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Mike Borgonzi breaks down his strategy to rebuild Titans
Tennessee Titans general manager MIke Borgonzi sat down with Taylor Zarzour and broke down how he intends to get the Titans back on track.
Democrat Taylor Rehmet flips a Texas state Senate seat Trump won by 17 points, CNN projects
Democrats notched another victory Saturday in special elections during President Donald Trump’s second term, flipping a seat in the Texas Senate that Trump won by 17 points in 2024.
3 Detroit Lions Who Could Become Cap Casualties
The Detroit Lions could make difficult cap decisions this offseason. Graham Glasgow, Taylor Decker, and David Montgomery are names to watch.
Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Teyana Taylor Among 2026 Grammy Presenters
An additional surprise presenter will be revealed onstage during Sunday night’s ceremony.
“Entertainment Weekly” reveals Breaking Big honorees for 2026 SCAD TVfest
Sean Kaufman ("For All Mankind"), Michelle Randolph ("Landman"), Amirah J ("High Potential"), and Taylor Dearden ("The Pitt") will speak on a panel moderated by EW's Gerrad Hall.
Tenor Health's acquisition of Moses Taylor, Regional and Wilkes-Barre General hospitals gets OK by state, foundation executive says
Music notes: Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding and more
The video for Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams" — the fifth single from her album 1989 — has become her latest to rack up 1 billion views on YouTube. It's her sixth video to hit that milestone, following “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “You Belong With Me,” “Bad Blood” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”
My internship mapping toxic microbes: The power of community in coastal health monitoring
Hello! I’m Taylor Hart, a 2024 NOAA Hollings scholar studying earth system science with a minor in biological sciences at the University of California, Irvine. This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to intern at the National Coastal Centers for Ocean Science Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina! My research was focused on mapping the dis
Musetti beats Fritz to set up Djokovic quarter-final
Lorenzo Musetti produces a dominant display to beat Taylor Fritz and set up an Australian Open quarter-final against 10-time winner Novak Djokovic.
ESPN Drops Bombshell Prediction on Lions Veteran Taylor Decker
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz predicts the Detroit Lions could cut longtime left tackle Taylor Decker this offseason due to age, injuries, and declining 2025 metrics.
Australian Open recap: Stan Wawrinka waves goodbye with aplomb on scorching Day 7
Wawrinka, 40, may have lost to Taylor Fritz but showed what a Grand Slam farewell can be.
Patriots release veteran defensive end Darrell Taylor from practice squad
Darrell Taylor arrived ahead of the AFC divisional round.
Unheralded defensive tackle pair giving Patriots key push up front
Durden and Taylor rank near the top of the league in pass rush win rate.
Basha star repeats as Gatorade Girls Cross Country Player of the Year
For the second consecutive year, Chandler Basha's Taylor Drewry is the Arizona Gatorade Girls Cross Country Player of the Year for 2025-26.
Everton add Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor to extensive striker shortlist
Everton have added Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor to their extensive striker shortlist.According to the Mirror’s Ryan Taylor, the Toffees have made an ‘informal enquiry’ about the Frenchman’s av...
Taylor Swift, Kenny Loggins, members of Kiss and more get into Songwriters Hall of Fame
Taylor Swift, Kenny Loggins and Kiss founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley make up the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees.
The only thing limiting Taylor Swift’s popularity is partisan polarization
Although she’s the world’s reigning pop star, attitudes toward Swift are split markedly along both partisan and gender lines.
Taylor Swift wore our product
Aliett Buttelman explains how Taylor Swift wearing Fazit's glitter freckles helped the brand generate over $1 million in sales in 48 hours.
Ex-Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene rips the president's endorsements, saying they 'solidify the swamp'
Ex-Trump ally, former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, issued a scathing critique of President Donald Trump's endorsement track record.
Ben Affleck reveals the actress Leonardo DiCaprio privately raved to him about
'The Rip' star Ben Affleck says Leonardo DiCaprio and Paul Thomas Anderson have both privately raved to him about working with Teyana Taylor on 'One Battle After Another.' He stars with the recent Golden Globe winner in 'The Rip,' now streaming on Netflix.
Four Eagles Headed to the Senior Bowl
Lewis Bond, Logan Taylor, Jude Bowry, and Quintayvious Hutchins have all accepted invitations to this year’s Senior Bowl. The Panini Senior Bowl is the premier post-season college all-star game, played in Mobile, Alabama and widely viewed as the first step in the NFL Draft process and the last time the more than 900 NFL personnel […]
Who’s running for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s old seat?
