Ep154: Faith And Science - Dr Jonathan Lunine, Shinzen Young, & Chelsey Fasano

Special guest Dr Jonathan Lunine, distinguished American planetary scientist and physicist, joins the ongoing discussion with: - Shinzen Young, meditation teacher and neuroscience research consultant - Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience student Dr Lunine is the David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences and Chair of the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University. Dr Lunine has published over 380 research papers and is at the forefront of research into planet formation, evolution, and habitability. Dr Lunine’s work includes the Cassini mission to Saturn, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Juno Mission to Jupiter. Dr Lunine is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has participated in and chaired advisory and strategic planning committees for the Academy and for NASA. In this episode, the group question the compatibility of faith and science, explore the writings of St Thomas Aquinas and the radical theology of T.S Eliot, and consider the controversial theories of Sir Roger Penrose. Dr Lunine also discusses his research into life on other planets, reveals the possibility of cyanide-based life, and speculates about the role of God in the universe of the Big Bang. … Video version: www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep145-faith-and-science-jonathan-lunine-shinzen-young-chesley-fasano Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:23 - Faith and Reason 04:42 - How big is life? 07:57 - Physics & God 08:57 - Buddhist exceptionalism 09:33 - Are science and faith compatible? 13:59 - The Society of Catholic Scientists 15:17 - Georges Lemaître and the Big Bang 16:03 - Dr Lunine’s search for life on other planets and moons 17:36 - Titan’s methane seas and hydrogen bonding mechanisms 20:03 - Cyanide-based life and information molecules 28:52 - Future missions to Titan 30:57 - Definition of a habitable zone 33:20 - Detecting water on extra-solar planets 37:04 - How big is life and where is information stored? 43:55 - Is life on Earth the ultimate pinnacle of self-organisation? 45:42 - Meta-life and Sir Roger Penrose 48:04 - The radical theology of T.S Eliot 50:24 - Aquinas on diversity as an expression of order 52:14 - Time and timelessness 55:44 - God as the Infinite and eternal foundation of all reality 56:46 - Chaos and Dr Sanguinetti … Previous episodes in this series: - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknxjhwG5wmXRVfrkeGczVPVI … To find out more about Dr Lunine, visit: - https://astro.cornell.edu/jonathan-lunine To find out more about Shinzen, visit: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep37-shinzen-young-pandemic-edition-guru-viking-podcast/ - www.shinzen.org To find out more about Chelsey, visit: - www.chelseyfasano.com For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James