daviddesteno.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

Great piece from @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social on the whole selfishness / empathy is a sin argument. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/o... 1/2

submitted 9 hours ago • 2 comments

Molly Worthen with an insightful piece on charisma and charismatic faiths/spirituality. It’s not as fringe in America as you might think. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

submitted 11 hours ago • 0 comments

The rise of Jordan Peterson & similar influencers among men doesn't stem from their advice & guidance. Those are pretty basic. It's the demand that signifies the crisis men are facing, and society's failings. I talk with Richard Reeves of @aibm.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Does growing secularity play a role in the crisis of meaning men are facing? And if so, can embracing faith, or learning from its emphasis on community, service, and rites-of-passage help men find their way? I talk with Richard Reeves & others podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @aibm.bsky.social 1/2

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

Does growing secularity play a role in the crisis of meaning men are facing? And if so, can embracing faith, or learning from its emphasis on community, service, and rites-of-passage help men find their way? I talk with Richard Reeves & others podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @aibm.bsky.social 1/2

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

There’s a better word for this: shaman!

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Men in the US are facing a crisis of meaning. Many are turning to Christianity for answers. I talk with Richard Reeves, @drmoore.bsky.social & Rasool Berry about how we got here, how religion can help men find their way, and its potential dangers if not done right. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

A great read from @michaelpollan.bsky.social on how psychedelics can help people access the experiential part of religion. There doesn’t need to be a “church” of psychedelics, but rather they can be used within the context of extant traditions to gain transcendence (as other technologies have been).

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

How do faiths based on love and compassion justify violence? From conflict in the Middle East to Christian Nationalism in the US, I urged journalists to understand and write about religion as a technology, not just as a set of beliefs, @wgbh.org media summit. 1/2

submitted 13 days ago • 1 comment

It might not just be a rallying cry. It’s a view panpsychism and many spiritual traditions (including forms of Christianity) set forth. We discuss here 👇🏻

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

How do faiths based on love and compassion justify violence? From conflict in the Middle East to Christian Nationalism in the US, I urged journalists to understand and write about religion as a technology, not just as a set of beliefs, @wgbh.org media summit. 1/2

submitted 13 days ago • 1 comment

Is religion a divider or uniter? Does it stoke empathy or hate? And how can journalists better grapple with its complexity? We discuss👇🏻 m.youtube.com/watch?v=vlg_...

submitted 14 days ago • 1 comment

They might not be embracing traditional religion, but Gen Z is seeking spiritual guidance in a quest for meaning, connection, and support.

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

Are we coddling teens? How can we help their transition to adulthood? To find out, I talk with neuroscientist Leah Somerville and religion scholar Connor Wood about the adolescent brain and how rites of passage can help teens better move into adulthood. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @prx.org

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

Are we coddling teens? How can we help their transition to adulthood? To find out, I talk with neuroscientist Leah Somerville and religion scholar Connor Wood about the adolescent brain and how rites of passage can help teens better move into adulthood. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @prx.org

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

This, more than social media IMHO, is what’s driving the anxiety and depression we see in the younger generation. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/o...

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

When it comes to understanding consciousness, Philip Goff tells me why it’s been so difficult. Our science is designed to exclude consciousness, or at least block different ways to approach understanding it - ways that spiritual traditions have favored. www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

When it comes to understanding consciousness, Philip Goff tells me why it’s been so difficult. Our science is designed to exclude consciousness, or at least block different ways to approach understanding it - ways that spiritual traditions have favored. www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

“Happiness isn’t an optimization problem. It’s the shared work of making a world spacious enough to sustain the many ways free individuals choose to live, and sturdy enough to hold us all together.”-Kwame Anthony Appiah www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/m...

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

This article highlights an underappreciated type of harm from AI products. Many critiques worry about harms to users. A common rebuttal: users enjoy these products, & we ought to respect their autonomy & experiences. But here, AI products harm users' loved ones, who never signed up for this.

submitted 32 days ago • 1 comment

The idea that everything in the world has some form of consciousness might seem like an ancient fairy tale. But it's making a serious comeback. I talk with Philip Goff and Joanna Leidenhag about why we should take it seriously & its links to world religions. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 32 days ago • 1 comment

I'm excited to announce that I just launched my new free online course, The Science of Well-Being for Parents. If you're a mom or dad who wants to feel happier, this class is for you! You can learn more at: www.drlauriesantos.com/parents. And please repost and share! #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

submitted 35 days ago • 0 comments

Turns Out, G.D.P. Doesn’t Buy Happiness www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/o...

submitted 36 days ago • 0 comments

Religion as a symbol, and by that I mean an external marker without a deeper internal practice, always worries me…. To easy to become a label that fosters division or self-righteousness without the humility & empathy practice brings. @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/s...

submitted 37 days ago • 2 comments

Looking forward to talking at the @wgbh.org media summit this week about how religion can divide or unite us in this age of polarization. To understand how religion works, you have to see it as a social technology, not just a way to categorize people or group them into teams.

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

I asked David Brooks if he thinks relying on rationality can get in the way of embracing faith. His answer doesn't reject science & positivism, but speaks to their limitations. It's why I think he's right & scholars like Richard Dawkins & Steven Pinker aren't. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 41 days ago • 0 comments

I asked David Brooks if he thinks relying on rationality can get in the way of embracing faith. His answer doesn't reject science & positivism, but speaks to their limitations. It's why I think he's right & scholars like Richard Dawkins & Steven Pinker aren't. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 41 days ago • 0 comments

Community is good for your health. But Richard Dawkins argues here that people can find it in a golf club or bowling team. Those aren’t bad things, but data show the benefits of religious community are greater for wellbeing.There’s added value. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/s...

submitted 41 days ago • 1 comment

You never know where you'll find faith. For David Brooks, the realization that people had souls hit on the subway. On this week's episode, I talk with David about his journey, what he thinks religion is for, and what role, if any, science has to play. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 42 days ago • 1 comment

You never know where you'll find faith. For David Brooks, the realization that people had souls hit on the subway. On this week's episode, I talk with David about his journey, what he thinks religion is for, and what role, if any, science has to play. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 42 days ago • 1 comment

I wrote about the new color gift link: www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

submitted 43 days ago • 3 comments

Sometimes finding faith can surprise you. On this episode, I talk with David Brooks about his journey to faith, the nature (and science) of spiritual experiences, and what he thinks religion has to offer. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 46 days ago • 1 comment

Americans simply haven’t found a satisfying alternative to religion, Lauren Jackson writes. “Religion can offer beliefs, belonging and behaviors all in one place; it can enchant life; most importantly, it tells people that their lives have a purpose.”

submitted 47 days ago • 564 comments

Sometimes finding faith can surprise you. On this episode, I talk with David Brooks about his journey to faith, the nature (and science) of spiritual experiences, and what he thinks religion has to offer. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

submitted 46 days ago • 1 comment