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9-1-1: Nashville brings jobs, signals growth for Tennessee’s entertainment industry
The production of “9-1-1: Nashville” has already created more than 600 jobs and generated an estimated $50 million in economic impact statewide, according to the Tennessee Entertainment…
Resonac CEO on Business Outlook
Hidehito Takahashi, President and CEO of Resonac, discusses his outlook for demand and business growth for the Japanese semiconductor materials supplier, and says the company will seek to procure rare earths from Australia and Europe. He speaks with Annabelle Droulers and Avril Hong on "Bloomberg: The Asia Trade". (Source: Bloomberg)
Irish Growth to Moderate on Hiring Slowdown, Business Lobby Says
Ireland’s biggest business lobby group expects economic growth to moderate in 2026 on a hiring slowdown.
Heroux preparing CSB and SJU students for success in computer science field
The assistant professor of computer science and the department’s scientist-in-residence has been a leading researcher in the computer science field, spending over 25 yeas as a senior scientist at Sandia National Laboratories and staying on the cutting edge of changes from the dawn of the internet explosion through the development and growth of AI.
4 takeaways from the final jobs report of the year
Here's what unemployment, wage growth, and other newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed.
Is Becton Dickinson Now an Opportunity After Diagnostics Expansion and 2026 Business Separation Plans?
If you have been wondering whether Becton Dickinson is quietly turning into a value opportunity or just a value trap, you are not alone. This breakdown is designed to give you a clear, no jargon view of where the stock really stands. The share price has bounced 5.6% over the last week and 3.7% over the past month, even though it is still down 11.7% year to date and 10.2% over the last year. This mix often signals shifting expectations around growth and risk. Recent headlines have focused on...
US Business Activity Growth Slows While Price Pressures Mount
US business activity expanded in December at the slowest pace in six months, while a measure of input prices jumped to a more than three-year high.
Apple Best Positioned to Weather DRAM Price Surge, Says Counterpoint
Apple and Samsung are best equipped to handle rising memory chip costs that could drive down global smartphone shipments by 2.1% in 2026, according to new data from Counterpoint Research. Image credit: iFixit In its latest projection for the smartphone market next year, the firm has downgraded its forecast from a previously expected 0.45% growth, citing a memory shortage that has pushed component costs up 10% to 25%.
Chincoteague Island featured in Business View Magazine
Chincoteague has been featured in Business View Magazine as part of the publication’s ongoing series highlighting economic growth and best practices in cities and towns across North America. The feature is based on an in-depth interview between Chincoteague Mayor Denise Bowden and Business View Magazine Editor-in-Chief Karen Surca, focusing on how the island community balances tourism-driven prosperity with long-term sustainability ... Read More
Global Business Activity Growth Slows as Tariffs Bite
Business activity in the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia continued to grow as 2025 draws to a close, but at a slower pace as higher barriers to trade and uncertainty about relations between major powers took their toll.
UK jobs market continues to weaken as unemployment hits four-year high and wage growth slows
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Oregon’s economy is struggling, but its women’s sports industry could be a lifeline
The state’s economy has yet to recover from the pandemic, but leaders hope the success of women’s sports can help spark economic growth while preserving its grassroots culture.
Oregon’s economy is struggling, but its women’s sports industry could be a lifeline
The state’s economy has yet to recover from the pandemic, but leaders hope the success of women’s sports can help spark economic growth while preserving its grassroots culture.
10 New Customers a Day: The Global Success of SAP Business One
In enterprise software there is no “one size fits all.” That’s why over 83,000 customers rely on SAP Business One to be ready for growth.
Andes Tower Hills sees business growth despite extreme cold closure
Andes Tower Hills closed Saturday because of dangerous cold temperatures and saw light turnout Sunday, but the ski resort says business is improving despite the extreme weather.
Looking at the Narrative for Golden Entertainment After Go Private Deal and Activist Pressure
Golden Entertainment's stock narrative has shifted as the market recalibrates around a go private deal that effectively anchors fair value at about $30.50 per share. While the fair value estimate and revenue growth outlook remain steady, the slightly higher discount rate signals a modestly increased required return that aligns with the deal driven risk profile. Investors can track these evolving assumptions and stay updated on the changing story behind the stock. Stay updated as the Fair...
