Closer to Truth
Closer To Truth is a continuing television series on American public television / PBS, created, produced, and hosted by Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn. The show is sponsored by the Kuhn Foundation.
The purpose of the series is to bring together leading scientists, scholars, philosophers and artists to discuss new developments and discoveries, and the fundamental issues of our times, particularly the meaning and implications of state-of-the-art science. It seeks to make state-of-the-art ideas accessible, intriguing and absorbing to intelligent audiences. The series is broadcast nationally in the U.S., including multiple stations in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and San Francisco, and internationally, including Canada, China, Israel and South Korea.
The new season of Closer To Truth, scheduled to begin broadcasting in late spring 2008, focuses on Cosmos, Consciousness and God.
Closer to Truth: Cosmos is intended to be the definitive series on cosmology, the philosophy of cosmology, origins of the universe, multiple universes, the far far future, fundamental physics, emergence, and science and religion.
Closer to Truth: Consciousness is intended to be the definitive series on brain, mind, essence of consciousness, free will, personal identity, alien intelligence, parapsychology, afterlife, and brain-mind critical thinking.
Closer to Truth: God is intended to be the definitive series on understanding deity, philosophy of religion, proofs and attributes of God, God’s involvement in the world, theological futures, and God-related critical thinking.
In previous seasons, Closer To Truth episode topics were clustered in five main categories: brain & mind; biology & medicine; cosmos & universe; science, philosophy & religion; and science & our world.
The Closer To Truth: Cosmos, Consciousness, God Seasons One & Two website; Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief Season One and Two and [http://www.pbs.org/kcet/closertotruth/ Season Three website is hosted at PBS.
Episodes are listed below by season, episode number, and title. Links are to the Research Channel, where all episodes from Seasons One, Two and Three are available for viewing online, and to PBS, where in-depth information on Season Three episodes can be found.
Season Four - Closer To Truth: Cosmos, Consciousness, God
Season Four Episodes
In Season Four, which begins broadcasting in mid 2008, Closer To Truth focuses on Cosmos, Consciousness and God.
- 401: "Does God Make Sense? [God]
How can you know whether God really exists, if you do not know what God really is? Diverse religions have diverse views and surprise is in store.
- 402: "How Vast is the Cosmos?" [Cosmos]
Everyone knows that the universe is huge, but no one could have imagined how staggeringly immense the universe, or multiple universes, may actually be. It stops your breath.
- 403: "Why is Consciousness so Mysterious?" [Consciousness]
How can the mindless microscopic particles that compose our brains “experience” the setting sun, the Mozart Requiem, and romantic love?
- 404: "What is the Mind-Body Problem?" [Consciousness]
How is it possible that mushy masses of brain cells, passing chemicals and shooting sparks, literally are mental sensations and subjective feelings? They seem so radically different.
- 405: "Did Our Universe have a Beginning? " [Cosmos]
Everything in the universe has a beginning, but how can the universe as a whole have a start date? Does a universal commencement make sense? What would it possibly mean?
- 406: "Arguing God's Existence?" [God]
You’ve heard the raucous noise about God; now listen to the cogent arguments, con and pro. Not that determining the existence of God is up for vote; when searching for Truth, majority opinion counts for nothing.
- 407: "How are Brains Structured? [Consciousness]
As far as we know, brains are the most highly organized matter in the universe. How they make their magic is just astonishing.
- 408: "Why a Fine-Tuned Universe?" [Cosmos]
How can so many numbers of nature, the constants and relationships of physics, be so spot-on perfect for humans to exist? Beware: there is more than one answer lurking here.
- 409: "Arguing God from Design?" [God]
The world certainly appears to be designed. Are appearances deceiving? Discover new twists to this old argument.
- 410: "Do Persons have Souls?" [Consciousness]
Is the “Real You” a special substance that is both nonphysical and immortal? Most people think “Certainly.” Most scientists think “Certainly Not.” What some theologians think may trouble you.
- 411: "Could Our Universe Be a Fake?" [Cosmos]
Perhaps our entire universe is like a gigantic computer game, the creation of super-smart hackers existing somewhere else? Before you smirk and laugh, watch and think!
- 412: "Arguing God from First Cause?" [God]
Does everything need a cause? Everything in the universe surely does. But what about the universe as a whole? And what about God -- assuming God exists -- does God need a cause?
- 413: "Does ESP Reveal the Nonphysical?" [Consciousness]
Some claim that their scientific study of extrasensory perception, or parapsychology, overturns the worldview of science. Should we take these startling pronouncements seriously?
- 414: "Can Science Deal with God?" [Cosmos]
Science can deal with God in at least three ways: Showing how God is not necessary; showing how God is likely; not relating to God at all. Only one way can be correct.
- 415: "Arguing God from Morality" [God]
Humans have a sense of right and wrong. Does this mean that morality is absolute? And if absolute, would God be needed to make it so? Even theologians are perplexed by God & Morality; some even admit it.
- 416: "Can Brain Explain Mind?" [Consciousness]
What is it about the brain that enables some scientists to claim they can explain mind? And what is it about scientific explanations that some philosophers reject?
