Huston Smith, PhD, delineates the common threads that run through spiritual traditions of all cultures. Because the science of acoustics has nothing to say about beauty, he says, does not mean that Brahms isn’t beautiful. Similarly, the notions of the soul and spirit persist regardless of their lack of relevance to a modern, materialist world [...]

In this video, rebooted from 2019, he describes a multi-year research project involving advanced Buddhist meditators who were able to enter into a particular state of consciousness very much akin to the classical near-death experience. An entire year was spent selecting and recruiting meditators who were skilled in this practice. Three additional years were spent [...]

In this video, rebooted from 2019, he shares a scholarly perspective on the non-fiction books and claims of Whitley Strieber. He describes Strieber as a prophet or shaman in a culture that has no place for prophets and shamans. He acknowledges that he differs from Strieber regarding the physicality of the events he has described. [...]

Here he describes his position as a philosophical monist who maintains that life requires consciousness and that consciousness requires life. He sees himself as a “naturalist,” but only in the sense of rejecting dualistic interpretations of reality. If supposed supernatural evidence is genuine, he maintains that it will fit into a monistic description of the [...]

In this interview, rebooted from 2018, he shares his passion and personal interest in the life and work of Colin Wilson, who achieved worldwide fame at the age of 24 with the release of his first book, The Outsider. He was regarded as England’s “homegrown existentialist”. Subsequently, Wilson wrote over 100 books. His massive analysis, The [...]