Thom Krystofiak holds a B.A. from Harvard (magna cum laude) and an M.A. from Cambridge University, where he was a Knox Fellow. A trained teacher of Transcendental Meditation, he joined an intentional community in Fairfield, Iowa in 1983, where he and his wife continue to live. There he encountered a cornucopia of spiritual seekers. A rigorous and thoroughgoing skeptic surrounded by ready believers, he has developed unique perspectives on the eternal yet ever-new contest of doubt versus belief.
Website: krystofiak.com
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Summary and Transcript of this interview.
Interview recorded October 2, 2021.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introducing Buddha at the Gas Pump
- 00:04:49 – Extraordinary Beliefs and Skepticism
- 00:09:04 – Nurturing Skepticism and Exploring Extraordinary Beliefs
- 00:13:31 – Dangerous Beliefs and their Implications
- 00:17:42 – Strange Beliefs and the Link to Spirituality
- 00:21:57 – The Spectrum of Belief
- 00:26:25 – Perceiving the Unseen
- 00:30:36 – The Complementarity of Science and Spirituality
- 00:35:00 – Spiritual Experiences and Remarkable Coincidences
- 00:38:57 – Exploring Extraordinary Beliefs
- 00:43:39 – Encouragement of the Irrational
- 00:47:56 – The Allure of Hidden Knowledge
- 00:51:58 – The Manipulation of Beliefs by Powerful Industries
- 00:56:20 – Bucking science and climate denial
- 01:00:02 – Einstein’s View on God
- 01:03:53 – The Nature of Consciousness and Embodied State
- 01:08:30 – Recognizing the Essential Nature
- 01:13:13 – The Profoundness of Self-Realization
- 01:17:14 – The Nature of Consciousness
- 01:21:16 – The Value of Skepticism and Certainty
- 01:25:32 – Anecdotes of Out-of-Body Experiences during Surgery
- 01:29:26 – Unexplained Phenomena at Dinner
- 01:33:12 – The Connection between Fascination with the Paranormal and Social Issues
- 01:37:26 – The Seductive Power of Claims About Truth
- 01:41:22 – Peer-Reviewed Science vs. Scientist Claims
- 01:45:16 – The Importance of Scientific Consensus
- 01:49:42 – The Consensus of Spiritual Experiences
- 01:54:04 – The Motivation and Benefits of Spiritual Practices
- 01:58:03 – The Cognition of Deeper Mechanics of Nature
- 02:01:48 – Yogic Flying and Levitation
- 02:05:53 – The Positive Reception of the Book
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube
