Templeton Ideas Podcast

Dr. Murtazashvili is the founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets and a professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the school of public and international affairs. As the author of notable books about the political order of Afghanistan and economic development more generally, Jennifer studies communities, power, conflict and how they all intertwine.

On this episode of the Templeton Ideas podcast, Jen joins Ben Carlson, director of strategic communication at the John Templeton Foundation, to discuss common misconceptions about Central Asia, the strength of bottom-up approaches to building democracies, and practical advice to employ in your own communities.

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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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Philip Ball is a science writer based in the UK. With a degree in chemistry and a doctorate in physics, he served as an editor of the journal Nature for over 20 years. He has authored nearly 30 books on a wide range of scientific and historical subjects, including H2O: A Biography of Water, How to Grow a Human, and The Book of Minds. His newest book is entitled How Life Works: A User's Guide to the New Biology.

Philip Ball joins the podcast to discuss his 30-year journey of science writing. In his new book How Life Works, he refutes the popular metaphors that DNA is like a blueprint or instruction manual, and he contends that even the simplest organisms construct meaning from their complex environments.

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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. Talithia Williams is a mathematics professor at Harvey Mudd College, where she develops statistical models and applies them to environmental and social problems. Author of the book, Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics, Williams is known for taking sophisticated quantitative concepts and making them relatable to everyone, a skill which she illustrates in her TED Talk, "Own Your Body's Data." Talithia joins the podcast to talk about the rebel women of mathematics, the relevance of statistics in everyday life, and her view that God is a mathematician.

What did you think of this episode? Let us know with a rating and a review!

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. Michael Levin is a Distinguished Professor in the Biology department at Tufts University, where he serves as director of the Allen Discovery Center and the Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. He works at the intersection of biology, computer science, and cognitive science, uncovering the latent intelligence of individual cells and tissues. Among other topics, his lab explores how organisms repair and regenerate entire body parts, a capacity with tantalizing potential for human medicine.

Michael joins the podcast to discuss common misconceptions of biology, building biological robots, and the potential of regenerative medicine to revolutionize human health.

What did you think of this episode? Let us know with a rating and a review!

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.

Join the conversation on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Bruce Feiler is a bestselling author known for living the experiences he writes about. He is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including Life in the Transitions, The Secrets of Happy Families, Council of Dads, and Walking the Bible. His three TED Talks have been viewed more than four million times, and he also writes the popular newsletter "The Nonlinear Life" for the New York Times. His latest book, The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World, lays out a roadmap for finding purpose and meaning at work. Bruce joins the podcast to discuss why we should reimagine how we think about work, what makes a meaningful life, and how all of us can be the author of our own story.

Dr. Kevin Mitchell is an Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College in Dublin. His research focuses on understanding the wiring of the brain and how it relates to variation in human faculties, especially to psychiatric and neurological disease. Kevin's latest book tackles a longstanding philosophical debate and makes bold new claims. It is entitled Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. Kevin joins the podcast to discuss how natural selection could have favored the development of agency and free will in humans and other complex organisms, and how consciousness provides major advantages in the natural world.

Maggie Jackson is an author and journalist known for her pioneering writings on social trends, particularly technology's impact on humanity. Her essays, commentary, and books have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, LA Times, New Philosopher, and National Public Radio. Maggie's work explores the travails facing modern society, including the steep cost of our tech-centric, attention-deficient modern lives. Her latest book is Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure. Maggie joins the podcast to explain why we should rethink our attitudes on uncertainty, how uncertainty and curiosity are related, and the potential applications of uncertainty for artificial intelligence.

David Brooks is a political and cultural commentator who has written an Opinion column for the New York Times for two decades. His essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and more. He is also the author of several books, including "The Social Animal," "The Road to Character," and "The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life." David's newest book, "How to Know a Person" is a practical guide to fostering deeper connections at home, work, and throughout our lives. David joins the podcast to discuss the social and relational crisis in our society, why it's better to be an illuminator than a diminisher, and his practical advice on how we can become better people.

Dr. Sara Algoe is social psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she directs the Emotions and Social Interactions in Relationships Laboratory. She also founded and directs The Love Consortium, a community of scholars who collaborate to advance the field. Sara's expertise spans emotions, relationships, and health psychology, and she has studied the dynamics of social interactions in friendships, romantic couples, and coworkers. Sara joins the podcast to explain the difference between love and gratitude, describe the features of a loving person, and unpack the impact of technology on the landscape of love.

Bill Courtney is a football coach and entrepreneur who is widely known for his role in the Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated. In this special episode, we pull back the curtain on Bill's experience coaching football at Manassas High School in Memphis Tennessee, and reveal what "building character" truly means.