Daniel Greig - The Cognitive Science of Enlightenment and Mysticism

Alexander Jech is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Philosophy Department and a Faculty Affiliate at the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His work often explores political philosophy, ethics, and the limits of language. In 2024, he published a new translation of Søren Kierkegaard's influential work, Fear and Trembling. We explore Alexander's fascinating and serendipitous journey into studying Kierkegaard, which began somewhat reluctantly but blossomed into his main philosophical passion. We dive deep into the inseparable link between Kierkegaard's tumultuous personal life—marked by his complex relationship with his father and his famously broken engagement to Regina Olsen—and the development of his core philosophical ideas. Alexander unpacks the intricate concept of indirect communication and the use of pseudonyms in works like "Either/Or". A significant portion of our conversation is dedicated to "Fear and Trembling," where we discuss the paradox of Abraham and Isaac, the nuances of translating the text, and the profound concept of the teleological suspension of the ethical, clarifying common misinterpretations along the way. Finally, we connect Kierkegaard's thought to the modern day, exploring the "leap of faith" as a model for identity transformation. We discuss how this applies to overcoming addiction, the role of transformative or mystical experiences in creating new possibilities for the self, and the mysterious power of love and the sacred in grounding this leap.   0:00 - Introduction & Alexander's Background 3:26 - What Drew Alexander to Kierkegaard? 6:24 - The Serendipitous Path to Becoming a Kierkegaard Scholar 10:07 - Kierkegaard's Relevance for Students 10:38 - Teaching Kierkegaard & The Human Heart 15:20 - How Student Needs Led to a New "Fear and Trembling" Translation 18:12 - Kierkegaard's Historical & Philosophical Context (vs. Hegel & Romantics) 25:54 - The Link Between Kierkegaard's Personal Suffering & His Philosophy 28:05 - Factor 1: The Relationship with His Father 33:03 - Factor 2: The Relationship with Regina Olsen 38:31 - Factor 3: The Art of Indirect Communication 43:26 - How "Either/Or" Was a Tool to Repel Regina 48:14 - The Leap of Faith: Kierkegaard's Personal Failure with Regina 53:28 - Unpacking "Fear and Trembling": The Story of Abraham 58:02 - The Teleological Suspension of the Ethical 1:00:38 - The Correct Interpretation: Kierkegaard's Lack of Faith 1:05:22 - The Paradox of the Teleological Suspension of the Ethical 1:10:06 - Translating the Paradox: The Importance of "Intend" vs. "Want" 1:22:22 - Is Faith a Rejection of Practical Reason? 1:38:00 - The Role of the Revolutionary: Justifying Horrible Acts for a Greater Good? 1:47:17 - Applying Kierkegaard: The Leap, Identity & Transformative Experience 1:58:28 - The Sacred, Possibility, and Bridging the Gap 2:05:28 - Kierkegaard's Answer to the Addict: How to Make the Leap? 2:16:47 - Conclusion   This podcast is available in article format: https://tiagovf.medium.com/the-life-of-kierkegaards-life-the-leap-of-faith-41df3231981f My new book, In Search of the Infinite – A Psychedelic Memoir, is a personal and philosophical account written over seven years, tracing my journey through over a dozen psychedelic experiences. It explores the depths of human experience: suffering, beauty, doubt, and wonder, through the lens of altered states and introspection, gradually moving from a strictly rational worldview toward a renewed engagement with religion. Blending memoir with philosophical reflection, it explores a sincere, evolving search for truth and meaning. Paperback/Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/8MM0JhE Free Digital Version: https://psychedelicmemoir.com/ If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, you can do so at @tiagobooks: https://www.instagram.com/tiagobooks/ The intro song is by Lief Sjostrom, titled Peril, from the album 'Impossible Parade'. Website: https://liefsjostrom.com/ Album: https://liefsjostrom.bandcamp.com/album/impossible-parade