The floodgates have opened for candidates running to represent former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district in northwest Georgia.
Purdue University Northwest announces new dean of the College of Business
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) has announced David G. Taylor will serve as the Teddy Jacobi Dean of the PNW College of Business, effective July 1, 2026. Taylor was selected through a national search process.
The Biggest Taylor Sheridan Controversies, Explained
Sheridan has rankled viewers and critics, and he even had a legal tussle with one of his ‘Yellowstone’ stars.
From Washington: Congress Kicks Off 2026 With Debates Over Health Care, War Powers, and ICE
The Republicans' slim majority in the House of Representatives took a significant blow with the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa and the retirement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, shrinking it to 118-113 with the midterms less than a year away. The developments come as the party is showing signs of divisi
Bengals' Duke Tobin defends front office after disappointing season
Duke Tobin did make one change in the wake of a disappointing 6-11 season by the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals director of player personnel did an end of the season availability on Friday to discuss missing the postseason for the third straight season, instead of waiting three weeks until the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, to discuss the state of the team. Tobin's news conference also came four days after owner and president Mike Brown announced Tobin and coach Zac Taylor would remain in place for another season.
Greater Cleveland Partnership's small business group names new board chair
Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), the small business group of Greater Cleveland Partnership, has named a new board chair. Taylor Evans, the president of Rust Belt Recruiting, took the position this month, succeeding Cheryl Perez, CEO of Cheryl C Perez Brand of Companies, who finished her two-year term with the group. Evans steps into the role following a long history with COSE, initially joining the organization in the summer of 2018 and becoming a board member six months later, the organization said in a news release."Taylor has an incredible passion for small business," Megan Kim, executive director of COSE, said in an emailed statement to Crain's. "He is equally invested in the growth of his own business and the business community in Greater Cleveland. He is well connected, collaborative, and a natural leader."
Marjorie Taylor Greene joins 'The View' after dumping Trump, Congress
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared on "The View" on Jan. 7, after she upset President Donald Trump with her debut on the daytime hit.
Racing Louisville signs Taylor White
Racing Louisville reinforces the front line with forward Taylor White.
Marjorie Taylor Greene's puzzling political transformation, explained
Once a fierce advocate for Trump and his MAGA base, Greene has broken with the president and resigned from Congress. New Yorker writer Charles Bethea discusses Greene's past — and what may lie ahead.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 5-year congressional career ends today
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's final day in office comes after a high-profile and often controversial five years in Congress. We look at five highlights of her tenure.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s requiem for MAGA
Why an “America First” true believer is giving up.
10 Famous Celebrities And Their Forgotten First Cars
From David Beckham's Ford Escort Mk5 to Taylor Swift's pink Chevy Silverado, these are a few famous examples of celebrities' first cars.
'Sick and tired.' MTG calls Venezuela strike betrayal of MAGA
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's comments reflect a growing chasm in Congress over the president’s actions in Venezuela.
Lake Chelan Health Hospital Welcomes First Baby of the New Year - Lake Chelan News and Information
Taylor Owyn Denney was born on New Year's Day information released, pictured are Kaitlynn and Daytin Denney with baby Taylor alongside Juliana England, OB Labor and Delivery nurse and manager While many in the community were still sleeping in after ringing in the New Year, the Labor and Delivery team at Lake Chelan Health Hospital was already
Miles Taylor on Trump’s Iran threat: ‘He thinks he doesn’t need Congress’
Dealmakers 2025: Taylor Swift and Paramount to a Rapper’s Presidential Pardon, the Power Players Behind the Year’s Seismic Showbiz Shakeups
Dealmakers 2025: Taylor Swift and Paramount Skydance to a Rapper's Presidential Pardon, the Power Players Behind the Year’s Seismic Showbiz Shakeups
‘Landman’ Star Ali Larter Details Intense Vibe on Taylor Sheridan Set
She bonded with costar Michelle Randolph in the 'high-pressure' environment.
From Mormon wives to stars in space, ridiculous pop culture moments from 2025
From Taylor Swift's rated-R anthem to JoJo Siwa's unexpected love triangle, celebrity culture was full of surprises in 2025.
‘Grinch’ Star Taylor Momsen Sports Original Costume 25 Years Later
Taylor Momsen, who played a young Cindy Lou Who in the 2000 film “The Grinch,” is getting into the Christmas spirit (literally) by sporting her original costume 25 years later. “It still… kind of… fits,” she wrote.
