Alexander Jech is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Philosophy Department and a Faculty Affiliate at the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His work often explores political philosophy, ethics, and the limits of language. In 2024, he published a new translation of Søren Kierkegaard's influential work, Fear and Trembling. We explore Alexander's fascinating and serendipitous journey into studying Kierkegaard, which began somewhat reluctantly but blossomed into his main philosophical passion. We dive deep into the inseparable link between Kierkegaard's tumultuous personal life—marked by his complex relationship with his father and his famously broken engagement to Regina Olsen—and the development of his core philosophical ideas. Alexander unpacks the intricate concept of indirect communication and the use of pseudonyms in works like "Either/Or". A significant portion of our conversation is dedicated to "Fear and Trembling," where we discuss the paradox of Abraham and Isaac, the nuances of translating the text, and the profound concept of the teleological suspension of the ethical, clarifying common misinterpretations along the way. Finally, we connect Kierkegaard's thought to the modern day, exploring the "leap of faith" as a model for identity transformation. We discuss how this applies to overcoming addiction, the role of transformative or mystical experiences in creating new possibilities for the self, and the mysterious power of love and the sacred in grounding this leap.

Jean-Philippe Marceau is a writer and podcaster associated with The Symbolic World, often working with Jonathan Pageau. With an academic background in mathematics, theoretical computer science, and philosophy of mind, his new book addresses the contemporary "meaning crisis" through the lens of Christian metaphysics. In this episode, we explore the core arguments of JP's book, "Post-Reductionist Christianity." They explore the limitations of reductive materialism, the importance of synthesizing insights from thinkers like Jonathan Pageau and John Vervaeke, and the structure of a post-reductionist worldview. The discussion navigates the metaphysics of emanation and emergence, different approaches to Christian apologetics, and the philosophical challenges posed by panpsychism and idealism, all while seeking a more meaningful understanding of reality. The nature of consciousness is also covered, in addition to attention, and the profound ontological meaning of 'love', and its connection to the Logos. We grapple with the understanding of miracles, from simple dismissals to explore symbolic and causal interpretations. We tackle the concept of God as Creator in relation to 'The Good,' the idea of a 'naturalist Christianity,' difficulties within religious tradition and scripture, and finally, JP shares his experience with Christianity.

John Cottingham is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and an Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford. Renowned for his work on Descartes, moral philosophy, and the philosophy of religion, he has authored over thirty books, including *The Spiritual Dimension*, *Why Believe?*, and *Philosophy of Religion: Towards a More Humane Approach*. His scholarship bridges analytic rigor with a deep concern for the emotional and spiritual dimensions of human life. His latest book is *In Search of the Soul: A Philosophical Essay*: https://press.princeton.edu/books/har... In this episode, we explore Cottingham's call for a more 'humane' philosophy of religion—one that acknowledges the roles of emotion, ritual, and embodied practice in shaping belief. He critiques the overly abstract methods of contemporary philosophy and argues that genuine understanding of the sacred requires engaging the full range of human experience. We discuss how rituals and worship practices can be seen not merely as symbolic acts but as vital expressions of our search for meaning and connection. We also cover the interplay between science and spirituality, examining how a scientific worldview can either harm or coexist with a sense of the transcendent. Cottingham shares insights on the human longing for the good and how this desire points beyond material explanations, inviting a reevaluation of the role of religion in modern life.

In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Joseph LeDoux, a world-renowned neuroscientist whose research focuses on survival circuits and their impacts on emotions like fear and anxiety. He is the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at New York University and director of the Emotional Brain Institute. Our conversation delves into Dr. LeDoux's early work with split-brain patients, leading to explorations of consciousness. He shares his journey from studying humans to animal models, particularly regarding fear and anxiety. We discuss the nature of emotions, contrasting the universal, biological view with the constructivist theory. Dr. LeDoux emphasizes that while innate circuits control behavior, the conscious emotion experience is a cognitive interpretation influenced by personal narratives and cultural schemas. We also address attributing emotional states to animals, underlining the importance of distinguishing physiological responses from conscious experiences and the risks of anthropomorphizing animal behavior. This episode is a deep dive into human emotion and brain functions, offering insights from a leading expert. Whether you're a neuroscience student, a curious learner, or interested in understanding human emotion complexities, this conversation is a valuable resource.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Gregory Sadler, likely the most influential philosophy educator. Sadler earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Southern Illinois University. He is the Founder of ReasonIO, a consulting company providing philosophy content, training, and consulting services. He has reached impressive popularity on YouTube, and his channel has over 130,000 subscribers and 13 million views. He has helped me digest challenging thinkers with fantastic lectures explaining the main concepts while providing additional context and insights. His channel is an absolute gold mine for anyone interested in philosophy. We talk about the process of learning philosophy, the importance of good teachers, considerations about translated works, secondary literature, philosophical biases, truth, and much more. It was a very engaging conversation and one of my favorite episodes!

