shannon Vallor is a professor at the University of Edinburgh, where she serves as chair of the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Her research explores how new technologies, especially AI, robotics, and data science, reshape human character, habits, and practices. She also advises policymakers and industry on the ethical design and use of AI. Her latest book, The AI Mirror: Reclaiming Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking, argues that AI can be a tool to enhance our humanity, not replace it.

Shannon joins the podcast to discuss artificial intelligence, both what it is and what it could be if we step back and rethink what technology is for. 

Are you curious about artificial intelligence? Don't miss out on our story "Predicting and Controlling Bad Actor Artificial Intelligence" by Alene Dawson on Templeton Ideas.

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