Jean-Philippe Marceau is a writer and podcaster associated with The Symbolic World, often working with Jonathan Pageau. With an academic background in mathematics, theoretical computer science, and philosophy of mind, his new book addresses the contemporary "meaning crisis" through the lens of Christian metaphysics. In this episode, we explore the core arguments of JP's book, "Post-Reductionist Christianity." They explore the limitations of reductive materialism, the importance of synthesizing insights from thinkers like Jonathan Pageau and John Vervaeke, and the structure of a post-reductionist worldview. The discussion navigates the metaphysics of emanation and emergence, different approaches to Christian apologetics, and the philosophical challenges posed by panpsychism and idealism, all while seeking a more meaningful understanding of reality. The nature of consciousness is also covered, in addition to attention, and the profound ontological meaning of 'love', and its connection to the Logos. We grapple with the understanding of miracles, from simple dismissals to explore symbolic and causal interpretations. We tackle the concept of God as Creator in relation to 'The Good,' the idea of a 'naturalist Christianity,' difficulties within religious tradition and scripture, and finally, JP shares his experience with Christianity. 0:00 Introduction and JP's new book. 1:07 JP on the book's conciseness and its audience. 2:27 Synthesizing the worldviews of Jonathan Pageau and John Vervaeke. 7:47 The book's core argument against reductionism towards Christian metaphysics. 12:47 Personal narratives in books and initial feedback on JP's work. 21:47 Contrasting vision-based vs. forceful Christian apologetics methods. 26:17 The metaphysical concept of emanation versus emergence. 30:57 Debating panpsychism, phenomenal consciousness, and potentiality. 38:27 Idealism, metaphysical analogy, and Christianity's view of matter. 46:47 Consciousness, attention, ontological love, and basic sentience. 1:04:47 Ontological love defined and its relationship to the Logos. 1:13:57 Understanding miracles: symbolism, causality, and Christian metaphysics. 1:28:07 God as personal Creator versus the Platonic "Good." 1:41:57 "Naturalist Christianity" vs. traditional faith, scripture, and community. 1:52:17 JP's personal experience with Christianity   Get his book: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/products/post-reductionist-christianity-a-way-out-of-the-meaning-crisis   My new book: "In Search of the Infinite - A Psychedelic Memoir": https://amzn.eu/d/8MM0JhE   If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, you can do so at @tiagobooks

John Cottingham is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and an Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford. Renowned for his work on Descartes, moral philosophy, and the philosophy of religion, he has authored over thirty books, including The Spiritual Dimension, Why Believe?, and Philosophy of Religion: Towards a More Humane Approach. His scholarship bridges analytic rigor with a deep concern for the emotional and spiritual dimensions of human life.  His latest book is In Search of the Soul: A Philosophical Essay: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691174426/in-search-of-the-soul In this episode, we explore Cottingham's call for a more 'humane' philosophy of religion—one that acknowledges the roles of emotion, ritual, and embodied practice in shaping belief. He critiques the overly abstract methods of contemporary philosophy and argues that genuine understanding of the sacred requires engaging the full range of human experience. We discuss how rituals and worship practices can be seen not merely as symbolic acts but as vital expressions of our search for meaning and connection.​ We also cover the interplay between science and spirituality, examining how a scientific worldview can either harm or coexist with a sense of the transcendent. Cottingham shares insights on the human longing for the good and how this desire points beyond material explanations, inviting a reevaluation of the role of religion in modern life.    Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Introduction  0:02:59 - Cottingham's Philosophical Journey & "Humane Perspective" 0:06:39 - Philosophy's Accessibility & Bridging the Gap for Non-Specialists 0:12:38 - The Starting Points of Religion 0:17:19 - Critiquing Scientism & the Need for a Broader Epistemology 0:25:33 - Grappling with Christian Doctrine vs. Science 0:38:49 - The Nature of "The Good": Platonic vs. Christian Conceptions 0:49:10 - The Necessity of Religious Practice 0:54:17 - Psychedelics and Spirituality 1:04:05 - Cottingham's Career Reflections 1:08:14 - Closing Remarks   My new book: "In Search of the Infinite - A Psychedelic Memoir": https://amzn.eu/d/8MM0JhE   If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, you can do so at @tiagobooks

You can find the video recording with the slides at Anagoge's Podcast Youtube Channel. Delivered at Kitarika 2024. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:31 - Defining Reality 00:07:04 - Foundations of Cognition 00:12:30 - Affordances and Optimal Grip 00:14:26 - 4E Cognitive Science 00:21:46 - Transcendence, Music & Stories 00:28:58 - Music and the Sacred 00:36:03 - Dualities 00:41:30 - Enlightenment 00:45:00 - Practical Wisdom 00:47:00 - Hemispheric Differences 00:50:00 - Cognitive Science of Insight 00:52:00 - Cognitive Continuum 00:53:50 - Psychedelics 00:59:00 - Connectome Harmonics 01:02:00 - History & Culture of Music

