Podcasts about cosmos the last self help book

Sofia is joined by Fr. Mike Cairnes for a guest episode on living the memory of and desire for Christ. Fr. Mike starts by telling the story of how he fell in love twice, a first time that led him to nihilism and a second that definitively led him to the love of God. Then he and Sofia talk about the struggle against moralism, which is the suffocating reduction of morality into a set of rules. Fr. Mike shares what helps him follow the path of discovering that God's mercy – and not our fight to live up to an ideal – is the center of life. // Our media recommendations are Terrence Malick's film The Tree of Life, Joseph Roth's novella “The Legend of the Holy Drinker”, and Walker Percy's novel “Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book”. And our monthly challenge is to think back through your life year by year and try to identify how God has romanced you. // We'd love to hear from you! Write to us at pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com or find us on Instagram at @pilgrimsoulpodcast. Our website is www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com. // Other resources we mention: - Luigi Giussani's book “Morality: Memory and Desire” - The autobiography of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, “Story of a Soul” - Shia LaBeouf's conversation with Bishop Barron: www.tinyurl.com/ynpf5fb7 - Bruce Marshall's novel “The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith” - Bishop Erik Varden's talk at the 2023 New York Encounter: www.tinyurl.com/yc2jp9ac - Fr. Mike's homilies in podcast form at Church Talk: www.tinyurl.com/4u93p9wa // Our theme music is Nich Lampson's “Dolphin Kicks.” We are part of the Spoke Street media network: check it out at www.spokestreet.com.

Scott and Karl finish their discussion of Walker Percy's 1983 book Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book.  Percy's contribution to the self-help book craze deals with the Western mind's tendency toward heavy abstraction. With that, he invites readers to think about how we communicate with our world. The duo dives into Percy's take on the problem with the self and the way that language works. Karl says, "You can see the cosmos around you but you can also see what it could be... because you have a world that has meaning but it may not be physical."  Does Percy see that ability as a gift or a curse?  Scott warns, "This is a particular kind of book that is not about the blessings of humanness." Tune in for Part Two to hear Scott and Karl's opinion on the matter. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.  

This week, Scott and Karl pick up another book by a recurring guest on the show, Walker Percy. Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book is more of a mock self-help book, designed not to help but to provoke.  Part satire part deadly serious, Percy's goal is to explore ideas of the self and expose the social ills which plague society as a result of "humanity's epic identity crisis."  However, the duo disagrees on how one deals with this problem of introspection. Scott asks, "Do you think it's possible for the mindful person to be introspective and avoid the problem of existentialism?" If you like to both chuckle and think hard, consider picking yourself up a copy, too. Don't forget to tune in next week for Part Two of Scott and Karl's discussion.  This podcast is brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com, a community dedicated to developing classically educated men and women using the Great Books of Western Civilization. 