- 417: "How Many Universes Exist?" [Cosmos]
More than one universe? A ridiculous question no more! How could multiple universes be generated, and can we ever find evidence, one way or another? Talk about expanding your horizons: you can’t imagine what’s in store!
- 418: "Arguments for Atheism?" [God]
Turn the tables on whether God exists. Atheists take their best shots at disproving God; theists deflect the arguments, defending God. Atheists come harder still; theists fight back. We keep the arguments tough-minded and the thinking critical.
- 419: "Is There Life After Death?" [Consciousness]
Do we survive bodily death? Can our personal awareness transcend physical decay? There are no bigger questions and there are no shortages of answers. Some claim to have evidence.
- 420: "Is Time Travel Possible?" [Cosmos]
Some scientists take time travel seriously. Should you? What does time travel reveal about the nature of space and time and the laws of physics under extreme conditions?
- 421: "Does Evil Disprove God?" [God]
Theologians have no tougher task than explaining evil, its enormity even more than its existence. Give the clergy their due: they’ve devised clever, even profound, rationale. But at the end of the long day, do these explanations, or rationalizations, really work?
- 422: "What is Free Will?" [Consciousness]
If it seems obvious that you are perfectly free to choose and decide, then it seems perfectly clear that you underestimate the problem (and have never questioned a philosopher). Free Will is a huge problem.
- 423: "Why are Black Holes Astonishing?" [Cosmos]
They warp space and time, squeeze matter to a vanishing point, and trap light so that it cannot escape. How can black holes perform such stupendous tricks, and what can we learn from them?
- 424: "Did God Create Time?" [God]
God and Time are two huge mysteries; relating them probes the nature of God, and perhaps even the existence of a Creator. If God is in Time and experiences its passage, then how could God have created Time? Also Leibniz's famous question: "Why didn’t God create the world sooner?"
- 425: "What’s the Far Future of Intelligence in the Universe?" [Consciousness]
Consider humanity’s astounding progress in science during the past three hundred years. Now take a deep breath and project forward, oh say, three billion years.
- 426: "How does Beauty Color the Cosmos?" [Cosmos]
What do scientists mean when they call the laws and regularities of nature “beautiful?” On the largest supra-cosmic scales, and on the smallest sub-atomic scales, why do scientists use “beauty” to assess their theories?
- 427: "How Could God Know the Future?" [God]
God is supposed to have perfect knowledge, which includes all true statements about the future. Does this mean that God knows everything about what is to come? But if the future doesn’t yet exist, then there is nothing now to know. Theologians battle among themselves.
- 428: "Where are They, All those Aliens?" [Consciousness]
Most scientists assume that the universe must be populated with innumerable alien intelligences and civilizations – after all, we humans can’t be so special. OK, so where are they, these “innumerable alien intelligences and civilizations”? How come there’s zero evidence?
- 429: "How can Emergence Explain Reality?" [Cosmos]
Does ordinary stuff have mysterious properties? Take anything; find all its parts; combine those parts any way you like. What do you expect? Nothing at all like what you have. It’s called “emergence” and it describes how wondrously our world works. But is it a real mystery?
- 430: "How Could God Interact with the World?" [God]
If God exists, and if God ordains history and generates miracles, how does He do it? Fiddle with each and every atom? Command all of them en masse? What possibly could be God’s technique?
- 431: "What Things Really Exist?" [Consciousness]
When you ask “what things really exist,” and you think deeply about this universal probe, you see the whole world anew. It’s such a simple question; how does it inspire such profound insight?
- 432: "Is There A Final Theory of Everything?" [Cosmos]
It is the Holy Grail of physics: All the particles and forces of nature unified and explained by equations so simple that you can print them on your tee shirt. Are we getting there?
- 433: "Can Many Religions All be True?" [God]
No one denies the diversity of human religions, and the apparent incompatibility of their core beliefs. Many believe only their own religion to be True. Some claim all religions reflect the same Truth. Others assert that differing dogmas expose the emptiness of all religion.
- 434: "Is the Universe Fine-Tuned for Life and Mind?" [Consciousness]
If the universe had been ever so slightly different, human beings wouldn’t, couldn’t, exist. All explanations of this exquisite fine-tuning, obvious and not-so-obvious, have problems.
- 435: "Do Science & Religion Conflict?" [Cosmos]
Don’t let the heated argument or the smooth talk fool you: the struggle between science and religion carries deep significance. Meaning and Purpose hang in the balance as battle rages on many fronts.
- 436: "Is This the End Time?" [God]
In every generation, some religious believers imagined their time to be the end time. Why is this so? Is our generation different? What, in a religious nutshell, is the End Time?
- 437: "Is Consciousness Fundamental?" [Consciousness]
Is our mental life a random accident, solely the product or byproduct of physical brain? Or is there something deeply special about conscious awareness that may reveal a hidden reality?
- 438: "Eternal Life is Like What?" [God]
Almost all religions promise eternal life. In one form or another, the message goes forth that death is not final. But each religion paints its own portrait of the hereafter: some are collective and ethereal in the spirit, others individual and corporeal in the body. Which would you choose? (Your opinion means nothing, of course.)
- 439: "Why is There Something Rather than Nothing?" [Cosmos]
Forget science. Forget God. This is the ultimate question: What if Everything had Forever been Nothing? Not just emptiness, not just blankness, but not even the existence of emptiness, not even the meaning of blankness, and no Forever. If you don’t get dizzy, you really don’t get it.
Season Four Participants
Aguirre, Anthony. Assistant Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz. He is Co-Founder and Associate Scientific Director of The Foundational Questions Institute.
Alexander, Denis. Director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, St. Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge.
Alexander, Stephon. Assistant Professor of Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Penn State University. Born in Trinidad and an amateur jazz musician, he is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.
Arkani-Hamed, Nima. Faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and former professor of physics at Harvard University.
Atkins, Peter. Professor of Chemistry at Oxford College and a fellow of Lincoln College at the University of Oxford. He writes and speaks vigorously against religion and he takes no prisoners.
Ayala, Francisco. University Professor of Biological Sciences and professor of philosophy at the University of California at Irvine. Born in Spain and a former Dominican priest, he specializes in evolutionary genetics.
Ayoub, Mahmoud. Professor of Islamic Studies and Comparative Religion, Temple University.
Balaguer, Mark. Professor of philosophy, California State University, Los Angeles.
Barbour, Ian. Physicist, theologian, author, Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology and Society at Carleton College, a revered pioneer in developing the field of Science and Religion, and winner of the 1999 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.
Benford, Gregory. Professor of Physics at the University of California at Irvine, NASA consultant, and science-fiction novelist
Blackmore, Susan. Psychologist and writer (UK-based. Her PhD is in parapsychology and she works on memes, meditation and consciousness.
Block, Ned. Silver Professor of Philosophy, Psychology and Neural Science at NYU. For many years he was professor of philosophy at the MIT and he was president of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness.
Bostrom, Nick. Philosopher and Director of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford. He is also Chairman of the World Transhumanist Association and the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.
Boyd, Greg. Former professor of theology and the founder and senior pastor of Woodland Hills Church, an evangelical megachurch in St. Paul, MN. He is also an author and supporter of open theism.
Braude, Stephen. Professor of Philosophy at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Stephen investigates multiple personalities, survival (life after death), ESP, and psychokinesis, and he is past President of the Parapsychological Association.
Brin, David. Science fiction writer, with a Ph.D. in space physics—his well-known books include Startide Rising, Kiln People, and The Postman.
Chaitin, Gregory. Mathematician, computer scientist and philosopher working at IBM.
Chalmers, David. Professor of philosophy at Australian National University, specializing in philosophy of mind and consciousness studies. He is known for promoting appreciation of the “hard problem” of explaining subjective experience (what it feels like inside).
Chorover, Stephen. Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT.
Clayton, Philip. Ingraham Professor of Theology, Claremont School of Theology; professor of Philosophy and Religion, Claremont Graduate University; and Visiting Professor of Science and Religion, Harvard Divinity School.
Clemente, Carmine. Former long-time Chairman of the Anatomy Department and Brain Research Institute at UCLA. He is the editor of the famous Gray’s Anatomy and author of the widely used Atlas of Human Anatomy.
Collins, Francis. Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH. His book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief supports theistic evolution and he considers scientific discoveries “an opportunity to worship.”
Collins, Robin. Professor of philosophy at Messiah College. Trained in physics and philosophy, he advocates using the fine-tuning of the universe—how the laws and constants of nature are perfect for life—as evidence of a Creator.
Craig, William Lane. Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. With dual doctorates in philosophy and theology, he is a prolific writer, speaker and debater defending Christian theism.
Davies, Paul. College Professor at Arizona State University, where he founded BEYOND: The Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. A Templeton Prize winner, he is a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist, author and broadcaster.
Dembski, William. Research Professor in Philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and senior fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. He is considered the leading theorist of the Intelligent Design movement.
Dennett, Daniel C. University Professor and Professor of Philosophy, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies, at Tufts University. Author of Breaking the Spell, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, and Consciousness Explained.
Dick, Steven. Chief Historian at NASA; he has written extensively on astrobiology, extraterrestrial life and intelligence, the limits of science, and the need for a new “cosmo-theology,” which he contends should replace traditional religion.
Drake, Frank. Director of the SETI Institute's Center for the Study of Life in the Universe and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), which he helped found. Originator of the "Drake Equation."
Dreyfus, Hubert. Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. He is considered a leading interpreter of continental, existential, phenomenological philosophers such as Martin Heidegger.
Dyson, Freeman. Emeritus Professor of Physics at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton. He is an Innovative theorist, a technology prophet and an elegant and often iconoclastic author,
Ellis, George. Cosmologist and professor emeritus of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town. He is president of International Society for Science and Religion and he won the Templeton Prize (2004).
Finkelstein, David Ritz. Professor Emeritus of Physics at Georgia Tech University.
Flint, Thomas Patrick. Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where he focuses on issues in theology and metaphysics. He is Editor of the Journal of Faith and Philosophy.
Freedman, Wendy. Director of the Carnegie Observatories (the first woman appointed to the Carnegie’s permanent scientific staff). She was Principle Investigator of the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale.
