Spirituality in the Age of Science: Conversations on God, Transcendence & Mortality Hosted in the elegant Morgan Library and Museum, this thought-provoking series features Wisconsin Public Radio’s Steve Paulson in conversation with three leading thinkers and scientists: anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann, physicist Alan Lightman, and physician Sam Parnia. Over the course of an unforgettable evening, each will share the results of their ongoing work and unique insights into the... Learn More Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Intersection of Life and Death Scientific advances in the 21st century have led to major breakthroughs in the understanding of death. One in five survivors of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) who are revived back to life recall experiencing a heightened and transcendent state of consciousness that often follows a specific narrative arc. What can these remarkable experiences ultimately tell us about the nature of human consciousness? Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Spiritual Materialism: Transcendent Encounters with the Sacred What is the origin of our transcendent experiences? How should we interpret feelings of being connected to nature and the cosmos, of being part of something larger than ourselves, of being overcome with awe and wonder? Can such feelings arise from the forces of natural selection and the human brain, or must they be derived from some all-powerful Creator? Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, October 10, 2023 The Spiritual Impulse: Understanding the Experience of God Numerous polls have consistently shown that most people around the world believe in the existence of God or some higher power. Indeed, many of these people not only believe in a deeper reality, but also claim to experience God directly. Can social science explain how rational people come to believe in God and experience the divine as real? Learn More Learn More Watch Details The Enduring Enigma of the Mind Where does the human mind begin? If we equate the mind with consciousness, should we account for its emergence as a by-product of evolution, or should we accept it instead as a fundamental feature of reality, on a par with concepts such as matter and energy? Does the mind only exist in animals with brains, or does it have a deeper, possibly cosmic meaning? The question runs through the intellectual... Learn More Thursday, November 17, 2022 Unraveling the Mind: The Mystery of Consciousness Few words in our language appear to cover such a broad and flexible swath of ideas as “the mind.” But what, actually, is the human mind? How does it relate to and differ from its seemingly inseparable companion, the brain? Where does the mind begin or emerge from? Is it merely a by-product of neural activities within the brain, or... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Fathoming the Mind: A Closer Look at the Formation of Self Recent research in animal behavior and culture shows that the mental capacities of animals have been largely undervalued. And yet it is hard to resist the impression of a gap—a difference in nature rather than degree—between humans and non-humans when it comes to certain tasks involving abstraction, planning, sustained attention, or the transmission of culture over generations. How different is... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Cultivating the Mind: Reason and the Pursuit of Ethical Transformation Rationality, long considered a distinctive characteristic of the human mind, provides us with the capacity for understanding and discernment, as well as the ability to introduce order into our thoughts by allowing us to form higher-order volitions, adopt values, establish priorities, and achieve a level of consistency in our actions across time. The ancient Socratic ideal of the “examined life”... Learn More Richard Davidson, PhD Richard Davidson is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, he is the Director... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details The Power of Wonder: Modern Marvels in the Age of Science The feelings of awe and wonder engendered by astonishing or mysterious natural phenomena are as old as humanity itself. According to the classical account of rationality, the end of inquiry—the production of a viable explanation—should also serve to diffuse these emotions. Yet, the cultural and spiritual significance of wonder and its psychological underpinnings seem to suggest a different... Learn More Thursday, October 10, 2019 Unpacking Wonder: From Curiosity to Comprehension Social psychologist Michelle "Lani" Shiota, writer Caspar Henderson, and astrophysicist Alex Filippenko unpack the emerging science behind the emotion of awe and wonder, and its function in our ongoing quest for understanding and knowledge.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Beyond Oneself: The Ethics and Psychology of Awe Prof. of religious studies and ethicist Lisa Sideris joins psychologists Jennifer Stellar and Piercarlo Valdesolo to explore our understanding of how awe shapes our perspectives and views on everything from science to morality.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Enigma of Life: Confronting Marvels at the Edges of Science Physicist Marcelo Gleiser, experimental psychologist Tania Lombrozo, and physician Gavin Francis analyze the impact of awe and wonder on their own work and on the mindsets of their colleagues carrying out cutting-edge scientific research.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Marcelo Gleiser, PhD is a world-renowned theoretical physicist and award-winning author, and is currently the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details The Musical Art & Legacy of Ostad Elahi at the Met To celebrate the addition of Ostad Elahi’s five instruments on display in the Met’s permanent collection, MetLiveArts presented a special two-day event featuring a musical concert, a debut documentary film screening, and a panel discussion on the musical art of Ostad Elahi. Learn More Friday, April 5, 2019 The Musical Legacy of Ostad Elahi The sold-out program featured opening remarks by Ken Moore, Curator Emeritus of the Department of Musical Instruments, and Dr. Ebby Elahi, Ostad Elahi’s grandson, who provided a demonstration of some of the major innovations that Ostad Elahi introduced to the structure and playing style of the tanbur. The program also included a rare performance by Dr. Shahrokh Elahi, Ostad Elahi’s... Watch Details Saturday, April 6, 2019 The Musical Art of Ostad Elahi Hosted by New York Public Radio’s John Schaefer, the sold-out event began with a debut documentary film screening on the life and music of Ostad Elahi. The film screening was followed by a panel discussion with Leili Anvar, Professor of Persian Language and Literature; Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist, musician, and bestselling author; and Theodore Levin, Arthur R. Virgin Professor of Music... Watch Details Conversations on the Nature of Reality For millennia, humans have sought to answer a seemingly unsolvable problem: What is the relationship between our conscious, subjective experience—what we see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and think—and the physical world that surrounds us? Is the reality of the physical world constructed through our subjective experience, or does the physical world we perceive have an independent,... Learn More Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe Theoretical physicist S. James Gates Jr. and science writer Margaret Wertheim join Steve Paulson to explore the mystery of our universe and the uncanny potential of mathematics to reveal the laws of nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More S. James Gates Jr., PhD S. James Gates Jr. is the Ford Foundation Professor of Physics at Brown University. He was previously at the University... Learn More Margaret Wertheim Margaret Wertheim is a science writer, curator, and artist whose work focuses on relations between science and the wider cultural landscape. She is... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, December 6, 2018 Human Cognition and the AI Revolution Logician/mathematician Roger Antonsen and computer science pioneer Barbara J. Grosz join Steve Paulson to break down the fundamental elements of human understanding and analyze what lies ahead on the horizon of AI.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Roger Antonsen Roger Antonsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics in the research group Logic and Intelligent Data (LogID) at the University... Learn More Barbara J. Grosz Barbara J. Grosz is the Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences at Harvard University. From 2007-2011 Grosz served as interim dean and then... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, February 7, 2019 Reality Is Not As It Seems Cognitive scientist Donald D. Hoffman and neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan join Steve Paulson to discuss the elusive quest to understand the fundamental nature of consciousness, and why our perception of reality is not necessarily what it seems.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Donald D. Hoffman Massimo Pigliucci is a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York-Lehman College. His research is concerned with philosophy of... Learn More Suzanne O’Sullivan Suzanne O’Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, first working at The Royal London Hospital and now as a consultant in... Learn More Watch Details The Will to Meaning: Seeking the “Why” of Our Existence At their core, multiple branches of knowledge have emerged in response to two age-old questions: First, why are we here? And second, how can we lead a meaningful life? Historically, these questions were the province of religion and spirituality, but with the declining influence of religious traditions and waning academic interest in the humanities, we have been left with a vacuum of meaning. Learn More Tuesday, October 10, 2017 The Power of Meaning: The Quest for an Existential Roadmap Neurologist Jay Lombard, philosophers Massimo Pigliucci and Michael Ruse, and author Emily Esfahani Smith join forces to shed light on these perennial questions from their respective disciplines.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jay Lombard is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Genomind, and is in private practice as the Clinical Director of Neuroscience at LifeSpan Medicine. Previously,... Learn More Massimo Pigliucci, PhD Massimo Pigliucci is a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York-Lehman College. His research is concerned with philosophy of... Learn More Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Wekmeister Professor and Director of the History and Philosophy of Science Program at Florida State University. Before coming to... Learn More Emily Esfahani Smith is an instructor in positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a columnist for The New Criterion, as well... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, December 7, 2017 The Story of Life: Critical Insights from Evolutionary Biology Paleoanthropologists Melanie Chang and Ian Tattersall, and paleontologist Simon Conway Morris share their insights on these competing concepts, and explain how meaning and purpose can be gleaned from the remarkable story of life itself.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Melanie Chang is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Portland State University. Dr. Chang completed a dual PhD in physical anthropology and ecology/evolutionary biology at the University... Learn More Ian Tattersall is Curator Emeritus of Human Origins, Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History, and Professor Emeritus, Richard Gilder Graduate School.... Learn More Simon Conway Morris is professor of evolutionary palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Morris received his PhD in... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 7, 2018 A Touch of Awe: Crafting Meaning from the Wonder of the Cosmos Theoretical physicists Paul Davies and Ard Louis, and astrophysicist Lucianne Walkowicz tackle the “big questions” of existence, sharing their perceptions based on years of gazing upward and beyond our own intimate planet.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in... Learn More Ard Louis is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford, where he leads an interdisciplinary research group studying problems on the border... Learn More Lucianne Walkowicz is an Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. She studies stellar magnetic activity and how stars influence a planet’s suitability as a... Learn More Watch Details Unlocking the Unconscious: Exploring the Undiscovered Self In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in the science of consciousness, considered to be one of the last unchartered frontiers. Yet as neuroscientists attempt the daunting task of mapping the human brain, they must also wrestle with the central challenge of explaining how our thoughts and emotions—including our sense of self-awareness—emerge from the trillions of neural circuits in... Learn More Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Delving Within: The New Science of the Unconscious Experts from neuroscience, neuropsychiatry and psychotherapy join forces to shed light on the latest insights into the fascinating and still emerging science of the unconscious.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Heather Berlin is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She received her... Learn More Efrat Ginot, PhD is a graduate of the NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Ginot is currently an instructor at the Institute for... Learn More George Makari, MD is Director of the DeWitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry, a Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Dreaming: A Gateway to the Unconscious? Our panel of experts examines dreams from a variety of perspectives, including how they might be interpreted and even directed in some cases.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Deirdre Leigh Barrett, PhD is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s Behavioral Medicine Program. She is a Past President of both the... Learn More Kelly Bulkeley, PhD is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is also director of the Sleep and Dream Database... Learn More Rubin Naiman, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in integrative sleep and dream medicine. He is the sleep and dream specialist and clinical assistant professor... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Deeper Self: An Expanded View of Consciousness A panel of distinguished experts tackles everything from the varieties of noetic experience and the role of intuition to the phenomenon of peak experience and Jung’s concept of the “collective unconscious.”Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Siri Hustvedt, PhD is Lecturer in Psychiatry at the Dewitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry, Weill Medical School of Cornell University. She has... Learn More Sonu Shamdasani, PhD is a London-based author, editor, and professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London WIHM/UCL,... Learn More Mark Solms, PhD is a psychoanalyst and a professor in neuropsychology. He holds the Chair of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote... Learn More Watch Details From Knowledge to Wisdom: Science and the Good Life Ever since Socrates declared “the unexamined life is not worth living,” philosophers have been engaged in a passionate debate: What is the good life? What is the nature of happiness, and how can it be attained? Is morality or virtue a prerequisite to the good life? Is a meaningful life also a happy one? What is the path toward human flourishing? Learn More Thursday, October 8, 2015 A New Science of Happiness: The Paradox of Pleasure Attorney and author Kim Azzarelli, historian Darrin McMahon, and social psychologist Barry Schwartz join forces to share their research and insight on happiness, pleasure, and the coveted good life.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Kim K. Azzarelli is a business, philanthropic, and legal advisor focused on advancing women and girls. Together with Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ms. Azzarelli is a... Learn More Darrin M. McMahon is a historian, author, and Professor of History at Dartmouth College. He was formerly the Ben Weider Professor and Distinguished Research Professor... Learn More Barry Schwartz is the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College, where he has been teaching for over 40 years.... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Moral Animal: Virtue, Vice & Human Nature Philosopher Christian Miller joins forces with cognitive neuroscientist Heather Berlin and science writer Michael Shermer to take a closer look at our moral ecology and its influence on our underlying assumptions about human nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Heather Berlin is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She received her... Learn More Christian Miller is Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. from the University... Learn More Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He has been... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Cultivating Character: The Art of Living Philosopher of science Philip Kitcher joins Humean philosopher Valerie Tiberius and distinguished psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett to explore the role of wisdom in the interplay between positive emotions, virtues, and character.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Lisa Feldman Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, where she is director of the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory. Barrett received... Learn More Philip Kitcher is John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. He specializes in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of biology, the philosophy of... Learn More Valerie Tiberius is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, an institution she has been affiliated with since 1998. Tiberius received a bachelor’s degree... Learn More Watch Details Beyond the Big Bang: Searching for Meaning in Contemporary Physics Perhaps more than any other scientific discipline, modern physics has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos by tackling a number of age-old existential questions: How did the universe begin? How can something emerge from nothing? What is the fabric of reality? Why do the laws of physics seem to be uniquely suited for life on Earth? Do we live in a deterministic universe?... Learn More Tuesday, October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? How is it possible for something to emerge from nothing, or has a universe in some form always existed? This question of origins — both of the universe as a whole and of the fundamental laws of physics — raises profound scientific, philosophical, and religious questions, culminating in the most basic existential question of all: Why are we here?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More David Z. Albert, PhD is Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy and Director of the M.A. Program in The Philosophical Foundations of Physics at Columbia... Learn More Jim Holt is an American philosopher, author and essayist. He has contributed to The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The New York... Learn More Neil Turok, PhD is one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists. Formerly Professor of Physics at Princeton and Chair of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge, he... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything Should new theories be validated solely on the basis of calculations that can never be empirically tested? Can we ever truly grasp the implications of modern physics when the basic laws of nature do not always operate according to our standard paradigms?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Katherine Freese, PhD is the George E. Uhlenbeck Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. Starting in September 2014 she is Director of Nordita,... Learn More Marcelo Gleiser, PhD is a world-renowned theoretical physicist and award-winning author, and is currently the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics... Learn More Max Tegmark, PhD is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the scientific director of the Foundational Questions Institute. He graduated from... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning What can contemporary physics offer us in the quest to understand our place in the universe? Has physics in some ways become a religion unto itself that rejects the search for existential meaning?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Adam Frank, PhD is a physicist, astronomer and writer, and is currently a professor of Astrophysics at the University of Rochester. His research focuses on... Learn More David Kaiser, PhD is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Department Head of MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society, and also a... Learn More Tim Maudlin, PhD is Professor of Philosophy at New York University. He received his BA in Physics and Philosophy from Yale and his PhD in... Learn More Priyamvada Natarajan, PhD is Professor in the Departments of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University. She is a theoretical astrophysicist whose research involves mapping the... Learn More Watch Details The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi (August 5, 2014 – January 11, 2015) is the first American exhibition to explore the life and music of this renowned Persian philosopher, jurist, and master musician at the historic Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Coinciding with the inauguration of the new David H. Koch Plaza after a major reconstruction of the Met’s grand Fifth Avenue façade,... Learn More Saturday, September 6, 2014 Opening Event In celebration of the eponymous exhibition at the Met, the opening event will feature a series of stirring musical performances, including a rare appearance by tanbur grandmaster Chahrokh Elahi, as well as solo and duet pieces by renowned double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons and master lutenist Claire Antonini, who will present a unique fusion of eastern and western melodies inspired by... Watch Details Sunday, November 16, 2014 Sunday at the MET Trace the spiritual and musical journey of Ostad Elahi through his remarkable art of the tanbūr. Welcome and Introduction:Kenneth Moore, Frederick P. Rose Curator in Charge, Department of Musical Instruments, MMA Lectures:“In Pursuit of Perfection: The Music and Life of Ostad Elahi”Jean During, Director of Research, Centre de Recherche en Ethnomusicologie Performances:Garcia-Fons QuartetParissa and Ensemble Presented in conjunction with the exhibition The... Watch Details Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Boundaries between Life and Death Remarkable advances in resuscitation medicine—the science of bringing people back to life—have blurred the once clear demarcation between life and death. Led by physicians across the globe, these developments are creating a paradigm shift in our understanding of death, challenging the perception that it is an implacable, terminal moment with the realization that death is a dynamic, biological... Learn More Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine Emergency medicine experts Lance Becker and Sam Parnia and neurosurgeon Stephan Mayer discuss key discoveries and emerging technologies in resuscitation science that are helping to bring back those on the brink of death, and the difficult questions and ethical dilemmas they sometimes confront during medical crises.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Lance B. Becker, MD, is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the founder and Director of the Emergency Resuscitation Center... Learn More Stephan A. Mayer, MD, is Professor of Neurology and Neurological Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, and is... Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Prolonging Life: Legal, Ethical, and Social Dilemmas Medical director Christopher Comfort, organ transplant specialist Sam Shemie, ethicist Mildred Solomon, and attorney Barbara Coombs Lee will examine the underlying assumptions and considerations that ultimately shape individual and societal decisions surrounding these issues.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Christopher P. Comfort, MD, as Medical Director of Calvary Hospital, develops, coordinates, and facilitates clinical services for palliative and end-of-life care. Dr. Comfort is Board-certified... Learn More Barbara Coombs Lee is President of Compassion & Choices, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding and protecting the rights of the terminally ill. She practiced... Learn More Dr. Sam Shemie is a physician in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, and Medical Director, Extracorporeal Life Support Program at Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill... Learn More Mildred Z. Solomon, EdD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Hastings Center. She is also Clinical Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School,... