​Is life special? Or is it just a happy accident that we are here?

Neil Manson, PhD is a philosopher and professor of philosophy at the University of Mississippi where he specializes in tackling these very questions. An expert on philosophy of science and philosophy of religion, Dr. Manson joins us as we dive down a metaphysical wormhole to explore the ways humans have tried to wrestle with our place in the universe. If there is a multiverse, what does that mean for our traditional concepts of God? If we live in a simulation, then what ethical obligations do I have to you or anyone else?

Take a deep breath and let's have an existential crisis together on this episode of Isn't Life Curious?!

Check out Dr. Manson's books "God and Design" here, and "This is Philosophy of Religion" here.

Enjoy! Stay curious, and take it easy!

​In this episode we are joined by Rick Doblin, PhD - the founder of MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. We discuss Rick's past and the series of events that opened his mind to the potential of psychedelics, why he is so passionate about ensuring that psychedelics are well-studied and available for therapeutic and religious use, common misconceptions about psychedelics, separating fact from fiction regarding the potential risks of psychedelics, and much more. This is the beginning of our "Serious About Psychedelics" mini-series that will be running throughout the show that will be exploring the science and cultural impacts of these "mind manifesting" molecules and what we can learn from them regarding human psychology, mental health, and consciousness itself.

You can learn more about MAPS at https://www.maps.org

Enjoy! Stay curious, and take it easy!

​In our first episode to kick off the show, we are joined by Dr. Steven Novella, most famously known as the producer and host of The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Podcast and author of The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe book. Dr. Novella is a neurologist and professor at Yale School of Medicine and an advocate of the skepticism movement. In our conversation we talk about the concept of reality vs perception and how to evaluate whether we are in touch with reality or are lost in our own fictions and hallucinations that our brains produce for us so easily. We discuss some of the cognitive biases that we wrestle with every day, common misconceptions about skepticism, the failings of public education in promoting critical thinking skills in kids, the severe consequences that may be in store if humans can't learn to think better, and much more!

Learn more about The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe at https://www.theskepticsguide.org/

Stay curious!