Beyond Belief

What if the internet isn't just a tool—but a force reshaping how we think, relate, and evolve? In this wide-ranging and provocative conversation, media theorist and Team Human author Douglas Rushkoff joins me to explore the deepest questions of our digital age. Framed by a powerful moment from Star Trek: The Motion Picture—where a new form of intelligence is born—we ask whether humanity is witnessing its own transformation… or losing control of the systems it created. Is this the beginning of a new kind of life… or a critical turning point for humanity? Listen to rethink everything you assume about technology, consciousness, and the future.

Helané Wahbeh, ND, MCR, is the Director of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University. Dr. Wahbeh is the author of some 100+ peer-reviewed publications and the book The Science of Channeling: Why You Should Trust Your Intuition and the Force That Connects Us All.

What if your wandering mind is the key to understanding reality itself? In this deep-cut interview, Dr. Jonathan Schooler joins us to explore the frontiers of consciousness—from meta-awareness and mind-wandering to whether quarks, livers, or blood clots might possess "micro-consciousness."

John Medeski on Music, Healing, and the Fire of Creation. Keyboard visionary John Medeski sits down with me to explore why music moves us, how sound can heal, and what it means to create beyond technique. From indigenous ritual to Swedish death metal, from Victor Zuckerkandl's "meaning of tones" to the ecstatic teachings of Tisziji Muñoz (pronounced TISS-jee-jee), this conversation goes deep. John Medeski is a singular voice on the keyboards and a fearless improviser whose work spans jazz, rock, avant-garde, and ritual music.

What if your mind doesn't die with your brain? In this fascinating interview, renowned neurosurgeon and professor Dr. Michael Egnor challenges the materialist view of consciousness and presents a powerful case for the soul's survival beyond death. Drawing from his new book The Immortal Mind, Dr. Egnor explores near-death experiences, split-brain studies, and the mystery of self-awareness — all through the lens of science, philosophy, and spirituality. Whether you're a skeptic, seeker, or simply curious about the nature of consciousness, this conversation offers profound insights into one of life's greatest mysteries: what happens to the mind when the brain stops?

Has psychology picked up the mantle of the mystics? Is there such a thing as "cognitive mysticism?" Are the experiential aspects of mystical overemphasized? Dr. Brian Les Lancaster is a distinguished scholar in transpersonal psychology, consciousness studies, and Jewish mysticism, particularly Kabbalah. He serves as the Founding Director and Dean of the Alef Trust, a UK-based nonprofit offering online postgraduate programs in consciousness, spirituality, and transpersonal psychology.

Kamini Desai's perspective on love, as expressed through her work and writings, particularly in her book Life Lessons, Love Lessons, reflects a blend of yogic philosophy and personal insight drawn from her own journey. She views love not just as an external experience tied to romantic relationships but as a profound gateway to self-discovery and inner fulfillment.

Life is a dance, a harmonious interplay of parts moving to a tune set by the organism and its surroundings, not a rigid march dictated by DNA alone. In this interview, Dr. Noble discusses broader themes—cosmic relativity, human purpose, and the limits of knowledge—making it as much a philosophical exploration as a scientific one.His work is a call to move beyond reductionism toward a holistic, systems-based understanding of biology, grounded in his decades of research and a humanistic outlook.

After unknown thousands of years of faith in the inherent meaning in and of life, since the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment, a dark wave of nihilism has washed across our global village. We've mistaken part of life's complex experience, the problems, and waved away the greater emergent whole of their meaning. How did this meaning crisis happen?

Dr. Quinn has a Ph.D in Philosophy and Cognitive Science. She has been a neuroscience research faculty member in the Department of Cognitive Science at UCSD for 25 years. She also teaches mindfulness meditation to students, faculty, and friends.

Bernard Carr is a cosmologist and author, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Queen Mary University of London. He has a long association with the Society for Psychical Research, serving as its president in 2000-2004. He is interested in the role of consciousness in physics and is working towards a new psycho-physical paradigm linking matter and mind, that accommodates both normal and paranormal mental experiences.

