In this week’s eSkeptic:
WAKING UP with Sam Harris
Buy it for $4.99 on Vimeo on Demand
In the fall of 2014, Sam Harris staged a series of live events—in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco—to coincide with the publication of his book, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. In these talks, Harris discussed a range of experiences that have traditionally been considered “spiritual”—in particular the phenomenon of self-transcendence. Although such experiences tell us nothing about the origins of the cosmos, they confirm some well-established truths about the human mind: Our conventional sense of self is an illusion; positive emotions, such as compassion and serenity, are teachable skills; and the way we think can profoundly influence our lives and the lives of others. (This video consists of a one-hour lecture and an hour of Q&A.)
Video Duration: 2 hours 12 minutes
Weekly Highlights
INSIGHT at Skeptic.com sheds light, offers critical perspective, and serves as a broadly accessible, evidence-based resource on mysteries of science, paranormal claims, and the wild, woolly, wonderful weirdness of the fringe. This week’s highlights are:
False Balance and the Shakespeare Authorship “Debate”
Should Goddard’s Squadron
Drop Dead Fred?
Scam Science Journals
and “The Simpsons”
UndeNYEable
SKEPTICALITY EPISODE 247
In this episode of Skepticality is featured a Skeptics Society sponsored talk which was given by the well known science communicator Bill Nye. Nye talks about the topics covered in his latest book, Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation, then afterwards sits down with Dr. Michael Shermer to talk one on one about how Nye got into science communication and the interesting journey he took on his way to become “The Science Guy” most know him as today. You can watch the lecture for free on skeptic.com, recorded live at Caltech on January 25, 2015.
OUR NEXT LECTURE AT CALTECH
THE MORAL ARC: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom
Sun., Feb. 8, 2015 at 2 pm
Baxter Hall, Caltech
WE ARE LIVING in the most moral period of our species’ history. Ever since the Enlightenment, thinkers have consciously applied the methods of science to solve social and moral problems, and in the process created the modern world of liberal democracies, civil rights, equal justice, open political and economic borders, and prosperity the likes of which no human society in history has ever enjoyed. More people in more places have greater rights, freedoms, liberties, literacy, education, and prosperity—the likes of which no human society in history has ever enjoyed…