Gillman, Neil. Philosopher and rabbi of Conservative Judaism. He is professor of Jewish philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary and author of numerous books including The Death of Death: Resurrection and Immortality in Jewish Thought,
Gingerich, Owen. Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and of the History of Science at Harvard University. He is the author of God’s Universe, which seeks to reconcile modern astronomy with a Divine Creator.
Gott, J. Richard. Cosmologist and Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University, the innovative developer of two theories that seem like science fiction: time travel and the Doomsday argument.
Grassie, William. Founder and former executive director both of the Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science, and of the Metanexus Institute. He holds a PhD in Religion and writes on the philosophy of science and religion.
Gross, David. Nobel Laureate in Physics (2004). A particle physicist and string theorist, he is the director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Guruge, Ananda. Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of the West. He is Chairman of the World Buddhist University Council and the author of 50 books on Buddhism including What In Brief Is Buddhism and Free At Last in Paradise.
Guth, Alan. Professor of Physics, MIT. He is the originator of the now widely accepted cosmological model of the early universe, which he called Inflation and which seeks to explain how the universe came to be so uniform.
Harper, Jr., Charles. Senior Vice President of the John Templeton Foundation, a former research scientist in planetary sciences at Harvard, and co-editor of Science & Ultimate Reality: Quantum Theory, Cosmology and Complexity.
Hyman, Arthur. Dean of the Bernard Revel Graduate School and the Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy at Yeshiva University. A renowned expert on Maimonides, he is an authority on medieval Jewish, Christian, and Islamic philosophy/
Kaku, Michio. Professor or Theoretical physicist and futurist at the City University of New York. Author of Physics of the Impossible, Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions and the Future of the Cosmos.
Kallosh, Renata. Professor of Physics at Stanford University.
Koch, Christof. Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Biology at Caltech. Working with Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of the DNA genetic code and Nobel Laureate, he developed his understanding of the "neural correlates of consciousness."
Krauss, Lawrence. Professor of Physics and director of the Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics at Case Western Reserve University. A public intellectual, he authored over 200 scientific and popular articles and books.
Kurzweil, Raymond. World-renowned inventor, computer scientist, innovative futurist and best-selling author. His books have sparked great interest and controversy: The Age of Spiritual Machines; and The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.
Lakoff, George. Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley and co-founder of the Rockridge Institute. His books include Metaphors We Live By; Philosophy in the Flesh; and Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think.
Lanier, Jaron. Computer scientist, composer, visual artist, and futurist. He coined the term “Virtual Reality,” a field which he helped develop and popularize.
Laughlin, Robert. Nobel Laureate in Physics (1998). Specializing in condensed matter physics, he is Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Stanford University. He is the author of A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down.
LeDoux, Joseph. Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the NYU Center for Neural Science. Developing a biological understanding of our emotions. He is the author of The Emotional Brain and Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are.
Leftow, Brian. Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion at the University of Oxford, where he focuses on theology and metaphysics.
Leshner, Alan. Chief Executive Officer of the American Academy for Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Executive Publisher of Science magazine. A neuroscientist, he was the former Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at NIH.
Leslie, John. University Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph. A philosopher who focuses on explaining existence, he is the author of Universes; The End of the World; Infinite Minds; and Immortality Defended; and the editor of Modern Philosophy and Cosmology.
Linde, Andrei. Professor of Physics at Stanford University. He is one of the authors of "inflationary cosmology," the startling explanation of how the universe began and its global structure.
Llinas, Rodolfo. Professor of Neuroscience and Chairman, Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, NYU School of Medicine. Born in Columbia, he is the author of I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self, an original explanation of mind and brain.
Lloyd, Seth. Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and principal investigator at the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics (director, Center for Extreme Quantum Information Theory). He is a leader in quantum computing.
Loeb, Avi. Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at Harvard; and visiting professor, Weizmann Institute of Science. His research areas include the first stars, black holes, and 21st century cosmology.
Maldacena, Juan. Faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton. Born in Argentina, his innovative work focuses on quantum gravity and string theory.
Markopoulou, Fotini. Faculty member at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. With a doctorate from Imperial College in the UK and a post-doc at Penn State, her research interests include quantum gravity and quantum information theory.
Mazziotta, John. Chair, Department of Neurology, Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, and Director, UCLA Brain Mapping Center. He is a world-renowned expert on imagery of the human brain.
McGinn, Colin. Professor of Philosophy at the University of Miami. A British philosopher of mind, he is known as a New Mysterian, the theory that human consciousness can never be explained.
McGrath, Alister. Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. He is the author of popular books on religion, including The Twilight of Atheism and The Dawkins Delusion.
McMullin, Ernan. O’Hara Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, and former chair of the Department of Philosophy, at the University of Notre Dame. With graduate degrees in physics and theology, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest.
Merzenich, Michael. Neuroscientist and inventor, and professor emeritus of Otolaryngology at the University of California at San Francisco. An expert on "brain plasticity," Mike uses his understanding to develop the underlying skills and abilities.
Minsky, Marvin. A founder of the field of artificial intelligence (AI), co-founder and long-time director of MIT’s world-renowned Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He has made major contributions to AI, cognitive science and robotics.