In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Joseph LeDoux, a world-renowned neuroscientist whose research primarily focuses on survival circuits and their impacts on emotions such as fear and anxiety. Dr. LeDoux is the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at New York University, and director of the Emotional Brain Institute. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of the amygdala and its role in processing threats, elucidating the relationship between physiological responses, cognitive interpretations, and the conscious experience of emotions. Our conversation takes us back to Dr. LeDoux's earliest work with split-brain patients, a fascinating area of study that naturally led him to explore questions of consciousness. From there, he shares the journey that took him from studying humans to focusing on animal models, particularly in relation to fear and anxiety. We delve into the intricate nature of emotions, discussing two contrasting theories: the traditional view that emotions are universal and rooted in our biology and the constructivist theory, which posits that emotions are constructed and shaped by our culture and personal experiences. Dr. LeDoux offers a compelling argument that while innate circuits control behavior, the conscious experience of an emotion is a cognitive interpretation based on our personal narratives and cultural schemas. We also explore the topic of attributing emotional states to animals. Dr. LeDoux provides an insightful perspective on the difficulties of this task, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between physiological responses and conscious experiences and the potential dangers of anthropomorphizing animal behavior. It's a fascinating journey into the depths of human emotion and the workings of our brain, offering valuable insights from one of the leading experts in the field. Whether you're a student of neuroscience, a curious learner, or simply interested in understanding the complexities of human emotion, this conversation will surely provide food for thought. 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:02:28 - The nature of emotions: biological or constructed theories 0:05:15 - The neuroscience of emotions and its foundation with split-brain patients 0:19:46 - Cognitive elements in emotions and the disconnect between physiological responses and the conscious experience of an emotion 0:27:27 - The role of biological neural circuits in emotional responses 0:31:05 - Emotional models and how emotional experiences are based on interpretation and shaped by language 0:39:47 - Attributing emotional states to animals and consciousness in mammals 0:56:48 - Joseph's career, the intersection of neuroscience and music, and his upcoming book

Long time no see! I hope to make the podcast more active this year. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Gregory Sadler, likely the most influential philosophy educator to exist. Sadler earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Southern Illinois University.  He is the Founder of ReasonIO, a consulting company providing philosophy content, training, and consulting services.  He has reached impressive popularity on YouTube, and his channel has over 130.000 subscribers and 13 million views. He has helped me digest challenging thinkers with fantastic lectures explaining the main concepts while providing additional context and insights. His channel is an absolute gold mine for anyone interested in philosophy.   We talk about the process of learning philosophy, the importance of good teachers, considerations about translated works, secondary literature, philosophical biases, truth, and much more. It was a very engaging conversation and one of my favorite episodes! Timestamps: 3:28 Sadler's expertise and background 6:09 Sadler's journey in philosophy 12:58 Being a good teacher 17:34 Students from non-philosophical backgrounds 19:48 Stoicism, Sartre, and Nietzsche in Sadler's philosophy views 23:43 Importance of the original language in philosophical works 36:24 Death of philosophy 47:26 Trade-offs between primary and secondary literature 57:28 Philosophical biases and autodidactism 1:04:12 Intersection of truth in philosophy and religion Gregory Sadler's channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GregoryBSadler Gregory Sadler's website: https://reasonio.wordpress.com/ www.anagogepodcast.com PS: If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, you can do so at @tiagobooks: https://www.instagram.com/tiagobooks/

Anagoge Podcast is now over 1 year old! Thank you everyone for listening. Shaun Gallagher is the Lillian and Morrie Moss Professor of Excellence in Philosophy at the University of Memphis.  He is a founding editor and continues as a co-editor-in-chief of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, an interdisciplinary journal published by Springer. In this episode, we talk about Shaun's background, the nature of phenomenology and cognitive science, the role of embodiment and action, and Shaun's research about the overview effect; the awe astronauts feel during spaceflight when seeing Earth. My main microphone died shortly after the podcast started, so you will notice the quality decreasing at some point, as I had to use my camera microphone. Sorry! The timestamps below are made for YT so they are not 100% accurate as the pace differs slightly. 02:00 Shaun's background in philosophy 05:19 Shaun's background in cognitive science 07:00 Interdisciplinarity and Cog-Sci 10:00 The paradox of phenomenology  17:02 Scientific vs philosophical methods in phenomenology  21:02 Cog-Sci as an example of the role of philosophy in science 26:17 Existentialism in phenomenology  32:00 Embodied Cog-Sci and psychopathology  36:09 Virtual reality for therapy  39:45 What's 4E Cognitive Science?   53:05 4E Cognitive Science and Buddhism 58:15 Varela and Dalai Lama - Mind & Life Institute 1:00:00 Metaphysical tensions of Buddism and Western Science 1:04:00 Awe in the overview effect 1:10:15 Differences in present and future reporting 1:14:10 Background of the awe experience 1:16:45 Feeling of unity 1:19:45 Connections with psychedelic and religious experiences 1:25:00 Enactivist Cognition  1:31:00 Critique of Heidegger of social cognition 1:34:50 History of embodiment If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, you can do so at @tiagobooks.

