 |
The Sheldrake Vernon DialoguesAuthor: Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon
Biologist Dr. Rupert Sheldrake and psychotherapist Mark Vernon explore the frontiers where rigorous science meets life's deepest mysteries. Through original research and thoughtful dialogue, they investigate consciousness, memory, spiritual practices, and the nature of reality itselfquestioning the materialist assumptions that have dominated science for centuries. Their conversations bridge empirical investigation with ancient wisdom, offering fresh perspectives on everything from prayer and dreams to the extended mind and humanity's role in nature. Language: en Genres: Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture, Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Science and Spiritual Practices
Episode 104
Tuesday, 6 October, 2026
Why is beauty so important to scientists, even those without religious convictions? And is that in some way connected to the failure of New Atheism, which began two decades ago this year? Rupert’s two books on science and spiritual practices inform the conversation, as does research by Guy Hayward, Linda Woodhead, Simon Conway Morris, Micheal Levin and a team led by Fraser Watts. Why is providence such a powerful intuition? And might related matters have anything to do with the extraordinary power of Large Language Models?0:00 V: Spiritual practice trials4:27 S: Singing together7:54 V: Music and enchantment10:00 V: New Atheism and providence12:46 S: Providence or blind chance?14:22 V: Scientists and beauty16:47 S: Gratuitous beauty in nature20:22 V: Evolution as search engine22:20 S: Platonism and morphic resonance26:00 V: Why are LLMs so good?30:20 S: Language conveys experience31:59 V: Closing thanks
