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Naked Humanity — Philosophy
Naked Humanity

Existentialist philosophers such as Albert Camus and Hannah Arendt once said the modern world has rendered us naked: we are stripped of traditional beliefs, grasping for truths constantly out of reach, and devastatingly aware of our finitude. Is this true? Where do we go from here? Who are we? Who COULD we be? For Season I of this podcast (all currently posted episodes) I ask historians, psychologists, sociologists, and biologists: what does it mean to be human in the modern world?

Latest Episodes:

15: Science as an Unending Quest with Marcelo Gleiser Jan 21, 2019

Show notes

We often talk about science like it’s going to deliver us final and certain answers--but is that really how it works? In this mind-blowing episode I chat with theoretical physicist and several times best-selling author Marcelo Gleiser about the open-endedness, adventure, and majesty of the scientific quest. Gleiser tells us how he ditched his intellectual comfort zones, why he has such a different view of science from other famous scientists, and how personal tragedy led him to experience the unknown as beautiful.

14x: How Human Nature Changes over Time Jan 17, 2019

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In the last episode we established that “human nature” changes over time--in this episode Stefani shows you how. By briefly touring early hunter-gathering, the development of agriculture, early Christianity, the Enlightenment, Darwinism, fundamentalism, and the World Wars, Stefani demonstrates just how vastly our ideas of what it means to be human have changed--and not always for the better.

14: Will Technology Make us Less Human? with Joseph Fisher Jan 14, 2019

Show notes

Do our phones rob us of our humanity? What about genetic engineering, or other technologies? Stefani chats with Columbia PhD candidate Joe Fisher about the wild ride we're on in a rapidly changing world. They discuss how human nature changes over time, how technology impacts our ideas and culture, and how today’s technology is over-turning everything we thought we knew about who we are.

13x: Is Atheism a Religion? Jan 10, 2019

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Nowadays there are atheist meetups, atheist book clubs, and even atheist churches. Is atheism becoming a religion?! Today Stefani talks about the similarities and differences between American atheism today and fundamentalist Christianity. Ultimately, they are very different, but what they have in common is alarming and something we must pay attention to.

13: Toxic Atheism in America Today with Caroline Matas Jan 07, 2019

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Hateful, anti-feminist rhetoric is on the rise in the West. What does atheism have to do with it? This week Stefani chats with Princeton PhD student of American religions Caroline Matas about how today’s atheism is becoming politicized by the right, the relationship between atheism and anti-feminism, the power of victimhood, and America’s religious and spiritual crises.

12x: Stefani's Year of Celibacy Jan 03, 2019

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A testament to the potential for New Year’s Resolutions to do actual good, today Stefani tells the story of the year she resolved to be celibate. Tune in and learn about her history of traumatic relationships with men and how forswearing romance transformed her into a self-sufficient and happy human.

12: Trauma in Evangelical Communities with Tyler Tully Dec 30, 2018

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Is there a relationship between fundamentalist forms of religion and trauma? Stefani chats with fellow Oxford scholar Tyler Tully who grew up experiencing and witnessing severe trauma in an Evangelical community. These days Tully specializes in researching these kinds of suffering, so they get to the bottom of how and why trauma happens in religion. They also discuss how religion isn’t made to feel good, the importance of empathy, and Brad Pitt’s ideas about religion.

11: The Political History of Christmas Dec 23, 2018

Show notes

Most of us know Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th--but what else is mythical about Christmas? In this episode, Stefani walks you through the history of Christmas from ancient European wine making practices, to the medieval poor demanding luxuries from the rich, to the banning of Christmas in Boston, to riots in New York, and more. As it turns out, the history of Christmas is full of socioeconomic and political upheaval - from which there is much we can learn.

10x: Lessons in Happiness from the East Dec 22, 2018

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All cultures have their problems, but we can still learn from one another. In this brief episode Stefani discusses research that has been conducted on the differences in mental health and happiness between East and West, and the lessons we could learn from the Chinese about how to be happy.

10: The Self: West vs East with Mari Ovsepyan Dec 22, 2018

Show notes

We all know that the “East” and “West” are different--but just how deep do these differences reach? This week Stefani chats with fellow Oxford PhD candidate Mari Ovsepan about her personal experiences growing up in an Eastern culture that has a more extended, collective sense of self, and now living in the hyper-individualistic West. They discuss Mari’s experiences of coping with the West, the ecstasy of encountering others, why the medievals were right about imagination, and what each culture can spiritually and emotionally learn from the other.

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