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Utah Valley earns 73-66 victory against Cal Baptist
OREM, Utah (AP) Jackson Holcombe's 25 points helped Utah Valley defeat Cal Baptist 73-66 on Monday to extend its win streak to six games.
Entertainment and more in the Mid-Ohio Valley
PARKERSBURG — Events and things to do this week from Artsbridge: TODAY * Belpre Holiday Lights, Civitan Park, Belpre * Christine Rhodes multi medium artwork display, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., WesBanco, Market Street, Parkersburg * Here the Pioneers Landed exhibit, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Campus Martius Museum and Ohio River Museum * Frozen […]
ACA subsidy cuts to hit Texas border counties the hardest
In the Rio Grande Valley, 98% of ACA enrollees received an advanced premium tax credit that lowered their monthly payments. Those subsidies will decrease Jan. 1.
Mid-Ohio Valley Entertainment Commission making progress ahead of the new year
MARIETTA, Ohio - The Mid-Ohio Valley Entertainment Commission continues to advance with its goals of bringing Hollywood to Southeast Ohio.
Thinking through what may be on tap in 2026
When the three-million-year-old bones of Lucy were unearthed in an Ethiopian valley in 1974, paleoanthropologists anointed her as the Eve to all of us. Though her skull was not big enough to accommodate our larger, homo sapiens’ brain, she was a genetic hominid. Although a few bone fragments of a greater age have been discovered […]
Tech billionaires threaten to flee California over proposed 5% wealth tax
Silicon Valley tech founders threaten to leave California over proposed 5% wealth tax on billionaires. The controversial measure could trigger an exodus from the state.
Central Colorado Humanists Sunday Science Offers "Insights from a Geriatrician", Jan. 4 - by Ark Valley Voice Staff
“Insights from a Geriatrician” is the title of the Central Colorado Humanists Sunday Science program for Jan. 4, 2026. Dr. Erika Altneu, M.D., will
Nvidia's Groq deal rattled Silicon Valley. Here are 5 other AI startups split apart in Big Tech's new deals.
Traditional acquisitions have become rarer. Nvidia's deal for Groq sounded familiar to many in the tech industry.
Skyrim Meets Stardew Valley in New Free RPG, Out Today
Ethernia is a new pixel-art fantasy RPG that's available from today on PC via Steam for free.
Good Sports: The best of 2025
For sports in the Central Valley, 2025 was a year for the books.
Good Sports: The best of 2025
For sports in the Central Valley, 2025 was a year for the books.
Memorial Health System welcomes Dr. Joan Allman to ranks
PARKERSBURG – Memorial Health System has welcomed longtime Mid-Ohio Valley provider Dr. Joan Allman, D.O., to the Department of Primary Care in Parkersburg. With over two decades of experience serving patients in the local community, Allman brings to Memorial Health System the compassion and skill that patients have come to know and trust while under […]
USDA imposes sanctions on Reedley produce business
USDA imposed sanctions against Integral Fresh LLC, which operates out of Reedley, along with four other produce businesses in California,
Stardew Valley Gets Free Switch 2 Upgrade That Doubles Coop
Also: the first Nicolas Cage Madden trailer has been unleashed
Stardew Valley Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Out Now With Mouse Controls, Local Split-Screen, And More
With Game Share, you only need one copy to play with friends.
2025 IN REVIEW: A big year for business in east Washington County
Across Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Sherwood, residents and visitors were gifted with a laundry list of new places to eat, drink, socialize and even learn a thing or two. From […]
The scariest word this year for workers from DC to Silicon Valley
"Efficiency" defined the 2025 job market from the federal government to Silicon Valley.
Stardew Valley – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition now available
Stardew Valley – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is now available via Nintendo eShop for $14.99. Users who own the Switch version can upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition via a free “Upgr…
Stardew Valley - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has just released
Just before the end of the new year, Stardew Valley – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has released. You can grab it digitally right now. Stardew Valley – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is largely the same game as the original, but with some extras. It features mouse controls, four-player split-screen, and GameShare support. On the original Nintendo Switch, splitscreen was limited...
The Herald's weekly entertainment picks
Looking to be entertained from Thursday, Dec. 25, through Wednesday, Dec. 31? Check out the Skagit Valley Herald’s weekly recommendations.
In a new deal, Nvidia hires Groq's top engineering talent, including its founder, who built AI chips at Google
A new type of dealmaking is on the rise in Silicon Valley as Nvidia reaches a non-exclusive deal with a chip startup and hires its top engineers.