Moreland, J.P. Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He specializes in critiques of materialism and naturalism and defenses of Christian theism. He is the author of many books on theology and religion.
Murphy, Nancey. Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is the author of Theology in the Age of Scientific Reasoning and co-author of Whatever Happened to the Soul; and Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?
Murray, Bruce. Professor Emeritus of Planetary Science and Geology at Caltech. He was director of the NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1976-1982) during the time of the Viking landings on Mars and the Voyager flybys of Saturn and Jupiter.
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. One of the world's leading experts on Islamic science and spirituality, and a proponent of perennial philosophy. Born in Tehran, he is University Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University.
Noë, Alva. A philosopher working on consciousness, intentionality, art, and phenomenology, with special interest in the theory of perception. He teaches at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Action In Perception.
Park, Robert L. Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland. He posts a provocative weekly column on the internet (“What’s New?”) and is the author of Voodoo Science: the Road from Foolishness to Fraud.
Penrose, Roger. Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. He is renown for his seminal contributions to geometry, mathematical physics and cosmology, and consciousness.
Perlmutter, Saul. Astrophysicist and professor at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he heads the Supernova Cosmology Project. It was his group that found evidence that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, a startling discovery.
Plantinga, Alvin. John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. One of the most important living philosophers of religion, he is credited with helping revive Christian philosophy.
Polkinghorne, John. Former Professor of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge who in his mid career became an Anglican priest. His books include Science and Creation, Science and Providence, Belief in God in An Age of Science, and The Faith of a Physicist.
Radin, Dean. Senior Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and former president of the Parapsychological Association. He has written two well-known books on psi phenomena: The Consciousness Universe and Entangled Minds.
Raman, Varadaraja V. Emeritus Professor of Physics and Humanities at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Senior Fellow, Metanexus Institute. He is an expert on Hindu culture and religion, and science and religion.
Randall, Lisa. Professor of Physics, Harvard University. She is the author of Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions, and was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2007.
Rees, Lord (Martin). Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics; Master of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge; President of the Royal Society; and the UK Astronomer Royal.
Rundle, Bede. Emeritus lecture of philosophy, University of Oxford, specializing in philosophy of language and metaphysics. He is the author of Why there is Something rather than Nothing.
Russell, Robert. Founder and Director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Science (CTNS) and Professor of Theology and Science at the Graduate Theological Union. He is an ordained minister with a Ph.D. in physics.
Saucy, Robert. Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. A past president of the Evangelical Theological Society, he is the author of Scripture: Its Authority, Power and Relevance.
Scheibel, Arnold. Professor of Neurobiology and Psychiatry and former Director of the Brain Research Institute, UCLA Medical Center. His research interests focus on the manner in which brain organization determine cognitive activity and behavior.
Schlag, John. Emeritus Professor of Neurobiology, Brain Research Institute and School of Medicine, UCLA. His research interests include brain organization related to perception and movement.
Schlitz Marilyn. Director of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and Senior Scientist at the Complementary Medicine Research Institute. Trained in anthropology, she has done important research in parapsychology.
Shatz, David. Professor of Philosophy at Yeshiva University and adjunct professor, Columbia University. He is editor of The Torah u-Madda Journal, which is devoted to the interaction between Judaism and general culture.
Searle, John R. Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. One of the leading philosophers of mind, he is the author of numerous works, including The Mystery of Consciousness; The Rediscovery of the Mind; Mind: A Brief Introduction.
Sheldrake, Rupert. A Ph.D. in biochemistry (Cambridge), he is the author of over 75 scientific papers and known for his controversial theory of morphic fields and morphic resonance, and various forms of paranormal phenomena.
Shermer, Michael. Founding publisher of Skeptic magazine. He is the author of Why People Believe Weird Things; How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science; and Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design.
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. Professor of Philosophy and Hardy Professor of Legal Studies at Dartmouth College. He is author of God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist (with William Lane Craig) and Moral Skepticisms.
Smith, Houston. Preeminent religious scholar, celebrated practitioner, and revered teacher of world religions. He is the author of The Religions of Man (later revised as The World’s Religions), a classic introduction for generations of college students.
Smith, Quentin. University Distinguished Faculty Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan University. He works on the philosophy of time, philosophy of religion, naturalism and atheism, and philosophy of Big Bang cosmology.
Smolin, Lee. Faculty member of the Perimeter institute for Theoretical Physics. Focusing on quantum gravity, he is the author of The Life of the Cosmos, Three Roads to Quantum Gravity, and, most recently, his controversial The Trouble with Physics.
Smoot, George. Nobel Laureate in Physics (2006). An astrophysicist and cosmologist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, he was instrumental in corroborating the Big Bang by measuring the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation.
Stannard, Russell. Emeritus Professor of Physics and former Head of the Physics Department, Open University (UK). He is an author and lecturer recognized for popularizing science and for contributing to science and religion.
Stapp, Henry. Physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he works on the foundations of quantum mechanics and on explaining the nature and role of consciousness through quantum mechanics.
Steinhardt, Paul. Albert Einstein Professor in Science at Princeton University and Associate Director of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Physics. He gives a popular account of his theories in Endless Universe, of which he is co-author.