With new tech and science roadmap, New Mexico looks to turn research strength into economic growth
Nora Meyers Sackett says New Mexico’s small, intertwined tech ecosystem can sometimes suffer from si ...
Universal Health Services (UHS): Reassessing Valuation After Strong Q3 Earnings Beat and Revenue Growth
Q3 earnings power recent move in UHS shares Universal Health Services (UHS) recently delivered an upbeat Q3 earnings report, with revenue jumping about 13% year on year and topping expectations. This reinforced confidence in its operations during a tough backdrop for hospital operators. See our latest analysis for Universal Health Services. The strong Q3 print has helped Universal Health Services hold on to a solid uptrend, with the 90 day share price return of 16.1% and one year total...
Fintech, AI Very Strong in UK: British Business Bank CEO
The UK economy is at risk of its first quarterly contraction since Labour returned to power, after growth disappointed again by shrinking ahead of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves' tax-raising budget. Can the UK's tech sector come to the rescue? British Business Bank CEO Louis Taylor weighs in with Ed Ludlow and Caroline Hyde to discuss on "Bloomberg Tech." (Source: Bloomberg)
First Brands Advances Business Stabilization Initiatives and Long-Term Paths to Create Value and Drive Growth
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., December 12, 2025--First Brands Group, LLC ("First Brands" or the "Company"), a leading global supplier of aftermarket automotive parts, announced today a series of decisive steps the Company has taken to stabilize its operations, strengthen leadership, and maintain continuity of supply and service for customers, including:
Alexis Ohanian: ‘I can market excellence all day long’
The Reddit cofounder and sports investor shares why women’s sports are poised for massive growth—and how marketing excellence is driving the momentum.
The Paris Agreement Fueled A Decade Of Economic Growth, With Business Leading The Way
A decade after the Paris Agreement, U.S. economic competitiveness depends on continued global business leadership
Fort Scott’s 2026 goals: Revitalization and business support
Fort Scott is looking to honor its long-standing businesses in 2026 while also encouraging the growth of new businesses that have opened in 2025.
Costco is firing on all cylinders — and shoppers are loving it
Costco beat expectations with net sales of nearly $66 billion for its first fiscal quarter, including US comparable sales growth of 5.9%.
West Palm Beach is at the 'epicenter’ of Florida’s business growth, leaders say
Related Ross Executive Vice President Jordan Rathlev and health-tech firm Visium CEO John Rajchert speak to Fox News Digital about the influx of businesses and employees moving to West Palm Beach and how their companies are leading the charge.
Disappointing Oracle results knock $70bn off value amid AI bubble fears
Weaker-than-forecast quarterly data for Larry Ellison’s tech company shows slowdown in revenue growth but big rise in spending
How New Growth Drivers Are Shaping What Analysts Think Gives BrightSpring Health Services The Edge
BrightSpring Health Services latest update nudges its fair value estimate slightly higher to about $40.54 per share, underpinned by steady revenue growth expectations of roughly 12.49% and a largely unchanged discount rate near 6.96%. The modest bump reflects growing conviction in the companys ability to win additional limited distribution drug contracts and unlock further upside from generic conversions and Provider Services opportunities. Read on to see what is driving this evolving...
AI to accelerate national renewal and growth as Google DeepMind backs UK tech and science sectors
A new partnership with Google DeepMind will help to turn cutting-edge AI into real benefits for working people.
Meta is planning price hikes for its virtual reality devices, internal memo shows
Meta is planning to raise prices for its VR devices, citing tariffs and a shift to sustainable business models for long-term growth.
Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc (PLAY) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating ...
Despite a net loss, Dave & Buster's focuses on new menu success, marketing revamp, and international expansion to drive future growth.
iPhone Fold Expected to Claim 22% of Foldable Market, 34% of Revenue in First Year
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone is expected to spur strong growth in worldwide foldable smartphone shipments in 2026, according to new estimates shared by IDC. IDC believes the iPhone Fold will capture over 22 percent unit share and 34 percent of the foldables market value in its first year due to an expected $2,400 starting price point. Right now, the foldable market is dominated by Samsung and Google.