Life is pretty intense for Paul these days. We present this interview with Megan Levis from the 2019 Society of Catholic Scientists archives, every bit as relevant now as it was then. It was originally presented as two episodes. Megan Levis is a fifth-year graduate student in bioengineering at the University of Notre Dame. The topic of her talk at the annual conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists was “Created in the Image and Likeness of Man.” She described the University’s bioengineering program. Growing what can be deemed the beginnings of a human brain, for purposes of research, invites important ethical considerations. Levis has found resources at and through Notre Dame for deeper study of the responsibilities entailed in such research. She has worked with the John J. Reilly Center on science, technology and values. She has also been part of the Leadership Advancing Socially Engaged Research (LASER) program within the Graduate School. Levis participated in an NSF-supported workshop on engineering design principles of multicellular living systems. Such workshops reflect a growing nationwide interest in the ethical and societal ramifications of rapidly developing technology related to systems of living things. The interest is prompting collaboration among philosophers, scientists, ethicists and engineers. It’s a false dichotomy to separate faith and engineering. Levis said her advisor [Jeremiah Zartman] has been supportive of integrating values-related concerns, and that integration has made her research better. Now that there is an increased focus in bioengineering on the transfer, or translation, of knowledge from the lab bench to hospitals and clinical practice, the assessment of ethical implications is even more important. Organoids are systems built from human cells that begin to look like an organ. In this new field, it’s important to create room for philosophical understanding, but right now the field is dominated by engineers and scientists largely using terms that sound like clunky jargon. Philosophy tells us we need to define our terms better, Levis said. We need better ways to describe what’s going on in accessible ways that allow for ethical thinking. Engineers tend to look at every component in its specifics, but there is value in seeing how one thing is similar to something else so both may come under similar ethical principles. This is the second half of TSSM’s interview with Megan Levis. We talked at greater length about this graduate student’s research and its good fit with values-informed thought, with the Society of Catholic Scientists, and even literature. The Society held its third annual conference at the University of Notre Dame a few months ago. In Megan’s presentation to the scientists at the SCS annual conference, she posed the question: How do you distinguish and exercise ethical responsibilities when something like brain organoids are “made in the image and likeness of man rather than the image and likeness of God.” Organoids are multicellular systems built from brain tissue. Are they just cell cultures or something so akin to the human being—particularly when they are brain organoids—that ethical duties arise out of respect for human dignity? This is a relatively new field where the scientific understanding and moral consideration still must develop in tandem, she explained. A New York Times article touched on some of the questions being raised. Megan’s own main research project as part of her graduate studies at Notre Dame deals with microfluidics. They are devices, a kind of miniature bio-reactor, in which researchers can grow cells and small organs. Her goal is to make it easier and less expensive to make microfluidics that can be used in future research. Here are resources on microfluidics from the journal Nature. Her collaborations in this area came about from her meeting with a leader in microfluidics technology, Dr. Fernando Ontiveros, while they were both attending a previous SCS conference. His team is exploring new applications for microfluidics, such as the growing of organoids. At what point should moral concerns tied to the dignity of the human person “kick in” when dealing with the brain and brain organoids? Where do you as a person reside in the body? The existence of a capacity for rational thought is a conventional scientific benchmark for the existence of personhood, Megan said. There are many theories of the complex brain-mind-body connection with personhood. The human person is a complex creature, not reducible to the brain or body alone. Here’s an exploration of some insights from National Geographic. There is a real role for literature in helping us to explore the many questions that combine operational questions of engineering and more abstract, integrated thinking about persons, Megan says. She recommends renowned author Walker Percy, who explored such subjects in Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. He comments that being a human is inevitably an uncomfortable process involving tensions within our nature. Our culture tends to look to science for answers to the big questions of human nature, but literature and art are pathways to answers too; literature allows us to think without predispositions and suppositions, to discover truths about ourselves and the world that transcend scientifically measurable parts. As Megan put it, the ability to wonder about the world is a gift that is transmitted sometimes through engineering and sometimes through literature and art. Megan has been able to work with Ontiveros while he has done research and prepared journal articles at Notre Dame. With the support of mentors and advisors, she has embraced opportunities at Notre Dame and elsewhere to spend time thinking about faith and science in relationship. She attended a conference with like-minded graduate students interested in these connections. She has appreciated the insights of SCS president Stephen Barr and microbiologist Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP, a speaker at this year’s SCS conference. Barr is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. Austriaco has recorded a podcast available through the Thomistic Institute titled The Science and Practice of Christian Prayer. What does Megan recommend for graduate students and others who want to advance in their bioengineering studies while staying informed and mindful about the faith-related aspects? She highlights the power of community, building friendships and conversations over time with a diverse range of people on similar journeys, including philosophy and science. One can attend relevant lectures and conferences, such as those sponsored by Notre Dame’s De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. She recommends the resources of the Collegium Institute. Building and updating such mindfulness is a long-term process requiring persistence, she adds.

In this installment, co-hosts Jude and John Lovell discuss some of their favorite funny books and writers, from classics of world literature to more contemporary American titles. Short stories, novels, satires and books that defy classification - the common theme here is that one way or another, these are books that will not fail to entertain... or even inspire! BOOKS DISCUSSED/MENTIONED/RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE: From Jude Current read: Moby , Herman Melville Funny books: Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes; Skippy Dies, Paul Murray; The Broom of the System, Girl with Curious Hair, Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace Next read: Get That N____ Off the Field: The Oral History of the Negro Leagues, Art Rust, Jr. From John Current read: Day of the Oprichnik, Vladimir Sorokin Funny books: Various works by Flannery O'Connor and Mark Twain; The Hitchhiker's Guide and Dirk Gently books, Douglas Adams; Homeland and The Ask, Sam Lipsyte; Pastoralia, George Saunders; Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book, Walker Percy; A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole Next read: Out Stealing Horses, Per Pettersen "Parting Gift," short story by Jude Joseph Lovell published by Silver Sage magazine