Anagoge Podcast is now over 1 year old! Thank you everyone for listening. Shaun Gallagher is the Lillian and Morrie Moss Professor of Excellence in Philosophy at the University of Memphis. His areas of research include phenomenology and the cognitive sciences. In this episode, we talk about Shaun's background, the nature of phenomenology and cognitive science, the role of embodiment and action, and Shaun's research about the overview effect; the awe astronauts feel during spaceflight when seeing Earth.

In this episode, I talk with Gregg Henriques about the problem of psychology and the solution he has been working on for 20 years. We covered the bulk of his theory in the first half of the episode, and in the second half, we do a deep dive into cognitive behavioural therapy, including Gregg's experience with it and some controversies in one of the major studies published about CBT. Gregg Henriques is a Full Professor and a core faculty member in James Madison University's Combined-Integrated Clinical and School Psychology Doctoral Program. He teaches courses on integrative/unified psychotherapy, personality, social, and cognitive psychology. He developed the Unified Theory Of Knowledge (UTOK), which consists of eight key ideas that Henriques results in a much more unified vision of science, psychology and philosophy.

Michael Strevens teaches philosophy of science at New York University. His work revolves around the nature of science, covering topics such as scientific explanation, complex systems, and probability. In his book "The Knowledge Machine" he explains why science is so successful at creating knowledge and why it took so long for humans to come up with it. In this episode, we talk about the origins of science, philosophy of science, the contributions and flaws of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn, what makes science special and some odd contradictions at the core of scientific thinking.

Nathan Dufour is a writer, musician, video artist and activist. He produces music videos on YouTube about philosophical ideas and teaches Latin language and Greek Civilization at City College of New York. He received a PhD in Classics from CUNY's Graduate Center. In the first half, we talk about the relationship between music and philosophy, the performative aspect of art, philosophy's origins and how it connects to music, classics, and western civilization. In the second half, we cover Plato and Whitehead, which was Nathan's PhD thesis. We discuss Whitehead's process philosophy, how it connects to Platonism, and some of the modern implications of Whitehead's thought.

Michael Strevens teaches philosophy of science at New York University. His work revolves around the nature of science, covering topics such as scientific explanation, complex systems, and probability. In his book "The Knowledge Machine" he explains why science is so successful at creating knowledge and why it took so long for humans to come up with it. In this episode, we talk about the origins of science, philosophy of science, the contributions and flaws of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn, what makes science special and some odd contradictions at the core of scientific thinking.

John Vervaeke is the author of the famous YouTube series "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis". He is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and he is the director of the Cognitive Science program in the Consciousness and Wisdom Studies Laboratory. He has a vast body of scientific work related to consciousness, mindfulness, flow, and wisdom. In this episode, we cover some of John's life, the importance of dialogos, and the relationship between science and spirituality.

Jonathan Pageau is a carver who specializes in Eastern Orthodox Icons and other traditional Christian images. He graduated with distinction from the Painting and Drawing program at Concordia University in Montreal and has recently gained popularity on YouTube by discussing symbolic thought from Christianity and its expression in modern culture. In this episode, we cover a bit of his personal history, early Greek thought in relationship to Christianity, what love means, how reality unfolds, and more.

Dr. Azim Shariff is a social and moral psychologist whose research focuses on morality and religion. He also has some more recent work on the ethics of automation and how people deal with the ethical dilemmas of self-driving cars. In this episode, we talk mostly about the psychology of religion through the lens of cultural evolutio

In the 4th episode of our podcast, we finally get into some psychology. I had a very insightful conversation with Dr. Steven Sloman. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University. He is a cognitive scientist who studies how people think, particularly collective cognition. He wrote a book with Phil Fernbach titled The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone. We cover a fair bit in this episode, ranging from computational and alternative models of cognitive science, consciousness, his book knowledge illusion, the current age of information, the problem and reliability of expertise, and more.

In this 3rd episode, I had a great conversation with Jean-Philippe Marceau. He holds a degree in computer science and has done a master's degree in philosophy about panpsychism as a response to the hard problem of consciousness. We talk about materialism, ontology, emergence, neo-platonism, Christianity, and more.

This is the second episode of the Anagoge Podcast. Today we have Daniel Greig. The goal of this episode was to lay out an introduction to what the idea of enlightenment means, and how does that relate to both contemporary cognitive science and ancient spiritual traditions. How does the feeling of finally figuring a sodoku a block connect to speaking to an Angel? You will find out!

For our first episode, the guest was Peter Sjöstedt-H, a philosopher of mind with a special interest in metaphysics and meta-ethics based on Whitehead and Nietzsche. He is currently doing a PhD on the topic of panpsychism. In this podcast, we discuss psychedelics, panpsychism, emergentism, mental causation, epiphenomenalism, materialism, and more.