Entertainment venues merge into one space
BY KADIE TAYLOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA — Axe Marks the Spot and the Opelika Rage Room are teaming up to provide one location for community fun. With the renovations completed, the business owners are working to reorganize and best accommodate customer fun in the shared space. “I talked with Alex from Rage Room, and we […]
Pop culture in 2025: A ring for Taylor, an ill-timed KissCam ... and whatever ‘6-7’ means
In a year of pop culture moments, some things were old and some things were very new.
Orioles Continue Hot Offseason, Improve Rotation With Impact Trade
The Baltimore Orioles have had one of the most active and successful offseasons in Major League Baseball, having already added Pete Alonso, Ryan Helsley, and Taylor Ward to their roster entering Friday. Even so, Orioles PBO Mike Elias has remained under intense pressure to fill Baltimore’s most glaring need: starting pitching. Baltimore has two talented […]
Taylor Swift addresses politics briefly in Eras Tour docuseries
The comment appears during a behind-the-scenes look at the tour's final U.S. shows days before the 2024 election.
Fort Smith business leader John Taylor has died - Talk Business & Politics
John Taylor, who built a successful career in accounting and investments and had a key role in the creation of the Fort Smith-based Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE), has...
Taylor Swift gives an ‘early gift’ to fans this holiday season
Apparently dropping the first two episodes of her Disney+ docuseries the day before her birthday wasn’t enough of a gift from Taylor Swift to her fans.
Taylor Swift Put a ‘Curse’ on Chiefs, Says NFL Star
Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua drew attention this week by blaming Taylor Swift for the Kansas City Chiefs’ collapse. The remark came on social media when the Chiefs confirmed an early exit from playoff contention. The conversation also dived deeper into injuries this season and what comes next for the franchise, including Travis Kelce. […] The post Taylor Swift Put a ‘Curse’ on Chiefs, Says NFL Star appeared first on Mandatory.
ACLU Condemns House Passage of Bill to Criminalize Transgender Health Care | American Civil Liberties Union
WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives voted 216-211 to pass a bill sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene that would criminalize the...
Marjorie Taylor Greene warns the “dam is breaking” in the GOP and slams Trump for being tone deaf on multiple issues
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday slammed President Donald Trump for his comments on the murders of Rob and Michele Reiner, as she predicted more Republicans will follow her lead in breaking with Trump.
The Taylor Swift docuseries finally turned me into a Swiftie
“The End of an Era” on Disney+ goes deep into the star’s humanity.
This Disappointing Western Drama Is Still A Top Show On Netflix Right Now
Other shows trending this week include HBO Max's hit "It" prequel and a Taylor Swift tour docuseries.
Marjorie Taylor Greene announces engagement to pro-Trump media figure
Retiring George Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Monday her engagement to Brian Glenn, a pro-Trump pundit who works for Real America’s Voice, the far-right news network Real America’s Voice.
Marjorie Taylor Greene blasts Trump, Reiner's death 'not about politics'
'This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies,' Greene, a Republican and long-time Trump ally, wrote in a separate post on X.
Taylor Hall with a Powerplay Goal vs. Philadelphia Flyers
From Taylor Swift to Star Wars, shop USA TODAY's top entertainment books
Discover USA TODAY’s top entertainment books of 2025 for pop culture fans and music lovers.
Shop Taylor Swift-Worn Brand Forme
Shop Taylor Swift-worn activewear brand Forme. We rounded up the best Forme pieces you can buy online, including the best-selling Forme power bra
Fintech, AI Very Strong in UK: British Business Bank CEO
The UK economy is at risk of its first quarterly contraction since Labour returned to power, after growth disappointed again by shrinking ahead of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves' tax-raising budget. Can the UK's tech sector come to the rescue? British Business Bank CEO Louis Taylor weighs in with Ed Ludlow and Caroline Hyde to discuss on "Bloomberg Tech." (Source: Bloomberg)
Taylor Swift gave her Eras Tour crew bonuses in amounts that literally made their jaws drop
In the new Eras Tour docuseries, Taylor Swift distributes bonuses and handwritten letters to her dancers, musicians, and crew members.
Unlike Taylor Swift, I argue with my partner every day. We've been together for 30 years.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's claim they never argue. I've been married for 30 years and I fight daily with my partner. It's healthier this way.
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Ensemble? Forme Science
Taylor Swift was seen in her latest Eras Tour documentary wearing Forme Science's Power Bra. We're debreifing on the bra and where you can buy it now.
