#706 Michael Shermer — Science + Spirituality

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This is Ep 3 featuring Michael Shermer
Ep 2 ► https://bit.ly/ShermerEp2
Ep 1 ► https://bit.ly/ShermerEp1

Dr. Michael Shermer is Founder of The Skeptics Society with 55,000 members, EIC of its magazine Skeptic, 214x Monthly Columnist for Scientific American from 2001-2019, Presidential Fellow at Chapman University Teaching Skepticism 101, and a 16x Author with several NYT Bestsellers, most recently The Moral Arc, Heavens on Earth, & Giving The Devil His Due.

https://michaelshermer.com
https://skeptic.com
https://scientificamerican.com/author/michael-shermer

Twitter ► https://twitter.com/michaelshermer
TED ► https://ted.com/speakers/michael_shermer
The Moral Arc ► http://bit.ly/MoralArc
Heavens on Earth ► http://bit.ly/HeavensEarth
Giving The Devil His Due ► https://bit.ly/DevilHisDue

Our First Book ► https://highlevelperception.com

SHOW NOTES 📝
0:00 Intro
0:36 This is Ep3. Ep1 & Ep2 links in bio.
1:10 Giving the Devil His Due is Shermer's newest book
2:20 Future of Education is Democratization, Personalization, XR, Neuralink
3:30 Interview feat. Kogi Elder Mama Nuiyuan ► https://bit.ly/KogiEp1
4:35 First principle question: "Why Does Reality Exist?"
6:34 2020 Nobel Winner in Physics Sir Roger Penrose believes in Cyclic Cosmology
7:54 Paradigm change from Linear & Finite to Eternal & Infinite
11:15 Perennial Spirituality: God is Our Awareness Exploring Infinity
15:12 Pragmatic Spirituality. Measuring Increases in Wellbeing.
17:54 Enlightenment locks in a Vibe that is Transcendent & Present.
19:18 Enlightenment is embodied knowledge of maximizing planetary wellbeing.
20:35 Jordan Peterson Heaven/Hell = Sam Harris Wellbeing/Suffering
21:08 Mythic / Metaphorical Truths. Examples: "Heaven/Hell." & "Treat every gun like it's loaded."
22:17 "Having scientific perspective cleans out dogmatic religious nonsense."
23:02 "Sentience suffering is our moral starting point."
25:51 Why can't everything be special?
28:00 The Sorting Algorithm "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."
28:15 Perverse Incentives: (Spirituality) Dogmas, Fundamentalism (Science) Sokal Affair, Grievance Studies
29:53 Uplift the Babies & Synthesize: (Spirituality) Hierophany (Science) Scientific Method
30:30 Biometrics of Awakening: Scientifically Literate Acceleration of Enlightenment
31:44 EEG, fMRI, NIRS, HRV, Microbiome, for Quantified Biometrics
34:53 Chopra Center, IONS, HeartMath, Biohacking, shattering perverse incentives of Medical Industrial Complex
37:04 Shermer: "You're taking the woo-woo out of spirituality."
37:30 JP's Future Authoring = Napoleon Hill/Tony Robbins/Joe Dispenza = The Secret (Manifesting)
40:24 Religion = baby step toward 'True Spirituality.' Perennial Mystic Traditions = different flavors of Ice Cream.
42:47 Pragmatic Spirituality = decreased suffering + increased wellbeing
43:28 Delphic Maxim: "Know Thyself." What does that mean?
44:13 Self-Realization (Unity of All Being/Existence) Self-Actualization (Artistic Expression)
44:37 Science proves interdependence of all life: photosynthesis, cellular respiration, hydrological cycle, gut symbiosis
46:06 Perforated/Porous person vs person with Red Box around their Head.
47:00 Self-Realization (One Infinite Creator) Self-Actualization (Self-Help, North Star)
48:25 Sciences and Humanities go together
49:26 Eckhart Tolle "The Power of Now"
52:25 Top Themes of Human Condition appear persistently in novels
53:33 Hypothesis on the Nature of Consciousness (Integration & Derivation)
55:37 Explaining the profundity of ELI5 visualization of complex concepts like Pixar's Inside Out
56:47 The Medium of the Future: XR Education
57:57 Reflect on your own Qualitative Experiences of Sentience
58:20 "VR Education Company teaching kids how to access their consciousness."
59:00 Pragmatic Spirituality. Scientific, Humanistic, Rational: Maximizing Wellbeing & Prosperity.