Shows
The Blind Spot PodcastEpisode 8: What is the World Made Of? A Brief History of OntologyEN:What is the world made of? In this episode we dive deep into the history of what philosophers call “ontology”, the study of being or. more colloquially, of what is there in reality. Starting in Ancient Greece with the pre-socratics, we explore how the very transitional nature of what we know exists tells us about how science works, and it’s deep dependence on what we can know of the world.PT:Do que é feito o mundo? Neste episódio, mergulhamos fundo na história do que os filósofos chamam de "ontologia", o estudo do ser ou, mais coloquia...2025-07-2453 min
The Blind Spot PodcastEpisode 7: Life: Beyond the Machine MetaphorEN:In this episode, Adam and Evan go deep into the nature of life — what we know and what we don’t know about it. It turns out we know much more about what life does than about what life is. And the usual models, based on mechanistic and reductionistic thinking, fail badly when they try to explain life as a machine. The episode also explores Evan’s fascinating life and career, which began at his father’s think tank commune known as Lindisfarne — a revolutionary approach to knowledge and research, far ahead of its time.PT:2025-07-1056 min
The Blind Spot PodcastEpisode 6: The Seduction of Beauty: What’s Wrong with String Theory?EN: In this episode, Adam and Marcelo dive deep into the details of the physics and the philosophical assumptions behind Superstring Theories, including supersymmetry and extra spatial dimensions. Why are they beautiful but also why are they very problematic in so many different ways.PT: Neste episódio, Adam e Marcelo mergulham fundo nos detalhes da física e nas suposições filosóficas por trás das Teorias das Supercordas, incluindo a supersimetria e as dimensões espaciais extras. Por que essas teorias são consideradas belas, mas também por que são extrema...2025-06-261h 00
Chasing ConsciousnessINTELLIGENT LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS, WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? - Adam Frank PhD #74How do astronomers detect the conditions for life and techno-signatures on exoplanets many lightyears away? What conditions on earth give us clues to how life might have formed elsewhere? How do intelligent civilisations evolve to technomaturity before they destroy themselves?So in this episode we have the mysterious arising of life and eventually intelligent life on our planet to try and explain, to then apply that to our search for other intelligent life in the cosmos. So to explain that we’re going to be getting into the co-evolution of the geosphere and the biosphere on earth an...2025-06-151h 17
The Blind Spot PodcastEpisode 5: Cosmology, Part IIEN: The Problems with Cosmology and Unified Theories: In this episode we dive deeper into the success and the challenges of the big bang model but also go into String Theory and supersymmetry and their shortcomings and challenges. These challenges reveal a lot about the sociological undercurrents in the world of high energy physics and cosmology and are an excellent illustration of the blind spot, of the exaggerations and fantastic ideas that emerge when science diverges from data and becomes grounded on unexamined metaphysical concepts and assumptions. Fasten your seat belts and let’s dive in...2025-06-1257 min
The Blind Spot PodcastEpisode 4: Cosmology, The Modern Story of the UniverseENG: In this episode, we dive into the fascinating history of modern cosmology. Starting with Einstein and his 1917 model of a static universe, we advance to the Steady State and Big Bang models of post Second World War, all the way to the confirmation of the Big Bang model in 1965: the universe is expanding and had a hot and dense infancy, when the first particles and atomic nuclei were forged, during the first few minutes of its existence. We pave the way to go into the cutting ideas surround cosmology and the problems they face in the following episode.2025-05-2956 min
The Blind Spot PodcastEpisode 3: What is Time? Part II - The Arrow of Time and Time in RelativityEN Episode 3: What is Time? Part II - The Arrow of Time and Time in RelativityIn this episode, we dive deeper into the nature of time, discussing the famous "arrow of time"—why does time always flow forward? We explore how this concept introduced microscopic thinking into physics and its connection with the notion of models in the field. We examine the relationship between thermodynamics and life, and the challenges life presents as it brings experience into the conversation. Then, we move on to time in relativity theory, which challenged Newton’s concept of abso...2025-05-1552 min