Breonna Taylor's mother pushes for federal ban on no-knock warrants
The legislation is named after Palmer’s daughter, Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police in 2020.
According to 'Forbes,' Taylor Swift is the most powerful woman in entertainment
Who's the most powerful woman in media and entertainment? It's not the head of a TV network or a movie studio — it's Taylor Swift.That's according to Forbes, which has published its annual list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women, based on four main metrics: money, media, impact and spheres of influence. Taylor comes in at #21 on the list, which makes her the highest-ranked, and therefore the most powerful, woman in the Media & Entertainment category.
DC Wrap: Trump insults Marjorie Taylor Greene after '60 Minutes' interview
Also, Trump announces aid to help farmers, and the Supreme Court seems poised to expand the president's powers
NBC's Maria Taylor to be honored at 2026 Sports Power Brunch awards
In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, NBC's Maria Taylor dished on the Sports Power Brunch and how women now hold the power in sports.
HR giant SHRM faces blowback after a 'nuclear' $11.5 million employee discrimination verdict. Its CEO called it a 'blip.'
After the verdict came down, SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor addressed employees in a video, saying the judgment lacked merit.
Marjorie Taylor Greene highlights Trump’s cavalier attitude toward political threats
One of the most striking comments from the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot came from Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska. Citing private conversations with senior White House officials, the then-senator said President Donald Trump was confused as the riot was touching off.
‘You contributed to that’: Marjorie Taylor Greene spars with ‘60 Minutes’ host over role in ‘toxic political culture’
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene defended her past remarks in a tense interview with Lesley Stahl, following her announcement that she would resign from Congress.
What did Marjorie Taylor Greene say in '60 Minutes' interview?
The controversial Georgia representative who severed ties with Donald Trump defended her move to leave office in a '60 Minutes' interview.
Morgan McGarvey, Rand Paul to reintroduce bill banning no-knock warrants
The new effort comes after previous attempts to pass the federal bill, named the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, have failed.
Jonathan Taylor: "Devastating" to lose Daniel Jones
Jones tore his Achilles in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars.
Lesley Stahl challenges Taylor Greene about her past incendiary rhetoric
Marjorie Taylor Greene spars with '60 Minutes' host over 'toxic' politics
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green pressed "60 Minutes" host Lesley Stahl over her "accusatory" behavior during her first sit-down interview.
Marjorie Taylor Greene defiant since announcing resignation after falling-out with Trump
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stood defiant in her first interview since announcing her resignation from Congress, making clear she’s not afraid to speak out on the issues that made President Donald Trump “furious” with her, including her support for releasing all files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Two restaurateurs team to open eatery on New Milford’s Main Street, offering ‘sophisticated comfort’
“There’s no other spot like this in New Milford," co-owner Tyrone "Ty" Taylor said of Zaza's on Main.
Taylor University basketball fans storm court as part of iconic...
Thousands of Taylor University students stormed the basketball court as part of the prestigious school's cherished -- yet chaotic -- annual "Silent Night" Christmas tradition on Friday night.
NFL odds, lines, spreads: Week 14 predictions, best picks today
SportsLine's model simulates every game 10,000 times and reveals NFL picks
K-State AD Gene Taylor rips state of college sports after football coach Chris Klieman's retirement
Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor was vocal in his criticism of college sports on Wednesday, blaming it in part for driving football coach Chris Klieman into retirement.
Exclusive | Lawrence Taylor delivers message to Abdul Carter
When Lawrence Taylor speaks, Giants fans listen. And so should Abdul Carter.