Mountain Valley MD Provides Year-End Business Update, Advances Commercialization Across Core Platforms
TORONTO, December 24, 2025--Mountain Valley MD Holdings Inc. (the "Company" or "MVMD") (CSE: MVMD) (OTCQB: MVMDF) (FRA: 20MP) provides a year-end business update on its commercialization progress across its three core areas of focus:
Best of: Lean on Me
Editor's note: On Tuesday, Dec. 11, The Business Journal hosted its 12th annual Best of Central Valley Business awards, showcasing the best that the Central Valley has to offer. Winners in the Real Estate, Construction
Free rural business accelerator launches in Central Valley 2026
Fresno Pacific University’s Center for Community Transformation (CCT) is launching a new program aimed at spurring growth for rural entrepreneurs and small business owners starting in 2026.
Basketball box scores, other sports results for Tuesday, December 23, 2025
TUESDAY’S RESULTS Boys Basketball WPIAL CLASS 6A Section 1 New Castle 60, Seneca Valley 26 New Castle 11 22 18 9 — 60 Seneca Valley 7 5 9 5...
Ventura council rejects ‘entertainment zone’ designation, will reevaluate next year
Ventura City Council was split on the idea of establishing an “entertainment zone” designation for downtown Main Street, which would allow open containers of wine, beer and spirits along Main
Venue Adjustments for Intermountain Health Freestyle International Presented by Stifel
PARK CITY, Utah (Dec. 23, 2025) — U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced updates to the Intermountain Health Freestyle International presented by Stifel, originally scheduled to take place at Deer Valley Resort. Due to unseasonably warm weather, both the aerials and moguls World Cup events will be moved.
Entertainment and more in the Mid-Ohio Valley
PARKERSBURG — Artsbridge calendar of events for the week. TODAY * Belpre Holiday Lights, Civitan Park * Christine Rhodes multi-medium artwork display, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., WesBanco, Market Street, Parkersburg * Here the Pioneers Landed, exhibit, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Campus Martius Museum and Ohio River Museum, Marietta * Storytime, newborn-preschool, 10:15-11:15 a.m., Barlow Branch Library WEDNESDAY, […]
Sports Medicine Welcomes Elizabeth Murphy to Staff
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday the hiring of Elizabeth Murphy as an associate athletic trainer.
Mohawk Valley high school sports schedule, scores for December 22-28
Results and highlights for Mohawk Valley high school sports competition during the week of December 22-28, 2025.
Arizona Science Center brings annual Snow Week to the desert
Arizona Science Center is bringing a winter wonderland to the heart of the Valley with its 14th annual Snow Week.
Fresno City Council selects business park alternative for SEDA, directs further analysis
KMPH Fox 26 is the Central Valley's news leader, covering Fresno, California and the surrounding area, including Clovis, Madera, Hanford, Visalia, Biola, Kerman, Tranquillity, San Joaquin, Reedley, Coalinga, Avenal, Lemoore, Tulare, Selma, Caruthers, Tollhouse, Three Rivers, Porterville, and Merced.
WIRED Roundup: The 5 Tech and Politics Trends That Shaped 2025
In today’s episode of “Uncanny Valley,” we dive into five stories—from AI to DOGE—that encapsulate the year and give us clues as to what might unfold in 2026.
Nkrumah's 23 lead Tennessee State past UT Martin 78-71
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Aaron Nkrumah had 23 points in Tennessee State's 78-71 victory against UT Martin on Thursday night in an Ohio Valley Conference opener.
King's 16 lead Murray State past Drake 81-72
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) Fredrick King scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Murray State beat Drake 81-72 on Thursday night in a Missouri Valley Conference opener.
Arts and entertainment events happening December 18th-21st across the Mid-Ohio Valley
Lyndsay Dennis joins Daybreak to discuss what’s happening December 18th-21st across the Mid-Ohio Valley!
McGraw was ‘Raised on K-State’ - Kansas State University Athletics
They train together, father and son, running hills in northeast Kansas, even now — especially now — as Lawson McGraw finishes his senior year at Blue Valley ...
Basketball box scores, other sports scores for Wednesday, December 17, 2025; Thursday's schedule
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS Boys Basketball NON-SECTION Charleroi 62, Steel Valley 27 Steel Valley 0 17 5 5 — 27 Charleroi 29 13 10 10 — 62 High...
Coachella Valley Invitational match schedule released
KC Current, Denver Summit FC and Utah Royals join NWSL field in Coachella Valley Invitational
OpenAI is the latest in Silicon Valley to hire a former British politician
The ChatGPT maker has hired former British Chancellor George Osborne to run the global arm of its "Stargate" AI infrastructure initiative.