The Blind Spot PodcastEpisode 2: What Is Time? Part IEN Episode 2 – What Is Time?In this episode, we dive deep into the nature of time. What does physics really tell us about it? How does philosophy challenge the mathematical definitions of time? And what does our perception of time — and death — have to do with it all? When we try to understand time, we realize that something so familiar is, in fact, incredibly complex.PT Episódio 2 – O que é o tempo?Neste episódio, mergulhamos na natureza do tempo. O que a física realmente diz sobre ele? E como a filoso...2025-05-0150 min
The Blind Spot PodcastEpisode 1 : An IntroductionENIn our first episode we will present some of our key ideas and goals and explain why we must go beyond the blind spot in order to make sense of the world.PTNo primeiro episódio, apresentamos algumas das nossas principais ideias e objetivos e explicamos por que é necessário ir além do ponto cego para compreendermos o mundo.2025-04-1753 min
Cours de l'UPop MontrealClub de lecture de « Notre cerveau à tous les niveaux. » 1 de 12« Notre cerveau à tous les niveaux. Du Big Bang à la conscience sociale »1ère rencontre : Le « connais-toi toi-même » de Socrate à l’heure des sciences cognitives ***première partie seulement***Au coeur même du projet des sciences cognitives, il y a le cerveau humain qui tente de se comprendre lui-même ! Pour apprivoiser cette vertigineuse circularité, la méthode scientifique peut nous aider. Mais ce qu’est réellement la science et comment elle fonctionne est malheureusement encore trop mal compris dans la population en général. L’activité scientifique comporte en effet différents aspects qui amènent différe...2025-04-071h 10
Love & Philosophy#45: Living Beyond the Blind Spot with Philosopher Evan ThompsonSend a love message Happy 2025 ❤️ everyone. Philosopher Evan Thompson discusses 'The Blind Spot' which delves into the complexities of human perception, science, and the interconnectedness of nature. Together Andrea Hiott and Evan Thompson explore themes such as the impact of idealized scientific models on our understanding of reality, the importance of integrating arts and humanities with STEM disciplines, and the urgency of addressing ecological and meaning crises. The episode also touches on the historical context and influences behind Thompson's work, including his upbringing around pioneering thinkers like Lynn Margulis, Francisco Varela and Gregory Bateson. Evan wrote The B...2025-01-011h 20
Quirks and QuarksOur holiday science book showHow ancient artifacts emerge from melting iceAs Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets melt due to global warming, they are revealing rare archaeological treasures released from a frozen time capsule. These objects are often made of organic material – human and animal remains and wooden tools that only survive in ice. In her book, The Age of Melt: What glaciers, ice mummies, and ancient artifacts teach us about climate, culture, and a future without ice, Lisa Baril tells the story of the archaeologists searching for these valuable artifacts, and what they’re finding. Baril is an ecologist and sc...2024-12-2054 min
Thales’ WellOn Remaking Science with Evan ThompsonIn this episode, I am joined for a fascinating conversation with philosopher Evan Thompson as we delve into his thought-provoking book The Blind Spot. We discuss this collaboration with scientists Marcelo Gleiser and Adam Frank, his insights on reconciling the “scientific image” and the “manifest image” of the world, and the interplay between subjective experience and objective inquiry. Thompson explains what he means by the "blind spot" of scientific materialism—challenging assumptions about objectivity, reductionism, and the relationship between lived experience, forms of life and scientific knowledge. Thompson offers a compelling critique of reductionist views, proposing instead a vision of science...2024-12-091h 03
Revise and Resubmit - The Mayukh ShowThe blind spot (Frank et al., 2024) - Weekend Book ReviewWelcome to Revise and Resubmit, the podcast where we rethink the narratives that shape our world. Today, we dive into The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience, a thought-provoking work by three visionaries—Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser, and Evan Thompson. This is no ordinary science book; it’s a call for a paradigm shift—one that embraces our personal experiences as vital components of scientific inquiry.