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Experiencing Death: An Insider’s Perspective Join neurologist Kevin Nelson, psychiatrist Peter Fenwick, orthopedic surgeon Mary Neal, and emergency medicine expert Sam Parnia as they share some of these remarkable stories and discuss how they analyze such experiences in light of their own backgrounds and training.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Peter Fenwick is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, and associated with the Mental Health Group at the University of Southampton.... Learn More Mary C. Neal, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, former Director of Spine Surgery at the University of Southern California, and a founding partner of... Learn More Kevin Nelson, MD is Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky. He directs the Neuromuscular clinical neurophysiology laboratory and cares for patients with Neuromuscular disease.... Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Confronting Mortality: Faith and Meaning across Cultures Psychologist Lani Leary, historian of religions Jeffrey J. Kripal, and sociologist Allan Kellehear come together to share a multicultural perspective on death, dying, and what lies beyond.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jeffrey J. Kripal, PhD, is the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, where he chaired the Department of Religious... Learn More Allan Kellehear, PhD, is Professor of Community Health, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University. He was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University... Learn More Lani Leary, PhD, specializes in work with chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. She has worked for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist in... Learn More Watch Details The Emerging Science of Consciousness: Mind, Brain and the Human Experience The complexity of the human brain and how it gives rise to our understanding and experience of the world around us is one of the greatest mysteries remaining in science today. While recent discoveries in neuroscience are providing us with new insights into the workings of the brain, a comprehensive science of the mind is only just beginning to emerge. Learn More Wednesday, October 10, 2012 The Thinking Ape: The Enigma of Human Consciousness Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman, philosopher David Chalmers, expert in primate cognition Laurie Santos, and physician-scientist Nicholas Schiff will discuss what it means to be "conscious" and examine the human capacities displayed in cognitive, aesthetic, and ethical behaviors, with a focus on the place and function of the mind within nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More David Chalmers, PhD David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University and also Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Laurie Santos, PhD Laurie Santos is Associate Professor of Psychology at Yale University and the director of The Comparative Cognition Laboratory. She received her BA... Learn More Nicholas D. Schiff, MD Nicholas D. Schiff, MD, is Director of the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuromodulation at Weill Cornell Medical College where he conducts research... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, November 14, 2012 The Mystery of Memory: In Search of the Past Psychologist Daniel Schacter, neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, historian of science and medicine Alison Winter, and novelist and comparative literature professor André Aciman join forces to discuss how memory impacts our perception of ourselves, the development of personality, and the ability to construct and reconstruct our past experience.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Daniel Schacter, PhD Daniel L. Schacter is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Schacter’s research explores the relation between conscious and... Learn More Joseph LeDoux, PhD Joseph LeDoux is a University Professor at NYU in the Center for Neural Science, and he directs the Emotional Brain Institute of... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Music & the Mind: The Magical Power of Sound Cognitive neuroscientists and musicians Jamshed Bharucha and Charles Limb join music therapy pioneer Concetta Tomaino and jazz pianist Vijay Iyer to discuss the ability of music to both heal and elicit specific emotions at the interface of body, mind, and memory.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jamshed Bharucha, PhD Jamshed Bharucha is the twelfth President of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Prior to this position, he... Learn More Jazz Pianist Learn More Charles Limb, MD Charles Limb is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where... Learn More Concetta Tomaino, DA Concetta Tomaino is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function and Senior Vice President for Music... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness Neuroscientists Richard Davidson and Amishi Jha join clinical mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn to explore the role of consciousness in mental and physical health.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Richard Davidson, PhD Richard Davidson is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, he is the Director... Learn More Amishi Jha, PhD Amishi Jha is associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, prior to which she was an Assistant Professor at the... Learn More Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD Jon Kabat-Zinn is founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts... Learn More Watch Details Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity & Consciousness The perdurable question, "Who am I?" points to a deeply rooted need within the human species to understand the basis for the experience of unitary consciousness known as the Self. Today, the word "Self" has come to refer to a host of intersecting ideas, questions, concerns, and problems that are central to the human condition and predicament. At the same time, our fundamental experience of... Learn More Tuesday, December 7, 2010 To Be or Not To Be: The Self as Illusion Evidence from studies of the brain and mind point to a construct of the Self resulting from complex neurobiological processes interacting with the environment. If distinct neurobiological correlates of consciousness do in fact exist, does that necessarily imply that the Self is an epiphenomenon and illusion? Furthermore, how do these characterizations of the Self affect the way we represent ourselves,...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Pim van Lommel, MD Pim van Lommel, MD was born in 1943, graduated in 1971 at the University of Utrecht, and finished his specialization in... Learn More Thomas Metzinger, PhD Thomas Metzinger is Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and an Adjunct Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced... Learn More Evan Thompson, PhD Evan Thompson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His areas of research are cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Quid Pro Quo: The Ecology of the Self How does our concept of the Self differ from our concept of others? What makes the human concept of Self different from that of non-human selves such as animals? Philosopher and neurobiologist Owen Flanagan and psychologists Roy Baumeister and Paul Bloom will examine current biological, psychological, and anthropological research on the complex interaction between the Self and others and will...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Paul Bloom, PhD Paul Bloom is a professor of psychology at Yale University. His research explores how children and adults understand the physical and social... Learn More Owen Flanagan, PhD Owen Flanagan is James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He also holds appointments in Psychology and Neurobiology and is... Learn More Roy Baumeister, PhD Roy Baumeister is Francis Eppes Professor of Psychology and head of the social psychology graduate program at Florida State University. He earned... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, March 23, 2011 The Pursuit of Immortality: From the Ego to the Soul Are we immortal? Do our souls exist beyond our bodies? What scientific evidence is there for mystical experience? These questions and others will be addressed from a cultural, historical, and scientific perspective by evolutionary biologist Kenneth Miller and theologians John Haught and Nancey Murphy. Science, self, and immortality by John F. Haught Immortality versus resurrection in the Christian tradition by...Lisa Miller Lisa Miller is a senior editor at Newsweek. She oversees all of the magazine’s religion coverage and writes the weekly “Belief Watch column.... Learn More John F. Haught John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of... Learn More Learn More Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received her B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology)... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, April 28, 2011 A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Linking Belief to Behavior Philosopher Simon Critchley, cognitive scientist Shaun Gallagher, and physicist V.V. Raman will survey how the Self is shaped by interactions with the environment, how free will, responsibility, and other traits emerge, and how character and virtue become targets for constructing the Self. A self-fulfilling prophecy: linking belief to behavior by Esther Sternberg The self in the Cartesian brain by Shaun...Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. Dr. Esther M. Sternberg received her M.D. and Rheumatology training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and was on the faculty... Learn More Simon Critchley, PhD Simon Critchley is Chair and Professor of philosophy at The New School for Social Research. Critchley studied philosophy at the University of... Learn More Shaun Gallagher, PhD Shaun Gallagher is Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences at The University of Central Florida, where he is also a member of... Learn More V. V. Raman, PhD V. V. Raman is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Humanities at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Senior Fellow, Metanexus Institute. Professor... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, May 12, 2011 Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self How did the modern concept of the Self emerge as a subject? Does the Self described by the classical Greeks, Aquinas, and philosophers of the Enlightenment match the reality of what we know about ourselves through human experience and psychological research? Historians Gerald Izenberg and Jerrold Seigel, philosopher Raymond Martin, and sociologist Norbert Wiley will trace the evolution of the...Robert Hanna, PhD Robert Hanna is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale in... Learn More Gerald Izenberg, PhD Gerald N. Izenberg is a professor of history at Washington University. Izenberg joined Washington University in 1976, and became a professor in... Learn More Raymond Martin, PhD Raymond Martin, Philosophy Department chair at Union College, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and was a professor and director... Learn More Norbert Wiley , PhD Norbert Wiley is professor emeritus of Sociology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, and was Visiting Scholar at the University of... Learn More Jerrold Seigel, PhD Jerrold Seigel is William R. Kenan Professor of History emeritus at NYU, where he has taught since 1988, and served as chair... Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Who am I? Beyond ‘I Think, Therefore I Am’ Can we ever really answer the long-standing philosophical question, “Who am I?” Philosophers, ethicists, and psychologists have all spoken to the difficulty of achieving genuine self-knowledge and the uncertainties of our judgment in evaluating oneself. The final seminar in the series will bring together philosopher Elie During, cognitive scientist David A. Jopling, social psychologist Timothy Wilson, and ethicist Frances Kamm...Alex Voorhoeve, PhD Alex Voorhoeve is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the London School of Economics. In 2008-09 he was a Fellow at Harvard... Learn More Elie During, Ph.D. Dr. Elie During is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris 10, Nanterre, and a seminar lecturer at the... Learn More David A. Jopling, DPhil David A. Jopling is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at York University, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His research interests... Learn More Frances Kamm, PhD Frances M. Kamm is Littauer Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University... Learn More Timothy Wilson, PhD Timothy D. Wilson is the Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and a researcher of positive psychology... Learn More Watch Details Shifting Realities: Myths, Models & Morality How do we understand and define the nature of reality? Can one speak of truly objective realities, or are realities necessarily subjective and contingent upon the observer's perspective? Are realities static and immutable, or are they fluid and dynamic in nature? What forms of reasoning and criteria do we use to ascertain and establish the intrinsic reality of a phenomenon? How do we study those events and... Learn More Wednesday, May 12, 2010 The Contingent Nature of Reality When confronted with the underlying nature of any reality, including perennial questions about the origin and purpose of our existence, we thus find it necessary to engage both logos and mythos to intuit the answers that we seek. For while myths provide a steppingstone for the advancement of rationality, the ongoing discovery of new evidence allows us to continually adapt... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Life, Death & the Pursuit of Morality In this light, the second part of this symposium addresses the question of how our understanding of the concepts of life and death may affect our moral sensibility, decisions, and actions. In short, it engages scientific and humanistic focus upon the ways in which human finitude can, and perhaps should, impact moral character, values, and conduct in the rich and...James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Technology, Neuroscience, and the Nature of Being: Considerations of Meaning, Morality & Transcendence The aim of this three-part symposium series is to provide a forum for the launch of high-level interdisciplinary discussions intended to address and overcome the increasing isolation and fragmentation of the disciplines devoted to the science and advancement of the human person. The conferences, which will take place at Georgetown, Oxford University, and the United Nations in New... Learn More Friday, May 8, 2009 The Paradox of Neurotechnology Read the Conference ReportAs published in Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine Though neurotechnologies have allowed unparalleled capability to bring groups of individuals together through rapid communication and informational delivery while at the same time providing invaluable insight into the workings of the brain, the paradox remains that these technologies may also incur more dystopian possibilities by isolating individuals as...Sheri Alpert, M.A., M.P.A., Ph.D. Dr. Sheri Alpert is a Lecturer and Associate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics. Immediately prior to... Learn More Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Pharmacology of the Department of Oncology and... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D. Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology at the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University.... Learn More Jeffrey L. Krichmar, Ph.D. Jeffrey L. Krichmar is an assistant professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. His research... Learn More Dennis McBride, Ph.D., MPA Dr. McBride is an affiliated professor at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute and the Georgetown University Medical Center. Since 2001... Learn More Erik Parens, Ph.D. Dr. Erik Parens is a Senior Research Scholar at The Hastings Center, a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to bioethics and the public... Learn More Learn More Susan Schneider, Ph.D. Dr. Susan Schneider is assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and an affiliated faculty member at... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Details Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Brain, Mind & the Nature of Being As the fields that are broadly grouped under the rubric of neuroscience provide increasingly more information about the structure and function of neural systems and the brain, it becomes relatively easier to accept and use this data as “facts” to guide, if not actually dictate, our perspectives and activities. Indeed, in the past decade neuroscience has become something of a...Martin Davies, Ph.D. Dr. Martin Davies is Wilde Professor of Mental Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College. He... Learn More Richard Finn, OP Fr Richard Finn OP is a Dominican friar, and Regent (Head of House) at Blackfriars Hall since 2004. He read English at... Learn More Peter Hacker, Ph.D. Professor P.M.S. Hacker is currently Emeritus Research Fellow at Oxford University’s St. John’s College, where he had been a fellow from 1966-2006.... Learn More Ian Phillips, Ph.D. Ian Phillips is a Philosopher and Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University. He works mainly in Philosophy of Mind. From... Learn More Parashkev Nachev, Ph.D. Dr. Parashkev Nachev is an Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Neurology at University College London, and an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in... Learn More Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More John Hyman, Ph.D. John Hyman, Ph.D., is currently a Professor of Aesthetics and Senior Tutor at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford. Between 1984 and... Learn More Hanna Pickard, Ph.D. Hanna Pickard is a philosopher of mind and psychiatry at All Souls College, Oxford; and a therapist at the Complex Needs Service,... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Details Friday, September 11, 2009 Toward a Common Morality Discoveries in neuroscience and in particular neurotechnology have provided a unique window through which we can glance into the intricate workings of the human brain. Technologies such as brain scanning using positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging have enabled us to now monitor and understand the detailed geographical representation of human emotions, feelings, and thoughts within the brain....Leili Anvar, Ph.D. Dr. Leili Anvar is Professor in Persian Language and Literature at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris, where... Learn More William D. Casebeer, Ph.D. Dr. Casebeer is a career intelligence analyst and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. He holds degrees in political science... Learn More Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Pharmacology of the Department of Oncology and... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Maxwell R. Bennett, Ph.D. Dr. Bennett is Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Sydney, and Scientific Director of the Brain & Mind Research Institute... Learn More Martha J. Farah, Ph.D. Dr. Martha Farah is currently Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences and Director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at... Learn More Bernard Gert, Ph.D. Dr. Bernard Gert is currently the Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth... Learn More Farhad Mechkat Farhad Mechkat is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso who began his musical studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. After... Learn More Donald W. Pfaff, Ph.D. As head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at Rockefeller University, Dr. Pfaff uses neuroanatomical, neurochemical and neurophysiological methods to... Learn More Watch Details Beyond the Mind-Body Problem: New Paradigms in the Science of Consciousness Over the past decade, an increasing number of physicians and neuroscientists have sought to uncover the complex relationship between mind, brain, and consciousness as they continue to search for a more comprehensive perspective on the “self” and the workings of the human mind. Though much remains to be done, their findings to date have shed a more holistic light on our understanding of the... Learn More Thursday, September 11, 2008 Unraveling the Mystery of the Self: From Descartes to the Human Consciousness Project℠ The mystery of the ‘self’ is a subject that has both captivated and eluded artists, philosophers, and scientists alike for centuries. Simply stated, the human mind or self constitutes the inexplicable and intimate entity that makes each and every one of us into the unique beings that we are today. Or to put it in slightly different terms, the self... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Mind-Body Connections: How Does Consciousness Shape the Brain? certainly does not render it a good candidate for reduction to a physical basis. Noting that physical theories alone would be compatible with the absence of consciousness, popular philosophical arguments have long highlighted the fact that an adequate theory of consciousness requires more than mere brain physics can provide. In short, there is something more to our minds than meets... Learn More Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. is Research Psychiatrist at UCLA School of Medicine and a seminal thinker and researcher in the field... Learn More Henry P. Stapp, Ph.D. Dr. Henry Stapp is a theoretical physicist at the University of California’s Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, specializing in the mathematical and logical... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Why God Doesn’t Use Biostatistics: Science and the Study of the Mind, the Body, and Spirituality With the rapidly expanding field of research exploring mystical and spiritual phenomena as well as altered states of consciousness, there have been many perspectives as to the validity, importance, relevance, and need for such research, in addition to the ultimate issue of how such research should be interpreted with regard to epistemological questions. Ultimately, this information may bear important practical...Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Beyond the Brain: The Experiential Implications of Neurotheology As explorations into the neuropsychology of religious and spiritual experience provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the interplay of consciousness, volition, and emotion, the central question remains: to what extent does the mind transcend its neural basis? Conventional wisdom holds that assemblies of neurons must account for consciousness, and, by extension, for all subjective facets of lived experience.... Learn More Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Christina M. Puchalski, M.D. Dr. Puchalski is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Health Care Sciences at The George Washington University School... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Strings Resonance: A Musical Performance A special musical performance featuring a series of solo and duet pieces inspired by a vision of converging Eastern and Western musical traditions into a seamless, harmonious whole that reflects the universal nature of humankind. Renaud Garcia-Fons: Often referred to as “The Paganini of double bass,” the largest bowed stringed instrument in the orchestra, world-renowned double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons is... Learn More Learn More Watch Details From Tragedy to Unity: A Celebration of the Human Spirit Few would argue that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 did not devastate this nation and forever change the course of its destiny. Thousands of innocent lives were senselessly lost to an enemy that shamelessly preys on vulnerable and defenseless civilians. In response, the world community has joined together in unanimously denouncing these horrible acts of misguided hatred and destruction. Wednesday, September 11, 2002 Symposium Commemorating the First Anniversary of September 11 Few would argue that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 did not devastate this nation and forever change the course of its destiny. Thousands of innocent lives were senselessly lost to an enemy that shamelessly preys on vulnerable and defenseless civilians. In response, the world community has joined together in unanimously denouncing these horrible acts of misguided hatred and... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 11, 2003 Symposium Commemorating the Second Anniversary of September 11 On the second anniversary of the unforgettable events of September 11, the Virtue Foundation has once again invited a select group of prominent experts from multiple disciplines–including Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Gordon Conway, President of the Rockefeller Foundation; James Rubin, Former Assistant Secretary of State; and Chris Cramer, President of CNN International Networks–to engage in... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Friday, September 10, 2004 Healing the World: The Ethical Dimension of Globalization and Interdependence in the Age of Terror Coinciding with the United Nations World Day of Peace, Virtue Foundation’s Third Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium commemorating the anniversary of September 11 will feature a long list of distinguished speakers and panelists, including Kate Adie, Chief Correspondent of the BBC; Ken Bacon, President of Refugees International; Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme; John Chambers, Managing Director of Standard &... DetailsAudio Programs Death (Audio Series) Across the country – in cafés, dining rooms, and community centers – there's a new conversation taking shape. After decades of sanitizing and sequestering death and dying, America seems to be ready to talk about death. For the next five weeks, we'll be exploring how to start conversations about death with your family, your doctors, and yourself. We'll also take a look at the phenomenon of near-death experience, learn about the conscious death movement, consider how we die and grieve around the world, and much more. Learn More Sunday, November 9, 2014 The Reckoning Did you hear? There's a death movement going on in America. After decades of sanitized death, with dying, funerals, burial and grief shielded from public view, some people are now working to make death a greater part of life. In this hour, we talk with experts about how to begin these difficult conversations, and how they can transform both the...Lani Leary, PhD, specializes in work with chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. She has worked for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist in... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 16, 2014 Exit Plan We live much longer than we used to, thanks to medical advances, but what are the emotional and financial costs of extending life? Some doctors don't know how to talk with their patients about preparing for death, so there's now a push to have frank conversations about end-of-life care. Also,one family's story of working within Oregon's "Death with Dignity" law. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 23, 2014 The Last Moment We'll hear conflicting perspectives on the debate over near-death experiences. Do these extraordinary experiences reveal a transcendent reality, or are they simply the biochemical product of a brain that’s shutting down? Tune in for conversations about "conscious death," and how people are reclaiming the final moments of their lives. Learn More Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 30, 2014 The Wake How do we mark death and celebrate lost lives around the globe? In this hour, we hear stories from inside the funeral industry, wonder why dead bodies can compell or repell us, and learn about the new Ghanaian tradition of "fantasy" coffins inspired by people's work and dreams. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 7, 2014 After Life In this hour, we explore the philosophical and religious dimensions of mortality and the afterlife. We talk about the art and poetry of remembrance, and now that much of our lives are lived online, how do we plan for our digital afterlives? Learn More Learn More Allan Kellehear, PhD, is Professor of Community Health, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University. He was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Meet Your Mind: A Users Guide to the Science of Consciousness (Audio Series) Your thoughts and feelings, your joy and sorrow… it’s all part of your identity, of your consciousness. But what exactly is consciousness? It may be the biggest mystery left in science. In this six-hour series, you’ll hear interviews with the world’s leading experts—neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, philosophers, writers and artists. You’ll be taken inside the brains of Buddhist monks, and across the ocean to visit France’s ancient cave paintings. You’ll find out how to build a memory palace, and meet one of the first scientists to study the effects of LSD. Learn More Sunday, November 4, 2012 Mind and Brain Neuroscientists have made remarkable discoveries about the brain, but so far, no one's come close to cracking the biggest mystery of all—the connection between the brain and the mind: how a tangle of neurons inside your skull produces… you?David Chalmers, PhD David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University and also Professor... Learn More Learn More Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Jazz Pianist Learn More Details Sunday, November 11, 2012 Memory and Forgetting Do you think your memory is a record of what actually happened? Chances are, it's not. New scientific findings show that with every act of remembering, our brains produce new neural circuits… creating new memories. Learn More Learn More Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 18, 2012 Wiring the Brain Scientists are launching one of the most audacious projects ever conceived: a detailed map of the human brain, neuron by neron, synapse by synapse. For some scientists, the goal isn't just to map the brain; it's to crack the mystery of consciousness. Explore the "connectome" and the differences between the left and right sides of the brain. Learn More Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Creative Brain Creativity is a little like obscenity: You know it when you see it, but you can't exactly define it…unless you're a neuroscientist. In labs around the country, a new generation of scientists tackles the mystery of human creativity—where it comes from and how it works. Learn More Charles Limb, MD Charles Limb is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where... Learn More Learn More Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 2, 2012 Extraordinary Minds Certain brain disorders can lead to remarkable insights....even genius. We'll peer into the world of autistic savants and dyslexics, and contemplate our cyborg future, when our brains merge with tiny, embedded computers. Also, one of the most fascinating investigations of consciousness: Stanislav Grof's pioneering study of LSD. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 9, 2012 Higher Consciousness Suppose neuroscientists map the billions of neural circuits in the human brain…are we any closer to cracking the great existential mysteries—like meaning, purpose or happiness? Scientists, contemplatives and religious thinkers are now exploring the connections between neuroscience and contemplative practice and creating a new science of mindfulness. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details On Being: The Civil Conversations Project (Audio Series) The Civil Conversations Project is an ongoing series of radio shows and an online destination that mines fresh vocabulary, lived virtues and practices, and lessons learned where ideals meet hard reality. And, we want you to be part of this diverse, ongoing public conversation. We’re hungry for fresh ways to tell hard truths and redemptive stories, to sit with questions. We learn to speak in new ways in order to live in new ways. But how do we find new ways to speak and listen to each other, to live forward together, even while holding passionate disagreements? Learn More Thursday, July 28, 2011 Words That Shimmer Poetry is something many of us seem to be hungry for these days. We’re hungry for fresh ways to tell hard truths and redemptive stories, for language that would elevate and embolden rather than demean and alienate. Elizabeth Alexander shares her sense of what poetry works in us — and in our children — and why it may become more...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 4, 2011 Sidling up to Difference Our Civil Conversations Project continues with the Ghanaian-British-American philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah. His parents’ marriage helped inspire the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. He’s studied ethics in a world of strangers and how unimaginable social change happens. We explore his erudite yet down-to-earth take on disarming moral hostilities in America now.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 11, 2011 Listening Beyond Life and Choice Frances Kissling is known for her longtime activism on the abortion issue but has devoted her energy more in recent years to real relationship and new conversations across that bitter divide. She’s learned, she’s written, about the courage to be vulnerable in front of those with whom we passionately disagree.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 18, 2011 Restoring Political Civility Richard Mouw challenges his fellow conservative Christians to civility in public discourse. He offers historical as well as spiritual perspective on American Evangelicals’ navigation of disagreement, fear, and truth.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 25, 2011 Civility, History, and Hope As part of our Civil Conversations Project, we experience the civil rights veteran Vincent Harding. He has a long lens of wisdom on contemporary divisions and confusions. He says America is still a developing nation when it comes to democratic encounter across real difference. But he finds hope in the young people he’s been bringing into creative contact with civil...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 1, 2011 Alive Enough? Sherry Turkle directs the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Her book, Alone Together, created a catchword for anxiety about the alienating potential of technology. But that’s not really her message. We explore the real challenge she poses — that we can and must lead examined lives with our digital objects — actively shaping technology to human purposes.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Science and the Search for Meaning: Five Questions (Audio Series) To the Best of Our Knowledge, Wisconsin Public Radio and Public Radio International's Peabody Award-winning magazine of ideas, presents a major 5-hour series on the complex relationship between science and spirituality. Through a series of in-depth interviews with leading experts, executive producer Steve Paulson examines 5 central ideas in modern science and their impact on some of the most profound questions facing philosophers and religious thinkers today. Learn More Sunday, November 21, 2010 What is Life? Scientists can now explain virtually every stage of the evolutionary process. But there’s a basic question that still mystifies even the best scientists: How did life first begin on Earth? Or to put in another way, how did non-life somehow turn into life? And can we say the Earth itself is alive? This hour explores some of the fundamental mysteries...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in... Learn More Details Sunday, November 28, 2010 What Does Evolution Want? Are human beings just an evolutionary accident? What if the evolution of humans, or some brainy creature like us, was inevitable once life first appeared on Earth? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, maverick paleontologist Simon Conway Morris explains why he believes evolution must ultimately lead to intelligent beings. Original Air Date: November 28, 2010Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Simon Conway Morris is professor of evolutionary palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Morris received his PhD in... Learn More Learn More Learn More John F. Haught John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 5, 2010 Does the “Soul” Still Matter? For centuries, we’ve been told the soul is what makes each of us unique. It’s why we have moral responsibility. And it’s the part of us that lives on after we die. But many scientists now say the soul is just an outdated myth, an idea that can be explained away by new insights from neuroscience and evolutionary biology. In...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received her B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology)... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 12, 2010 Can Islam and Science Coexist? Islamic culture was once the center of the scientific world. During Europe’s Dark Ages, Baghdad, Cairo and other Middle Eastern cities were the key repositories of ancient Greek science. Muslim scholars themselves made breakthroughs in medicine, optics, and mathematics. Today the Islamic world lags far behind the West in science and technology. What happened? This hour of To the Best...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 19, 2010 Can Science Be Sacred? What if you don’t believe in God, and the thought of church makes you queasy? Can you still experience the sacred? There’s a growing movement of secular scientists who revel in the awe and wonder of nature. In fact, many consider this a religious experience – without God. This hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge examines the search...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More DetailsSelect Programs October 5, 2013 KAMA: Reviving the Silk Road Drawing their inspiration from Middle Eastern and Mediterranean musical traditions, the members of KAMA share a passion for musical fusion and experimentation. On the occasion of their debut performance as a band, these established jazz musicians invite their listeners to embark on a colorful and original musical journey, from Seville to Cairo, Jerusalem to Delhi, Benares to Istanbul… Sylvain Barou:...Mavrothi Kontanis is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and teacher born and raised in the US, but with roots in Halkidiki, Greece. Mavrothi’s main instrument is... Learn More Amir ElSaffar is an Iraqi-American trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and composer who has mastered disparate musical styles, combining aspects of Middle Eastern music with American... Learn More Emmanuel H. During has developed more than just an individual style or touch over the past 15 years; he sees music as a language that... Learn More Keyvan Chemirani thinks of Iranian percussion as a syntax which allows him to invest in the music of the whole world, and to realize masterpieces.... Learn More Sylvain Barou is considered as one of the best flute players of his generation. Playing mainly Irish and Breton traditional music, Sylvain has been part... Learn More Details January 17, 2013 The Paradox of Sound: The Art & Science of Music Perception The creation and aesthetic appreciation of music as a universal art form can be traced in every culture throughout human history. Indeed, the infinite expression of sound has been used to effectively induce the whole spectrum of human emotions. Recent advances in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging have now shed light on the complex mechanisms underlying the human brain’s remarkable capacity... Learn More Details September 16, 2011 Healing at the Speed of Sound: From Music to Silence and Everything in Between Based on over a decade of new research, Don Campbell, bestselling author of The Mozart Effect®, and Alex Doman, an expert in the practical application of sound and listening, show how we can use music and silence to become more efficient, productive, relaxed, and healthy. Each chapter of their book focuses on a single aspect of everyday life, providing advice,...Don Campbell, Ph.D. Don Campbell is a leading lecturer and consultant to healthcare organizations as well as corporations and parenting groups. He works with audiences... Learn More Alex Doman Alex Doman is an author and producer whose work is based on music effects research and principles of human development and neuroplasticity focusing... Learn More Details February 3, 2011 Music for the Mind: The Art & Music of Ostad Elahi Learn how new discoveries about the power of music and the effects of active listening can help to induce profound changes in your life. While the therapeutic benefits of music have long been explored, only recently have advances in neuroscience led to a better understanding of the profound effects of music on the brain. Ethnomusicologists, neuroscientists, and composers alike have... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Alex Doman Alex Doman is an author and producer whose work is based on music effects research and principles of human development and neuroplasticity focusing... Learn More Learn More Details April 28, 2010 A Scientific Look at Synchronicity: The Search for Meaning in Coincidence Synchronicity, as defined by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, entails the simultaneous occurrence of a certain psychological state with one or more external events that appear as meaningful parallels; in other words, synchronicity references the notion of meaningful coincidence. Whether or not we choose to attribute meaning to such coincidences, they tend to constitute a common occurrence in our... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details March 17, 2010 SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable Where do we humans get our supernatural beliefs from? It seems obvious to many that children are gullible and believe what they are told. But such an indoctrination account fails to answer a number of questions about supernatural beliefs. For instance, where do the beliefs come from in the first place? Why do highly educated people entertain belief in phenomena... Learn More Details December 15, 2009 Encyclopaedia Iranica: The Legacy of a Nation Past and Present Join us for a special celebration commemorating the completion of the midway point of the Encyclopaedia Iranica, the landmark undertaking by its founding Editor, Dr. Ehsan Yarshater, to record and document the history, culture, and life of the Iranian peoples from prehistory to the present. Dr. Yarshater will survey the remarkable work that has been accomplished to date on the... Learn More Learn More Learn More Details November 5, 2009 Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life How can science help us develop our deeper spiritual potential? This unique approach to the question combines spirituality with key concepts from modern psychology to help us overcome challenges and become more perceptive, creative, and fulfilled. In this fascinating new book, Dr. Paul DeBell, a psychiatrist with 30 years experience in clinical and academic psychiatric practice, draws on such rational... Learn More Details October 21, 2009 Spirituality and the Brain Can contemplative disciplines such as yoga and meditation increase your brainpower? How should we define spirituality, and how is it different from religion? Four experts in the field of psychiatry discuss how techniques such as yoga, meditation and prayer can impact not just our beliefs and behavior but also the physiology of our brains. Featured Speakers: Daniel Amen, MDCEO, Amen... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details October 9, 2009 Brain and Self Although there is a great deal about the brain that we do not yet know, what we do know can be used to understand our behavior, as well as our sense of self and ultimately even influence the direction of human cultural evolution. Dr. Gordon’s paintings use metaphors of the Brain and Self, and symbols that reflect core brain dynamics... Learn More Details June 24, 2009 Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being Does the world make you sick? If the distractions and distortions around you, the jarring colors and sounds, could shake up the healing chemistry of your mind, might your surroundings also have the power to heal you? This is the question Esther Sternberg explores in Healing Spaces, a look at the marvelously rich nexus of mind and body, perception and...Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. Dr. Esther M. Sternberg received her M.D. and Rheumatology training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and was on the faculty... Learn More Details May 14, 2009 How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist Whether you are a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, or even an Atheist, thinking about God can improve your cognitive functioning, physical health, and make the world a safer place to live. In How God Changes Your Brain, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman prove, for the first time, that meditation/prayer improves memory and helps improve the aging brain, and...Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Details April 22, 2009 The Science Behind Happiness Despite the age-old quest to define the nature of happiness and identify its root cause(s), there is still no universal consensus on how happiness can be truly achieved. Recent scientific research has identified a number of factors that seem to correlate with happiness. Join our panelists as they examine these factors from a variety of biological, philosophical, and psychological perspectives,... Learn More Learn More Learn More Details April 17, 2009 The Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz Currently working on a selection of poems by three 14th century Persian poets—Hafez, Obeyd-e Zakani, and Jahan Khatun—Prof. Davis will discuss the details and challenges of his forthcoming book, The Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz (Mage, December 2009) as well as the intriguing relationship between these three contemporary poets from Shiraz who almost certainly knew one... Learn More Details April 16, 2009 My Uncle Napoleon Dubbed as “the most beloved Iranian novel of our time,” My Uncle Napoleon is Iraj Pezeshkzad’s widely-acclaimed literary masterpiece, a hilarious satire about youthful love in an extended Iranian family ruled by the egomaniacal and paranoid patriarch, Dear Uncle Napoleon. The novel’s universal themes of love and family relationships, blended with its keen insight into the country’s culture, traditions, and... Learn More Learn More Details January 16, 2009 Traces of Nostalgia Widely recognized as the preeminent translator of Persian poetry and verse into English today—having rendered such literary masterpieces as Attar’s Conference of the Birds, Ferdowsi’s epic Shahnameh in three volumes, Gorgani’s Vis and Ramin, and Pezeshkzad’s My Uncle Napoleon—Prof. Dick Davis is also an award-winning poet with exceptional prosodic skill and range. Among Davis’s numerous collections of poetry are A... Learn More Details November 6, 2008 Three Musical Precursors: Beethoven, Debussy & Stravinsky While it is certainly true that creativity constitutes one of the main components of any work of art, it does not necessarily follow that all creative minds engender new paths for subsequent generations to follow or rebel against. Beethoven, Debussy, and Stravinsky are thus exceptional in this regard, for history has shown that these three composers have played a seminal...Farhad Mechkat Farhad Mechkat is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso who began his musical studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. After... Learn More Details September 18, 2008 From Consciousness to the Soul: A Philosopher’s Journey in Neurotheology The trend of contemporary research labeled as “neurotheology” has a strange flavor for philosophers trained on a Cartesian diet. It offers an unusual blend of cutting-edge science and traditional spirituality, of experimentalism, hard-won facts and lofty philosophical speculations. Drawing from quantum physics and brain science, behavior therapy and mysticism, “neurotheologians” probe issues of ordinary psychology (the mechanisms of consciousness and...Elie During, Ph.D. Dr. Elie During is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris 10, Nanterre, and a seminar lecturer at the... Learn More Details June 24, 2008 A Tribute to Dick Davis Professor Dick Davis, a noted English poet, has emerged as the foremost translator of a number of masterpieces of Persian poetry into English verse, thereby rendering a rare service to their widespread recognition. Born in Portsmouth, England, in 1945, and educated at the universities of Cambridge (B.A. and M.A. in English Literature) and Manchester (PhD. in Medieval Persian Literature), Dick... Learn More Learn More Details May 15, 2008 In Search of the Self: The Science of Transcendence One of the subjects that has both captivated and eluded humankind throughout time is the mystery of the “Self”-that entity which endows each of us with our unique and transcendent personalities, thoughts, traits, and emotions. Although we are inherently aware of and involved with our own selves, we neither understand how this sense of self emerges, nor the nature of...Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Details February 12, 2008 The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India, the Emerging 21st Century Power Over the past 25 years, India has moved from a largely impoverished, underdeveloped country to a bustling, innovative, and rapidly changing society, boasting one of the fastest growing economies on the planet and a middle class equivalent to the entire population of the United States. In his latest work, “The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone,” former Under-Secretary-General of... Learn More Details January 24, 2008 The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul Mounting a sweeping critique of a trend in popular science and the media to explain away religious experience as an artifact of the brain, neural pathology, or evolutionary idiosyncrasy, Prof. Mario Beauregard warns against the temptation to force the complex varieties of human spirituality into simplistic categories and models that are often conceptually crude, culturally biased, and empirically untested. In...Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Details September 10, 2007 Contemporary Mysticism: The Quest for Meaning in a Secular World Moderated by Ebby Elahi, MD, FACS Prof. James W. Morris Dept. of Theology, Boston College Prof. Jawid Mojaddedi Dept. of Religion, Rutgers University Prof. Simon Weightman Dept. of the Study of Religions, Univeristy of London Musical Performance by Emmanuel During & Ensemble The history of humanity is deeply intertwined with a search for transcendence and existential meaning. Yet, the increased... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details June 9, 2007 Timeless Beauty Over the past five decades, Ovissi has firmly established himself as a brilliant and versatile artist whose elegant work presents a unique blend of European, Persian, and contemporary art. Combining his passion and admiration of his Persian heritage with his love of beauty and artistic expression, Ovissi has published over 15 books and is the recipient of numerous international awards... Learn More Details April 30, 2007 Spirituality in Daily Life: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ostad Elahi The life of Ostad Elahi (1895-1974), the celebrated master musician, jurist, philosopher and spiritual teacher—spanned a period of dramatic transformation in the conditions of religious life, both in his native Iran and globally. The striking contrast between the traditional ascetic disciplines and ecstatic rituals of his childhood upbringing, and his later experience of a deeply engaged social and professional life,... Learn More Details April 27, 2007 Temps i Espai (Time and Space) Though “Time and Space” represent two concepts that have taken on a multitude of interpretations throughout history, ranging from the two basic categories of human beings, according to Harvey, to merely being an illusion as Berkley has claimed, Miquel Solis’s special conception of time and space is more closely aligned with Kant’s perspective, in which time and space are the... Learn More Learn More Details April 25, 2007 Mind over Matter: Unlocking the Secrets of the Spiritual Brain Receiving international media coverage for his work on the effects of consciousness and volition on the emotional brain and the neural correlates of the mystical experience in Carmelite nuns, Dr. Mario Beauregard will present a nonmaterialist view of the relationships between mind, consciousness, and brain based upon various lines of scientific evidence set forth in his upcoming book. He will...Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Details January 17, 2007 Unifying Melodies: Redefining the Infinite World of Musical Creativity Composing original music is a joyous, stimulating, and liberating activity, but has historically been off limits to many people because of their supposed lack of musical training. Tod Machover and his innovative group at the MIT Media Lab, however, have specialized in developing tools and experiences—such as Hyperscore—that allow anyone to create their own music regardless of skill or experience,... Learn More Details December 12, 2006 A Life Unseen: A Legacy of One Woman’s Courage, Humanity & Insight A simple and courageous woman who led by example, Malek Jân (1906-1993) devoted her entire life to the service of humanity and advocacy for the rights of oppressed woman and children. Notwithstanding her lack of sight and frail stature, and armed only with the strength of her character and the depth of her convictions, this remarkable woman peacefully overcame physical,... Details December 1, 2006 Judging Children as Children: A Proposal for a Juvenile Justice System How does a civilized society view children and adolescents who violate the law? Should a just society punish such juveniles, and if so, what form should this punishment take? Should children and young offenders be treated as adults, as they currently are in most states around the country? And what are the policy consequences of trying such children as adults?... Learn More Details April 27, 2006 The Art of Listening: A Melodic Evening with Farhad Mechkat Critically acclaimed international composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso Farhad Mechkat shares his unique perspective and insights on the fascinating world of classical music. Examining the subtleties of the age-old art of listening, Mechkat draws upon a lifetime of musical experience to help listeners open new doors for the appreciation and enjoyment of the most beautiful of all languages. Though born...Farhad Mechkat Farhad Mechkat is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso who began his musical studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. After... Learn More Details April 6, 2006 Healing Light: Thirty Messages of Love, Hope, and Courage Poet and author Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave offers a profoundly personal response to the tumultuous, emotional aftershocks of the devastation being witnessed today around the world. The author pays special homage to those who lost their lives or loved ones in these attacks by compassionately lending her voice to a more universal application, featured in thirty meditative poems and accompanied... Learn More Details February 23, 2006 What Happens When We Die Dr. Sam Parnia faces death every day. Through his work as a critical-care doctor in a hospital emergency room, he became interested in his patients’ accounts of experiences that they had while clinically dead. After collecting these stories and reviewing the latest research, he decided to conduct his own experiments in the field, resulting in his extraordinary book What Happens...Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Details February 9, 2006 A Literary Evening with Shashi Tharoor Dubbed as “one of the best in a generation of Indian authors” and “a fluid and powerful writer” by The New York Times Book Review, Shashi Tharoor, the eloquent Under-Secretary-General of Public Information at the United Nations and the acclaimed author of six books, is once again at his provocative best in his latest work, Bookless in Baghdad. Supremely personal,... Learn More Details February 4, 2006 Revitalizing the Self: A Seminar on Energizing Mind, Body & Soul Revitalizing the Self is a special two-day workshop aimed at discovering and tapping into the unlimited power of the mind-body connection in order to achieve a more successful, balanced, and holistic approach to life. Examining the complex relationship between mind, body and soul, the workshop will demonstrate how to overcome various imbalances that quench our energy and motivation and instead... Details January 30, 2006 The Extended Mind: Unraveling the Mysteries of Consciousness A prominent neuropsychiatrist and fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr. Peter Fenwick is a leading clinical authority on near-death experiences, having analyzed more than 300 of these life-altering events in the course of four decades of research. Associated with the Mental Health Group at the University of Southampton, Dr. Fenwick is also chairman of the Scientific and Medical... Details January 27, 2006 Realizing Your Dreams: The Power of Self-Perception Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we have been given is the ability to see beyond our present state—in other words, the gift to dream. As long as we’re alive, there resides within each of us a special dream. We may not label it as such, but there is a dream or vision permeating within us that is centered on... Learn More Details March 17, 2005 The Quest for Survival: Coping with Aftereffects of the Deadliest Disaster in History Following the terrible earthquake and Tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004, the Virtue Foundation sponsored a team of physicians led by Dr. Kiran Patibandla to provide much-needed medical assistance to the thousands of people living in camps along the southern coast of India. Accompanied by a CBS reporter, the team’s activities were recorded in a documentary film,... Details February 25, 2005 Materializing Light: Drawings & Paintings In his unique work, the artist explores fractal formations and the use of pure color through archetypal formations that express the properties of self-similarity and infinite reproducibility. The objective of my painting is to create images that impart concrete experience to the unity of spiritual and scientific realities — Bruce Pollock Location: The Nour Foundation Gallery322 West 108th Street, New... Details January 27, 2005 Extreme Poverty in a Prosperous World: The Quest to Achieve Sustainable Humanitarian Efforts Featuring:Ken Bacon, President of Refugees InternationalGeorge C. Biddle, Senior Vice President of International – Rescue Committee (IRC)Ebby Elahi, MD, FACS, Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Surgery The growing integration of economies and societies around the world has been one of the most hotly debated topics over the past few years. While globalization has resulted in rapid growth and poverty reduction in countries... Details September 11, 2004 Music: A Universal Language for Harmony Transcending racial, cultural, and ideological boundaries, music is a universal language that brings together human beings from all different origins, backgrounds, and ethnicities. Used in many cultures and traditions as a vehicle for inner reflection and contemplation, music invigorates the spirit and strengthens higher love. In addition, in recent years musicologists have explored numerous therapeutic and psychological benefits of music.... Details May 25, 2004 The Implications of Outsourcing: Exploring the Economics of Globalization Fearuting: Dr. Michael T. Clark, Executive Director, U.S.-India Business Council Andy Dimitri, Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Information Technology Division, CSFB Kristin J. Forbes, Member, Council of Economic Advisers, The White House Tarun Khanna, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School Teresa McGonagle, Senior Vice President and Global Practice Leader, JPMorgan Chase Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General, Dept. of Comm.... Details April 23, 2004 Spiritual Approaches to Cultural Understanding: From Ibn ’Arabi to Ostad Elahi Prof. Morris explores the longstanding combination of cultural diversity, tolerance and spiritual cooperation that has historically allowed followers of Islamic faith to live peacefully in diverse communities throughout Asia. The lecture begins by examining the principles of spiritual intelligence as expressed by master-thinkers of Islam, from the influential classical Islamic exposition by Ibn ’Arabi (d. 1240), to the most recent... Details February 14, 2004 Music and the Mystic Experience This rare lecture demonstration explores the relationship between spiritual philosophy and music within the context of the Persian tanbour (lute). A rich musical repertoire developed into an integral part of Persian mysticism and became a practice that Sufi mystics could use to spiritually connect to the divine or use as “wings to transport themselves to the other world.” The groundbreaking... Details January 22, 2004 Searching for a Window of Hope: Overcoming Poverty, Hunger & Disease in the 21st Century Featuring: Dr. Ebby Elahi, Director, Mount Sinai-NYU, Hospital Eye Care ServicesNicholas De Torrente, Executive Director, Medecins Sans Frontieres, United StatesDr. Desmond Johns, Director, UN AIDS, New York OfficeAmbassador Kishore Mahbubani, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UNDr. Christopher Murray, Director, Harvard University, Global Health InitiativeDr. Agostino Paganini, UNICEF, Team Leader, Emergency Operations Considering the remarkable strides in technology and telecommunications... Details December 11, 2003 Yuncaypata: Exploring a Quechua Indian Community in Peru Located an hour or so from Cusco, Peru, Yuncaypata is a small community of 400 Quechua Indians, more than half of whom are young children. Not much is heard about this community of peaceful Indians, whose life expectancy is under the age of fifty. When a 23-year-old Franco-American student serendipitously came across this village, she found streets that presented serious... Details November 10, 2003 Education in the 21st Century: Addressing the Realities of Globalization Featuring:John Brademas, President Emeritus, New York UniversityJoseph A. Esposito, Associate Under Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of EducationRosalind W. Picard, Director of Affective Computing Research, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, M.I.T.Robert Weisbuch, President, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Although revamping the educational system has been a prevalent topic among academicians and politicians for years, a new sense... Details June 20, 2003 The Brainart Exhibition The BrainArt Exhibition consists of the work of renowned brain scientist Dr. Evian Gordon, editor of “Integrative Neuroscience” and producer of the TV series “The Human Brain” for PAGE and SBS Television. Some 40 works representing the artist’s exploration of Human Brain Evolution, Brain Dynamics, and their relationship to our sense of Self will be shown. Dr. Gordon will also... Details April 22, 2003 The Impact of the United Nations: Multilateralism in a Unipolar World Featuring:John Dauth, Australia’s Ambassador to the United NationsRaghida Dergham, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Al HayatEdward C. Luck,Director, Ctr. on Int’l Org., Columbia UniversityShashi Tharoor (Moderator), Under-Secretary-General, Communications & Public Information, U.N.James Traub, Contributing Writer, The New York Times Magazine Bypassing a second United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction,... Details April 2, 2003 An Evening with Terence Ward Join author and cross-cultural consultant Terence Ward as he presents the touching story behind his inspirational and uplifting journey to Iran in 1998 in search of a former family friend. Mr. Ward will share his insight, memories, and knowledge about the culture and history of this enigmatic region of the world from a fresh and unique perspective. A special book... Details January 11, 2002 An Enchanting Evening With Ovissi With exhibitions spanning across the globe from Brazil to Japan, Europe, and the United States, Ovissi has firmly established himself as a brilliant and versatile international artist whose passionate work presents a unique blend of European, Persian, and contemporary art. A painter, sculptor, engraver, designer, and goldsmith, he has published over twelve books in Italian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Persian and... Details October 6, 2001 An Evening of Art with Charles H. Zenderoudi Featured in museums of modern art all over the world, the brilliant works of renowned artist Charles H. Zenderoudi converge the poignant essence of the East with the intellectual spirit of the West to portray a unique and profound reflection of humanity. Join us for an evening of dazzling art as Zenderoudi presents a collection of his favorite works. There will... Details Sort by: NewestOldest Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Intersection of Life and Death Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Spiritual Materialism: Transcendent Encounters with the Sacred Tuesday, October 10, 2023 The Spiritual Impulse: Understanding the Experience of God Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Cultivating the Mind: Reason and the Pursuit of Ethical Transformation Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Fathoming the Mind: A Closer Look at the Formation of Self Thursday, November 17, 2022 Unraveling the Mind: The Mystery of Consciousness Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Enigma of Life: Confronting Marvels at the Edges of Science Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Beyond Oneself: The Ethics and Psychology of Awe Thursday, October 10, 2019 Unpacking Wonder: From Curiosity to Comprehension Saturday, April 6, 2019 The Musical Art of Ostad Elahi Friday, April 5, 2019 The Musical Legacy of Ostad Elahi Thursday, February 7, 2019 Reality Is Not As It Seems Thursday, December 6, 2018 Human Cognition and the AI Revolution Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe Wednesday, February 7, 2018 A Touch of Awe: Crafting Meaning from the Wonder of the Cosmos Thursday, December 7, 2017 The Story of Life: Critical Insights from Evolutionary Biology Tuesday, October 10, 2017 The Power of Meaning: The Quest for an Existential Roadmap Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Deeper Self: An Expanded View of Consciousness Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Dreaming: A Gateway to the Unconscious? Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Delving Within: The New Science of the Unconscious Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Cultivating Character: The Art of Living Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Moral Animal: Virtue, Vice & Human Nature Thursday, October 8, 2015 A New Science of Happiness: The Paradox of Pleasure Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning Sunday, December 7, 2014 After Life Wednesday, December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything Sunday, November 30, 2014 The Wake Sunday, November 23, 2014 The Last Moment Sunday, November 16, 2014 Sunday at the MET Sunday, November 9, 2014 The Reckoning Sunday, November 16, 2014 Exit Plan Tuesday, October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? Saturday, September 6, 2014 Opening Event Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Confronting Mortality: Faith and Meaning across Cultures Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Experiencing Death: An Insider’s Perspective Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Prolonging Life: Legal, Ethical, and Social Dilemmas Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine Saturday, October 5, 2013 KAMA: Reviving the Silk Road Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness Thursday, January 17, 2013 The Paradox of Sound: The Art & Science of Music Perception Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Music & the Mind: The Magical Power of Sound Sunday, December 9, 2012 Higher Consciousness Sunday, December 2, 2012 Extraordinary Minds Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Creative Brain Sunday, November 18, 2012 Wiring the Brain Wednesday, November 14, 2012 The Mystery of Memory: In Search of the Past Sunday, November 11, 2012 Memory and Forgetting Sunday, November 4, 2012 Mind and Brain Wednesday, October 10, 2012 The Thinking Ape: The Enigma of Human Consciousness Wednesday, October 12, 2011 Healing at the Speed of Sound: From Music to Silence and Everything in Between Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Who am I? Beyond ‘I Think, Therefore I Am’ Thursday, May 12, 2011 Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self Thursday, April 28, 2011 A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Linking Belief to Behavior Wednesday, March 23, 2011 The Pursuit of Immortality: From the Ego to the Soul Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Quid Pro Quo: The Ecology of the Self Thursday, February 3, 2011 Music for the Mind: The Art & Music of Ostad Elahi Sunday, December 19, 2010 Can Science Be Sacred? Sunday, December 12, 2010 Can Islam and Science Coexist? Tuesday, December 7, 2010 To Be or Not To Be: The Self as Illusion Sunday, December 5, 2010 Does the “Soul” Still Matter? Sunday, November 28, 2010 What Does Evolution Want? Sunday, November 21, 2010 What is Life? Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Life, Death & the Pursuit of Morality Wednesday, May 12, 2010 The Contingent Nature of Reality Wednesday, April 28, 2010 A Scientific Look at Synchronicity: The Search for Meaning in Coincidence Wednesday, March 17, 2010 SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Encyclopaedia Iranica: The Legacy of a Nation Past and Present Thursday, November 5, 2009 Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Spirituality and the Brain Friday, October 9, 2009 Brain and Self Friday, September 11, 2009 The Neurobiology of Virtue: Evolution, Cognition and Human Flourishing Friday, September 11, 2009 Toward a Common Morality Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Brain, Mind & the Nature of Being Wednesday, June 24, 2009 Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being Thursday, May 14, 2009 How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist Wednesday, April 22, 2009 The Science Behind Happiness Wednesday, April 17, 2019 The Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz Thursday, April 16, 2009 My Uncle Napoleon Friday, January 16, 2009 Traces of Nostalgia Thursday, September 11, 2008 Strings Resonance: A Musical Performance Thursday, November 6, 2008 Three Musical Precursors: Beethoven, Debussy & Stravinsky Thursday, September 18, 2008 From Consciousness to the Soul: A Philosopher’s Journey in Neurotheology Thursday, September 11, 2008 Unraveling the Mystery of the Self: From Descartes to the Human Consciousness Project℠ Thursday, September 11, 2008 Mind-Body Connections: How Does Consciousness Shape the Brain? Tuesday, June 24, 2008 A Tribute to Dick Davis Thursday, May 15, 2008 In Search of the Self: The Science of Transcendence Tuesday, February 12, 2008 The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India, the Emerging 21st Century Power Thursday, January 24, 2008 The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul Monday, September 10, 2007 Contemporary Mysticism: The Quest for Meaning in a Secular World Saturday, June 9, 2007 Timeless Beauty Monday, April 30, 2007 Spirituality in Daily Life: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ostad Elahi Friday, April 27, 2007 Temps i Espai (Time and Space) Wednesday, April 25, 2007 Mind over Matter: Unlocking the Secrets of the Spiritual Brain Wednesday, January 17, 2007 Unifying Melodies: Redefining the Infinite World of Musical Creativity Tuesday, December 12, 2006 A Life Unseen: A Legacy of One Woman’s Courage, Humanity & Insight Friday, December 1, 2006 Judging Children as Children: A Proposal for a Juvenile Justice System Thursday, April 27, 2006 The Art of Listening: A Melodic Evening with Farhad Mechkat Thursday, April 6, 2006 Healing Light: Thirty Messages of Love, Hope, and Courage Thursday, February 23, 2006 What Happens When We Die Thursday, February 9, 2006 A Literary Evening with Shashi Tharoor Saturday, February 4, 2006 Revitalizing the Self: A Seminar on Energizing Mind, Body & Soul Monday, October 30, 2006 The Extended Mind: Unraveling the Mysteries of Consciousness Friday, January 27, 2006 Realizing Your Dreams: The Power of Self-Perception Thursday, March 17, 2005 The Quest for Survival: Coping with Aftereffects of the Deadliest Disaster in History Friday, February 25, 2005 Materializing Light: Drawings & Paintings Thursday, January 27, 2005 Extreme Poverty in a Prosperous World: The Quest to Achieve Sustainable Humanitarian Efforts Saturday, September 11, 2004 Music: A Universal Language for Harmony Friday, September 10, 2004 Healing the World: The Ethical Dimension of Globalization and Interdependence in the Age of Terror Tuesday, May 25, 2004 The Implications of Outsourcing: Exploring the Economics of Globalization Friday, April 23, 2004 Spiritual Approaches to Cultural Understanding: From Ibn ’Arabi to Ostad Elahi Saturday, February 14, 2004 Music and the Mystic Experience Thursday, January 22, 2004 Searching for a Window of Hope: Overcoming Poverty, Hunger & Disease in the 21st Century Thursday, December 11, 2003 Yuncaypata: Exploring a Quechua Indian Community in Peru Monday, November 10, 2003 Education in the 21st Century: Addressing the Realities of Globalization Thursday, September 11, 2003 Symposium Commemorating the Second Anniversary of September 11 Friday, June 20, 2003 The Brainart Exhibition Tuesday, April 22, 2003 The Impact of the United Nations: Multilateralism in a Unipolar World Wednesday, April 2, 2003 An Evening with Terence Ward Wednesday, September 11, 2002 Symposium Commemorating the First Anniversary of September 11 Saturday, May 18, 2002 New York Early Music Series Friday, January 11, 2002 An Enchanting Evening With Ovissi Saturday, October 6, 2001 An Evening of Art with Charles H. Zenderoudi
