Belief and Awesomeness
Presentation Description: The universe is awesome. And so are we, mere mortal humans that we are. How should all this awesomeness influence what we believe and why we believe it? In this presentation, we'll consider the phenomenon of near-death experiences as a way to get at these questions. Along the way, we'll have the opportunity to consider other questions, too, such as: Are religion and science compatible? What makes for a satisfying explanation? How might a book contract feed malarkey?
Bio: Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin, Ph.D., is Director of the Teaching and Learning Center and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Mitchell-Yellin has published a book, Near-Death Experiences: Understanding Visions of the Afterlife, and dozens of articles for academic and general audiences on a variety of topics, including immortality, meaning in life, values, agency, racism, and teaching in the age of generative AI. He received a B.A. in Creative Writing and Literature from the Residential College at the University of Michigan, M.A. in Philosophy from Boston College, and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of California, Riverside, where he also served as a postdoc on the Immortality Project.
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