Since 1992, we’ve hosted events with the firm belief that generous dialogue is essential for universities and the Christian faith alike. In this podcast, we share the best of our recorded conversations. Learn more about each episode in the show notes.
In today’s episode, an MIT professor explores the topic of success. How do we deal with the constant pressure to succeed in our careers? And what happens if we fail? You’ll hear from Cullen Buie, a me...
In today’s episode, a theologian and a philosopher discuss some of life’s biggest questions, like: Who are we? What’s wrong with the world? And what can make it right? You’ll hear from N.T. Wright, a ...
In today’s episode, a law professor explores the topic of law and justice. What are the opportunities and limits of the law? And where does our desire for justice come from? You’ll hear from David Ske...
In today’s episode, a concert pianist and Beethoven scholar takes us on a musical journey through the life of one of history’s greatest composers. You’ll hear from Mia Chung-Yee, an accomplished music...
In today’s episode, two scientists with different spiritual worldviews explore this question: How can science and spirituality co-exist? You’ll hear from Praveen Sethupathy, a genomics professor at Co...
In today’s episode, two professors with different approaches to faith discuss the question: Can I be spiritual but not religious? You’ll hear from Tim Muehlhoff, a professor of communications at Biola...
In today’s episode, two professors discuss how we should live when facing limited time. What does it mean to live each day like it’s your last? Is that a bad idea? You’ll hear from Lydia Dugdale, a me...
In today’s episode, two professors explore questions like: Is there more to life than meets the eye? Or, what do we turn to when we face challenging circumstances? You'll hear from Jamie Smith, a phil...
In today’s episode, a Christian and an atheist engage in a wide-ranging discussion about what makes humans special. Are we just advanced animals or part of a larger story with a beginning, middle, and...
We’ve made it to the end of another amazing year on the podcast — all thanks to you, our listeners! We loved exploring the ideas that shape our lives with you this year! In this episode, Seth (our pod...
During the Christmas season, we love experiencing wonder and magic. Santa Claus, presents, Christmas music, and twinkling lights make us feel the “Christmas spirit.” But Christians believe the ultimat...
In today’s episode, an English professor explores the question of meaning. What compels us to look for meaning? And, is meaning found within ourselves or outside of ourselves? You’ll hear from Lori Br...
In today’s episode, two professors discuss this question: Why is it so hard to admit when we don’t know something? And why does it matter in the academic environment? You’ll hear from Cullen Buie, pro...
It’s not hard to figure out what to do with our phones. But what is hard to figure out is what our phones are doing to us. Today’s speakers have written a lot about this topic. The first speaker is Jo...
It’s election season in America, and that brings a lot of questions about how we interact in the public square. How do we disagree respectfully across our differences? What do we do with competing tru...
In today’s episode, a physicist explores this question: Where do you see beauty in the world, and does it point to a higher purpose? You’ll hear from Ard Louis, a professor of theoretical physics at O...
In today’s episode, you’ll hear the story of Molly Worthen. As a journalist and historian at UNC, Molly has written about Christians for years as an outsider. But in this conversation, she shares how ...
Today’s episode is about worldviews. What is one? Do you have one? And, if so, how does it influence your daily life? You’ll hear from Dallas Willard, a philosophy professor from USC. Willard explores...
In today’s episode, you’ll hear from two scientists as they discuss the topic of knowledge. Is scientific knowledge the only true form of knowledge? Or are there other equally valid ways of knowing? Y...
Advances in artificial intelligence and computing technology are happening at breakneck speed. Yet even the best A. I. today still falls short. Whether it's a frustratingly unhelpful chat bot, the unc...
The speakers in today’s forum engage with two main questions: What stories are you telling yourself? And how can you learn to tell better ones? You’ll hear today from practicing psychiatrist Curt Thom...
For many of the key issues today, it’s challenging to simply agree to disagree. Not only do we have serious differences in opinion and belief, but how we choose to act in light of them can have profou...
In college, it's common to feel the pressure to do everything—overload classes, join clubs, apply to internships, and more. But rarely do we stop to ask why. Behind all of our striving, what’s the pur...
What if there was a way to alleviate the symptoms of depression in just five days by changing a person’s brain activity? Obviously, this kind of shift would radically change a person’s life, finally l...
One of our faculty partners and frequent Veritas Forum speakers, John Inazu (WUSTL), has a new book out — Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect. ...
It would be great if the world was a better place. More kindness and friendship. Less war and injustice. For “everything sad to become untrue” (to paraphrase Tolkien). Our speaker in this episode is M...
We spend — on average — 90,000 hours of our life working. So it’s no wonder we want our jobs to bring us happiness. Yet, all too often, work doesn’t make us happy. Why is that? And is there anything w...
The concept of a “multiverse” — formerly an obscure idea in philosophy and theoretical physics — is now mainstream. Movies like best-picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once or Marvel’s Spider...
Meaning can be straightforward — a red octagon means “Stop!”, a hand wave with a smile means “Hello,” or adding two and two equals four. But meaning is often more complicated — a friend saying they’ll...
