Spirituality in the Age of Science:

Confronted with the rapid rise of transformative technologies in fields ranging from artificial intelligence and bioengineering to gene-editing and precision medicine, humanity’s primary challenge in the age of science appears to be essentially a moral one: keeping scientific advancements within the bounds of ethics and human flourishing, while ensuring social welfare and justice. From this perspective, the notion of spirituality may be viewed as residual and anachronistic. And yet, the widespread hunger for spiritual experience in the contemporary world reveals the contrary. Far from some marginalized or outdated activity, the pursuit of spirituality demonstrates a yearning for meaning and transcendence that surpasses the basic desire for well-being and inner peace.

Whereas science and spirituality appear to have starkly different objectives—the former strives to explain the physical world within a unified framework of empirical evidence, while the latter seeks to impart meaning and purpose by offering answers to perennial questions about our role in the universe—at a deeper level, they can also be seen as complementary endeavors. Both are engaged in constructing a mental map of reality that allows us to position ourselves within it. As they work toward navigating the frontiers of human nature, each forges new perspectives that force us to reconsider the very meaning of what it means to be human.

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: physicist Alan Lightman, anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann, 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 nature of spiritual experience, the quest for meaning and transcendence, and the question of consciousness beyond death. Edited versions of these interviews will be broadcast online and on Wisconsin Public Radio’s syndicated program To the Best of Our Knowledge.