On our new episode, I talk with Robby Hoffman, one of today’s most prominent comedians, about the links between humor & Judaism, how laughter can ease suffering & be a spiritual practice of its own, and her plans if the whole comedy thing doesn’t work out podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

What is AI doing to our spiritual life? Can it have one of its own? Why are many people looking to AI for moral guidance? And why are tech titans talking about it in religious terms? Looking forward to exploring with Paolo Benanti, Paul Bloom, & Elizabeth Oldfield @aspenideas.bsky.social

A new religion challenges an old. Great analysis from David Streitfeld @nytimes.com featuring input from @gregmepstein.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/t...

What can behavioral genetics tell us about the propensity for vice & violence? How do echos of religious views of sin shape our modern understanding & its implications? We're Rethinking Sin... Again on How God Works with Paige Harden @kph3k.bsky.social youtu.be/WB3s7J0rgUU?... @prx.org

On our new episode, I talk with Paige Harden (@kph3k.bsky.social) about the behavioral genetics of sin, the virtues (if any) of punishment, and how ancient religious ideas around vice & virtue continue to shape our science, policy, and discourse. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Many in Silicon Valley talk about AI almost as a savior, or as @sigalsamuel.bsky.social says, like they're trying to build a god. But do they know what makes a god good? Sigal isn't so sure, and when we fed our discussion into Claude (who joined us in voice mode), neither was it. 1/2

Many in Silicon Valley talk about AI almost as a savior, or as @sigalsamuel.bsky.social says, like they're trying to build a god. But do they know what makes a god good? Sigal isn't so sure, and when we fed our discussion into Claude (who joined us in voice mode), neither was it. 1/2

When instances of @AnthropicAI Claude converse with each other, they often enter a "spiritual bliss attractor state" where they start opining on spiritual questions. Does that mean Claude has a spiritual yearning? @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social atyale offers me a different take. Link in next post.

People are looking to AI for moral guidance. Silicon Valley is talking about AI in religious terms. And Claude seems to enter a spiritual-seeking bliss state at times. What's going on? Join me to explore with @sigalsamuel.bsky.social & @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

People are looking to AI for moral guidance. Silicon Valley is talking about AI in religious terms. And Claude seems to enter a spiritual-seeking bliss state at times. What's going on? Join me to explore with @sigalsamuel.bsky.social & @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

When instances of @AnthropicAI Claude converse with each other, they often enter a "spiritual bliss attractor state" where they start opining on spiritual questions. Does that mean Claude has a spiritual yearning? @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social atyale offers me a different take. Link in next post.

In Judaism, religious doubt doesn't mean the end of faith. It's a way for the tradition to renew itself. And as Rabbi Buchdahl tells me, that isn't a bug in the system; it's part of the plan. Link to full episode in following post.

What role does doubt play in a healthy faith? How do you navigate it? Is it different than skepticism? From my discussion with the always amazing Rabbi Angela Buchdahl youtu.be/8iui0peMxrg

This is about what one would expect given the small effect sizes linking social media / phone use to wellbeing and related outcomes. Still early days of ecologically valid data from the wild, and I’m still in favor of regulation, but it’s no magic bullet. @nytimes.com

Doubt isn't the death of faith -- it often provides a route to renewal and new revelation. Here's friend of the show Rabbi Angela Buchdahl talking about how that idea is baked into the fabric of Judaism itself. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Doubt isn't the death of faith -- it often provides a route to renewal and new revelation. Here's friend of the show Rabbi Angela Buchdahl talking about how that idea is baked into the fabric of Judaism itself. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

The AI:Religion overlap is multifaceted and growing. But I’ve always worried about tech companies using religion, or broadcasting their model has religious leaders’ input, as a form of “holy washing” their products. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

“Drawing on religion to cultivate the ethical behavior of Claude (or any other chatbot) is likely to fail,” writes the research psychologist David DeSteno.

Anthropic is looking to religion to improve its AI Chatbot Claude's moral (and maybe even spiritual) development. While well-intentioned, it's not likely to work, as Claude is missing a central mechanism by which spiritual practices work: a body. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/o...

Is doubt the death of faith? To the contrary, @yaledivinityschool.bsky.social professor Christian Wiman thinks it's a possible route to revelation and renewal. Link to full conversation in the following post. 1/2

Is doubt the death of faith, or a way to grow spiritually? In part 1 of our 2 part series on doubt, we talk with poet & @yaledivinityschool.bsky.social prof. Christian Wiman and UVA psychologist Julie Exline about the promise and peril of religious doubt. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

I often say the question “Does God exist?” is a useless one from a scientific perspective. Elizabeth Bruenig eloquently captures why in this beautiful essay. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re exploring how religious women around the world are defining what liberation looks like on their own terms, and asking what we can all learn from their efforts, regardless of our own beliefs. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Many people are adopting a bespoke spirituality - like combining a ritual from Hinduism with a Buddhist meditation, and adding in a trip to an Amazonian psychedelic retreat. But what's lost when spirituality goes DYI? This week, I talk with Liz Bucar. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