Stenger, Victor. Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii. He is the author of numerous books challenging theism and the supernatural, including God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist.
Susskind, Leonard. Felix Bloch Professor in theoretical physics at Stanford University. He is a discovery of string theory and the author of The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design.
Swinburne, Richard. Emeritus Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion, University of Oxford. He is one of the leading analytic philosophers of religion and his contributions to Christian philosophy has been enormous. His books focus on God: The Coherence of Theism, The Existence of God, and Faith and Reason.
Tabor, James. Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A scholar in New Testament and Early Christian Literature, he is the author of The Jesus Dynasty.
Tart, Charles T. Core Faculty of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He is known for his work on the nature of consciousness (particularly altered states), as a founder of transpersonal psychology, and for research in scientific parapsychology.
Tarter, Jill Director, Center for SETI Research, SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). A Ph.D. in theoretical astrophysics, she is widely recognized and honored for her pioneering work in searching for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Tegmark, Max. Associate Professor of Physics, MIT, and founding Scientific Director, Foundation Questions in Physics & Cosmology [fq(x)]. His research area is precision cosmology and his speculations of multiple universes are well known.
Thorne, Kip Feymann Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech. He is one of the leading experts on Einstein’s general theory of relativity and the warping of spacetime, particularly in and around black holes.
Tipler, Frank. Professor of Mathematics at Tulane University, where he focuses on cosmology. His books have stimulated much controversy: The Anthropic Principle, The Physics of Immortality, and The Physics of Christianity,
Tooley, Michael. Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado-Boulder. An atheist, his research areas are Metaphysics (time, causation, laws of nature) and the Philosophy of Religion (the argument from evil, miracles).
Vakoch, Doug. Director of Interstellar Message Composition at the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). He researches ways that different civilizations might create messages which could be transmitted across interstellar space.
van Fraassen, Bas. Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University. A philosopher of science who was born in the Netherlands, he works on the philosophy of quantum mechanics, philosophical logic, and the nature of scientific rules or laws.
van Huyssteen, J. Wentzel. Professor of Theology and Science at the Princeton Theological Seminary. Ordained in the Dutch Reformed Church, he has written numerous books including, Alone in the World? Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology.
van Inwagen, Peter. John Cardinal O’Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He has written on metaphysics, philosophy of logic, philosophical theology, the problem of evil, and Christian apologetics.
Vernon, Mark. Author of Science, Religion, and the Meaning of Life, describing his spiritual journey rejecting both theism and atheism and making a passionate case for agnosticism. A Ph.D. in philosophy, he was a priest in the Church of England.
Vilenkin, Alexander. Professor of Physics and Director of the Institute of Cosmology at Tufts University. He focuses on the quantum creation (“tunneling”) of the universe from nothing. He wrote Many Worlds in One: The Search for Other Universes.
Walsh, Roger. Professor of Psychiatry, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of California, Irvine. He is the author of Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind, and Paths Beyond Ego: The Transpersonal Vision.
Ward, Keith. Former Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford and Canon of Christ Church. His books include God, Chance and Necessity; Pascal’s Fire: Scientific Faith and Religious Understanding; Is Religion Dangerous; and Re-thinking Christianity.
Weinberg, Steven. Nobel Laureate in Physics (1979). Considered to be the preeminent theoretical physicist in the world today, he holds the Josey Regental Chair in Science at the University of Texas at Austin. His popular books include The First Three Minutes; Dreams of a Final Theory—The Search for the Fundamental Laws of Nature; and Facing Up—Science and its Cultural Adversaries.
Wen, Xiao Gang. Professor, Department of Physics, MIT. Born in China, his research areas include condensed matter physics and the structure of spacetime.
Wilczek, Frank. Nobel Laureate in Physics (2004). He is Professor of Physics in the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics. He contributes regularly to Physics Today and to Nature. His popular books are Longing for the Harmonies and Fantastic Realities.
Wolf, Fred Alan. International lecturer on consciousness and the new physics. He is the author of numerous books including Taking the Quantum Leap; Parallel Universes; The Dreaming Universe; and The Spiritual Universe; and Mind into Matter.
Wolfram, Stephen. Scientist, author, and business leader. He is the creator of Mathematica, the leading software for scientific computing, and the author of A New Kind of Science, which presents discoveries on the origins of complexity.
Yifa, Venerable. Buddhist nun and author of Safeguarding the Heart: A Buddhist Response to Suffering; Sisters of the Buddha: Women's Roles in Buddhism Through the Centuries; and Authenticity: Clearing the Junk: A Buddhist Perspective.
Yun, Hsing (Master). One of the world’s most venerated Buddhist Masters. He founded the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order, the largest religious organization in Taiwan. He is known for his humanitarian work and Dharma teachings (Buddhist eternal truths).
Zaidel, Eran. Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience and of Cognition in the Department of Psychology at UCLA, and a member of UCLA’s Brain Research Institute. Born in Israel, his research included right-hemisphere language and error monitoring.
Zimmerman, Dean. Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. He specializes in metaphysics (causation and the laws of nature) and the philosophy of religion (whether God is “outside of time).
