When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Historian Kate Bowler reflects on her stage IV cancer diagnosis, exploring the psychological discomfort society experiences when faced with unexplainable suffering and the pervasive cultural myth of control. In the second half, psychologist Lisa Miller answers listener questions about the neuroscience of spiritual experiences, discussing how the brain is biologically wired for transcendence and how suffering often acts as a catalyst for spiritual deepening.
- At age 35, Duke University historian Kate Bowler received a sudden diagnosis of stage IV colon cancer, despite having zero family history and an active academic career. Read →
- Historian Kate Bowler traces modern toxic positivity to late 19th-century New Thought and the American prosperity gospel, which taught that positive speech directly dictates physical reality. Read →
- MRI brain scans show three specific neural circuits activate during spiritual experiences across different belief systems. Read →
- Psychologist Lisa Miller argues that analytical training often turns skepticism into a bouncer at the door, blocking direct perception and intuition instead of acting as an investigative tool. Read →
- Lisa Miller reframes intuition as direct knowing, arguing that two decades of neuroscience point to the brain functioning as an antenna for consciousness rather than an isolated generator of thoughts. Read →