Sinai And Synapses

Do prayers and rituals and liturgies “work”? How would we know? What happens in our bodies and in our brains when we join together in a communal liturgy, where people sing or dance or celebrate together? And what are the ways in which American rituals, like the Super Bowl or going to prom, can help […]

Our technologies – not just our phones, but even things like our glasses, help us enhance who we are. So what is the interplay between the things that make us human and the things that make us superhuman? And what are the moral and ethical questions that arise when we use the technologies that enhance who we are?

When we think of “being human,” we think of ourselves as self-contained bodily units. But our “humanity” also extends out to the things we create and use — our phones, our houses, our medications, and even future technologies we can’t even imagine. And it also shrinks down to things we’re not even aware of, like […]

With advances in genetic knowledge and genetic engineering, how do we explain and explore the ethical questions with non-scientists? How much knowledge should be required before contributing an opinion? And how can experts communicate these complicated, nuanced topics to laypeople? This conversation features Stefanie Leacock, Arvin Gouw, Megan Powell Cuzzolino and Heather Wax, and was hosted […]

How does play help us understand the rules of the game for both science and religion? how can they help us better understand and create more joy in the work that we do? This conversation features Adam Pryor, Ruth Shaver, Gawain de Leeuw, Ian Binns, and Kat Robison.

In this podcast, Megan Cuzzolino, John ZuHone, and Rabbi Dan Ain discuss what happens to faith if our world were to suddenly expand dramatically by way of discoveries about space. Would we feel bigger, or smaller? Which emotion is more germane to building connections with one’s community and with God? What role does awe play here?

In this podcast, Megan Cuzzolino, John Marc Sianghio, Josh Stanton, and Kat Robison discuss how science and religion treat facts. Why do we favor some authorities over others? Why do some continue to have such a powerful draw despite being repeatedly proven wrong?

How can the workplace and our other social institutions help dispel the myth that everyone is just in it for themselves?

Does religion offer something special that science doesn’t?

How do our competing cognitive systems – one fast and one slow, as described by Daniel Kahneman – frame our experience of God?

What do seeing oneself as a part of nature and seeing oneself as part of a massive demonstration have in common?

When does questioning spark joy, and when does it lead to frustration?