In this episode, I talk with Gregg Henriques about the problem of psychology and the solution he has been working on for 20 years. We covered the bulk of his theory in the first half of the episode, and in the second half, we do a deep dive into cognitive behavioral therapy, including Gregg's experience with it and some controversies in one of the major studies published about CBT. Gregg Henriques is a Full Professor and a core faculty member in James Madison University's Combined-Integrated Clinical and School Psychology Doctoral Program. He teaches courses on integrative/unified psychotherapy, personality, social, and cognitive psychology. He developed the Unified Theory Of Knowledge (UTOK), which consists of eight key ideas that Henriques results in a much more unified vision of science, psychology and philosophy. 0:00:09 Introduction 0:05:16 The enlightenment gap 0:12:12 The problem of psychology 0:21:50 Why evolutionary psychology can't be the answer 0:31:31 The tree of knowledge 0:38:25 Emergence and complexity dynamics 0:45:13 Comparing it to memetics 0:49:24 Justification hypothesis 0:52:24 Dan Sperber and Hugo Mercier 1:00:57 The influence matrix 1:09:45 Children social intellgience 1:11:42 Variation of the influence matrix 1:18:03 Connection with Haidt 1:20:13 Empirical backing 1:26:03 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 1:46:19 Cognitive vs Non-Cognitive Therapy 1:55:08 Rigidity vs pseudoscience in therapy 2:01:49 Conclusion

Michael Strevens teaches philosophy of science at New York University. His work revolves around the nature of science, covering topics such as scientific explanation, complex systems, and probability. In his book "The Knowledge Machine" he explains why science is so successful at creating knowledge and why it took so long for humans to come up with it. In this episode, we talk about the origins of science, philosophy of science, the contributions and flaws of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn, what makes science special and some odd contradictions at the core of scientific thinking. Get Michael's book "The Knowledge Machine" here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324091088 0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:26 The origins of science 0:07:08 Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn 0:15:59 What Popper and Kuhn were missing 0:20:50 Sociology of science 0:24:56 Contributions of philosophy of science 0:31:49 Bayesian probability 0:34:15 What makes science special? 0:41:06 The irrationality of science 0:45:25 Aesthetic and theological motivations in science 0:47:50 Caloric fluid vs kinetic theory of heat 0:57:15 Creativity in science 0:59:21 The tediousness of extreme detail 1:03:56 Can science make truth claims? 1:10:39 Philosophy of quantum mechanics 1:14:56 The biggest challenge of science If you would like to help the podcast grow so I can dedicate more time to it, a review on Apple Podcasts is super helpful. Thank you! https://podcasts.apple.com/si/podcast/anagoge-podcast/id1512482918 If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, you can do so at @anagogepodcast and @tiagobooks The intro song is by Lief Sjostrom, titled Peril from the album 'Impossible Parade'. 

Nathan Dufour is a writer, musician, video artist and activist. He produces music videos on YouTube about philosophical ideas and teaches Latin language and Greek Civilization at City College of New York. He received a PhD in Classics from CUNY's Graduate Center. In the first half, we talk about the relationship between music and philosophy, the performative aspect of art, philosophy's origins and how it connects to music, classics, and western civilization. In the second half, we cover Plato and Whitehead, which was Nathan's PhD thesis. We discuss Whitehead's process philosophy, how it connects to Platonism, and some of the modern implications of Whitehead's thought. Nathan is super talented. Make sure to follow his work:  https://www.youtube.com/nathanology https://nathanoglesby.bandcamp.com/ https://www.nateandhila.com/ https://www.instagram.com/nathan_ology/