15 must-watch British crime drama series
Whether with an old-fashioned one-case-per-episode or a more sprawling multistrand story, quaint or violent, historic or modern, the birthplace of Agatha Christie understands that we all need stories that make sense of seemingly senseless acts.
Morehead State knocks off Little Rock 78-64
MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) George Marshall scored 17 points as Morehead State beat Little Rock 78-64 on Tuesday night in an Ohio Valley Conference opener.
What's next for the historic Valley Plaza shopping center, set for demolition
City leaders said the site could be redeveloped, potentially including affordable housing
N.J. tax authorities close P’burg-area pizzeria that’s been in business for nearly 20 years
The New Jersey Division of Taxation posted a seizure notice at the restaurant on Nov. 19
Entertainment and more in the Mid-Ohio Valley
PARKERSBURG — The Artsbridge calendar of events for the Mid-Ohio Valley: TODAY * Anything Goes: Wild Things, all member exhibition of the West Virginia Watercolor Society, Parkersburg Art Center * Belpre Holiday Lights, Civitan Park * Christine Rhodes, multi medium artwork display, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., WesBanco, Market Street, Parkersburg * Here the Pioneers Landed, exhibit, […]
What's happening on KSAT Sports Now this week!
KSAT Sports Now is live on KSAT Plus and KSAT.com at 7pm ALL WEEK! Tune in to hear from the state-final bound Smithson Valley football team, the Spurs, Cowboys, Texans & more!
Trump’s Business Model Is to Break Europe
Washington wants a free hand for Silicon Valley and Russia investment. The EU is an obstacle—and the far right is an ally.
Sewickley sports notebook: Quaker Valley wrestlers hit the road
The Quaker Valley wrestling team won’t compete in a home match until next year.
Town acts to reduce quarry truck traffic by 75%. Attorney says move may kill local business.
Harmony Sand and Gravel faces new restrictions limiting daily truck traffic to 25 vehicles after township officials responded to resident complaints about safety hazards and property damage.
Winter Doesn't Slow Down Entertainment in Buena Vista - by Carly Winchell
Buena Vista (BV) has become known as a small town with a lively music scene. Entertainment does not die down during the winter months either. Below are a
SCV’s top cop speaks with business community
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Capt. Brandon Barclay, the SCV’s de facto “chief of police,” shared a message with the business community Thursday, touting another month of reduction in overall crime numbers […]
Valley Post dining and entertainment complex in Chelsea
Valley Post dining and entertainment complex in Chelsea
2026 Flathead Valley Winter Sports Preview
The snow has fallen and the sun is officially on hiatus, which means Flathead Valley athletes are trading in their cleats and knee pads for goggles, headgear and basketball shoes. Area teams and athletes over the last few weeks have been amping up their preparation ahead of the start of the high school winter sports […]
BLOG: Who won big? Inside the Best of Central Valley Business 2025
It was an evening of firsts at Pardini’s in Fresno on Tuesday as the 2025 winners of the Best of Central Valley Business Readers’ Choice Awards were announced. Nearly 200 people attended the event to
Employers join forces at career fair to boost local business hires post-Helene
Employers gathered at the Valley Hope Church in Swannanoa on Thursday, Dec. 11, to take part in the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber Foundation career fair.
The Herald's weekly entertainment picks
Looking to be entertained from Thursday, Dec. 11, through Wednesday, Dec. 17? Check out the Skagit Valley Herald’s weekly recommendations.
Tech billionaires eye AI moonshots as Trump slashes science funding
Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos are trying to recreate what capitalism destroyed. The key difference is artificial intelligence
Hundreds rally outside hospital demanding affordable health care options
Tuesday night, hundreds of people rallied outside a Las Vegas Valley hospital demanding options for affordable health care.
Review: TheatreWorks’ ‘Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley’ a perfect holiday entertainment
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s production of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s “Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley” begins with the
Mission Valley Bank Unveils Sleek, Bold, Contactless Mastercard® Business Debit Card
Mission Valley Bank today announced the launch of its new Mastercard® Business Debit Card, a major enhancement to the Bank's suite of business banking solutions. Designed with sleek, bold, contactless functionality and built for entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and business professionals who demand speed, security, and control, the new debit card reinforces Mission Valley Bank's commitment to delivering high-touch, high-performance financial tools that move at the pace of modern business.
A Chinese app that started with lipstick reviews is now where Silicon Valley's Chinese tech workers swap AI intel
Chinese app Rednote started off as a shopping app. Now, it's one of the hottest hubs for Chinese tech workers in Silicon Valley to talk shop about AI.
