Season 14
Cosmos: Information? Truth? Multiverse? Consciousness: Science of consciousness? Mind heal body? Meaning: Blame God for evil? God not free?
Why Anything at All?
Why is there a world, a cosmos, something-instead of absolutely nothing at all? Of all the big questions, this is the biggest. Why? What can we learn from “Nothing”?
Does Cosmic Fine-Tuning Demand Explanation?
The universe works for us because of deep physical laws. But if the values of these laws would much change, then all we see and know could not exist.
Why Obsess about Free Will?
Why Obsess about Free Will? [Consciousness] Free will probes consciousness, examines what it means to pick, choose, select, decide. But some say that ‘free will’ is just a trick of the brain.
Why Seek an Alternative God?
Why Seek an Alternative God? [God] Is God, if there is a God, a personal, conscious, all-powerful Supreme Being? Some offer radically different concepts of ‘God’.
Panentheism: Is the World in God?
Panentheism: Is the World in God? The search for God leads to strange ideas. Panentheism claims that the world is in God but God is more than the world. Can this new kind of God make sense?
What is Nothing?
What is Nothing? What if nothing ever existed? Scientists claim that the universe came from nothing. But what’s the nature of nothing? That’s where the confusion lies.
What Would it Feel Like to be God?
God is said to be all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good. But what is God’s private mental life? Can we appreciate God as a Supreme Being?
Immortality and Eternal Life
I’d like to live forever. Wouldn’t you? But what would “living forever” mean? Almost every religion offers life after death. What would immortality and eternal life be like?
Is Consciousness an Illusion?
Is consciousness something special in the universe, a carrier of meaning and purpose? Or is consciousness a mere artifact of the brain, a by-product of evolution? I hope consciousness is special, which is why I must be a skeptic.
Why is Free Will a Big Question?
Free will seems obvious, simple, common; but it’s subtle, profound, maddening, Free will probes the deep nature of human existence. But big questions have big problems.
How do Humans Differ from Other Animals?
Physically, humans and animals seem similar. Mentally, humans seem so superior. What’s so special about human nature?