Closer To Truth

66:32

Robert Stickgold on Dreams, Their Purpose, and the...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/10/07

Why do we dream—and do our dreams serve a purpose?Sleep and dream researcher Robert Stickgold joins Robert Lawrence Kuhn to explore the science of dreaming, from the history and content of dreams to what happens in the brain during sleep. They discuss memory processing, emotional regulation, REM sleep, weak associations, nightmares, lucid dreams, creativity, and whether dreams help us explore possibilities and prepare for the future. Subscribe to Closer To

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46:51

Acharya Prashant on Is Ego or Consciousness...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/09/30

What is consciousness, and can we understand it without first asking who is conscious?In this extended conversation, Acharya Prashant and Robert Lawrence Kuhn bring Western philosophy of mind into dialogue with Vedantic traditions. They explore consciousness and the ego, physicalism and idealism, self-inquiry, karma and reincarnation, animal and artificial consciousness, free choice, and whether anything about human existence lies beyond the physical. Their approaches converge at some points and

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154:52

Alex O'Connor on God, Faith and Philosophy

Closer To Truth ·

2026/09/16

What do we mean when we talk about God—and how far can philosophy take us in answering the deepest questions of religion?In this wide-ranging conversation, Alex O’Connor joins Robert Lawrence Kuhn to explore competing conceptions of God, the ground of being, religious experience and faith, the problem of evil, divine omniscience and free will, morality, the philosophical challenges of the Trinity, and the diversity of religious traditions. Along the way, O’Connor reflects on how his own thinking

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51:06

George Smoot on Dark Matter, Cosmology and...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/09/09

How can we measure the universe—and determine what it is made of?Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist George Smoot joins Robert Lawrence Kuhn to explore precision cosmology, from measurements of the cosmic microwave background to dark matter, dark energy, and the expansion of the universe. They discuss how gravitational lensing is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for probing the cosmos and investigating what dark matter might actually be. Smoot also looks ahead to new observations and

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65:45

David Brin on the Future of Humanity

Closer To Truth ·

2026/09/02

What might humanity look like decades, millennia—or even millions of years—from now?Science-fiction author and futurist David Brin joins Robert Lawrence Kuhn to explore humanity’s possible futures. They discuss artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, space exploration, alien civilizations and the Fermi paradox, as well as consciousness, the nature of truth, and whether there is any deeper meaning to human existence. Brin considers both the existential risks humanity faces and

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69:18

Michio Kaku on The God Equation

Closer To Truth ·

2026/08/26

Could a single theory explain the fundamental workings of the universe?Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku joins Robert Lawrence Kuhn to discuss The God Equation and the quest for a Theory of Everything. They explore string theory, the multiverse, higher dimensions, time travel, the Big Bang, and what a final theory might reveal about reality and our place in the cosmos. This conversation was originally recorded following the publication of Kaku’s The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of

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63:17

Woodenfish Forum on Buddhism, Science & Future —...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/08/19

Can your theory of consciousness determine your answers to the biggest questions in philosophy, science, and religion — AI sentience, life after death, free will, personal identity? Robert Lawrence Kuhn presents his landmark taxonomy of consciousness theories — spanning materialism, quantum theories, information, panpsychism, dualism, idealism, and more — and argues that every serious question about mind and perhaps even about existence depends on which theory you hold. Recorded at the 7th

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27:17

How do Brains Work?

Closer To Truth ·

2026/08/12

Everything we know, everything we think, comes from our brain. Are brains our window to reality, seeing what truly exists? Or are we bound by brains, mental slaves of the meat in our heads? Featuring interviews with Christopher Evans, Kelsey Martin, Robert Bilder, Jared Diamond, and Rodney Brooks.Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast:

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70:02

Celia Deane-Drummond on the Evolution of Wisdom and...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/08/05

Celia Deane-Drummond talks the evolution of wisdom, COVID-19 and the boundary between natural and moral evil, Christian theology, and redeeming sin. She also discusses her book, Shadow Sophia, the second volume in her Evolution of Wisdom series.Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com Support the Show:

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27:16

What Would Multiple Universes Mean?

Closer To Truth ·

2026/07/29

Is there more than one universe? According to current cosmology, our entire gigantic universe is only one of innumerable universes, each universe like one tiny bubble in a limitless ocean of universes. What could all this mean? Featuring interviews with Max Tegmark, Anthony Aguirre, Alan Guth, Andrei Linde, and Paul Davies.Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast:

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27:16

What is Nothing?