This is the second half of TSSM’s interview with Megan Levis. We talked at greater length about this graduate student’s research and its good fit with values-informed thought, with the Society of Catholic Scientists, and even literature. The Society held its third annual conference at the University of Notre Dame a few months ago. In Megan’s presentation to the scientists at the SCS annual conference, she posed the question: How do you distinguish and exercise ethical responsibilities when something like brain organoids are “made in the image and likeness of man rather than the image and likeness of God.” Organoids are multicellular systems built from brain tissue. Are they just cell cultures or something so akin to the human being—particularly when they are brain organoids—that ethical duties arise out of respect for human dignity? This is a relatively new field where the scientific understanding and moral consideration still must develop in tandem, she explained. A New York Times article touched on some of the questions being raised. Megan’s own main research project as part of her graduate studies at Notre Dame deals with microfluidics. They are devices, a kind of miniature bio-reactor, in which researchers can grow cells and small organs. Her goal is to make it easier and less expensive to make microfluidics that can be used in future research. Here are resources on microfluidics from the journal Nature. Her collaborations in this area came about from her meeting with a leader in microfluidics technology, Dr. Fernando Ontiveros, while they were both attending a previous SCS conference. His team is exploring new applications for microfluidics, such as the growing of organoids. At what point should moral concerns tied to the dignity of the human person “kick in” when dealing with the brain and brain organoids? Where do you as a person reside in the body? The existence of a capacity for rational thought is a conventional scientific benchmark for the existence of personhood, Megan said. There are many theories of the complex brain-mind-body connection with personhood. The human person is a complex creature, not reducible to the brain or body alone. Here’s an exploration of some insights from National Geographic. There is a real role for literature in helping us to explore the many questions that combine operational questions of engineering and more abstract, integrated thinking about persons, Megan says. She recommends renowned author Walker Percy, who explored such subjects in Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. He comments that being a human is inevitably an uncomfortable process involving tensions within our nature. Our culture tends to look to science for answers to the big questions of human nature, but literature and art are pathways to answers too; literature allows us to think without predispositions and suppositions, to discover truths about ourselves and the world that transcend scientifically measurable parts. As Megan put it, the ability to wonder about the world is a gift that is transmitted sometimes through engineering and sometimes through literature and art. Megan has been able to work with Ontiveros while he has done research and prepared journal articles at Notre Dame. With the support of mentors and advisors, she has embraced opportunities at Notre Dame and elsewhere to spend time thinking about faith and science in relationship. She attended a conference with like-minded graduate students interested in these connections. She has appreciated the insights of SCS president Stephen Barr and microbiologist Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP, a speaker at this year’s SCS conference. Barr is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. Austriaco has recorded a podcast available through the Thomistic Institute titled The Science and Practice of Christian Prayer. What does Megan recommend for graduate students and others who want to advance in their bioengineering studies while staying informed and mindful about the faith-related aspects? She highlights the power of community, building friendships and conversations over time with a diverse range of people on similar journeys, including philosophy and science. One can attend relevant lectures and conferences, such as those sponsored by Notre Dame’s De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. She recommends the resources of the Collegium Institute. Building and updating such mindfulness is a long-term process requiring persistence, she adds.

The hot weather is finally here to stay and so are a few of Barbara Jean’s kids; Mac’s pork butt disaster; Walker Percy would probably not be a fan of John Wick 3, and we would encourage him to be direct and straightforward about that.   Movies & TV: John Wick 3 Catch 22 (Hulu) Good Bones (Hulu)   Books: Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self Help Book by Walker Percy   Other: Just a Catholic Dad Podcast Our product page Rugged Rosaries Preparing to have your shopping done before next advent. Greg and Jennifer’s Podcast Mac’s book! Clueless in Galilee My author page at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/macbarron Greg & Jennifer’s Exceptional Together and Exceptional You programs Please support us through Patreon: patreon.com/cst Find us at catholicinasmalltown.com Our libsyn page where you can find all our old episodes: catholicinasmalltown.libsyn.com   Support Ben on his way to Europe here   Theme song by Mary Bragg.   Our other show: Spoiled! with Mac and Katherine   Our son, Ben’s Youtube channel Our Son Sam’s Youtube channel