Spirituality in the Age of Science: Conversations on God, Transcendence & Mortality Hosted in the elegant Morgan Library and Museum, this thought-provoking series features Wisconsin Public Radio’s Steve Paulson in conversation with three leading thinkers and scientists: anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann, physicist Alan Lightman, and physician Sam Parnia. Over the course of an unforgettable evening, each will share the results of their ongoing work and unique insights into the... Learn More Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Intersection of Life and Death Scientific advances in the 21st century have led to major breakthroughs in the understanding of death. One in five survivors of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) who are revived back to life recall experiencing a heightened and transcendent state of consciousness that often follows a specific narrative arc. What can these remarkable experiences ultimately tell us about the nature of human consciousness? Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Spiritual Materialism: Transcendent Encounters with the Sacred What is the origin of our transcendent experiences? How should we interpret feelings of being connected to nature and the cosmos, of being part of something larger than ourselves, of being overcome with awe and wonder? Can such feelings arise from the forces of natural selection and the human brain, or must they be derived from some all-powerful Creator? Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, October 10, 2023 The Spiritual Impulse: Understanding the Experience of God Numerous polls have consistently shown that most people around the world believe in the existence of God or some higher power. Indeed, many of these people not only believe in a deeper reality, but also claim to experience God directly. Can social science explain how rational people come to believe in God and experience the divine as real? Learn More Learn More Watch Details The Enduring Enigma of the Mind Where does the human mind begin? If we equate the mind with consciousness, should we account for its emergence as a by-product of evolution, or should we accept it instead as a fundamental feature of reality, on a par with concepts such as matter and energy? Does the mind only exist in animals with brains, or does it have a deeper, possibly cosmic meaning? The question runs through the intellectual... Learn More Thursday, November 17, 2022 Unraveling the Mind: The Mystery of Consciousness Few words in our language appear to cover such a broad and flexible swath of ideas as “the mind.” But what, actually, is the human mind? How does it relate to and differ from its seemingly inseparable companion, the brain? Where does the mind begin or emerge from? Is it merely a by-product of neural activities within the brain, or... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Fathoming the Mind: A Closer Look at the Formation of Self Recent research in animal behavior and culture shows that the mental capacities of animals have been largely undervalued. And yet it is hard to resist the impression of a gap—a difference in nature rather than degree—between humans and non-humans when it comes to certain tasks involving abstraction, planning, sustained attention, or the transmission of culture over generations. How different is... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Cultivating the Mind: Reason and the Pursuit of Ethical Transformation Rationality, long considered a distinctive characteristic of the human mind, provides us with the capacity for understanding and discernment, as well as the ability to introduce order into our thoughts by allowing us to form higher-order volitions, adopt values, establish priorities, and achieve a level of consistency in our actions across time. The ancient Socratic ideal of the “examined life”... Learn More Richard Davidson, PhD Richard Davidson is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, he is the Director... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details The Power of Wonder: Modern Marvels in the Age of Science The feelings of awe and wonder engendered by astonishing or mysterious natural phenomena are as old as humanity itself. According to the classical account of rationality, the end of inquiry—the production of a viable explanation—should also serve to diffuse these emotions. Yet, the cultural and spiritual significance of wonder and its psychological underpinnings seem to suggest a different... Learn More Thursday, October 10, 2019 Unpacking Wonder: From Curiosity to Comprehension Social psychologist Michelle "Lani" Shiota, writer Caspar Henderson, and astrophysicist Alex Filippenko unpack the emerging science behind the emotion of awe and wonder, and its function in our ongoing quest for understanding and knowledge.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Beyond Oneself: The Ethics and Psychology of Awe Prof. of religious studies and ethicist Lisa Sideris joins psychologists Jennifer Stellar and Piercarlo Valdesolo to explore our understanding of how awe shapes our perspectives and views on everything from science to morality.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Enigma of Life: Confronting Marvels at the Edges of Science Physicist Marcelo Gleiser, experimental psychologist Tania Lombrozo, and physician Gavin Francis analyze the impact of awe and wonder on their own work and on the mindsets of their colleagues carrying out cutting-edge scientific research.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Marcelo Gleiser, PhD is a world-renowned theoretical physicist and award-winning author, and is currently the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details The Musical Art & Legacy of Ostad Elahi at the Met To celebrate the addition of Ostad Elahi’s five instruments on display in the Met’s permanent collection, MetLiveArts presented a special two-day event featuring a musical concert, a debut documentary film screening, and a panel discussion on the musical art of Ostad Elahi. Learn More Friday, April 5, 2019 The Musical Legacy of Ostad Elahi The sold-out program featured opening remarks by Ken Moore, Curator Emeritus of the Department of Musical Instruments, and Dr. Ebby Elahi, Ostad Elahi’s grandson, who provided a demonstration of some of the major innovations that Ostad Elahi introduced to the structure and playing style of the tanbur. The program also included a rare performance by Dr. Shahrokh Elahi, Ostad Elahi’s... Watch Details Saturday, April 6, 2019 The Musical Art of Ostad Elahi Hosted by New York Public Radio’s John Schaefer, the sold-out event began with a debut documentary film screening on the life and music of Ostad Elahi. The film screening was followed by a panel discussion with Leili Anvar, Professor of Persian Language and Literature; Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist, musician, and bestselling author; and Theodore Levin, Arthur R. Virgin Professor of Music... Watch Details Conversations on the Nature of Reality For millennia, humans have sought to answer a seemingly unsolvable problem: What is the relationship between our conscious, subjective experience—what we see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and think—and the physical world that surrounds us? Is the reality of the physical world constructed through our subjective experience, or does the physical world we perceive have an independent,... Learn More Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe Theoretical physicist S. James Gates Jr. and science writer Margaret Wertheim join Steve Paulson to explore the mystery of our universe and the uncanny potential of mathematics to reveal the laws of nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More S. James Gates Jr., PhD S. James Gates Jr. is the Ford Foundation Professor of Physics at Brown University. He was previously at the University... Learn More Margaret Wertheim Margaret Wertheim is a science writer, curator, and artist whose work focuses on relations between science and the wider cultural landscape. She is... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, December 6, 2018 Human Cognition and the AI Revolution Logician/mathematician Roger Antonsen and computer science pioneer Barbara J. Grosz join Steve Paulson to break down the fundamental elements of human understanding and analyze what lies ahead on the horizon of AI.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Roger Antonsen Roger Antonsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics in the research group Logic and Intelligent Data (LogID) at the University... Learn More Barbara J. Grosz Barbara J. Grosz is the Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences at Harvard University. From 2007-2011 Grosz served as interim dean and then... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, February 7, 2019 Reality Is Not As It Seems Cognitive scientist Donald D. Hoffman and neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan join Steve Paulson to discuss the elusive quest to understand the fundamental nature of consciousness, and why our perception of reality is not necessarily what it seems.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Donald D. Hoffman Massimo Pigliucci is a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York-Lehman College. His research is concerned with philosophy of... Learn More Suzanne O’Sullivan Suzanne O’Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, first working at The Royal London Hospital and now as a consultant in... Learn More Watch Details The Will to Meaning: Seeking the “Why” of Our Existence At their core, multiple branches of knowledge have emerged in response to two age-old questions: First, why are we here? And second, how can we lead a meaningful life? Historically, these questions were the province of religion and spirituality, but with the declining influence of religious traditions and waning academic interest in the humanities, we have been left with a vacuum of meaning. Learn More Tuesday, October 10, 2017 The Power of Meaning: The Quest for an Existential Roadmap Neurologist Jay Lombard, philosophers Massimo Pigliucci and Michael Ruse, and author Emily Esfahani Smith join forces to shed light on these perennial questions from their respective disciplines.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jay Lombard is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Genomind, and is in private practice as the Clinical Director of Neuroscience at LifeSpan Medicine. Previously,... Learn More Massimo Pigliucci, PhD Massimo Pigliucci is a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York-Lehman College. His research is concerned with philosophy of... Learn More Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Wekmeister Professor and Director of the History and Philosophy of Science Program at Florida State University. Before coming to... Learn More Emily Esfahani Smith is an instructor in positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a columnist for The New Criterion, as well... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, December 7, 2017 The Story of Life: Critical Insights from Evolutionary Biology Paleoanthropologists Melanie Chang and Ian Tattersall, and paleontologist Simon Conway Morris share their insights on these competing concepts, and explain how meaning and purpose can be gleaned from the remarkable story of life itself.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Melanie Chang is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Portland State University. Dr. Chang completed a dual PhD in physical anthropology and ecology/evolutionary biology at the University... Learn More Ian Tattersall is Curator Emeritus of Human Origins, Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History, and Professor Emeritus, Richard Gilder Graduate School.... Learn More Simon Conway Morris is professor of evolutionary palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Morris received his PhD in... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 7, 2018 A Touch of Awe: Crafting Meaning from the Wonder of the Cosmos Theoretical physicists Paul Davies and Ard Louis, and astrophysicist Lucianne Walkowicz tackle the “big questions” of existence, sharing their perceptions based on years of gazing upward and beyond our own intimate planet.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in... Learn More Ard Louis is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford, where he leads an interdisciplinary research group studying problems on the border... Learn More Lucianne Walkowicz is an Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. She studies stellar magnetic activity and how stars influence a planet’s suitability as a... Learn More Watch Details Unlocking the Unconscious: Exploring the Undiscovered Self In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in the science of consciousness, considered to be one of the last unchartered frontiers. Yet as neuroscientists attempt the daunting task of mapping the human brain, they must also wrestle with the central challenge of explaining how our thoughts and emotions—including our sense of self-awareness—emerge from the trillions of neural circuits in... Learn More Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Delving Within: The New Science of the Unconscious Experts from neuroscience, neuropsychiatry and psychotherapy join forces to shed light on the latest insights into the fascinating and still emerging science of the unconscious.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Heather Berlin is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She received her... Learn More Efrat Ginot, PhD is a graduate of the NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Ginot is currently an instructor at the Institute for... Learn More George Makari, MD is Director of the DeWitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry, a Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Dreaming: A Gateway to the Unconscious? Our panel of experts examines dreams from a variety of perspectives, including how they might be interpreted and even directed in some cases.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Deirdre Leigh Barrett, PhD is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s Behavioral Medicine Program. She is a Past President of both the... Learn More Kelly Bulkeley, PhD is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is also director of the Sleep and Dream Database... Learn More Rubin Naiman, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in integrative sleep and dream medicine. He is the sleep and dream specialist and clinical assistant professor... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Deeper Self: An Expanded View of Consciousness A panel of distinguished experts tackles everything from the varieties of noetic experience and the role of intuition to the phenomenon of peak experience and Jung’s concept of the “collective unconscious.”Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Siri Hustvedt, PhD is Lecturer in Psychiatry at the Dewitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry, Weill Medical School of Cornell University. She has... Learn More Sonu Shamdasani, PhD is a London-based author, editor, and professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London WIHM/UCL,... Learn More Mark Solms, PhD is a psychoanalyst and a professor in neuropsychology. He holds the Chair of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote... Learn More Watch Details From Knowledge to Wisdom: Science and the Good Life Ever since Socrates declared “the unexamined life is not worth living,” philosophers have been engaged in a passionate debate: What is the good life? What is the nature of happiness, and how can it be attained? Is morality or virtue a prerequisite to the good life? Is a meaningful life also a happy one? What is the path toward human flourishing? Learn More Thursday, October 8, 2015 A New Science of Happiness: The Paradox of Pleasure Attorney and author Kim Azzarelli, historian Darrin McMahon, and social psychologist Barry Schwartz join forces to share their research and insight on happiness, pleasure, and the coveted good life.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Kim K. Azzarelli is a business, philanthropic, and legal advisor focused on advancing women and girls. Together with Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ms. Azzarelli is a... Learn More Darrin M. McMahon is a historian, author, and Professor of History at Dartmouth College. He was formerly the Ben Weider Professor and Distinguished Research Professor... Learn More Barry Schwartz is the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College, where he has been teaching for over 40 years.... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Moral Animal: Virtue, Vice & Human Nature Philosopher Christian Miller joins forces with cognitive neuroscientist Heather Berlin and science writer Michael Shermer to take a closer look at our moral ecology and its influence on our underlying assumptions about human nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Heather Berlin is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She received her... Learn More Christian Miller is Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. from the University... Learn More Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He has been... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Cultivating Character: The Art of Living Philosopher of science Philip Kitcher joins Humean philosopher Valerie Tiberius and distinguished psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett to explore the role of wisdom in the interplay between positive emotions, virtues, and character.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Lisa Feldman Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, where she is director of the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory. Barrett received... Learn More Philip Kitcher is John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. He specializes in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of biology, the philosophy of... Learn More Valerie Tiberius is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, an institution she has been affiliated with since 1998. Tiberius received a bachelor’s degree... Learn More Watch Details Beyond the Big Bang: Searching for Meaning in Contemporary Physics Perhaps more than any other scientific discipline, modern physics has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos by tackling a number of age-old existential questions: How did the universe begin? How can something emerge from nothing? What is the fabric of reality? Why do the laws of physics seem to be uniquely suited for life on Earth? Do we live in a deterministic universe?... Learn More Tuesday, October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? How is it possible for something to emerge from nothing, or has a universe in some form always existed? This question of origins — both of the universe as a whole and of the fundamental laws of physics — raises profound scientific, philosophical, and religious questions, culminating in the most basic existential question of all: Why are we here?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More David Z. Albert, PhD is Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy and Director of the M.A. Program in The Philosophical Foundations of Physics at Columbia... Learn More Jim Holt is an American philosopher, author and essayist. He has contributed to The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The New York... Learn More Neil Turok, PhD is one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists. Formerly Professor of Physics at Princeton and Chair of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge, he... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything Should new theories be validated solely on the basis of calculations that can never be empirically tested? Can we ever truly grasp the implications of modern physics when the basic laws of nature do not always operate according to our standard paradigms?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Katherine Freese, PhD is the George E. Uhlenbeck Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. Starting in September 2014 she is Director of Nordita,... Learn More Marcelo Gleiser, PhD is a world-renowned theoretical physicist and award-winning author, and is currently the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics... Learn More Max Tegmark, PhD is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the scientific director of the Foundational Questions Institute. He graduated from... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning What can contemporary physics offer us in the quest to understand our place in the universe? Has physics in some ways become a religion unto itself that rejects the search for existential meaning?Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Adam Frank, PhD is a physicist, astronomer and writer, and is currently a professor of Astrophysics at the University of Rochester. His research focuses on... Learn More David Kaiser, PhD is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Department Head of MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society, and also a... Learn More Tim Maudlin, PhD is Professor of Philosophy at New York University. He received his BA in Physics and Philosophy from Yale and his PhD in... Learn More Priyamvada Natarajan, PhD is Professor in the Departments of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University. She is a theoretical astrophysicist whose research involves mapping the... Learn More Watch Details The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi (August 5, 2014 – January 11, 2015) is the first American exhibition to explore the life and music of this renowned Persian philosopher, jurist, and master musician at the historic Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Coinciding with the inauguration of the new David H. Koch Plaza after a major reconstruction of the Met’s grand Fifth Avenue façade,... Learn More Saturday, September 6, 2014 Opening Event In celebration of the eponymous exhibition at the Met, the opening event will feature a series of stirring musical performances, including a rare appearance by tanbur grandmaster Chahrokh Elahi, as well as solo and duet pieces by renowned double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons and master lutenist Claire Antonini, who will present a unique fusion of eastern and western melodies inspired by... Watch Details Sunday, November 16, 2014 Sunday at the MET Trace the spiritual and musical journey of Ostad Elahi through his remarkable art of the tanbūr. Welcome and Introduction:Kenneth Moore, Frederick P. Rose Curator in Charge, Department of Musical Instruments, MMA Lectures:“In Pursuit of Perfection: The Music and Life of Ostad Elahi”Jean During, Director of Research, Centre de Recherche en Ethnomusicologie Performances:Garcia-Fons QuartetParissa and Ensemble Presented in conjunction with the exhibition The... Watch Details Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Boundaries between Life and Death Remarkable advances in resuscitation medicine—the science of bringing people back to life—have blurred the once clear demarcation between life and death. Led by physicians across the globe, these developments are creating a paradigm shift in our understanding of death, challenging the perception that it is an implacable, terminal moment with the realization that death is a dynamic, biological... Learn More Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine Emergency medicine experts Lance Becker and Sam Parnia and neurosurgeon Stephan Mayer discuss key discoveries and emerging technologies in resuscitation science that are helping to bring back those on the brink of death, and the difficult questions and ethical dilemmas they sometimes confront during medical crises.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Lance B. Becker, MD, is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the founder and Director of the Emergency Resuscitation Center... Learn More Stephan A. Mayer, MD, is Professor of Neurology and Neurological Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, and is... Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Prolonging Life: Legal, Ethical, and Social Dilemmas Medical director Christopher Comfort, organ transplant specialist Sam Shemie, ethicist Mildred Solomon, and attorney Barbara Coombs Lee will examine the underlying assumptions and considerations that ultimately shape individual and societal decisions surrounding these issues.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Christopher P. Comfort, MD, as Medical Director of Calvary Hospital, develops, coordinates, and facilitates clinical services for palliative and end-of-life care. Dr. Comfort is Board-certified... Learn More Barbara Coombs Lee is President of Compassion & Choices, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding and protecting the rights of the terminally ill. She practiced... Learn More Dr. Sam Shemie is a physician in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, and Medical Director, Extracorporeal Life Support Program at Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill... Learn More Mildred Z. Solomon, EdD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Hastings Center. She is also Clinical Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School,... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Experiencing Death: An Insider’s Perspective Join neurologist Kevin Nelson, psychiatrist Peter Fenwick, orthopedic surgeon Mary Neal, and emergency medicine expert Sam Parnia as they share some of these remarkable stories and discuss how they analyze such experiences in light of their own backgrounds and training.