Zac Taylor gives health updates on Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson
Zac Taylor provided the latest updates on several key players ahead of the Bengals upcoming game against the Bills
From Barton to Breakthrough Science
Dr. Taylor Medlock-Lanier, Class of 2020, has spent the last five years in her lab at the University of Georgia surrounded by containers of planarians—tiny flatworms with an extraordinary superpower. Cut one in half, and within a week, it will regrow its missing parts, including its entire brain. She’s been asking these tiny creatures a
Science must move from materialism to mystery
Theoretical physicist and neuroscientist Àlex Gómez-Marín argues that modern science has become trapped in a framework that mistakes matter for the whole of reality. In this wide-ranging interview, Gómez-Marín challenges the foundations of materialism, defends the scientific study of near-death experiences, and calls for a new type of science grounded in mystery and a renewed sense of the sacred. He suggests that abandoning materialism could open the door to a deeper understanding of consciousness, death, and the purpose of human existence. Simon Custer: You are both a theoretical physicist and a neuroscientist, and you have also been fiercely critical of materialist theories of mind and consciousness. What do you think the ultimate nature of reality is?Àlex Gómez-Marín: I don't know what the ultimate nature of reality is, but what I try to first assess is whether the stories that they [mainstream science] have told us about it are right, or maybe whether there are other alternatives. That's why I've been a fierce critic of materialism. As a scientist, I realized that they had sold us this idea that to be a good scientist you also had to subscribe to many other -isms, like materialism, reductionism, and even secularism. And so first I think one needs to unmount these -isms, and then, as is happening today in consciousness studies, we have a huge landscape where there isn't only one game in town, the idea that matter is the only thing that really exists. But because we are studying the hard problem of consciousness, it may be the case that other views of reality, like idealism, or even dualism, or other theories like dual aspect monism... these are philosophical ideas that now, I think, have room in science to be taken seriously. How does something like materialism relate to dualism or idealism? What is materialism in the first place?Well, materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the only really ‘real’ thing in the universe. And I think that worked kind of well because science started 400 years ago and Galileo made that split, I call it the foundational wound. It was a great business move.He said, let's start doing science on that portion of reality that lends itself more easily to mathematization and measurement. So, for some reason, the solidity of this table or the movement of planets lend themselves very well to this foundational idea of science. But as time went on, 400 years later, we realized that we had forgotten the other side, which is what really matters.What really matters is pain, is love, is feelings, sensation, consciousness, which is very hard to define, but very intimate. We all know what it is. It's that thing that disappears when we go into deep sleep and comes back in the morning. SUGGESTED VIEWING On the edges of knowledge With Michael Shermer, Rupert Sheldrake, Güneş Taylor It's what it is like to be, as Nagel said. It's the feeling of being alive. So, materialism is good to study certain things, but then when it ossifies into this ideology and then is dressed like science, now it's preventing us from understanding these key questions that are really that everybody wants to know.Why are we here? Why do we feel reality? Where do we go when we die? And so we need other ways. We need pluralism. I'm only asking for having more options on the table and taking them seriously. Why does materialism fail to explain consciousness? For example, if you were to lobotomize me, I would not be a functional human being. What do you say to someone who might think that materialism adequately explains the mind?Well, here we could speak about different things. We could talk about physics or about neuroscience. I happen to have training with both.For instance, for neuroscientists, 99% of them, I'm not included in that portion, believe that the brain can only be a productive organ. It's an organ that somehow, somewhere, consciousness emerges. It's like a lamp. And then something happens, magic happens, and then consciousness emerges.That's the position you need to be if you're a materialist because if the only really ‘real’ thing is matter, then you need to say, just give us some more time and money and we'll figure out how mind emerges or is produced from matter. There are many philosophically sophisticated ways of criticizing this.Now there's another option, which is the brain as a permissive organ. This was said by William James more than 100 years ago.Now then the brain wouldn't be like this machine, like for instance, a heat engine whose smoke is consciousness, which is what we would have in the first big model, the productive model. But in the permissive model, the brain would be a kind of a filter. And so the brain would still have a very important role in consciousness, but it wouldn't be a productive role.It would be permissive, much like a filter or much like a prism which would receive light. And - I'm speaking metaphorically - it would receive the light of the mind and then it could reflect it and refract it.Now, with these two big options on the table, I think we can make progress into what I call the edges of consciousness, which are all these experiences, weird experiences that many people have, but we don't talk about enough, like near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, synchronicities. These experiences are very important for humans and they have a place in the permissive hypothesis and they are literally impossible in the productive hypothesis. So that's yet one more reason to explore alternatives to materialism. There may be anecdotal evidence for near-death experiences, but is there robust evidence that would be accepted by the majority of scientists who subscribe to the scientific method?Sure. And the plural of anecdotes, someone said, is data.And there's a lot of data. Actually, this year is the 50th anniversary, half a century, since Dr. Raymond Moody realized that we have two ears and one mouth and started listening to what his patients had to say about their experiences while they were clinically dead.The heart had stopped, breathing had stopped in these patients. These patients would come back and tell him these amazing stories that some people may say are hallucinations, but for the patients were hyper-real, like seeing light at the end of the tunnels, seeing deceased family members waiting for them, feeling bliss.