I've spoken to groups small and large, both scientists and laypeople. If you're interested in having me speak to your group, go to the "Contact" tab. Here are a selection of popular-level lectures I've delivered.
Psychology and Neuroscience of Religion
What is meditation? Why do people believe in God? What’s it like to have an ecstatic experience?
This course will talk about the latest science of religion, pulling in anthropological, psychological, and neurological perspectives. We’ll talk about why belief in something like God has been so darned persistent throughout human evolution. We’ll discuss what it’s like for a “believer,” and also take a look at religious brains in action. We’ll discuss both Western and Eastern experiences including prayer, ecstatic experience, meditation and ritual.
We’ll also talk about practical take-home lessons we can learn from these extreme brain states.
You’ll learn:
-Why babies are religious.
-What it's like to die.
-What the “God spot” is in the brain and whether or not magnetic stimulation can cause religious experience.
-The difference between mindfulness, meditation and prayer and why it’s important.
-And more!
Real Science: What It Is and How to Spot BS
Lots of people talk about what “Scientists say” and what is “experimentally proven”. We all want to be rational and make good decisions.
But what is science, really? And how do you know when someone is just trying to BS you by throwing around the word “science”? We’ll talk about that, and, like real scientists, do some real experiments.
The Birth of Science
Where did science come from? Who were the heroes who invented it? Why wasn't it invented sooner?
In this class, we'll talk about the exciting story of how we went from alchemy to chemistry, from astrology to astronomy. We'll talk about the epic debate about whether it was the earth or the sun in the center of the universe, discussing the discoveries and politics involved. You'll hear about popes and kings, monks and bishops, and even a few professors.
If that's not enough, I'll tell you:
*Why practically nobody thought the earth was flat
*How Galileo accomplished the greatest troll of all time
*Why it's really hard to prove that the earth revolves around the sun (without satellites)
Neuroscience of Pleasure, Pain and Purpose
What motivates us? What systems in the brain drive us one way or another? Why did I just check Facebook again?
In this talk, you’ll learn about sex (now I have your attention :P), addiction, pornography, drugs, altruism, self-control, and even the meaning of life. You’ll learn about how dopamine and oxytocin work and why they matter. You’ll also get some practical advice on ways to boost willpower, develop good habits and break bad ones.
Practical Neuroscience
What is the brain? How does it work? How can I make it stronger?
You’ll learn about awesome experiments that show that the brain can be rewired, remolded and strengthened. You’ll meet someone operating with half a brain (literally), people who built physical strength just by thinking about it, and people who rewired their brains and cured mental illnesses with the power of thought. We’ll cover what you need to know about the brain.
Mind and Body: How Your Mind Makes It Real
Can a sugar-pill cause morphine release? Can hypnosis cure blindness? Can looks kill (literally)? Can getting shot not hurt?
We'll talk about old history and new science developing around "mind-body" medicine, how your mind and brain affect your body in really interesting ways. We'll meet people with paralysis who can regain their movement, and blind people can regain their sight by the power of words. We'll see how the brain can produce pain completely independently of any "physical" cause. We'll discuss theories of how the brain might be involved in diseases like fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome.
If that's not enough, you'll learn about ritual executions that rely on the victim's expectation, and soldiers in WWII who get shot but don't seem to mind.
In short, we'll explore the strange and perplexing frontier where Mind meets Body.
The Science of Willpower
From ancient sages to modern science, we'll talk about this most central of human virtues.
Why don't we do what we want? Why do we procrastinate? Check FB? Eat more than we wanted?
We'll talk about the neuroscience of it, the biochemistry of it, and the practice of it. We've been at this a long time, so you'll hear from the Greeks, Eastern sages, from modern scientists, and willpower Olympians.
-Why your willpower is powered by sugar
-The top exercises proven to increase your willpower
-The crazy scientist who showed that willpower was like a muscle
-People whose willpower puts us all to shame
Whatever it is you want to accomplish, willpower will help you do it. And this class will help you build willpower.
Justice - What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Bank bailouts. Stealing to feed your hungry kid. Lying to save Jews in your basement. Waterboarding. What’s right and what’s wrong? And how do we know?