Closer To Truth ·

2026/07/22

What is “nothing”?What does it mean for nothing to exist—or for nothing to have ever existed? In this episode, Robert Lawrence Kuhn explores one of philosophy’s deepest questions: Why is there something rather than nothing? Through conversations with philosophers and physicists, the discussion examines the nature of nothingness, whether absolute nothing is possible, and how different philosophical and scientific perspectives attempt to explain the existence of the universe. Featuring Richard

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81:11

Saleem Ali on Natural Laws and Human Life

Closer To Truth ·

2026/07/15

How do natural laws shape human societies? In this conversation, Saleem Ali discusses Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life, exploring connections between natural systems, social organization, economics, and political order. Ali examines how concepts such as order, chaos, emergence, hierarchy, and complexity operate across scales—from physics and ecology to governance and global sustainability. Saleem H. Ali is the Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at

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66:26

Mario Livio on Galileo, Science Denial, and the...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/07/08

What can Galileo still teach us about science, truth, and discovery? In this conversation, Mario Livio discusses Galileo’s scientific legacy, the Hubble Space Telescope, science denial, exoplanets, cosmology, and the future of life in the universe. Drawing from his book Galileo: And the Science Deniers, Livio explores Galileo’s role in the development of the scientific method and examines how scientific understanding evolves through observation, experimentation, and self-correction. Mario Livio is

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78:49

Gregg Caruso on Free Will: Philosophy and Moral...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/07/01

Do we really have free will? In this conversation, Gregg Caruso explores the philosophy of free will, moral responsibility, determinism, compatibilism, libertarian free will, and free will skepticism. Discussing themes from Just Deserts: Debating Free Will, co-authored with Daniel Dennett, Caruso examines whether human beings possess the kind of control required for moral responsibility and how neuroscience and philosophy shape the debate. Gregg D. Caruso is Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Corning

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49:47

Wendy Freedman on the Hubble Constant, Standard...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/06/24

How do we measure the expansion of the universe? In this conversation, Wendy Freedman discusses the Hubble constant, standard candles, redshift, and the ongoing effort to determine the age, size, and evolution of the universe. Exploring Cepheid variables, supernovae, cosmic expansion, and the tension between competing cosmological measurements, Freedman explains how increasingly precise observations are reshaping modern cosmology. Wendy Freedman is an astronomer known for her measurements of the

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70:38

Michael Ruse on Evolution, Human Exceptionalism, and...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/06/17

What does evolution imply about human nature and human value?In this conversation, Michael Ruse explores the philosophy of biology, the mechanistic view of life, human exceptionalism, and the relationship between evolution and meaning. Discussing themes from his book A Philosopher Looks at Human Beings, Ruse examines whether the world is best understood as an organism or a machine, how Darwin transformed our understanding of humanity, and whether values can exist within a mechanistic picture of

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73:55

Thomas Hertog on the Origin of Time

Closer To Truth ·

2026/06/10

How did the universe begin—and what determines the laws of physics we observe?In this conversation, Thomas Hertog discusses On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory, presenting a new approach to cosmology developed through years of collaboration with Stephen Hawking. Exploring quantum cosmology, the multiverse, fine-tuning, and the “no-boundary” proposal, Hertog argues for a profoundly evolutionary picture of the cosmos and our place within it. Thomas Hertog is Professor of

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74:50

David Chalmers on Virtual Worlds and the Problems of...

Closer To Truth ·

2026/06/03

Can virtual worlds be genuinely real?In this conversation, David Chalmers explores the philosophical implications of virtual reality, simulation theory, and digital existence. Discussing themes from his book Reality+, Chalmers examines whether we could be living in a simulation, whether virtual worlds can contain real meaning and value, and how emerging digital realities challenge our understanding of consciousness, knowledge, and existence. Chalmers' book, Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the

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62:22

Anil Seth on a New Science of Consciousness

Closer To Truth ·

2026/05/27

In this conversation, Anil Seth discusses a new scientific approach to consciousness — moving beyond the traditional “hard problem” toward explaining the actual properties of conscious experience. Robert Lawrence Kuhn and Seth explore phenomenology, neural correlates of consciousness, predictive perception, conscious selfhood, and why measuring consciousness may be essential for understanding it. Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex and

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27:02

Why Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology?

Closer To Truth ·

2026/05/13

Why do we need philosophy to understand evolution?Robert Lawrence Kuhn explores the philosophy of evolutionary biology — not just how evolution works, but what its core concepts really mean. Through conversations with Elliott Sober, Richard Dawkins, Samir Okasha, John Dupré, Dennis Noble, and Michael Ruse, this episode examines natural selection, common ancestry, challenges to evolutionary theory, and the deeper implications of evolution for science, religion, and human identity. Featuring

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