The "group projects" of high school and college never fully go away. Even outside of the classroom, we still have to depend on people who may disappoint us, wade through tricky relational dynamics, an...
While the beginning of the year often inspires a hopefulness and expectancy for life, New Years isn’t all excitement and courage. For you personally, this year may be a continuation of past sickness, ...
This year has been another incredible one for The Veritas Forum podcast — all thanks to you, our amazing listeners. Thanks for making The Veritas Forum podcast be in the top 1% of all podcasts worldwi...
Sometimes belief can get you the job, secure the win, or help you make a difference. Other times, through, belief doesn't seem to help much at all. Can we know which beliefs are worth believing in? An...
In the US, more and more adults believe in “nothing in particular.” Recent surveys from Pew Research and the Associated Press suggest that around 30% of American adults are religiously unaffiliated, u...
Today, you may be wrestling with what "progress" means — whether it's in relation to your own journey, your family’s, or your community’s. What do you want? And how will you get there? In this episode...
Much of our external circumstances differ from how they were 2,000 years ago — largely, to our benefit. However, our internal lives are surprisingly similar. Our desires for money, sex, and war — and ...
What would your life be like if you knew everything? While it would be nice to remember everyone’s names and not have to study for tests, knowing everything has its drawbacks, too. You’d no longer fee...
Today’s guest has some unexpected news for you: being happy isn’t possible. Instead, he says, work towards being happy-er. You'll hear today from social scientist, happiness scholar, and best-selling ...
Anthropologist Ernest Becker, in his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Denial of Death, says that denying death is a necessary part of functioning in the world. It’s what inspires us to create culture,...
On November 8th, 2013, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones in recorded history hit the Philippines. Winds as high as 145 MPH tore through communities, causing $3B damage and killing over six th...
Watching a few “how-to” videos on YouTube doesn’t make you an expert. To really know “how-to” change a tire, make puff pastry, or play the piano, you have to do it. Through experience, you discover ne...
Do you remember your last biology class? Maybe it’s been decades since your junior year of high school. Or maybe you just went to lab last Thursday. But no matter what you do or don’t remember from bi...
There’s a sort of spark to life — moments that stir up something inside of us that we can’t explain. Maybe you've experienced this while playing with your dog, or singing along at a concert, or seeing...
If new and improved A.I. tools can write your next essay, create Picasso-style art, or produce a believable deep-fake, it’s fair to ask: Are we manufacturing human brains? In this episode, we dive int...
A.I. is no longer the stuff of science fiction. From Siri and Alexa to Chat GPT, our world is now inundated with artificial intelligence. One senses that it’s time to think more deeply about A.I. — it...
For the religious believer and the atheist alike, the problem of evil and suffering is troubling. If there is a God, why does he allow so much evil? And if there isn’t a God, how can we say that anyth...
What matters isn't how much faith you have but what you're putting your faith in. In this forum episode, University of San Diego mathematics professor Satyan Devadoss talks about how he trusts in Chr...
Scholars, journalists, practitioners, and other thought leaders all agree — we’re facing a loneliness epidemic that’s as grave a threat to public health as obesity or substance abuse. Where do we go f...
At every age, we ask questions of identity, community, and meaning — Who am I? Where do I belong? What is my purpose? But college students today are asking them with unique urgency and anxiety. In th...
Want to be successful? You might need to get better at failing. In this episode, Charles Lee (Stanford) and Andy Van Schaack (Vanderbilt) explore what it takes to be failure-resilient. In this Forum f...
With the average college student graduating with about $40,000 of student debt, you may be wondering: Is college worth it? To answer that question, though, you have to ask another question first: Wha...
“What’s my passion?” “What do I want to do for the rest of my life?” These aren’t great questions because they’re fixed; they assume you’ll only have one job or one passion for the rest of your life. ...
In today's world of misinformation and misrepresentation, it's wise to be skeptical. But has our skepticism gone too far? What does it look like not only to refute what is false — but also to follow w...
The same facts can lead to different stories. You see this daily in your news feed — major events produce dozens of headlines, and each article has its own interpretation of the facts. This is how we ...
In this episode, we go Beyond the Forum with theoretical physicist Dr. Ard Louis (Oxford). He’s on the cutting edge of research about symmetry, and directs a research lab at Oxford. Yet for all of his...
In this Winterlude episode, we interview physician and medical ethicist Dr. Lydia Dugdale (Columbia). We discuss the historic medical pledge, the Hippocratic Oath, and how it is not required by medica...
Is there truth beyond science? Mathematics professor John Lennox (Oxford) and philosophy professor Larry Shapiro (UW-Madison) explore whether truth can exist beyond what is scientifically observable. ...
Love this podcast!
I’ve found this podcast super insightful as I engage my friends, both Christian and non-Christians, on different topics of faith. It is also personally encouraging and I love the diverse discussion!
Veritas Forum is Awesome!
I love how Veritas provides a space for interfaith dialogue that is not commonly found on campus. I also love all the thoughts and questions that the conversations provoke in my mind that I don’t normally think about. One word: inspiration!
Veritas Forum is really the best
I really deeply believe in the mission of the Veritas Forum. Important ideas and fruitful conversation every time.