This will be a crash course in Ethics, the rigorous discipline of determining what’s right. This lost science will be critical for anyone who will have to make decisions in their life.
Psychology and Neuroscience of Religion
What is meditation? Why do people believe in God? What’s it like to have an ecstatic experience?
This course will talk about the latest science of religion, pulling in anthropological, psychological, and neurological perspectives. We’ll talk about why belief in something like God has been so darned persistent throughout human evolution. We’ll discuss what it’s like for a “believer,” and also take a look at religious brains in action. We’ll discuss both Western and Eastern experiences including prayer, ecstatic experience, meditation and ritual.
We’ll also talk about practical take-home lessons we can learn from these extreme brain states.
You’ll learn:
-Why babies are religious.
-What it's like to die.
-What the “God spot” is in the brain and whether or not magnetic stimulation can cause religious experience.
-The difference between mindfulness, meditation and prayer and why it’s important.
-And more!
Real Science: What It Is and How to Spot BS
Lots of people talk about what “Scientists say” and what is “experimentally proven”. We all want to be rational and make good decisions.
But what is science, really? And how do you know when someone is just trying to BS you by throwing around the word “science”? We’ll talk about that, and, like real scientists, do some real experiments.
The Birth of Science
Where did science come from? Who were the heroes who invented it? Why wasn't it invented sooner?
In this class, we'll talk about the exciting story of how we went from alchemy to chemistry, from astrology to astronomy. We'll talk about the epic debate about whether it was the earth or the sun in the center of the universe, discussing the discoveries and politics involved. You'll hear about popes and kings, monks and bishops, and even a few professors.
If that's not enough, I'll tell you:
*Why practically nobody thought the earth was flat
*How Galileo accomplished the greatest troll of all time
*Why it's really hard to prove that the earth revolves around the sun (without satellites)
Neuroscience of Pleasure, Pain and Purpose
What motivates us? What systems in the brain drive us one way or another? Why did I just check Facebook again?
In this talk, you’ll learn about sex (now I have your attention :P), addiction, pornography, drugs, altruism, self-control, and even the meaning of life. You’ll learn about how dopamine and oxytocin work and why they matter. You’ll also get some practical advice on ways to boost willpower, develop good habits and break bad ones.
Practical Neuroscience
What is the brain? How does it work? How can I make it stronger?
You’ll learn about awesome experiments that show that the brain can be rewired, remolded and strengthened. You’ll meet someone operating with half a brain (literally), people who built physical strength just by thinking about it, and people who rewired their brains and cured mental illnesses with the power of thought. We’ll cover what you need to know about the brain.
Mind and Body: How Your Mind Makes It Real
Can a sugar-pill cause morphine release? Can hypnosis cure blindness? Can looks kill (literally)? Can getting shot not hurt?
We'll talk about old history and new science developing around "mind-body" medicine, how your mind and brain affect your body in really interesting ways. We'll meet people with paralysis who can regain their movement, and blind people can regain their sight by the power of words. We'll see how the brain can produce pain completely independently of any "physical" cause. We'll discuss theories of how the brain might be involved in diseases like fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome.
If that's not enough, you'll learn about ritual executions that rely on the victim's expectation, and soldiers in WWII who get shot but don't seem to mind.
In short, we'll explore the strange and perplexing frontier where Mind meets Body.
The Science of Willpower
From ancient sages to modern science, we'll talk about this most central of human virtues.
Why don't we do what we want? Why do we procrastinate? Check FB? Eat more than we wanted?
We'll talk about the neuroscience of it, the biochemistry of it, and the practice of it. We've been at this a long time, so you'll hear from the Greeks, Eastern sages, from modern scientists, and willpower Olympians.
-Why your willpower is powered by sugar
-The top exercises proven to increase your willpower
-The crazy scientist who showed that willpower was like a muscle
-People whose willpower puts us all to shame
Whatever it is you want to accomplish, willpower will help you do it. And this class will help you build willpower.
Justice - What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Bank bailouts. Stealing to feed your hungry kid. Lying to save Jews in your basement. Waterboarding. What’s right and what’s wrong? And how do we know?
This will be a crash course in Ethics, the rigorous discipline of determining what’s right. This lost science will be critical for anyone who will have to make decisions in their life.