Closer To Truth is heartbroken to share that Helen De Cruz—a renowned philosopher of cognitive science, mind, science, religion, art, and the humanities, a remarkable human being, a wide-ranging contributor to Closer To Truth, and a dear friend—has died at the age of 47.

Born in Belgium to a multicultural family, Helen became a highly respected philosopher with astonishingly wide interests and expertise. When, after the Covid-19 pandemic, Closer To Truth had to film four series simultaneously, Helen was featured in all four: Global Philosophy of Religion, Eastern Traditions and the Big Questions, Art Seeking Understanding, and Philosophy of Biology.

Helen held the Danforth Chair in the Humanities at Saint Louis University. Their work examined why and how humans engage in pursuits that seem remote from the immediate concerns of survival and reproduction, such as theology, mathematics, and science. They wrote several monographs, most recently Wonderstruck: How Awe and Wonder Shape the Way We Think (which we featured on Closer To Truth). They are the author of Religious Disagreement; they edited and illustrated Philosophy Illustrated: Forty-Two Thought Experiments to Broaden Your Mind; and the co-editor of Philosophy Through Science Fiction Stories with Johan De Smedt and Eric Schwitzgebel, as well as of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy.

In addition to their PhD in Philosophy (2011, University of Groningen), Helen held a PhD in Archaeology and Art Sciences (2007, Free University of Brussels). They have written public philosophy for The Guardian, Aeon, Psyche, and The Raven Magazine. They wrote short fiction and played the Renaissance lute and archlute.

We grieve with Helen’s family, husband Johan De Smedt, and their children. More importantly, we celebrate Helen’s extraordinary life and unparalleled contributions with their family, friends, and colleagues.

We are privileged that Closer To Truth features a very small part of Helen’s work and ways of thinking. Our world is a better place that Helen De Cruz has been among us.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Creator and Host
Closer To Truth