A powerful piece by my friend, astrophysicist Prof Sarah Rugheimer:
As an astrophysics professor, I teach classes on the wonders of the universe. Working in the physical sciences insulated me from antisemitic libels that had crept into academia over the past several decades. I’m embarrassed that the explosion of Jew-hate in the last two years took me by surprise. How worried should we be? How quickly does anti-Jewish rhetoric and libel lead to vandalism and violence?…
I had a fun and in-depth discussion about my new documentary project LIGHTS ON with Alex on his “Within Reason” podcast.
In three paragraphs, my new “short” explains why meditation practice might give us a more accurate window onto reality:
Meditation entails the difficult task of cultivating concentrated attention on one’s moment-to-moment experience—the endless stream of feelings, thoughts, and perceptions—without judging or interpreting them, or allowing them to take immediate control of our actions. In its simplest form, meditation is a skill that undercuts all our evolved drives: planning for the future, learning from the past, following our desires to eat, drink, avoid pain, etc…
Click here to continue reading my post, “Meditation and Reality”
Growing up, Annaka Harris had a restless, inquisitive mind — and terrible migraines. Which is how she developed an interest in the subject that would captivate her for most of her career: consciousness. “I was really focused on space and time and the distorted perceptions of things,” she says. “I started doing a kind of meditative practice on pain, like trying to get closer to it, and I realized I couldn’t really locate it in space.”…
My interview with my husband, Sam Harris, on “Waking Up,” in addition to a full chapter excerpt from LIGHTS ON, Chapter 5: The Self, is available now.
Click here to listen to the interview and LIGHTS ON, Chapter 5