Austin Kleon (@austinkleon) woke up one day and realized two things: The world seemed to be filled with more and more anger and distraction every day, and – to make matters worse – consistently doing creative work wasn’t getting any easier. Austin had already written three New York Times bestselling illustrated books. Millions have already learned to Steal Like an Artist – the title of his first book – and they’d learned to put their work out there with Show Your Work. Austin wasn’t sure how much more he had in him. That inspired him to write his new book, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad. In this conversation, you’ll learn: Why making something for yourself is technically making something for someone else. Learn about the many different ways that focusing on your own creative expression can reach others. How can you be a valuable asset to the creators you admire? Austin shares a specific story that shows you why you have more to offer than you might think. What one thing can you do in the morning – or rather, not do – to do your best work yet? Links and resources mentioned Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon Austin Kleon Austin Kleon Newsletter A/B Testing The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax Leave A Message Studs Terkel Radio Archive Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry Honoré de Balzac Seth Godin This is marketing by Seth Godin Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson Stephen King The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien The Complete Tales of Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon Lynda Barry Dan Chaon Saturday Night Live Five-Timers Club Role Models by John Waters Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy Walker Percy’s problems of reentry Frankenstein Ryan Holiday Morning Pages What should be our next Patreon goal? Take our survey at kadavy.net/goals. Free Creative Productivity Toolbox I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me david@kadavy.net.     Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/austin-kleon-podcast/

Michael & Ethan continue discussing Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book, by Walker Percy, drinking Great Northern Distillery's Wisconsin Whiskey. In this episode:​​​​​​​ Meet the newest Batman villain: The Giggler! There is one English major in Michael & Ethan. New segment: Stripping with Michael!  Don't worry, it's PG. Remember when Michael & Ethan were on Dancing with the Stars? They abandon the podcast and surf on their smartphones.  it's an illustration.  Honest. There's no wrong way to say things. Michael giggles about John Calvin. They're bad at math.  They have advanced degrees. Michael covers an intermission with some scat. They have reentry problems when they talk to their wives. They talk about their weddings. Michael provides a recipe.  It's garbage. There's lots of Pig-Latin. Ratings at 1:09:30. Judge Judy's Shortest Case at 1:23:23. Join the discussion!  Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line.  We'd love to hear from you! Next month, we'll read and discuss And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.  Read along, and tell us what you think! Your Hosts: Michael G. Lilienthal (@mglilienthal) and Ethan Bartlett (@bjartlett) "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco.  Used by permission.

Michael & Ethan are in a room, but no Scotch!  Instead, they drink a unique Wisconsin Bourbon while discussing Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book, by Walker Percy. In this episode: Ethan reads the book while Michael is in the bathroom. Michael sets out to break the podcast. The book is ironic. The podcast breaks Michael. Michael is pleased with himself. They yell at the listeners. An historical or a historical? They rhyme words with "think." Ethan gave Walker Percy the idea for the book. Join the discussion!  Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line.  We'd love to hear from you! Come back in two weeks to hear the conclusion of this discussion! Next month, we'll read and discuss And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.  Read along, and tell us what you think! Your Hosts: Michael G. Lilienthal (@mglilienthal) and Ethan Bartlett (@bjartlett) "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco.  Used by permission.

The discussion of Saul Bellow's Ravelstein concludes in this episode, while Michael & Ethan finish their Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.  And they have a lot to say about both.... In this episode:​​​​​​​ Ethan confuses himself with Michael.  It's the worst intro ever. A clarification of the rules makes Michael laugh maniacally. They can't pretend. There's heated debate about the rules. Ethan imports Kierkegaard. Michael finds a loophole. Michael alienates the entire Hoosier audience. Ethan loses Minnesota.  Michael gets it back. Michael loses Wisconsin.  Ethan gets it back. Indiana is definitely gone. There's even more debate about rules. Michael says civil war is okay. Join the discussion!  Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line.  We'd love to hear from you! Next month, the discussion will be on Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book, by Walker Percy.  Read along, and tell us what you think! Your Hosts: Michael G. Lilienthal (@mglilienthal) and Ethan Bartlett (@bjartlett) "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco.  Used by permission.

Michael & Ethan, sipping on some ruby red Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, discuss Saul Bellow's last novel Ravelstein, surprising themselves and one another with all of their thoughts and insights and stupidities. In this episode: Ethan solves Michael's crisis of identity. Ethan tries his hand at "Names with Michael."  Guess how that goes. Their analysis of Ravelstein boils down to: "Seymour: An Introduction, longer and Jewish." Michael has a childish epiphany. Michael & Ethan are dumb. Ethan gets into trouble with his wife. So does Michael. Michael's wife, Sarah, wins the episode. Michael says a sentence that makes Ethan hate him. Ethan gives Michael more work to do. Join the discussion!  Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line.  We'd love to hear from you! Come back in two weeks to hear the conclusion of this discussion! Next month, the discussion will be on Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book, by Walker Percy.  Read along, and tell us what you think! Your Hosts: Michael G. Lilienthal (@mglilienthal) and Ethan Bartlett (@bjartlett) "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco.  Used by permission.