___I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain.___And so he and others started taking them seriously and writing their accounts down. And then you can do a science based on that material of experience that people have. Now, on the more objective side, more recently people have started to measure what's going on in the brain when people are clinically dead and brought back. This has opened a proper field of study, which is near-death studies.Evidence is a difficult word, because sometimes people think that when you say evidence, this is just the final proof. Evidence is like in a jury. You bring testimony, you bring pieces of data that point in one direction or another.I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain. When brains are broken or shut off, there can still be mind going on. And that's revolutionary.That would entail that when we die, it's not game over, which, by the way, is the thesis of materialism. If consciousness survives, materialism dies. It's game over for materialism if something of us continues after we die. Do you think that there is mental continuity after death?Well, I think so, and I believe so, and I could also say I may have experienced it myself, because four years ago I had a near-death experience. I was in the hospital, I lost a lot of blood, and I saw those beings at the end of the tunnel, three beings, and there was yellow light. I was in a well, I was looking upwards, and I hadn't read about NDEs by then, but when I came back from this experience, I decided I would try to integrate this also in my professional life. Not just my personal life, of course, but my professional life as a physicist and as a neuroscientist. So I may have had the experience of glimpses of what an afterlife would be, and I'm not ashamed to say it in this way, and then one can do science of it, and then one can do philosophy of it.One can think about what -isms we were discussing, what views on reality would allow those experiences to be really ‘real,’ as opposed to, well, poor guy, the brain was kind of broken, it must have been a hallucination. Do you have a view about whether individuality or “the ego” persists after death, or whether we sort of merge into some sort of cosmic consciousness instead?I don't know, but my view would be along those lines you're suggesting. I think we could speak about a kind of universal mind, and then the problem is not how we emerge from matter, but how we fragment from a more holistic consciousness into these individual eddies and then when we die, this kind of dissipates.But I'm not sure. For instance, idealism would promote that view, but then what would survive of us after these eddies just vanish and become again the big Consciousness, I'm not sure what that would be. I don't know for sure, but I would tell you I believe something of us survives.And there are other lines of research, not just near-death experience, that can address this really hard question of survival. For instance, there are children who remember previous lives. This was studied by Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia for more than 50 years.___Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.___It's amazing research. He went all over the world, especially in the East, and collected all these case studies, all these stories. In plural, these were data of kids, very young age, who would describe up to 40 items that then he could go and verify.There was no internet. There was really no way the kid could know. Why would the kid say that when I was living in this other body and I was a woman and that's how my house would look like or that's how I would die, right? Again, there is evidence, not proof, but there's evidence not only that something weird and interesting is happening as we cross the threshold, but also when we come back to this life.Scientists should not be afraid of studying this, but they are because there's stigma. There's usually stigma upon the enigma, and this is so unfortunate. And one of the reasons is because of the ideology of materialism, because those things cannot be possible. What is wrong with the politics of science such that they have generated this stigma?So many things. Science is a human activity to begin with.So it falls prey to all our passions and ego and greed. That's one thing. Science is a job for the good and for the bad.You need to get a salary. You need to get grants. Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.And then, we didn't have time to unpack this, but science for many years become entangled, as I was suggesting before, to other -isms, materialism, secularism. So anything that smells like the afterlife, people may think has to do with God, and then they freak out.Anything that suggests that there's something about the mind that may not need a physical material substrate to exist, it smells like non-materialism. So, all these -isms are ideologically blocking that kind of research, and then there are all these sociopolitical constraints as to what should be studied and what shouldn't be studied.I call it the backstage of science. Sometimes we scientists or science communicators seem to speak as if the data is the only thing that matters. We say, well, data and theory.But then there's a third leg of this stool, which is all the politics that goes behind the scenes. And we often don't speak about this, and it's quite vicious and petty, and it's very real. Why is materialism so attractive to most scientists?Well, an easy answer is because we've grown up with it.It's what the educational system promotes, and that's what you hear when you go to university. So it's like growing in a culture. It feels like the air in which you breathe.So it's very hard to begin with to detect, well, maybe there's another alternative. Maybe there are other ways