Zurek, Wojciech. Laboratory Fellow in the Theory Division and a former leader of the Theoretical Astrophysics Group, where he focuses on foundations of quantum theory, especially decoherence, and quantum and classical information.
Seasons One and Two - Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief
Season One Episodes
- 101: "What are the Grand Questions of Science?"
- 102: "Will the Internet Change Humanity?"
- 103: "What’s Creativity and Who’s Creative?"
- 104: "New Communities for the New Millennium"
- 105: "How Did This Universe Begin?"
- 106: "Can We See the Near Future — Year 2025?"
- 107: "What is Consciousness?"
- 108: "Can You Really Extend Your Life?"
- 109: "Can ESP Affect Your Life?"
- 110: "Whatever Happened to Ethics and Civility?"
- 111: "How Does Technology Transform Thinking?"
- 112: "Strange Physics of the Mind?"
- 113: "Can Science Seek the Soul?"
- 114: "Does Sex Have a Future?"
Season Two Episodes
- 201: "Can We Imagine the Far Future—Year 3000?"
- 202: "How Do Breakthroughs Change Science?"
- 203: "How Does Creativity Work at Work?"
- 204: "Do Brains Make Minds?"
- 205: "Will Gene Therapy Change the Human Race?"
- 206: "Why are Music and Art So Exhilarating?"
- 207: "Why is Quantum Physics So Beautiful?"
- 208: "How Did We Think in the Last Millennium?"
- 209: "Who Needs Sex Therapy?"
- 210: "Can Technology Transform Society?"
- 211: "Can You Learn to Be Creative?"
- 212: "What is Parapsychology?"
- 213: "When Will This Universe End?"
- 214: "Will Intelligence Fill This Universe?"
Seasons One and Two Participants
Paul Abramson (human sexuality; forensic sexuality; psychology, UCLA; author)
French Anderson (gene therapy; Director, Gene Therapy Lab, USC; “Father of Gene Therapy”)
Francisco Ayala (evolutionary biology / genetics, philosophy, Un Calif at Irvine; past pres., AAAS)
Gregory Benford (plasma physics, Un Calif at Irvine; NASA; author and sci-fi novelist)
Barry Beyerstein (neuropsychology, Simon Fraser Un; CSICOP; The Skeptical Inquirer magazine)
Edward de Bono (creativity pioneer and teacher; author)
Todd Boyd (Cultural Studies; Film; African-American Studies; USC; author)
Warren Brown (psychology, neuropsychology, science & soul, Fuller Theological Seminary)
Charles Buchanan (physics, interdisciplinary teaching, UCLA)
Vern Bullough (sexual history; medical history; author)
Stephen J. Cannell (television producer and writer; studio head; novelist)
Dave Chalmers (consciousness, philosophy; Un of Arizona; author)
Bruce Chapman (founder/pres, Discovery Institute; former director, US Census Bureau; U.S. Ambassador)
Patricia S. Churchland (neuroscience, philosophy of mind; Un of Calif at San Diego; author)
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (creativity, psychology, Un of Chicago; Claremont Grad School; author)
Arthur S. De Vany (economics, athletics, fitness; Un Calif at Irvine; author)
Edward Feigenbaum (expert systems, computer science; co-director, Knowledge Systems Lab, Stanford)
Timothy Ferris (author; astronomy / cosmology; commentator) Wendy Freedman (cosmology; Carnegie Observatories, Hubble Space Telescope)
Robert Freeman (music / culture; Dean UT Austin Fine Arts; former president, Eastman School of Music)
Francis Fukuyama (social / political thinker & critic; public policy, George Mason Un; author)
Rochel Gelman (psychology, cognitive development, child psychology; UCLA)
George Geis (technology / digital economy, UCLA; author)
Barbara Marx Hubbard (futurist, social architect; founder, Center Conscious Evolution, author)
Rhoda Janzen (Poet Laureate, California; English, UCLA)
Saru Jayaraman (founder, WYSE: Women and Youth Supporting Each Other; award-winning student)
John Kao (creativity; entrepreneur; psychiatrist; author)
Steve Koonin (theoretical and computational physics; vice president and provost, Caltech)
Bart Kosko (fuzzy logic, electrical engineering, USC; author and novelist)
George Kozmetsky (co-founder, Teledyne; founder, IC2 Institute, Un Texas; hi-tech incubators)
Ray Kurzweil (inventor, computer scientist, entrepreneur, business executive; author)
Leon Lederman (Nobel Laureate in physics; former Director, Fermi National Lab; science education)
Andrei Linde (cosmology, physics, Stanford; author)
John McWhorter (linguistics, sociolinguistics; African-American Studies, Berkeley; social commentator)
Marvin Minsky (artificial intelligence, MIT; co-founder, MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab; author)
Graham T.T. Molitor (future studies; vice pres., World Future Society; author)
Richard Mouw (theology, philosophy, ethics; pres.. Fuller Theological Seminary; author))
Nancey Murphy (science & religion; Fuller Theological Seminary, Berkeley, author)
Bruce Murray (planetary science & geology, Caltech; pres., Planetary Society; former director, JPL)
Sherwin Nuland (surgeon, medical historian, ethics, Yale; author)
Cliff & Joyce Penner (sex therapy, sexuality; authors)
Dean Radin (parapsychology, experimental psychology; author)
Marilyn Schlitz (anthropology, parapsychology; director of research, Institute of Noetic Sciences)
John Searle (philosophy of mind, philosophy; Berkeley; author)
Todd Siler (artist, "artscience," creativity, teaching creativity, author)
Brian Skyrms (philosophy, Un of Calif at Irvine; author)
Greg Stock (medicine, technology and society, biophysics, UCLA; author)
Charles Tart (parapsychology, transpersonal psychology; author)
Frank Tipler (cosmology, mathematics, Tulane; author)
Alan Tobin (neuroscience, director, Brain Research Institute, UCLA)
James Trefil (physics, George Mason Un; commentator; author)
Neil deGrasse Tyson (astrophysics, Princeton; Director, Hayden Planetarium; author)
Roy Walford (longevity, pathology, UCLA; Biosphere; author)
Fred Alan Wolf (quantum physics, new age physics, consciousness; author)
Season Three - Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future
Season Three Episodes
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Season Three Participants
Nancy Andreasen, Prof, Psychiatry, Univ. of Iowa; editor-in-chief, American Journal of Psychiatry.