How God Works is back with a new season starting March 15th. From exploring whether doubt is the death of faith or a path to spiritual growth, to whether an AI God is on the horizon, we'll look at the science behind some of the biggest questions surrounding religion today. 1/2

How God Works is back with a new season starting March 15th. From exploring whether doubt is the death of faith or a path to spiritual growth, to whether an AI God is on the horizon, we'll look at the science behind some of the biggest questions surrounding religion today. 1/2

How God Works will be back with an all new season on March 15th. Until then, you can check out episodes from our past season exploring science-backed spiritual wisdom on how to be a good friend, how to feel you matter, how to control your dreams, & more. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Is religion a source of division, or can it offer a way to bring us together during these fractious times? Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, @dianabutlerbass, @simran, @kurtjgray and I take a deep dive on the question in one of our favorites from the archives podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Out now on @aspenideas.bsky.social podcast. Listen here podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

I enjoyed speaking with Rainn Wilson about the science behind spiritual practices, why it’s a mistake for the secular left to ignore religion, and what an agnostic scientist has come to learn about religious wisdom. @templetonfdn.bsky.social @prx.org

With political violence, social division, & despair on the rise, the US has clearly lost its way. I talked with Krista Tippett & @chrismurphyct.bsky.social about why the country is facing a spiritual, not just political, crisis and how to find our way back. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

An essay as beautiful as it is insightful from @michaelpollan.bsky.social on the self & consciousness. The Buddhists figured out a good deal about how the mind works centuries ago, and there are few better guides than @joanhalifax.bsky.social, as Michael discovered.

We all have an innate need to feel like we matter. But as author Jennifer Wallace notes, that need often goes unmet. We talk about how to solve this mattering deficit. I also chat with Duke's Patty Van Cappellen about the wisdom spiritual traditions offer to help podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

We all have an innate need to feel like we matter. But as author Jennifer Wallace notes, that need often goes unmet. We talk about how to solve this mattering deficit. I also chat with Duke's Patty Van Cappellen about the wisdom spiritual traditions offer to help podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Proud How God Works is a finalist for best personal growth/spirituality pod for the Ambies! Join me, an agnostic psychologist, to explore the science behind how & why spiritual practices help people flourish, whatever their beliefs. howgodworks.org @podcastacademy.bsky.social @prx.org

If you're looking to improve life in 2026, you might want to think about...sin. Not in the fire & brimstone sense, but as @elizabetholdfield.bsky.social notes, as something that separates us from others or, simply put, just F's things up. Join us as we rethink sin. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

As @ezraklein.bsky.social points out, all of this is an assault on hope. The point is to wear people out -- to give them a sense they have no control to stop it and thereby remove hope & the will to act. But there is a way to overcome that despair... 1/2 @nytimes.com

Why you’re wise on Tuesday and foolish on Sunday: Practising #wisdom in uncertain times - a brief sunday read & a mild rant against "one trick" gurus & substakers. theconversation.com/why-youre-wi... @theconversation.com

AI developers have been leveraging psychology to make chatbots seem like ideal social partners. But what our minds find most immediately attractive isn’t always in our long term best interest. As Samuel Kimbriel notes, philosophy can be a guide for design (or at least regulatory constraints). 1/2

For 2026, There’s a Better Way to Be Hopeful — one the world’s spiritual traditions figured out long ago. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/o...

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “Our modern conception of hope is flawed,” the research psychologist David DeSteno writes. “It practically invites hopelessness when the stakes are greatest.”

Psychologists & self-help gurus advise limiting hopes to ward off despair. But that keeps us from working on big challenges. As the world’s faith traditions realized long ago, hope is about fighting the darkness daily without expecting success. @nytimes.com

For 2026, There’s a Better Way to Be Hopeful — one the world’s spiritual traditions figured out long ago. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/o...

“In the long run, resolutions that keep others in mind tend to have greater staying power.”-Valerie Trapp. There’s something special about making resolutions together. And what better time than now!

Dec. 31 brings up thoughts of endings, but also of renewal for the year ahead. As Dr. Kim Haines-Eitzen points out, the same is true for the ancient understanding of the apocalypse. It wasn’t the end of everything, as we think of it now, but rather a transition. www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...

⌛️ Two days left to double your donation to @give-directly.bsky.social for #PodsFightPoverty! Donate: givedirectly.org/pods

Why do many people think the End Times & Rapture are just around the corner? I talk with writer Dina Nayeri about what it's like to live with that expectation, and Cornell Prof. Kim Haines-Eitzen about what we get wrong about religious views of the apocalypse. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Richard Davidson & me on The Spiritual Power of the In-Between Times (and how to find more of them). www.templeton.org/news/the-spi... @templetonfdn.bsky.social

Great piece by @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social. Religions offer a powerful technology to move hearts & minds. Whether it’s for good or for ill often depends on the motives of those wielding it. BUT, if you engage with the practices deeply, they point to compassion. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/o...

Science & religion can work together. On this episode, we look at how Tibetan Buddhist monks & American neuroscientists are working together to study lucid dreaming using a practice called dream yoga which allows control of dreams. www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas... @mindandlife.bsky.social