of doing science, other environments in which one could do science. That's one reason.And other reasons maybe are more profound, and I'm not qualified to explain them, but I could say, looking at this 400-year history of science, since it started around 1623 with Galileo's book The Assayer, that science went and coupled with all what's going on in the West.And so the fall of religion, you could say, and science presented us this new alternative that then could be coupled very well with other -isms, and this idea of growth, and then science losing its good twin brother, which was philosophy. There's a whole natural history of science starting as philosophy, kind of emancipating or breaking out from philosophy, and then marrying technology, and then marrying other social systems.From that point of view, materialism is a very convenient idea to propose. There were attempts, like the German idealists tried to do a more romantic science. But no, the idea prevailed, like Francis Bacon said: You should pursue nature through all her corners, he said, and make her spill her secrets.Our attitude towards nature in the science that dominates is very much reflecting how we treat nature in our society, in our culture, like a resource to extract secrets by force and then dominate it. How is materialism related to the notions of growth and progress? What's wrong with having a productive citizenry?This is another very interesting and very difficult question to answer.But there's this recent book coming out by Paul Kingsnorth. In it, he explains this idea of the machine and this idea of progress. And this, again, this conflation of more is better, of we need to go forward always, and convincing us that the way to do that is to continually extract more from nature. But because we don't have the religious context anymore, because God is dead, then what do we have? We have what we can do as humans with our own gadgets.It's kind of the story of the Promethean fire. We will just build anything to make ourselves God.A good example today is transhumanism. Transhumanism is this pseudo-religion dressed in technoscientific language whose goal is very religious. They promise immortality, they promise redemption, they promise transformation of the entire natural world, but it's done by human means through technology. Are you suggesting that we can't have ethics without religion?Well, we should have ethics with or without religion. That's another pruning that has happened in science. We say, forget about aesthetics, although some physicists still think that beautiful means probably true, and forget about politics. We pretend there's no backstage of science, and even let's forget about ethics.___Science needs to be in the service of mankind.___Scientists, when they become more like engineers, they're just thinking how to make things work so that they can go to the moon, go to Mars, make machines that think, but they don't think whether that's a good idea.And also consider metaphysics. Many scientists for a long time pretended, and maybe that comes from the stream of positivisms, that really one doesn't need metaphysics at all, except that materialism is always the metaphysics running the system.You see, it's not just ethics. It's the pruning of all of these, you could say, five main legs of philosophy that just makes a kind of unconscious science, a science that doesn't really know what it's doing. It's doing it very well locally, but it just doesn't know what it's doing globally. Do you think science has to have an ultimate vision and purpose behind it for it to be effective or for it to be meaningful and transformative?Yes, a way I would say that is that science needs to be in the service of mankind. And it hasn't been that. And we can see it through, you know, when we discovered the secrets of the atom, and all of a sudden, the Manhattan Project, and then we create nuclear weapons.And now we're trying to crack how machines may think, and now we're creating this mess, right? So science needs to be in service of mankind, not in service of a few ideas that maybe want to make more money or just dominate upon nature. What about planes, trains, automobiles, and modern medicine? Hasn't science served mankind by helping us develop those technologies?Yes and no. I see where you're going, and it's fair.I came here by plane, and it's a blessing. When I almost died, the surgeons did their job, and they saved my life. But these two forced choices between Luddites and Silicon Valley types, I think, of course, it's a false dichotomy.Progress, in a way, it's good, but we often don't speak about the dark side of the moon. We say the great things that progress has brought, and we don't speak about the disasters, the side effects that it has come with, and the same when we promise new technologies. We tend to think that any technology is great, that email is going to save us so much time because we don't need to write letters and send them anymore.Is that true? I spend so many hours a week writing emails. Let's just say there are great things about it and bad things about it. People like Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, for example, argue that we've made moral progress over time because of the Enlightenment. Do you think that's totally wrong-headed?I think he's emphasizing a side of the moon, and he does that very well, and you can find tons of plots where there's a slope going up and say it's great. But I think he should also tell the not-so-friendly story.But if your ideology is just to resist and continue to explain that the Enlightenment is the best thing ever and reason is the best thing ever… this feels to me like you're worshipping these abstractions.I'm very critical of it and also of these, again, science communicators and scientists that say, Oh, science says, in the name of science, experts say. It's like, come on, let's be careful because we can shoot ourselves in the foot by putting forth to the people an image of science that we know is not really true. Recently there's been a resurgence of spirituality and of people who say that they're spiritual but not religious, especially in the United States. If materialism is going away, what is going to fill that gap? Are we going to return to traditional religion? Do you see that being connected with the rise of the political right?I'm not a fortune teller, so I don't know what's going