Entertainment and more in the Mid-Ohio Valley
PARKERSBURG – The Artsbridge weekly calendar of events and programs: TODAY * Anything Goes: Wild Things, all member exhibition of the West Virginia Watercolor Society, Parkersburg Art Center * Belpre Holiday Lights, Civitan Park * Festival of Trees Display, Blennerhassett Hotel and Spa * Shannon Hammer, naturalist photography display, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., WesBanco, […]
PVUSD brings computer science nights to Watsonville High, Santa Cruz MAH
Computer Science Education Week Community Nights are open to K-12 students, parents and community members to explore hands-on activities that showcase opportunities within the computer science field.
Why an 18-year-old founder is still going to college
An 18-year-old founder is building her AI startup during high school — and explains why she doesn't buy the Silicon Valley dropout myth.
CA Politics 360 Full Episode: Stockton mass shooting response, CA oil supply issues
California Politics 360 this week begins with the tragedy in the Central Valley.
A bank’s false fraud claim allegedly ruined this Black woman’s business, and her life
Catasauqua resident Tianna Williams says she’s a victim of “banking while Black”
Conejo Valley’s life science moment has arrived
The Conejo Valley’s life science moment is here — driven by global leaders, emerging innovators, modern infrastructure, and a skilled workforce.
Good Sports: 'The Program' aims to prepare Valley athletes for college football
More than standard 7-on-7, the coaches prioritize college prep and mental toughness.
Tennessee Tech Leads 2025-26 OVC Commissioner's Cup Standings After Fall Championships
After the completion of the fall sport championships, Tennessee Tech leads the 2025-26 Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Cup all-sport trophy standings; the Cup is a symbol of overall athletic excellence in Conference-sponsored championships.
Mid-Ohio Valley Winter Sports: Parkersburg South boys have an abundance of depth
PARKERSBURG — Now that Parkersburg South is a member of the Mountain State Athletic Conference, the past is the past. With a balanced conference schedule, no longer can teams dodge playing Parkersburg South on the Patriots’ home floor. “Joining the MSAC was a big plus for us, – both game-wise and travel-wise,” said Parkersburg South […]
Valley elementary school brings science to life with virtual reality
A Valley elementary school is taking classroom lessons into the virtual world. The Prendergast Elementary School District is using the virtual-reality technology with the help of Arizona State University and its partner Dreamscape.
Pleasanton Valley Greenhouses reaches 40 years in business
The family-owned Pleasanton Valley Greenhouses has been in business for 40 years. It continues to offer a variety of plants, products, services and events throughout the year.
Liberty Sports Group and Front Row Hospitality Announce Multi-Year Partnership with Shift4 to Power Commerce Across Sports, Entertainment, and Hospitality Properties
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Liberty Sports Group (LSG) and its food and beverage division, Front Row Hospitality…...
Liberty Sports Group and Front Row Hospitality Announce Multi-Year Partnership with Shift4 to Power Commerce Across Sports, Entertainment, and Hospitality Properties
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Liberty Sports Group (LSG) and its food and beverage division, Front Row Hospitality…...
Entertainment and more in the Mid-Ohio Valley
PARKERSBURG – The Artsbridge calendar for the week ahead: TODAY * Anything Goes: Wild Things, all member exhibition of the West Virginia Watercolor Society, Parkersburg Art Center * Belpre Holiday Lights, Civitan Park, Belpre * Festival of Trees Display, Blennerhassett Hotel and Spa * Shannon Hammer, naturalist photography display, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., WesBanco, […]
As political winds shift, top chipmaker TSMC looks beyond Taiwan
The lifeblood of Silicon Valley — advanced microchips — pumps from a science park on Taiwan's west coast, mostly from TSMC, the world's biggest chipmaker. But now the company is looking abroad for places to grow.
West Des Moines' Historic Valley Junction reschedules Small Business Saturday
Business owners prepare for Small Business Saturday 2.0 after a winter storm disrupted the original event.
Arts & Entertainment fall 2025 semester in review
Students surprise film professor with trip to Criterion Closet At the end of last semester, film students at Grand Valley State University thanked their professor with a trip to the Criterion Closet. Students surprised Associate Professor Joel Potrykus with a trip to the Closet, located in New York. The Criterion Closet is a physical collection of films, contained...
Estes Park Health is now part of UCHealth
Estes Park Health's new name is UCHealth Estes Valley Medical Center (EVMC), reflecting the care it provides throughout the valley. Its staff is now employed by UCHealth.
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.
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