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Peter Fenwick is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, and associated with the Mental Health Group at the University of Southampton.... Learn More Mary C. Neal, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, former Director of Spine Surgery at the University of Southern California, and a founding partner of... Learn More Kevin Nelson, MD is Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky. He directs the Neuromuscular clinical neurophysiology laboratory and cares for patients with Neuromuscular disease.... Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Confronting Mortality: Faith and Meaning across Cultures Psychologist Lani Leary, historian of religions Jeffrey J. Kripal, and sociologist Allan Kellehear come together to share a multicultural perspective on death, dying, and what lies beyond.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jeffrey J. Kripal, PhD, is the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, where he chaired the Department of Religious... Learn More Allan Kellehear, PhD, is Professor of Community Health, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University. He was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University... Learn More Lani Leary, PhD, specializes in work with chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. She has worked for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist in... Learn More Watch Details The Emerging Science of Consciousness: Mind, Brain and the Human Experience The complexity of the human brain and how it gives rise to our understanding and experience of the world around us is one of the greatest mysteries remaining in science today. While recent discoveries in neuroscience are providing us with new insights into the workings of the brain, a comprehensive science of the mind is only just beginning to emerge. Learn More Wednesday, October 10, 2012 The Thinking Ape: The Enigma of Human Consciousness Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman, philosopher David Chalmers, expert in primate cognition Laurie Santos, and physician-scientist Nicholas Schiff will discuss what it means to be "conscious" and examine the human capacities displayed in cognitive, aesthetic, and ethical behaviors, with a focus on the place and function of the mind within nature.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More David Chalmers, PhD David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University and also Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Laurie Santos, PhD Laurie Santos is Associate Professor of Psychology at Yale University and the director of The Comparative Cognition Laboratory. She received her BA... Learn More Nicholas D. Schiff, MD Nicholas D. Schiff, MD, is Director of the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuromodulation at Weill Cornell Medical College where he conducts research... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, November 14, 2012 The Mystery of Memory: In Search of the Past Psychologist Daniel Schacter, neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, historian of science and medicine Alison Winter, and novelist and comparative literature professor André Aciman join forces to discuss how memory impacts our perception of ourselves, the development of personality, and the ability to construct and reconstruct our past experience.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Daniel Schacter, PhD Daniel L. Schacter is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Schacter’s research explores the relation between conscious and... Learn More Joseph LeDoux, PhD Joseph LeDoux is a University Professor at NYU in the Center for Neural Science, and he directs the Emotional Brain Institute of... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Music & the Mind: The Magical Power of Sound Cognitive neuroscientists and musicians Jamshed Bharucha and Charles Limb join music therapy pioneer Concetta Tomaino and jazz pianist Vijay Iyer to discuss the ability of music to both heal and elicit specific emotions at the interface of body, mind, and memory.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Jamshed Bharucha, PhD Jamshed Bharucha is the twelfth President of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Prior to this position, he... Learn More Jazz Pianist Learn More Charles Limb, MD Charles Limb is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where... Learn More Concetta Tomaino, DA Concetta Tomaino is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function and Senior Vice President for Music... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness Neuroscientists Richard Davidson and Amishi Jha join clinical mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn to explore the role of consciousness in mental and physical health.Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Richard Davidson, PhD Richard Davidson is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, he is the Director... Learn More Amishi Jha, PhD Amishi Jha is associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, prior to which she was an Assistant Professor at the... Learn More Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD Jon Kabat-Zinn is founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts... Learn More Watch Details Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity & Consciousness The perdurable question, "Who am I?" points to a deeply rooted need within the human species to understand the basis for the experience of unitary consciousness known as the Self. Today, the word "Self" has come to refer to a host of intersecting ideas, questions, concerns, and problems that are central to the human condition and predicament. At the same time, our fundamental experience of... Learn More Tuesday, December 7, 2010 To Be or Not To Be: The Self as Illusion Evidence from studies of the brain and mind point to a construct of the Self resulting from complex neurobiological processes interacting with the environment. If distinct neurobiological correlates of consciousness do in fact exist, does that necessarily imply that the Self is an epiphenomenon and illusion? Furthermore, how do these characterizations of the Self affect the way we represent ourselves,...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Pim van Lommel, MD Pim van Lommel, MD was born in 1943, graduated in 1971 at the University of Utrecht, and finished his specialization in... Learn More Thomas Metzinger, PhD Thomas Metzinger is Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and an Adjunct Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced... Learn More Evan Thompson, PhD Evan Thompson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His areas of research are cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Quid Pro Quo: The Ecology of the Self How does our concept of the Self differ from our concept of others? What makes the human concept of Self different from that of non-human selves such as animals? Philosopher and neurobiologist Owen Flanagan and psychologists Roy Baumeister and Paul Bloom will examine current biological, psychological, and anthropological research on the complex interaction between the Self and others and will...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Paul Bloom, PhD Paul Bloom is a professor of psychology at Yale University. His research explores how children and adults understand the physical and social... Learn More Owen Flanagan, PhD Owen Flanagan is James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He also holds appointments in Psychology and Neurobiology and is... Learn More Roy Baumeister, PhD Roy Baumeister is Francis Eppes Professor of Psychology and head of the social psychology graduate program at Florida State University. He earned... Learn More Watch Details Wednesday, March 23, 2011 The Pursuit of Immortality: From the Ego to the Soul Are we immortal? Do our souls exist beyond our bodies? What scientific evidence is there for mystical experience? These questions and others will be addressed from a cultural, historical, and scientific perspective by evolutionary biologist Kenneth Miller and theologians John Haught and Nancey Murphy. Science, self, and immortality by John F. Haught Immortality versus resurrection in the Christian tradition by...Lisa Miller Lisa Miller is a senior editor at Newsweek. She oversees all of the magazine’s religion coverage and writes the weekly “Belief Watch column.... Learn More John F. Haught John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of... Learn More Learn More Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received her B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology)... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, April 28, 2011 A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Linking Belief to Behavior Philosopher Simon Critchley, cognitive scientist Shaun Gallagher, and physicist V.V. Raman will survey how the Self is shaped by interactions with the environment, how free will, responsibility, and other traits emerge, and how character and virtue become targets for constructing the Self. A self-fulfilling prophecy: linking belief to behavior by Esther Sternberg The self in the Cartesian brain by Shaun...Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. Dr. Esther M. Sternberg received her M.D. and Rheumatology training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and was on the faculty... Learn More Simon Critchley, PhD Simon Critchley is Chair and Professor of philosophy at The New School for Social Research. Critchley studied philosophy at the University of... Learn More Shaun Gallagher, PhD Shaun Gallagher is Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences at The University of Central Florida, where he is also a member of... Learn More V. V. Raman, PhD V. V. Raman is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Humanities at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Senior Fellow, Metanexus Institute. Professor... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, May 12, 2011 Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self How did the modern concept of the Self emerge as a subject? Does the Self described by the classical Greeks, Aquinas, and philosophers of the Enlightenment match the reality of what we know about ourselves through human experience and psychological research? Historians Gerald Izenberg and Jerrold Seigel, philosopher Raymond Martin, and sociologist Norbert Wiley will trace the evolution of the...Robert Hanna, PhD Robert Hanna is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale in... Learn More Gerald Izenberg, PhD Gerald N. Izenberg is a professor of history at Washington University. Izenberg joined Washington University in 1976, and became a professor in... Learn More Raymond Martin, PhD Raymond Martin, Philosophy Department chair at Union College, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and was a professor and director... Learn More Norbert Wiley , PhD Norbert Wiley is professor emeritus of Sociology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, and was Visiting Scholar at the University of... Learn More Jerrold Seigel, PhD Jerrold Seigel is William R. Kenan Professor of History emeritus at NYU, where he has taught since 1988, and served as chair... Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Who am I? Beyond ‘I Think, Therefore I Am’ Can we ever really answer the long-standing philosophical question, “Who am I?” Philosophers, ethicists, and psychologists have all spoken to the difficulty of achieving genuine self-knowledge and the uncertainties of our judgment in evaluating oneself. The final seminar in the series will bring together philosopher Elie During, cognitive scientist David A. Jopling, social psychologist Timothy Wilson, and ethicist Frances Kamm...Alex Voorhoeve, PhD Alex Voorhoeve is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the London School of Economics. In 2008-09 he was a Fellow at Harvard... Learn More Elie During, Ph.D. Dr. Elie During is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris 10, Nanterre, and a seminar lecturer at the... Learn More David A. Jopling, DPhil David A. Jopling is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at York University, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His research interests... Learn More Frances Kamm, PhD Frances M. Kamm is Littauer Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University... Learn More Timothy Wilson, PhD Timothy D. Wilson is the Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and a researcher of positive psychology... Learn More Watch Details Shifting Realities: Myths, Models & Morality How do we understand and define the nature of reality? Can one speak of truly objective realities, or are realities necessarily subjective and contingent upon the observer's perspective? Are realities static and immutable, or are they fluid and dynamic in nature? What forms of reasoning and criteria do we use to ascertain and establish the intrinsic reality of a phenomenon? How do we study those events and... Learn More Wednesday, May 12, 2010 The Contingent Nature of Reality When confronted with the underlying nature of any reality, including perennial questions about the origin and purpose of our existence, we thus find it necessary to engage both logos and mythos to intuit the answers that we seek. For while myths provide a steppingstone for the advancement of rationality, the ongoing discovery of new evidence allows us to continually adapt... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Life, Death & the Pursuit of Morality In this light, the second part of this symposium addresses the question of how our understanding of the concepts of life and death may affect our moral sensibility, decisions, and actions. In short, it engages scientific and humanistic focus upon the ways in which human finitude can, and perhaps should, impact moral character, values, and conduct in the rich and...James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Learn More Learn More Watch Details Technology, Neuroscience, and the Nature of Being: Considerations of Meaning, Morality & Transcendence The aim of this three-part symposium series is to provide a forum for the launch of high-level interdisciplinary discussions intended to address and overcome the increasing isolation and fragmentation of the disciplines devoted to the science and advancement of the human person. The conferences, which will take place at Georgetown, Oxford University, and the United Nations in New... Learn More Friday, May 8, 2009 The Paradox of Neurotechnology Read the Conference ReportAs published in Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine Though neurotechnologies have allowed unparalleled capability to bring groups of individuals together through rapid communication and informational delivery while at the same time providing invaluable insight into the workings of the brain, the paradox remains that these technologies may also incur more dystopian possibilities by isolating individuals as...Sheri Alpert, M.A., M.P.A., Ph.D. Dr. Sheri Alpert is a Lecturer and Associate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics. Immediately prior to... Learn More Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Pharmacology of the Department of Oncology and... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D. Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology at the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University.... Learn More Jeffrey L. Krichmar, Ph.D. Jeffrey L. Krichmar is an assistant professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. His research... Learn More Dennis McBride, Ph.D., MPA Dr. McBride is an affiliated professor at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute and the Georgetown University Medical Center. Since 2001... Learn More Erik Parens, Ph.D. Dr. Erik Parens is a Senior Research Scholar at The Hastings Center, a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to bioethics and the public... Learn More Learn More Susan Schneider, Ph.D. Dr. Susan Schneider is assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and an affiliated faculty member at... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Details Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Brain, Mind & the Nature of Being As the fields that are broadly grouped under the rubric of neuroscience provide increasingly more information about the structure and function of neural systems and the brain, it becomes relatively easier to accept and use this data as “facts” to guide, if not actually dictate, our perspectives and activities. Indeed, in the past decade neuroscience has become something of a...Martin Davies, Ph.D. Dr. Martin Davies is Wilde Professor of Mental Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College. He... Learn More Richard Finn, OP Fr Richard Finn OP is a Dominican friar, and Regent (Head of House) at Blackfriars Hall since 2004. He read English at... Learn More Peter Hacker, Ph.D. Professor P.M.S. Hacker is currently Emeritus Research Fellow at Oxford University’s St. John’s College, where he had been a fellow from 1966-2006.... Learn More Ian Phillips, Ph.D. Ian Phillips is a Philosopher and Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University. He works mainly in Philosophy of Mind. From... Learn More Parashkev Nachev, Ph.D. Dr. Parashkev Nachev is an Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Neurology at University College London, and an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in... Learn More Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More John Hyman, Ph.D. John Hyman, Ph.D., is currently a Professor of Aesthetics and Senior Tutor at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford. Between 1984 and... Learn More Hanna Pickard, Ph.D. Hanna Pickard is a philosopher of mind and psychiatry at All Souls College, Oxford; and a therapist at the Complex Needs Service,... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Details Friday, September 11, 2009 Toward a Common Morality Discoveries in neuroscience and in particular neurotechnology have provided a unique window through which we can glance into the intricate workings of the human brain. Technologies such as brain scanning using positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging have enabled us to now monitor and understand the detailed geographical representation of human emotions, feelings, and thoughts within the brain....Leili Anvar, Ph.D. Dr. Leili Anvar is Professor in Persian Language and Literature at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris, where... Learn More William D. Casebeer, Ph.D. Dr. Casebeer is a career intelligence analyst and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. He holds degrees in political science... Learn More Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Pharmacology of the Department of Oncology and... Learn More James Giordano, Ph.D. Dr. James Giordano is Samueli-Rockefeller Professor of Medicine and Neurosciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. and is a Senior Fellow of... Learn More Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Roger Scruton, Ph. D. Roger Scruton, Ph. D. is currently Research Professor for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences where he teaches philosophy at their... Learn More Maxwell R. Bennett, Ph.D. Dr. Bennett is Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Sydney, and Scientific Director of the Brain & Mind Research Institute... Learn More Martha J. Farah, Ph.D. Dr. Martha Farah is currently Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences and Director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at... Learn More Bernard Gert, Ph.D. Dr. Bernard Gert is currently the Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth... Learn More Farhad Mechkat Farhad Mechkat is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso who began his musical studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. After... Learn More Donald W. Pfaff, Ph.D. As head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at Rockefeller University, Dr. Pfaff uses neuroanatomical, neurochemical and neurophysiological methods to... Learn More Watch Details Beyond the Mind-Body Problem: New Paradigms in the Science of Consciousness Over the past decade, an increasing number of physicians and neuroscientists have sought to uncover the complex relationship between mind, brain, and consciousness as they continue to search for a more comprehensive perspective on the “self” and the workings of the human mind. Though much remains to be done, their findings to date have shed a more holistic light on our understanding of the... Learn More Thursday, September 11, 2008 Unraveling the Mystery of the Self: From Descartes to the Human Consciousness Project℠ The mystery of the ‘self’ is a subject that has both captivated and eluded artists, philosophers, and scientists alike for centuries. Simply stated, the human mind or self constitutes the inexplicable and intimate entity that makes each and every one of us into the unique beings that we are today. Or to put it in slightly different terms, the self... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Mind-Body Connections: How Does Consciousness Shape the Brain? certainly does not render it a good candidate for reduction to a physical basis. Noting that physical theories alone would be compatible with the absence of consciousness, popular philosophical arguments have long highlighted the fact that an adequate theory of consciousness requires more than mere brain physics can provide. In short, there is something more to our minds than meets... Learn More Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. is Research Psychiatrist at UCLA School of Medicine and a seminal thinker and researcher in the field... Learn More Henry P. Stapp, Ph.D. Dr. Henry Stapp is a theoretical physicist at the University of California’s Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, specializing in the mathematical and logical... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Why God Doesn’t Use Biostatistics: Science and the Study of the Mind, the Body, and Spirituality With the rapidly expanding field of research exploring mystical and spiritual phenomena as well as altered states of consciousness, there have been many perspectives as to the validity, importance, relevance, and need for such research, in addition to the ultimate issue of how such research should be interpreted with regard to epistemological questions. Ultimately, this information may bear important practical...Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Beyond the Brain: The Experiential Implications of Neurotheology As explorations into the neuropsychology of religious and spiritual experience provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the interplay of consciousness, volition, and emotion, the central question remains: to what extent does the mind transcend its neural basis? Conventional wisdom holds that assemblies of neurons must account for consciousness, and, by extension, for all subjective facets of lived experience.... Learn More Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Christina M. Puchalski, M.D. Dr. Puchalski is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Health Care Sciences at The George Washington University School... Learn More Watch Details Thursday, September 11, 2008 Strings Resonance: A Musical Performance A special musical performance featuring a series of solo and duet pieces inspired by a vision of converging Eastern and Western musical traditions into a seamless, harmonious whole that reflects the universal nature of humankind. Renaud Garcia-Fons: Often referred to as “The Paganini of double bass,” the largest bowed stringed instrument in the orchestra, world-renowned double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons is... Learn More Learn More Watch Details From Tragedy to Unity: A Celebration of the Human Spirit Few would argue that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 did not devastate this nation and forever change the course of its destiny. Thousands of innocent lives were senselessly lost to an enemy that shamelessly preys on vulnerable and defenseless civilians. In response, the world community has joined together in unanimously denouncing these horrible acts of misguided hatred and destruction. Wednesday, September 11, 2002 Symposium Commemorating the First Anniversary of September 11 Few would argue that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 did not devastate this nation and forever change the course of its destiny. Thousands of innocent lives were senselessly lost to an enemy that shamelessly preys on vulnerable and defenseless civilians. In response, the world community has joined together in unanimously denouncing these horrible acts of misguided hatred and... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 11, 2003 Symposium Commemorating the Second Anniversary of September 11 On the second anniversary of the unforgettable events of September 11, the Virtue Foundation has once again invited a select group of prominent experts from multiple disciplines–including Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Gordon Conway, President of the Rockefeller Foundation; James Rubin, Former Assistant Secretary of State; and Chris Cramer, President of CNN International Networks–to engage in... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Friday, September 10, 2004 Healing the World: The Ethical Dimension of Globalization and Interdependence in the Age of Terror Coinciding with the United Nations World Day of Peace, Virtue Foundation’s Third Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium commemorating the anniversary of September 11 will feature a long list of distinguished speakers and panelists, including Kate Adie, Chief Correspondent of the BBC; Ken Bacon, President of Refugees International; Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme; John Chambers, Managing Director of Standard &... DetailsAudio Programs Death (Audio Series) Across the country – in cafés, dining rooms, and community centers – there's a new conversation taking shape. After decades of sanitizing and sequestering death and dying, America seems to be ready to talk about death. For the next five weeks, we'll be exploring how to start conversations about death with your family, your doctors, and yourself. We'll also take a look at the phenomenon of near-death experience, learn about the conscious death movement, consider how we die and grieve around the world, and much more. Learn More Sunday, November 9, 2014 The Reckoning Did you hear? There's a death movement going on in America. After decades of sanitized death, with dying, funerals, burial and grief shielded from public view, some people are now working to make death a greater part of life. In this hour, we talk with experts about how to begin these difficult conversations, and how they can transform both the...Lani Leary, PhD, specializes in work with chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. She has worked for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist in... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 16, 2014 Exit Plan We live much longer than we used to, thanks to medical advances, but what are the emotional and financial costs of extending life? Some doctors don't know how to talk with their patients about preparing for death, so there's now a push to have frank conversations about end-of-life care. Also,one family's story of working within Oregon's "Death with Dignity" law. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 23, 2014 The Last Moment We'll hear conflicting perspectives on the debate over near-death experiences. Do these extraordinary experiences reveal a transcendent reality, or are they simply the biochemical product of a brain that’s shutting down? Tune in for conversations about "conscious death," and how people are reclaiming the final moments of their lives. Learn More Learn More Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 30, 2014 The Wake How do we mark death and celebrate lost lives around the globe? In this hour, we hear stories from inside the funeral industry, wonder why dead bodies can compell or repell us, and learn about the new Ghanaian tradition of "fantasy" coffins inspired by people's work and dreams. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 7, 2014 After Life In this hour, we explore the philosophical and religious dimensions of mortality and the afterlife. We talk about the art and poetry of remembrance, and now that much of our lives are lived online, how do we plan for our digital afterlives? Learn More Learn More Allan Kellehear, PhD, is Professor of Community Health, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University. He was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Meet Your Mind: A Users Guide to the Science of Consciousness (Audio Series) Your thoughts and feelings, your joy and sorrow… it’s all part of your identity, of your consciousness. But what exactly is consciousness? It may be the biggest mystery left in science. In this six-hour series, you’ll hear interviews with the world’s leading experts—neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, philosophers, writers and artists. You’ll be taken inside the brains of Buddhist monks, and across the ocean to visit France’s ancient cave paintings. You’ll find out how to build a memory palace, and meet one of the first scientists to study the effects of LSD. Learn More Sunday, November 4, 2012 Mind and Brain Neuroscientists have made remarkable discoveries about the brain, but so far, no one's come close to cracking the biggest mystery of all—the connection between the brain and the mind: how a tangle of neurons inside your skull produces… you?David Chalmers, PhD David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University and also Professor... Learn More Learn More Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Jazz Pianist Learn More Details Sunday, November 11, 2012 Memory and Forgetting Do you think your memory is a record of what actually happened? Chances are, it's not. New scientific findings show that with every act of remembering, our brains produce new neural circuits… creating new memories. Learn More Learn More Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 18, 2012 Wiring the Brain Scientists are launching one of the most audacious projects ever conceived: a detailed map of the human brain, neuron by neron, synapse by synapse. For some scientists, the goal isn't just to map the brain; it's to crack the mystery of consciousness. Explore the "connectome" and the differences between the left and right sides of the brain. Learn More Learn More Alison Winter, PhD Alison Winter is a historian specializing in the history of the human sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge,... Learn More André Aciman, PhD André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. is Distinguished Professor... Learn More Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Prof. Em. Daniel Kahneman is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Professor... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Creative Brain Creativity is a little like obscenity: You know it when you see it, but you can't exactly define it…unless you're a neuroscientist. In labs around the country, a new generation of scientists tackles the mystery of human creativity—where it comes from and how it works. Learn More Charles Limb, MD Charles Limb is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where... Learn More Learn More Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 2, 2012 Extraordinary Minds Certain brain disorders can lead to remarkable insights....even genius. We'll peer into the world of autistic savants and dyslexics, and contemplate our cyborg future, when our brains merge with tiny, embedded computers. Also, one of the most fascinating investigations of consciousness: Stanislav Grof's pioneering study of LSD. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 9, 2012 Higher Consciousness Suppose neuroscientists map the billions of neural circuits in the human brain…are we any closer to cracking the great existential mysteries—like meaning, purpose or happiness? Scientists, contemplatives and religious thinkers are now exploring the connections between neuroscience and contemplative practice and creating a new science of mindfulness. Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details On Being: The Civil Conversations Project (Audio Series) The Civil Conversations Project is an ongoing series of radio shows and an online destination that mines fresh vocabulary, lived virtues and practices, and lessons learned where ideals meet hard reality. And, we want you to be part of this diverse, ongoing public conversation. We’re hungry for fresh ways to tell hard truths and redemptive stories, to sit with questions. We learn to speak in new ways in order to live in new ways. But how do we find new ways to speak and listen to each other, to live forward together, even while holding passionate disagreements? Learn More Thursday, July 28, 2011 Words That Shimmer Poetry is something many of us seem to be hungry for these days. We’re hungry for fresh ways to tell hard truths and redemptive stories, for language that would elevate and embolden rather than demean and alienate. Elizabeth Alexander shares her sense of what poetry works in us — and in our children — and why it may become more...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 4, 2011 Sidling up to Difference Our Civil Conversations Project continues with the Ghanaian-British-American philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah. His parents’ marriage helped inspire the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. He’s studied ethics in a world of strangers and how unimaginable social change happens. We explore his erudite yet down-to-earth take on disarming moral hostilities in America now.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 11, 2011 Listening Beyond Life and Choice Frances Kissling is known for her longtime activism on the abortion issue but has devoted her energy more in recent years to real relationship and new conversations across that bitter divide. She’s learned, she’s written, about the courage to be vulnerable in front of those with whom we passionately disagree.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 18, 2011 Restoring Political Civility Richard Mouw challenges his fellow conservative Christians to civility in public discourse. He offers historical as well as spiritual perspective on American Evangelicals’ navigation of disagreement, fear, and truth.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, August 25, 2011 Civility, History, and Hope As part of our Civil Conversations Project, we experience the civil rights veteran Vincent Harding. He has a long lens of wisdom on contemporary divisions and confusions. He says America is still a developing nation when it comes to democratic encounter across real difference. But he finds hope in the young people he’s been bringing into creative contact with civil...Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Thursday, September 1, 2011 Alive Enough? Sherry Turkle directs the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Her book, Alone Together, created a catchword for anxiety about the alienating potential of technology. But that’s not really her message. We explore the real challenge she poses — that we can and must lead examined lives with our digital objects — actively shaping technology to human purposes.Krista Tippett Krista Tippett is a journalist, former diplomat, and Peabody-award-winning broadcaster. As the creator and host of public radio’s Being (formerly Speaking of Faith... Learn More Learn More Details Science and the Search for Meaning: Five Questions (Audio Series) To the Best of Our Knowledge, Wisconsin Public Radio and Public Radio International's Peabody Award-winning magazine of ideas, presents a major 5-hour series on the complex relationship between science and spirituality. Through a series of in-depth interviews with leading experts, executive producer Steve Paulson examines 5 central ideas in modern science and their impact on some of the most profound questions facing philosophers and religious thinkers today. Learn More Sunday, November 21, 2010 What is Life? Scientists can now explain virtually every stage of the evolutionary process. But there’s a basic question that still mystifies even the best scientists: How did life first begin on Earth? Or to put in another way, how did non-life somehow turn into life? And can we say the Earth itself is alive? This hour explores some of the fundamental mysteries...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in... Learn More Details Sunday, November 28, 2010 What Does Evolution Want? Are human beings just an evolutionary accident? What if the evolution of humans, or some brainy creature like us, was inevitable once life first appeared on Earth? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, maverick paleontologist Simon Conway Morris explains why he believes evolution must ultimately lead to intelligent beings. Original Air Date: November 28, 2010Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Simon Conway Morris is professor of evolutionary palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Morris received his PhD in... Learn More Learn More Learn More John F. Haught John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 5, 2010 Does the “Soul” Still Matter? For centuries, we’ve been told the soul is what makes each of us unique. It’s why we have moral responsibility. And it’s the part of us that lives on after we die. But many scientists now say the soul is just an outdated myth, an idea that can be explained away by new insights from neuroscience and evolutionary biology. In...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received her B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology)... Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 12, 2010 Can Islam and Science Coexist? Islamic culture was once the center of the scientific world. During Europe’s Dark Ages, Baghdad, Cairo and other Middle Eastern cities were the key repositories of ancient Greek science. Muslim scholars themselves made breakthroughs in medicine, optics, and mathematics. Today the Islamic world lags far behind the West in science and technology. What happened? This hour of To the Best...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details Sunday, December 19, 2010 Can Science Be Sacred? What if you don’t believe in God, and the thought of church makes you queasy? Can you still experience the sacred? There’s a growing movement of secular scientists who revel in the awe and wonder of nature. In fact, many consider this a religious experience – without God. This hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge examines the search...Steve Paulson Steven Paulson is the executive producer and an interviewer for To the Best of Our Knowledge, a radio program produced at Wisconsin Public... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More DetailsSelect Programs October 5, 2013 KAMA: Reviving the Silk Road Drawing their inspiration from Middle Eastern and Mediterranean musical traditions, the members of KAMA share a passion for musical fusion and experimentation. On the occasion of their debut performance as a band, these established jazz musicians invite their listeners to embark on a colorful and original musical journey, from Seville to Cairo, Jerusalem to Delhi, Benares to Istanbul… Sylvain Barou:...Mavrothi Kontanis is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and teacher born and raised in the US, but with roots in Halkidiki, Greece. Mavrothi’s main instrument is... Learn More Amir ElSaffar is an Iraqi-American trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and composer who has mastered disparate musical styles, combining aspects of Middle Eastern music with American... Learn More Emmanuel H. During has developed more than just an individual style or touch over the past 15 years; he sees music as a language that... Learn More Keyvan Chemirani thinks of Iranian percussion as a syntax which allows him to invest in the music of the whole world, and to realize masterpieces.... Learn More Sylvain Barou is considered as one of the best flute players of his generation. Playing mainly Irish and Breton traditional music, Sylvain has been part... Learn More Details January 17, 2013 The Paradox of Sound: The Art & Science of Music Perception The creation and aesthetic appreciation of music as a universal art form can be traced in every culture throughout human history. Indeed, the infinite expression of sound has been used to effectively induce the whole spectrum of human emotions. Recent advances in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging have now shed light on the complex mechanisms underlying the human brain’s remarkable capacity... Learn More Details September 16, 2011 Healing at the Speed of Sound: From Music to Silence and Everything in Between Based on over a decade of new research, Don Campbell, bestselling author of The Mozart Effect®, and Alex Doman, an expert in the practical application of sound and listening, show how we can use music and silence to become more efficient, productive, relaxed, and healthy. Each chapter of their book focuses on a single aspect of everyday life, providing advice,...Don Campbell, Ph.D. Don Campbell is a leading lecturer and consultant to healthcare organizations as well as corporations and parenting groups. He works with audiences... Learn More Alex Doman Alex Doman is an author and producer whose work is based on music effects research and principles of human development and neuroplasticity focusing... Learn More Details February 3, 2011 Music for the Mind: The Art & Music of Ostad Elahi Learn how new discoveries about the power of music and the effects of active listening can help to induce profound changes in your life. While the therapeutic benefits of music have long been explored, only recently have advances in neuroscience led to a better understanding of the profound effects of music on the brain. Ethnomusicologists, neuroscientists, and composers alike have... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Alex Doman Alex Doman is an author and producer whose work is based on music effects research and principles of human development and neuroplasticity focusing... Learn More Learn More Details April 28, 2010 A Scientific Look at Synchronicity: The Search for Meaning in Coincidence Synchronicity, as defined by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, entails the simultaneous occurrence of a certain psychological state with one or more external events that appear as meaningful parallels; in other words, synchronicity references the notion of meaningful coincidence. Whether or not we choose to attribute meaning to such coincidences, they tend to constitute a common occurrence in our... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details March 17, 2010 SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable Where do we humans get our supernatural beliefs from? It seems obvious to many that children are gullible and believe what they are told. But such an indoctrination account fails to answer a number of questions about supernatural beliefs. For instance, where do the beliefs come from in the first place? Why do highly educated people entertain belief in phenomena... Learn More Details December 15, 2009 Encyclopaedia Iranica: The Legacy of a Nation Past and Present Join us for a special celebration commemorating the completion of the midway point of the Encyclopaedia Iranica, the landmark undertaking by its founding Editor, Dr. Ehsan Yarshater, to record and document the history, culture, and life of the Iranian peoples from prehistory to the present. Dr. Yarshater will survey the remarkable work that has been accomplished to date on the... Learn More Learn More Learn More Details November 5, 2009 Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life How can science help us develop our deeper spiritual potential? This unique approach to the question combines spirituality with key concepts from modern psychology to help us overcome challenges and become more perceptive, creative, and fulfilled. In this fascinating new book, Dr. Paul DeBell, a psychiatrist with 30 years experience in clinical and academic psychiatric practice, draws on such rational... Learn More Details October 21, 2009 Spirituality and the Brain Can contemplative disciplines such as yoga and meditation increase your brainpower? How should we define spirituality, and how is it different from religion? Four experts in the field of psychiatry discuss how techniques such as yoga, meditation and prayer can impact not just our beliefs and behavior but also the physiology of our brains. Featured Speakers: Daniel Amen, MDCEO, Amen... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details October 9, 2009 Brain and Self Although there is a great deal about the brain that we do not yet know, what we do know can be used to understand our behavior, as well as our sense of self and ultimately even influence the direction of human cultural evolution. Dr. Gordon’s paintings use metaphors of the Brain and Self, and symbols that reflect core brain dynamics... Learn More Details June 24, 2009 Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being Does the world make you sick? If the distractions and distortions around you, the jarring colors and sounds, could shake up the healing chemistry of your mind, might your surroundings also have the power to heal you? This is the question Esther Sternberg explores in Healing Spaces, a look at the marvelously rich nexus of mind and body, perception and...Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. Dr. Esther M. Sternberg received her M.D. and Rheumatology training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and was on the faculty... Learn More Details May 14, 2009 How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist Whether you are a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, or even an Atheist, thinking about God can improve your cognitive functioning, physical health, and make the world a safer place to live. In How God Changes Your Brain, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman prove, for the first time, that meditation/prayer improves memory and helps improve the aging brain, and...Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the... Learn More Details April 22, 2009 The Science Behind Happiness Despite the age-old quest to define the nature of happiness and identify its root cause(s), there is still no universal consensus on how happiness can be truly achieved. Recent scientific research has identified a number of factors that seem to correlate with happiness. Join our panelists as they examine these factors from a variety of biological, philosophical, and psychological perspectives,... Learn More Learn More Learn More Details April 17, 2009 The Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz Currently working on a selection of poems by three 14th century Persian poets—Hafez, Obeyd-e Zakani, and Jahan Khatun—Prof. Davis will discuss the details and challenges of his forthcoming book, The Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz (Mage, December 2009) as well as the intriguing relationship between these three contemporary poets from Shiraz who almost certainly knew one... Learn More Details April 16, 2009 My Uncle Napoleon Dubbed as “the most beloved Iranian novel of our time,” My Uncle Napoleon is Iraj Pezeshkzad’s widely-acclaimed literary masterpiece, a hilarious satire about youthful love in an extended Iranian family ruled by the egomaniacal and paranoid patriarch, Dear Uncle Napoleon. The novel’s universal themes of love and family relationships, blended with its keen insight into the country’s culture, traditions, and... Learn More Learn More Details January 16, 2009 Traces of Nostalgia Widely recognized as the preeminent translator of Persian poetry and verse into English today—having rendered such literary masterpieces as Attar’s Conference of the Birds, Ferdowsi’s epic Shahnameh in three volumes, Gorgani’s Vis and Ramin, and Pezeshkzad’s My Uncle Napoleon—Prof. Dick Davis is also an award-winning poet with exceptional prosodic skill and range. Among Davis’s numerous collections of poetry are A... Learn More Details November 6, 2008 Three Musical Precursors: Beethoven, Debussy & Stravinsky While it is certainly true that creativity constitutes one of the main components of any work of art, it does not necessarily follow that all creative minds engender new paths for subsequent generations to follow or rebel against. Beethoven, Debussy, and Stravinsky are thus exceptional in this regard, for history has shown that these three composers have played a seminal...Farhad Mechkat Farhad Mechkat is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso who began his musical studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. After... Learn More Details September 18, 2008 From Consciousness to the Soul: A Philosopher’s Journey in Neurotheology The trend of contemporary research labeled as “neurotheology” has a strange flavor for philosophers trained on a Cartesian diet. It offers an unusual blend of cutting-edge science and traditional spirituality, of experimentalism, hard-won facts and lofty philosophical speculations. Drawing from quantum physics and brain science, behavior therapy and mysticism, “neurotheologians” probe issues of ordinary psychology (the mechanisms of consciousness and...Elie During, Ph.D. Dr. Elie During is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris 10, Nanterre, and a seminar lecturer at the... Learn More Details June 24, 2008 A Tribute to Dick Davis Professor Dick Davis, a noted English poet, has emerged as the foremost translator of a number of masterpieces of Persian poetry into English verse, thereby rendering a rare service to their widespread recognition. Born in Portsmouth, England, in 1945, and educated at the universities of Cambridge (B.A. and M.A. in English Literature) and Manchester (PhD. in Medieval Persian Literature), Dick... Learn More Learn More Details May 15, 2008 In Search of the Self: The Science of Transcendence One of the subjects that has both captivated and eluded humankind throughout time is the mystery of the “Self”-that entity which endows each of us with our unique and transcendent personalities, thoughts, traits, and emotions. Although we are inherently aware of and involved with our own selves, we neither understand how this sense of self emerges, nor the nature of...Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Details February 12, 2008 The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India, the Emerging 21st Century Power Over the past 25 years, India has moved from a largely impoverished, underdeveloped country to a bustling, innovative, and rapidly changing society, boasting one of the fastest growing economies on the planet and a middle class equivalent to the entire population of the United States. In his latest work, “The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone,” former Under-Secretary-General of... Learn More Details January 24, 2008 The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul Mounting a sweeping critique of a trend in popular science and the media to explain away religious experience as an artifact of the brain, neural pathology, or evolutionary idiosyncrasy, Prof. Mario Beauregard warns against the temptation to force the complex varieties of human spirituality into simplistic categories and models that are often conceptually crude, culturally biased, and empirically untested. In...Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Details September 10, 2007 Contemporary Mysticism: The Quest for Meaning in a Secular World Moderated by Ebby Elahi, MD, FACS Prof. James W. Morris Dept. of Theology, Boston College Prof. Jawid Mojaddedi Dept. of Religion, Rutgers University Prof. Simon Weightman Dept. of the Study of Religions, Univeristy of London Musical Performance by Emmanuel During & Ensemble The history of humanity is deeply intertwined with a search for transcendence and existential meaning. Yet, the increased... Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Details June 9, 2007 Timeless Beauty Over the past five decades, Ovissi has firmly established himself as a brilliant and versatile artist whose elegant work presents a unique blend of European, Persian, and contemporary art. Combining his passion and admiration of his Persian heritage with his love of beauty and artistic expression, Ovissi has published over 15 books and is the recipient of numerous international awards... Learn More Details April 30, 2007 Spirituality in Daily Life: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ostad Elahi The life of Ostad Elahi (1895-1974), the celebrated master musician, jurist, philosopher and spiritual teacher—spanned a period of dramatic transformation in the conditions of religious life, both in his native Iran and globally. The striking contrast between the traditional ascetic disciplines and ecstatic rituals of his childhood upbringing, and his later experience of a deeply engaged social and professional life,... Learn More Details April 27, 2007 Temps i Espai (Time and Space) Though “Time and Space” represent two concepts that have taken on a multitude of interpretations throughout history, ranging from the two basic categories of human beings, according to Harvey, to merely being an illusion as Berkley has claimed, Miquel Solis’s special conception of time and space is more closely aligned with Kant’s perspective, in which time and space are the... Learn More Learn More Details April 25, 2007 Mind over Matter: Unlocking the Secrets of the Spiritual Brain Receiving international media coverage for his work on the effects of consciousness and volition on the emotional brain and the neural correlates of the mystical experience in Carmelite nuns, Dr. Mario Beauregard will present a nonmaterialist view of the relationships between mind, consciousness, and brain based upon various lines of scientific evidence set forth in his upcoming book. He will...Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Beauregard is currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Psychology and Radiology, as well... Learn More Details January 17, 2007 Unifying Melodies: Redefining the Infinite World of Musical Creativity Composing original music is a joyous, stimulating, and liberating activity, but has historically been off limits to many people because of their supposed lack of musical training. Tod Machover and his innovative group at the MIT Media Lab, however, have specialized in developing tools and experiences—such as Hyperscore—that allow anyone to create their own music regardless of skill or experience,... Learn More Details December 12, 2006 A Life Unseen: A Legacy of One Woman’s Courage, Humanity & Insight A simple and courageous woman who led by example, Malek Jân (1906-1993) devoted her entire life to the service of humanity and advocacy for the rights of oppressed woman and children. Notwithstanding her lack of sight and frail stature, and armed only with the strength of her character and the depth of her convictions, this remarkable woman peacefully overcame physical,... Details December 1, 2006 Judging Children as Children: A Proposal for a Juvenile Justice System How does a civilized society view children and adolescents who violate the law? Should a just society punish such juveniles, and if so, what form should this punishment take? Should children and young offenders be treated as adults, as they currently are in most states around the country? And what are the policy consequences of trying such children as adults?... Learn More Details April 27, 2006 The Art of Listening: A Melodic Evening with Farhad Mechkat Critically acclaimed international composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso Farhad Mechkat shares his unique perspective and insights on the fascinating world of classical music. Examining the subtleties of the age-old art of listening, Mechkat draws upon a lifetime of musical experience to help listeners open new doors for the appreciation and enjoyment of the most beautiful of all languages. Though born...Farhad Mechkat Farhad Mechkat is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, and musical virtuoso who began his musical studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. After... Learn More Details April 6, 2006 Healing Light: Thirty Messages of Love, Hope, and Courage Poet and author Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave offers a profoundly personal response to the tumultuous, emotional aftershocks of the devastation being witnessed today around the world. The author pays special homage to those who lost their lives or loved ones in these attacks by compassionately lending her voice to a more universal application, featured in thirty meditative poems and accompanied... Learn More Details February 23, 2006 What Happens When We Die Dr. Sam Parnia faces death every day. Through his work as a critical-care doctor in a hospital emergency room, he became interested in his patients’ accounts of experiences that they had while clinically dead. After collecting these stories and reviewing the latest research, he decided to conduct his own experiments in the field, resulting in his extraordinary book What Happens...Sam Parnia, MD, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death... Learn More Details February 9, 2006 A Literary Evening with Shashi Tharoor Dubbed as “one of the best in a generation of Indian authors” and “a fluid and powerful writer” by The New York Times Book Review, Shashi Tharoor, the eloquent Under-Secretary-General of Public Information at the United Nations and the acclaimed author of six books, is once again at his provocative best in his latest work, Bookless in Baghdad. Supremely personal,... Learn More Details February 4, 2006 Revitalizing the Self: A Seminar on Energizing Mind, Body & Soul Revitalizing the Self is a special two-day workshop aimed at discovering and tapping into the unlimited power of the mind-body connection in order to achieve a more successful, balanced, and holistic approach to life. Examining the complex relationship between mind, body and soul, the workshop will demonstrate how to overcome various imbalances that quench our energy and motivation and instead... Details January 30, 2006 The Extended Mind: Unraveling the Mysteries of Consciousness A prominent neuropsychiatrist and fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr. Peter Fenwick is a leading clinical authority on near-death experiences, having analyzed more than 300 of these life-altering events in the course of four decades of research. Associated with the Mental Health Group at the University of Southampton, Dr. Fenwick is also chairman of the Scientific and Medical... Details January 27, 2006 Realizing Your Dreams: The Power of Self-Perception Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we have been given is the ability to see beyond our present state—in other words, the gift to dream. As long as we’re alive, there resides within each of us a special dream. We may not label it as such, but there is a dream or vision permeating within us that is centered on... Learn More Details March 17, 2005 The Quest for Survival: Coping with Aftereffects of the Deadliest Disaster in History Following the terrible earthquake and Tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004, the Virtue Foundation sponsored a team of physicians led by Dr. Kiran Patibandla to provide much-needed medical assistance to the thousands of people living in camps along the southern coast of India. Accompanied by a CBS reporter, the team’s activities were recorded in a documentary film,... Details February 25, 2005 Materializing Light: Drawings & Paintings In his unique work, the artist explores fractal formations and the use of pure color through archetypal formations that express the properties of self-similarity and infinite reproducibility. The objective of my painting is to create images that impart concrete experience to the unity of spiritual and scientific realities — Bruce Pollock Location: The Nour Foundation Gallery322 West 108th Street, New... Details January 27, 2005 Extreme Poverty in a Prosperous World: The Quest to Achieve Sustainable Humanitarian Efforts Featuring:Ken Bacon, President of Refugees InternationalGeorge C. Biddle, Senior Vice President of International – Rescue Committee (IRC)Ebby Elahi, MD, FACS, Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Surgery The growing integration of economies and societies around the world has been one of the most hotly debated topics over the past few years. While globalization has resulted in rapid growth and poverty reduction in countries... Details September 11, 2004 Music: A Universal Language for Harmony Transcending racial, cultural, and ideological boundaries, music is a universal language that brings together human beings from all different origins, backgrounds, and ethnicities. Used in many cultures and traditions as a vehicle for inner reflection and contemplation, music invigorates the spirit and strengthens higher love. In addition, in recent years musicologists have explored numerous therapeutic and psychological benefits of music.... Details May 25, 2004 The Implications of Outsourcing: Exploring the Economics of Globalization Fearuting: Dr. Michael T. Clark, Executive Director, U.S.-India Business Council Andy Dimitri, Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Information Technology Division, CSFB Kristin J. Forbes, Member, Council of Economic Advisers, The White House Tarun Khanna, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School Teresa McGonagle, Senior Vice President and Global Practice Leader, JPMorgan Chase Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General, Dept. of Comm.... Details April 23, 2004 Spiritual Approaches to Cultural Understanding: From Ibn ’Arabi to Ostad Elahi Prof. Morris explores the longstanding combination of cultural diversity, tolerance and spiritual cooperation that has historically allowed followers of Islamic faith to live peacefully in diverse communities throughout Asia. The lecture begins by examining the principles of spiritual intelligence as expressed by master-thinkers of Islam, from the influential classical Islamic exposition by Ibn ’Arabi (d. 1240), to the most recent... Details February 14, 2004 Music and the Mystic Experience This rare lecture demonstration explores the relationship between spiritual philosophy and music within the context of the Persian tanbour (lute). A rich musical repertoire developed into an integral part of Persian mysticism and became a practice that Sufi mystics could use to spiritually connect to the divine or use as “wings to transport themselves to the other world.” The groundbreaking... Details January 22, 2004 Searching for a Window of Hope: Overcoming Poverty, Hunger & Disease in the 21st Century Featuring: Dr. Ebby Elahi, Director, Mount Sinai-NYU, Hospital Eye Care ServicesNicholas De Torrente, Executive Director, Medecins Sans Frontieres, United StatesDr. Desmond Johns, Director, UN AIDS, New York OfficeAmbassador Kishore Mahbubani, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UNDr. Christopher Murray, Director, Harvard University, Global Health InitiativeDr. Agostino Paganini, UNICEF, Team Leader, Emergency Operations Considering the remarkable strides in technology and telecommunications... Details December 11, 2003 Yuncaypata: Exploring a Quechua Indian Community in Peru Located an hour or so from Cusco, Peru, Yuncaypata is a small community of 400 Quechua Indians, more than half of whom are young children. Not much is heard about this community of peaceful Indians, whose life expectancy is under the age of fifty. When a 23-year-old Franco-American student serendipitously came across this village, she found streets that presented serious... Details November 10, 2003 Education in the 21st Century: Addressing the Realities of Globalization Featuring:John Brademas, President Emeritus, New York UniversityJoseph A. Esposito, Associate Under Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of EducationRosalind W. Picard, Director of Affective Computing Research, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, M.I.T.Robert Weisbuch, President, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Although revamping the educational system has been a prevalent topic among academicians and politicians for years, a new sense... Details June 20, 2003 The Brainart Exhibition The BrainArt Exhibition consists of the work of renowned brain scientist Dr. Evian Gordon, editor of “Integrative Neuroscience” and producer of the TV series “The Human Brain” for PAGE and SBS Television. Some 40 works representing the artist’s exploration of Human Brain Evolution, Brain Dynamics, and their relationship to our sense of Self will be shown. Dr. Gordon will also... Details April 22, 2003 The Impact of the United Nations: Multilateralism in a Unipolar World Featuring:John Dauth, Australia’s Ambassador to the United NationsRaghida Dergham, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Al HayatEdward C. Luck,Director, Ctr. on Int’l Org., Columbia UniversityShashi Tharoor (Moderator), Under-Secretary-General, Communications & Public Information, U.N.James Traub, Contributing Writer, The New York Times Magazine Bypassing a second United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction,... Details April 2, 2003 An Evening with Terence Ward Join author and cross-cultural consultant Terence Ward as he presents the touching story behind his inspirational and uplifting journey to Iran in 1998 in search of a former family friend. Mr. Ward will share his insight, memories, and knowledge about the culture and history of this enigmatic region of the world from a fresh and unique perspective. A special book... Details January 11, 2002 An Enchanting Evening With Ovissi With exhibitions spanning across the globe from Brazil to Japan, Europe, and the United States, Ovissi has firmly established himself as a brilliant and versatile international artist whose passionate work presents a unique blend of European, Persian, and contemporary art. A painter, sculptor, engraver, designer, and goldsmith, he has published over twelve books in Italian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Persian and... Details October 6, 2001 An Evening of Art with Charles H. Zenderoudi Featured in museums of modern art all over the world, the brilliant works of renowned artist Charles H. Zenderoudi converge the poignant essence of the East with the intellectual spirit of the West to portray a unique and profound reflection of humanity. Join us for an evening of dazzling art as Zenderoudi presents a collection of his favorite works. There will... Details
Sort by: NewestOldest Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Intersection of Life and Death Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Spiritual Materialism: Transcendent Encounters with the Sacred Tuesday, October 10, 2023 The Spiritual Impulse: Understanding the Experience of God Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Cultivating the Mind: Reason and the Pursuit of Ethical Transformation Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Fathoming the Mind: A Closer Look at the Formation of Self Thursday, November 17, 2022 Unraveling the Mind: The Mystery of Consciousness Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Enigma of Life: Confronting Marvels at the Edges of Science Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Beyond Oneself: The Ethics and Psychology of Awe Thursday, October 10, 2019 Unpacking Wonder: From Curiosity to Comprehension Saturday, April 6, 2019 The Musical Art of Ostad Elahi Friday, April 5, 2019 The Musical Legacy of Ostad Elahi Thursday, February 7, 2019 Reality Is Not As It Seems Thursday, December 6, 2018 Human Cognition and the AI Revolution Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe Wednesday, February 7, 2018 A Touch of Awe: Crafting Meaning from the Wonder of the Cosmos Thursday, December 7, 2017 The Story of Life: Critical Insights from Evolutionary Biology Tuesday, October 10, 2017 The Power of Meaning: The Quest for an Existential Roadmap Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Deeper Self: An Expanded View of Consciousness Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Dreaming: A Gateway to the Unconscious? Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Delving Within: The New Science of the Unconscious Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Cultivating Character: The Art of Living Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Moral Animal: Virtue, Vice & Human Nature Thursday, October 8, 2015 A New Science of Happiness: The Paradox of Pleasure Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning Sunday, December 7, 2014 After Life Wednesday, December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything Sunday, November 30, 2014 The Wake Sunday, November 23, 2014 The Last Moment Sunday, November 16, 2014 Sunday at the MET Sunday, November 9, 2014 The Reckoning Sunday, November 16, 2014 Exit Plan Tuesday, October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? Saturday, September 6, 2014 Opening Event Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Confronting Mortality: Faith and Meaning across Cultures Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Experiencing Death: An Insider’s Perspective Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Prolonging Life: Legal, Ethical, and Social Dilemmas Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine Saturday, October 5, 2013 KAMA: Reviving the Silk Road Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness Thursday, January 17, 2013 The Paradox of Sound: The Art & Science of Music Perception Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Music & the Mind: The Magical Power of Sound Sunday, December 9, 2012 Higher Consciousness Sunday, December 2, 2012 Extraordinary Minds Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Creative Brain Sunday, November 18, 2012 Wiring the Brain Wednesday, November 14, 2012 The Mystery of Memory: In Search of the Past Sunday, November 11, 2012 Memory and Forgetting Sunday, November 4, 2012 Mind and Brain Wednesday, October 10, 2012 The Thinking Ape: The Enigma of Human Consciousness Wednesday, October 12, 2011 Healing at the Speed of Sound: From Music to Silence and Everything in Between Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Who am I? Beyond ‘I Think, Therefore I Am’ Thursday, May 12, 2011 Me, Myself, and I: The Rise of the Modern Self Thursday, April 28, 2011 A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Linking Belief to Behavior Wednesday, March 23, 2011 The Pursuit of Immortality: From the Ego to the Soul Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Quid Pro Quo: The Ecology of the Self Thursday, February 3, 2011 Music for the Mind: The Art & Music of Ostad Elahi Sunday, December 19, 2010 Can Science Be Sacred? Sunday, December 12, 2010 Can Islam and Science Coexist? Tuesday, December 7, 2010 To Be or Not To Be: The Self as Illusion Sunday, December 5, 2010 Does the “Soul” Still Matter? Sunday, November 28, 2010 What Does Evolution Want? Sunday, November 21, 2010 What is Life? Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Life, Death & the Pursuit of Morality Wednesday, May 12, 2010 The Contingent Nature of Reality Wednesday, April 28, 2010 A Scientific Look at Synchronicity: The Search for Meaning in Coincidence Wednesday, March 17, 2010 SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Encyclopaedia Iranica: The Legacy of a Nation Past and Present Thursday, November 5, 2009 Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Spirituality and the Brain Friday, October 9, 2009 Brain and Self Friday, September 11, 2009 The Neurobiology of Virtue: Evolution, Cognition and Human Flourishing Friday, September 11, 2009 Toward a Common Morality Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Brain, Mind & the Nature of Being Wednesday, June 24, 2009 Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being Thursday, May 14, 2009 How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist Wednesday, April 22, 2009 The Science Behind Happiness Wednesday, April 17, 2019 The Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz Thursday, April 16, 2009 My Uncle Napoleon Friday, January 16, 2009 Traces of Nostalgia Thursday, September 11, 2008 Strings Resonance: A Musical Performance Thursday, November 6, 2008 Three Musical Precursors: Beethoven, Debussy & Stravinsky Thursday, September 18, 2008 From Consciousness to the Soul: A Philosopher’s Journey in Neurotheology Thursday, September 11, 2008 Unraveling the Mystery of the Self: From Descartes to the Human Consciousness Project℠ Thursday, September 11, 2008 Mind-Body Connections: How Does Consciousness Shape the Brain? Tuesday, June 24, 2008 A Tribute to Dick Davis Thursday, May 15, 2008 In Search of the Self: The Science of Transcendence Tuesday, February 12, 2008 The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India, the Emerging 21st Century Power Thursday, January 24, 2008 The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul Monday, September 10, 2007 Contemporary Mysticism: The Quest for Meaning in a Secular World Saturday, June 9, 2007 Timeless Beauty Monday, April 30, 2007 Spirituality in Daily Life: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ostad Elahi Friday, April 27, 2007 Temps i Espai (Time and Space) Wednesday, April 25, 2007 Mind over Matter: Unlocking the Secrets of the Spiritual Brain Wednesday, January 17, 2007 Unifying Melodies: Redefining the Infinite World of Musical Creativity Tuesday, December 12, 2006 A Life Unseen: A Legacy of One Woman’s Courage, Humanity & Insight Friday, December 1, 2006 Judging Children as Children: A Proposal for a Juvenile Justice System Thursday, April 27, 2006 The Art of Listening: A Melodic Evening with Farhad Mechkat Thursday, April 6, 2006 Healing Light: Thirty Messages of Love, Hope, and Courage Thursday, February 23, 2006 What Happens When We Die Thursday, February 9, 2006 A Literary Evening with Shashi Tharoor Saturday, February 4, 2006 Revitalizing the Self: A Seminar on Energizing Mind, Body & Soul Monday, October 30, 2006 The Extended Mind: Unraveling the Mysteries of Consciousness Friday, January 27, 2006 Realizing Your Dreams: The Power of Self-Perception Thursday, March 17, 2005 The Quest for Survival: Coping with Aftereffects of the Deadliest Disaster in History Friday, February 25, 2005 Materializing Light: Drawings & Paintings Thursday, January 27, 2005 Extreme Poverty in a Prosperous World: The Quest to Achieve Sustainable Humanitarian Efforts Saturday, September 11, 2004 Music: A Universal Language for Harmony Friday, September 10, 2004 Healing the World: The Ethical Dimension of Globalization and Interdependence in the Age of Terror Tuesday, May 25, 2004 The Implications of Outsourcing: Exploring the Economics of Globalization Friday, April 23, 2004 Spiritual Approaches to Cultural Understanding: From Ibn ’Arabi to Ostad Elahi Saturday, February 14, 2004 Music and the Mystic Experience Thursday, January 22, 2004 Searching for a Window of Hope: Overcoming Poverty, Hunger & Disease in the 21st Century Thursday, December 11, 2003 Yuncaypata: Exploring a Quechua Indian Community in Peru Monday, November 10, 2003 Education in the 21st Century: Addressing the Realities of Globalization Thursday, September 11, 2003 Symposium Commemorating the Second Anniversary of September 11 Friday, June 20, 2003 The Brainart Exhibition Tuesday, April 22, 2003 The Impact of the United Nations: Multilateralism in a Unipolar World Wednesday, April 2, 2003 An Evening with Terence Ward Wednesday, September 11, 2002 Symposium Commemorating the First Anniversary of September 11 Saturday, May 18, 2002 New York Early Music Series Friday, January 11, 2002 An Enchanting Evening With Ovissi Saturday, October 6, 2001 An Evening of Art with Charles H. Zenderoudi