to happen. But, yeah, we could say we're in this post-materialist age and even post-secular age. One cannot come back to the past, but maybe just to contact with the roots is a good idea.What do I mean by that? I think we need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method. We need to do so in a culture where we realize humans cannot thrive in a vacuum where there's this idea that the sacred has to be removed.Now, how do we do that without bringing in back all the vices of religion? I don't know. I'm from a Catholic country.Here we are in England, so there are differences and interreligious dialogue has always been a challenge. But I think maybe a way of putting it is: after all these conflicts and branchings I was quickly alluding to, science from philosophy and then also from religion, now there's a time of reconciliation perhaps and maybe debates in the proper sense, like exchange of ideas in service of learning and getting into something higher than both poles. We need science to talk to religious people and it's interesting when people say they're spiritual and not religious.I think this is just a way of saying, no, I don't want to go back, I want to go forward. But at the end of the day, religions have offered us practices and grounding that we now desperately need. Everybody can and should just meditate or pray or do whatever they want, but we're in a crisis and it's time for reconciliation. What do you say to critics that say you are merely projecting our need for meaning onto a fundamentally indifferent universe?Yeah, I know that the typical science communicator says something like this. But we're not projecting. Human beings feed on meaning.It's the other way around. If you're a materialist, because the only thing that there is is matter, all that comes next, free will, consciousness, meaning, this is a kind of illusion that we need to explain.They're just craving for meaning, but there isn't really for them. I would also like to remind my materialist friends that for decades, if not centuries, they've said in the name of science, we know that this and this and this doesn't really exist. I think now they sense they're forced to say, well, actually, we don't know. We've been saying, for instance, that there's nothing after you die, and now probably they need to admit that they don't know the answer.___We need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method.___So it's a moment to open up possibilities and also to gently but fiercely critique these claims that I think harm society. If you say in the name of science, get on with it, when your father dies, you'll never see him again. Well, what the F do you know about it? You haven't studied the literature, you haven't had any of those experiences, and basically what you're doing is you're just doing marketing on ideology. This needs to stop. Do you think that it's scarier for some people to entertain the thought that there might be life after death, compared to a materialist worldview where you just die, given that there might be consequences for unsavory behaviour?Well, death and dying is scary. It's maybe the ultimate ending. It's a limit on life, and when we're in this conquest mode, we don't like limits.And it also has, there's a shockwave backwards, so I think if you change your notion of what death is or may be, you live differently. It also has consequences, as you're saying, for the future because this is not our only goal here and we come back in whatever form. And again, different religions would say different things. I the East, they are more happy with the idea of reincarnation, and here in the West, there are other preferences. But in any case, it changes how we live, and that's really what matters.It's not about just projecting or imagining what we'll be after, but how we live now and also how we treat those who are dying. So it goes from the individual to the families, to the hospitals.Now in the near-death research I do, this has ramifications at all these levels, all the way to society.But our society is thanatophobic. It has a phobia of death. We don't want to hear about death, and this is another thing we need to put on the table and be willing to talk about it. Do you think that we might get closer to answering ultimate questions like why is there anything at all if we jettison materialism?That’s an excellent question, Simon. Two things: we should stop treating reality, I believe, as a great sudoku, as an enigma, as something that with intelligence, money, and time that we will crack and instead treat reality more like a mystery. And what you do for in front of a mystery is not to be the clever guy in a class and say “I’ll solve you” but more like “I will bow and you will transform me.”I know this sounds a bit like a scientist speaking like a mystic. But I think this reorientation is needed. In the end, we won’t crack the big questions, but they will transform us. If we free ourselves from this prison of materialism, the way we will explore these questions will be freer, more creative, and in service of mankind. Do you think exploring mystery is the reason why we are here?I think we are here because, and this pseudo-theological argument I’m making off the cuff, But the One, the Absolute, if there is such a thing, had everything except limitation. We are that absolute experiencing that contingency. It’s like an act of divine proprioception. It’s a wonderful adventure, it’s just incredible to be alive. Perhaps we have forgotten why we are here and the whole point is to experience the flesh.Let me end by saying this. I criticize materialism harshly. I bang on this dead horse, because I think it’s dead. But matter is a great mystery. So maybe my invitation is as follows: hey materialist friends, come here, let’s work on materialism 2.0! Consciousness is a mystery, but matter is also a mystery. The fact that we can have an intersubjective experience consensus, the fact that we can apply mathematics, that we can measure things... the physical world we take for granted, but it is a great mystery too.Maybe that’s related to your last question: why are we here? Why did spirit decide to incarnate? Being in the flesh may be a great thing if spirit decided to do so.Àlex Gómez-Marín, thank you very much.My pleasure.
Jets takeaways, report card from NFL Week 13 win over Falcons
Takeaways from the Jets’ 27-24 victory over the Falcons.