Vegas Golden Knights Add Three Senior Executives to Accelerate Next Phase of Business Growth and Innovation
Golden Knights announced the addition of three senior executives who bring decades of experience
Study outlines a strategy to revitalize downtown Baton Rouge retail
A new study outlines strategies to strengthen downtown's retail health by attracting more customers, easing operations, and creating a plan for long-term growth. Mukul Verma of Throughline Co… Already an INSIDER? Sign in. We are glad you enjoy reading Business Report. Continue reading this story and get ACCESS to all our content from any device […]
VSCO lays off 24 staff as its consumer business suffers
In an internal memo seen by TechCrunch, VSCO's CEO Eric Wittman said the company's consumer business had declined more than expected, and some of its new growth initiatives didn't yield the expected results.
Disney’s Entertainment Model Stumbles as Amazon Doubles Down on AI Infrastructure Spending
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Disney (NYSE: DIS) just reported earnings revealing two companies moving in opposite directions. Amazon delivered 13.4% revenue growth and accelerating cloud momentum. Disney posted flat revenue, down 0.5% year-over-year, as streaming gains failed to offset legacy media weakness. Is it odd that I’m comparing what are now two drastically different companies ... Disney’s Entertainment Model Stumbles as Amazon Doubles Down on AI Infrastructure Spending
Despite federal funding cuts, UNR working to continue local food business center
Federal funding for local food production was hit hard earlier this year when the Trump administration cut several agricultural programs that supported home-grown food and farm businesses, but the local food systems built with Biden administration support before that funding was stripped away are ripe for growth.
Older voters are gaining power. Young people are paying the price.
Seniors’ rising political influence is a threat to economic growth.
The Times-Picayune to host live forum on New Orleans' future with Moreno, Morrell, more leaders
The panel will explore everything from public safety and economic growth to the city's legislative priorities. You can watch live at 11 a.m.
Science, Innovation, and Economic Growth: OpenAI’s Ronnie Chatterji | MIT Sloan Management Review
This Me, Myself, and AI episode features OpenAI economist Ronnie Chatterji with host Sam Ransbotham.
‘Brain drain’ alarm escalates: Omaha and business leaders flag job lag
Muscle is growing behind Nebraska's "brain drain" attack as multiple Omaha and business leaders flag lag in job and wage growth.
Crystal Lake’s surge in housing offers opportunities for building, investment and growth
Crystal Lake’s continued strong performance in retail and dining can be attributed to the recent new developments and redevelopments within the community.
China’s exports grow 5.9% in November despite major drop in US shipments
China’s exports returned to growth in November following an unexpected contraction the month before, although shipments to the United States dropped nearly 29% from a year earlier in an eighth straight month of double-digit declines.
NYK Donates to Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology for Faculty of Marine Engineering’s 150th Anniversary Project
"NYK Donates to Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology for Faculty of Marine Engineering’s 150th Anniversary Project" - The NYK Group goes beyond the framework of a comprehensive logistics company to co-create the necessary value for the future through the deepening of core businesses and the growth of new businesses.
Assessing Goldman Sachs After a 301% Five Year Surge and Business Model Shift
If you are wondering whether Goldman Sachs Group is still a smart buy after its huge run up, or if you are late to the party, you are in the right place to unpack what the current share price actually implies. The stock has climbed 3.5% over the last week, 8.7% over the past month, and is up a striking 48.6% year to date, capping a 45.4% 1 year gain and a 301.0% increase over 5 years that has clearly shifted how the market views its risk and growth profile. Recent headlines have highlighted...
Fast casual finds a bright spot among business diners
The category experienced the strongest sales growth among these diners this year, driven in large part by catering
Chiefs OC Matt Nagy analyzes Patrick Mahomes' pocket presence growth
During Thursday's press conference, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy analyzed Patrick Mahomes' pocket presence growth | @EdEastonJr
FIU helps small business owners to harness the potential of AI
The Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU partnered with OpenAI Academy to train entrepreneurs to adopt tools that boost efficiency and growth.
UK house prices stagnated in November as south lags behind the north
Halifax reports that affordability is now at its strongest since late 2015, after slowdown in price growth
Detroit legacy businesses get $50k grants to boost growth, preserve history
Thousands of dollars in grants are being awarded to longtime Detroit companies, giving them a much-needed business boost. An exclusive celebration captured the moment’s excitement for recipients of the Detroit Legacy Business Project grants.
Good news: Buying a home might actually be more affordable in 2026
A housing reset is coming in 2026, Redfin forecasts, with slower home price growth and more listings, giving buyers a better shot at home ownership.