Àlex Gómez-Marín (Barcelona, 1981) is a Spanish physicist turned neuroscientist. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and a Masters in biophysics from the University of Barcelona. Combining experimental, computational and theoretical neuro-physics, his current research deals with human minds in the real world, concentrating on what he calls "the edges of consciousness." Explore more at www.feedyourhead.blog

Dean Radin is Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), Associated Distinguished Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and cofounder and chairman of the biotech company, Cognigenics. He earned an MS (electrical engineering) and a PhD (psychology) from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and in 2022 was awarded an Honorary DSc (doctor of science) from the Swami Vivekananda University in Bangalore, India. ➡️ Learn more about Dr. Radin at https://www.deanradin.com ➡️ Read the transcript at https://www.feedyourhead.blog/p/what-... ➡️ Explore more at www.feedyourhead.blog

Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, is among the top 0.1% most cited scientists in the world for her revolutionary research in psychology and neuroscience. She is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University. She also holds appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior. In addition to the books Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain and How Emotions are Made, Dr. Barrett has published over 275 peer-reviewed, scientific papers appearing in Science, Nature Neuroscience, and other top journals in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, as well as six academic volumes published by Guilford Press. Learn more about Dr. Barrett and find her books visit https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com Read the transcript www.feedyourhead.blog/p/your-brain-is-not-for-thinking Explore more at www.feedyourhead.blog

Iain McGilchrist is a former Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Consultant Emeritus of the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital, London, a former research Fellow in Neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore. He is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context, that of the whole of our physical and spiritual existence, and of the wider human culture in which they arise – the culture which helps to mould, and in turn is moulded by, our minds and brains. Explore more at feedyourhead.blog

Philip Goff is a philosophy professor at Durham University, UK. He spends most of his time trying to work out the ultimate nature of reality. In his recent book Why? The Purpose of the Universe (Oxford University Press, 2023) he explores whether panpsychism can offer a kind of middle way between traditional belief in God and secular atheism.

"What is this thing called love?" - Cole Porter It's one of life's most mysterious experiences - coveted by all yet, strangely, also a source of immense pain and suffering. Where did love come from and what ultimate purpose does it serve? Rabbi Adam Jacobs discusses many intriguing facets of the idea of love with Oxford anthropologist Anna Machin. Watch the interview, https://youtu.be/QsNOxozRDwM?si=_hvoehXcIfaK3gK6 Explore more at www.beyondbelief.blog 01:38 What is love? 05:31 Wouldn't we be better off without love? 09:37 Are people loving less? 13:55 Does love transcend scientific meaning? 19:10 Does the love of God require an intermediary? 24:23 How does religious love compare to other types of love? 27:52 Can a religious love be unhealthy? 30:19 Can there be a false love? 33:50 What do our pets tell us about love? 37:41 Is it possible to fall out of love? 40:34 Can we love someone we dislike? 42:26 Is love a choice?

Philosopher James Tartaglia is a nihilist - he believes that existence has no ultimate purpose. He also believes that there is an immaterial world beyond our own which at least "opens the door" for religious thinking. Can these two ideas really exist side by side? Watch the interview, https://youtu.be/pPanw9OUhf4?si=-6XWIusxMTmHVwD5 Explore more at www.beyondbelief.blog

Rabbi Adam Jacobs speaks to Dr. Edward Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia about the existence of non-material reality. Watch the interview, https://youtu.be/rcbYG6crWPk?si=hrG1Bsm-U8HkV0cZ Explore more at www.beyondbelief.blog To find out more about Dr. Kelly's work, visit https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-s... 01:03 What do you mean by "tyranny of materialism"? 03:15 How did the Division of Perceptual Studies begin? 06:05 How is parapsychology received at the University of Virginia? 08:35 Why can't we explain the origin of consciousness? 12:47 How is our understanding of the metaphysical world? 19:51 How do we overcome this wall of resistance? 27:55 Would Carl Sagan be convinced of your research? 32:33 Is there a specific undeniable case of reincarnation? 35:36 Can inorganic matter have consciousness? 39:07 Do subatomic particles exhibit consciousness? 42:16 How do categorical influences challenge materialism?

Noted author and scholar Sara Rigler interviewed hundreds of people who claim to have had a previous life during the Holocaust. Many of them suffer recurring dreams and visions of terror and pain. Many of their stories also seem inexplicable. Are these experiences the product of overactive imaginations or could they be indicating something important about a hidden aspect of reality? Three remarkable accounts are featured in this episode. 01:15 What is the story of your book? 05:02 Can you describe your flashback? 07:10 Why should people take this book seriously? 15:50 Why repeat such traumatic experiences from a previous life? 20:40 How can I know if I have been reincarnated? 25:20 How did you first connect to the idea you were reincarnated? 34:54 How did you learn of your reincarnation? 43:01 If given the choice, would you experience these remembrances again? Watch the interview, https://youtu.be/XxctHP1VVLM?si=cMwKYoHDngKiehSW Explore more at: www.beyondbelief.blog/ To purchase Sara Rigler's book, "I've Been Here Before" please visit: Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Ive-Been-Here-... Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/IVE-BEEN-HERE-... Hardcover: https://menuchapublishers.com/gsp48ppqd6