Ministry of Ideas

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Latest Episodes:

Illuminations Episode 8: Watching Heaven May 16, 2023

Show notes

The story of Galileo has long been cited as evidence the Catholic Church is inherently opposed to scientific research. But in fact, astronomy has been built into the history of the Catholic Church – sometimes built literally into the churches themselves.

Guests

Guy Consolmagno, Director of the Vatican Observatory

Ann Blair, Harvard Professor of History

John Heilbron, Historian of Science Emeritus, University of Berkeley

Stephen Barr, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Delaware

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Illuminations Episode 7: Mirrors of Morality Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

Scientific origin stories promise to tell us who we really are. But that deepest question of human existence can never fully be answered by science.

Guests

Erika Milam, Princeton University

Cecilia Heyes, Oxford University

This episode was produced by Simon Brown and Maria Devlin McNair.

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Illuminations Episode 6: Manifest Mars Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

A sense of divine destiny drove Americans to expand West. A similar spirit is behind the modern quest to conquer space.

Guests

Lois Rosson, Bergruenn Institute (Los Angeles)

Catherine Newell, University of Miami

Joni Kinsey, University of Iowa

Episode produced by Liya Rechtman.

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Illuminations Episode 5: Moveable Feasts Mar 16, 2023

Show notes

God, we know, is outside space and time. But the need to date one faith’s most sacred feast drove a cutting-edge technological quest to accurately locate ourselves in time.

Guests

Simon Brown

Philipp Nothaft

Robert Poole

Producers

Simon Brown

Maria Devlin McNair

Voice Talent

Blair Hodges

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Illuminations Episode 4: Quantum Buddhism Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

What’s the spiritual significance of quantum mechanics? One answer comes from the Dalai Lama - a surprising but genuine lover of scientific investigation.

Guests

Jose Perillan - Associate Professor of Physics and Science, Technology and Society and the Pauline Newman Director of Science, Technology, and Society at Vassar College

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Illuminations Episode 3: Divine Technology Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

It’s common to feel that technology removes the magic of the world, but Hindu worshippers in Bangalore have shown that it's all in the approach.

Guest

Tulasi Srinivas, associate professor of anthropology at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson College. Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and the Indian Sociological Society. Author of Winged Faith: Rethinking Globalization and Religious Pluralism, among other books.

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Illuminations Episode 2: Beyond Belief Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

Do scientists ever reject science? Research data on the controversial topic of extraterrestrial life has met with resistance from some in the scientific community and openness from communities of faith.

Guests

Avi Loeb, professor of astrophysics and cosmology at Harvard University, where he serves as the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science. Author of Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth.

Kate Dorsch, associate director of Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania .

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), longtime U.S. Senator (1987-2017) from the state of Nevada and former Senate Majority Leader (2007-2015. *The Senator died in December 2021.

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Illuminations Episode 1: Experimental Methods Mar 12, 2023

Show notes

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.

Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.

Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge’s Department of the History and Philosophy of Science.

Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford.

Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware’s department of physics and astronomy.

This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair.

Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

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Illuminations Introduction Mar 11, 2023

Show notes

Illuminations is a limited series that reveals the untold friendship of religion and science. Through interviews and stories drawn from a range of cultures, faiths, and eras, this series reveals the unknown and unexpected histories of how religion and science have been entangled across time. We hear why the Dalai Lama loves quantum mechanics; why the Mormon faith inspires a search for extraterrestrial life; why the Scientific Revolution was catalyzed by a religious quest to uncover divine craftsmanship. These surprising narratives explode the myth that faith and science are destined to be enemies and reveal how they worked as mutual inspiration.

Illuminations is produced by Zachary Davis, Maria Devlin McNair, Liya Rechtman and Nick Andersen. Script editing by Galen Beebe. Sound Design by Stephen Larosa. Artwork by Dan Pecci.

Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

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Illuminations Teaser Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

Illuminations is a limited series from Ministry of Ideas that reveals the untold friendship of religion and science. Through interviews and stories drawn from a range of cultures, faiths, and eras, this series reveals the unknown and unexpected histories of how religion and science have been entangled across time.

We hear why the Dalai Lama loves quantum mechanics; why the Mormon faith inspires a search for extraterrestrial life; why the Scientific Revolution was catalyzed by a religious quest to uncover divine craftsmanship. These surprising narratives explode the myth that faith and science are destined to be enemies.

Illuminations is produced by Zachary Davis, Maria Devlin McNair, Liya Rechtman and Nick Andersen. Script editing by Galen Beebe. Sound Design by Stephen Larosa. Artwork by Dan Pecci.

Learn more at ministryofideas.org/illuminations and find us on Twitter @ministryofideas.

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