The authors come from diverse fields, each bringing unique expertise. Adam Frank, an astrophysicist at the University of Rochester, known for winning the Carl Sagan Medal, has long explored the in...2024-12-0711 min
Chasing ConsciousnessPOST-REDUCTIONIST SCIENCE - Marcelo Gleiser PHD #54Why is our subjective experiences and cultural context inseparable from our scientific theories and attempts to be objective? Why is it that the more we know, the more we know we don’t know? What does reductionist materialism miss out from the scientific picture and what does a post-reductionist science look like? How can understanding some of materialism’s incompleteness help us face humanity's greatest problems?
In this episode we have the blind spots of enlightenment science to assess; we’re going to be investigating the common belief that science can provide a universal, object...2024-11-012h 10
Bridging the Gaps: A Portal for Curious Minds“The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience” with Professor Adam FrankSince the Enlightenment, humanity has turned to science to answer profound questions about who we are, where we come from, and where we’re headed. However, we've become stuck in the belief that we can fully understand the universe by viewing it from a detached, external perspective. In focusing solely on external physical realities, imagined from this objective standpoint, we overlook the vital role of our own lived experience. This is the "Blind Spot" that astrophysicist Adam Frank, theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser, and philosopher Evan Thompson discuss in their book “The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience”. They identi...2024-09-2243 min
University of Minnesota PressDeconstructing deep time.Has the idea of the end of the world captured your imagination? Ted Toadvine’s book The Memory of the World: Deep Time, Animality, and Eschatology contends that a preoccupation with the world’s precarity relies on a flawed understanding of time that neglects the past and present with the goal of managing the future. Toadvine integrates insights from phenomenology, deconstruction, critical animal studies, and new materialism to argue for a new philosophy of time that takes seriously the entangled temporal events spanning cosmic, geological, evolutionary, and human durations. Here Toadvine is joined in conversation with David Morris and Benj...2024-07-301h 18
Dr. John VervaekeInsights from UTOK 2024 on Naturalism and Emergentism | Alexander Bard, Gregg Henriques, Bonnitta Roy & John VervaekeGregg Henriques is a clinical psychologist and professor at James Madison University. He is known for his Unified Theory of Knowledge (UTOK), which integrates various domains of psychology into a coherent framework. Bonnita Roy is the founder of Alderlore Insight Center, a non-profit educational organization and the curator of The POP-UP School, an online learning community exploring new ways of thinking and acting. Alexander Bard is a philosopher and futurist specializing in the relationship between humanity and technology, with a profound interest in psychoanalysis and anthropology to understand the impact of technological change on interpersonal re...2024-06-141h 50
Mind & Life Europe Podcast“The Blind Spot: Opening Up Our Understanding of Human Experience”My guest today is Evan Thompson, known to many in the worlds of cognitive science, Asian studies, and philosophy, and one of the foundational figures in the story of Mind & Life Europe. Evan was one of Francisco Varela’s closest collaborators and co-authored with Francisco and Eleonore Rosch the now classic volume, The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (MIT Press, 1991, reissued in 2016). Evan is currently a writer and professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He works on the nature of the mind, the self, and human experience, and his wor...2024-05-1651 min
Mind & Life Europe Podcast“Coming into One’s Own as an Enactive Thinker”My guest today is Evan Thompson, known to many in the worlds of cognitive science, Asian studies, and philosophy, and one of the foundational figures in the story of Mind & Life Europe. Evan was one of Francisco Varela’s closest collaborators and co-authored with Francisco and Eleonore Rosch the now classic volume, The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (MIT Press, 1991, reissued in 2016). Evan is currently a writer and professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He received his A.B. from Amherst College in 1983 in Asian Studies and his Ph.D...2024-05-0944 minDr. John VervaekeFaith in Dialogue: Navigating Complexity and Transformation with Jordan Hall Part 2Dive deeper into the transformative journey with John Vervaeke and Jordan Hall as they continue their exploration into faith, meaning, and the power of Dialogos. This second part of their conversation delves into the evolution of Christianity, the limitations of the scientific worldview, and the urgent meta-crisis that beckons a collective awakening. Through a blend of philosophical depth and actionable insight, John and Jordan navigate the realms of relationality, the potential of imaginal engagement, and the intricate pathways toward spiritual and intellectual enrichment. This episode is a testament to the transformative potential of deep, respectful dialogue in uncovering nuanced...2024-03-221h 30