David Baltimore, Past President & Professor of Biology, Caltech; Nobel Laureate in Physiology/Medicine.
Jeanne Bamberger, Professor of Music and Urban Education, MIT; pianist.
Roger Blandford, Prof. of Theoretical Astrophysics, Caltech (black holes, gravitation, high-energy bursts).
Joseph Bogen, Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery, USC; consultant (split brain), Caltech
David Brin, Author, science fiction; The Transparent Society; space science Ph.D.
Leslie Brothers, Psychiatrist, neuroscientist; author
Octavia Butler, Author (Nebula award); MacArthur Fellow.
Alexander Capron, University Professor of Law, USC; Director, Pacific Center for Health Policy & Ethics.
Hyla Cass, Psychiatrist; Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine; alt medicine.
Eric Courchesne, Professor of Neuroscience, University of California at San Diego
Michael Crichton, Author, Producer; MD.
Agnes Day, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, , Howard University.
David DiVincenzo, Senior Scientist, Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM Corporation
Llewellyn “Doc” Dougherty, Director of Technology, Raytheon Electronic Systems
Robert Epstein, Editor, Psychology Today; University Research Professor, Alliant International University.
Paul Ewald, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, University of Louisville.
Robert Freeman, Dean, College of Fine Arts, Univ. Texas Austin; past director, Eastman School of Music.
Murray Gell-Mann, Nobel Laureate Physics; Santa Fe Institute. Emeritus Professor of Physics, Caltech.
David Goodstein, Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Caltech
Alan Guth, Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; discoverer, inflation theory.
Stuart Hameroff, Professor of Anesthesiology; Assoc Dir., Center for Consciousness Studies; Univ of Arizona,
David Herrelko, Brigadier General (retired); Wright-Patterson Air Force Base;
Alice Huang, Associate in Biology, Caltech; former Dean for Science, New York University.
Muzaffar Iqbal, President, Center for Islam and Science;; editor Kalam newsletter on Islam and Science.
William Jarvis, Professor, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Loma Linda Univ.
Chistof Koch, Prof. Cognitive & Behavioral Biology; Exec., Computation and Neural Systems, Caltech.
Steven Koonin, Professor of Theoretical Physics, Caltech; Senior Scientist, British Petroleum
Andrea Kovacs, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology; Director HIV Family Clinic, USC.
Shri Kulkarni, Prof. of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Caltech; leader in search for extra-solar planets.
Daniel Labriola, Founder, Northwest Natural Health Specialty Care Clinic; naturopathic physician.
Peter Loewenberg, Dean, Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute; Professor of History, UCLA.
Seth Lloyd, professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Donald Miller, Professor of Religion and Executive Director, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, USC.
Tito Mukapadhyay, Gifted, autistic adolescent; author, Beyond the Silence
Nancey Murphy, Professor of Christian Philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary.
Bruce C. Murray, Prof. Emeritus, Planetary Science and Geology, Emeritus, Caltech; former director, JPL.
Wallace Sampson, editor, Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine; prof. of medicine (retired), Stanford.
Erin Schuman, Executive Officer for Neurobiology, Associate Professor of Biology, Caltech
Michael Shermer, Founder, Skeptics Society; Publisher, Skeptics; Columnist, Scientific American.
Terrance Sejnowski, Prof., Salk Institute for Biological Studies; co-author, The Computational Brain.
Lucy Shapiro, Professor of Developmental Biology and Genetics; Stanford University School of Medicine.
Robert Temple, Chair, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Mark Jude Tramo, Director, The Institute for Music and Brain Science, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director, Hayden Planetarium; Department of Astrophysics, Princeton University.
Birgitta Whaley, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of California (Berkeley).
External links
- Closer to Truth: Cosmos, Consciousness, God website
- Closer to Truth: Challenging Current Belief for the first two seasons, Seasons I & II
- PBS-hosted website for Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future Season III
- Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future. 2007. Praeger.
- Research Channel's Closer to Truth site, including all episodes available for watching online.