Lives on Earth

spirituality

  • Ol’ Man River and Wilson the Volleyball; Two Spiritual, Secular Icons

    Two works of stage and screen, popular in their day, include physical objects that are, interestingly, infused with spiritual characteristics while remaining largely un-godlike. The first one is a river. Dere’s an ol’ man called de Mississippi Dat’s de ol’… Continue reading

  • Michael Graziano on How the Brain Creates Consciousness and Spirituality

    Psychologist Michael Graziano proposes that our consciousness is more mechanical and less mysterious than we think. But he argues as well that this theory does not diminish the validity of our spiritual experiences. Graziano, in Consciousness and the Social Brain,… Continue reading

  • What Is the “Nature” In Naturalism?

    Religious or spiritual naturalism (I’ll use spiritual for both here) is a subject dear to my heart. But sometimes I wonder about what exactly we have in mind when we use the word nature. In what I read and even in what… Continue reading

  • Spirituality and Evolution

    My wrestling with various late-life questions that might be called “spiritual” has taken me to a fuller appreciation of evolution and our biological history. The sequence here, the process—or so it has seemed to me—is that I’ve been looking for… Continue reading

  • Finding Spirituality in Science

    I presented this lecture at the college and community Science Seminar at Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey in January 2016. My thanks to Dr. Paul Scheuler, organizer of the series. The talk focuses on three questions about life… Continue reading

  • Spirituality From Science

    Several pieces of scientific information have been important to me in finding perspective and direction in my life. This information is spiritual to me, which is to say that it gives me a sense of having a meaningful place in… Continue reading

  • Spirituality in “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”

    Secular spiritualists, although they trust in nature instead of the supernatural, may or may not as individuals understand much about science. And scientists, who study nature in detail, may or may not find spiritual meaning in it. The relationships between… Continue reading