Connecting Maine: how fiber internet is fueling small business growth
For one Boothbay Harbor business, broadband has helped them grow online sales and reliably process credit cards during busy in-store hours.
This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition - Jax Hub drives fintech innovation, global partnerships
L Marks CEO Daniel Saunders joins Kent Justice to discuss the launch of Jax Hub, a new corporate innovation initiative based in Jacksonville. Learn how this global program aims to accelerate fintech growth, foster collaboration among local businesses, universities, and international partners, and position Northeast Florida as a leading innovation hub.
How To Build Sustainability Into Your Small Business
Learn how to build a resilient small business through strategic planning, smart financial decisions, and sustainable growth practices.
4 Books On Turning Human Connection Into Business Growth
As automation gathers pace, a people-first philosophy is more important than ever for thriving businesses.
Micron to exit Crucial consumer business (MU:NASDAQ)
Micron shifts focus to data center growth, exiting Crucial consumer business by Feb 2026.
Modelo and Corona are unexpected casualties of Trump’s immigration crackdown
Constellation Brands, the US owner of Modelo Especial and Corona, bet big on Latino customers for growth. But that strategy is unraveling under the Trump administration’s mass deportation push.
American Eagle's bet on Sydney Sweeney and Aerie's anti-AI pledge are paying off big time
American Eagle jeans, Aerie's anti-AI pledge, and Sydney Sweeney boosted revenue, stock, and customer growth in Q3 results.
Oregon’s governor unveils a ‘roadmap’ to business prosperity. Here’s what’s at stake
The blueprint comes as Oregon faces sluggish population growth, high housing costs and other faltering economic indicators.
Charlotte business leaders predict stronger economic growth in 2026
The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance held its annual forecast luncheon in Charlotte on Tuesday.
AquaBloom Bets on Growth in China Sports Investment
The global boom in sports deals could be coming to China
Here's How I'm Planning to Transform Myself and My Business in 2026
Here are five things I'm focusing on to achieve meaningful growth in the year ahead.
Hisense Nabs Former Samsung Home Entertainment Marketing Chief to Steer U.S. Growth
Hisense has hired a former Samsung marketing chief as its new CMO as the company increases TV and home entertainment market share.
Incredible Health Reaches 1.5 Million Nurses as AI Voice Agents Drive Record Growth
SAN FRANCISCO, December 02, 2025--Incredible Health, the largest AI company powering healthcare hiring, today announced it has reached 1.5 million nurses on its career marketplace, representing half of active nurses in the United States. The company now serves more than 1,500 US healthcare employers. Eight weeks ago, Incredible Health introduced Gale and Lyn, two purpose-built AI voice agents designed to revolutionize the hiring experience for both healthcare workers and employers. The agents ar
Business Trades Support Bank Capital Rule Reform to Boost Economic Growth
“Now is the time to modernize our capital framework to unleash economic growth for American businesses and consumers across the country.” WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of leading business trade organizations urged prudential regulators to examine and modernize large bank capital requirements to ensure they support consumers, businesses, and the…
Vaulted Deep Named "Best in Business" By Inc. Magazine for Scaling Critical Waste Infrastructure while Delivering Carbon Removal
Vaulted Deep has been named to Inc.'s 2025 Best in Business list for scaling the first commercial infrastructure for simultaneously managing organic waste while delivering permanent carbon removal. The recognition in the Best Startups category follows a year of growth across Vaulted's operations, infrastructure, and commercial traction. In 2025, Vaulted expanded its operating capacity, delivered more than 23,000 tonnes of verified CO₂ removal, and secured long-term agreements with Microsoft and
Replay Sports Cards Awards First-Ever Franchise to Business Partners Josh Stigdon and Jason Buckel
Replay Sports Cards ("Replay") – America's first national franchise dedicated exclusively to the hobby – has signed its first-ever franchise agreement with business partners Josh Stigdon and Jason Buckel, marking a pivotal moment in the company's growth and franchise expansion. The duo will open a new Replay shop in Seymour, Indiana, bringing the brand's modern, community-first take on the local card shop to collectors and families in the region.
Opinion: Chicago's fiscal crisis demands a pro-growth strategy
Solving Chicago's $1.2 billion budget gap calls for pro-growth policies and real cost reforms to restore stability, writes the Chicagoland Chamber's president.
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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