Heavens on Earth
The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia
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Narrated by:
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Dr. Michael Shermer
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David Smalley
About this listen
In his most ambitious work yet, Shermer sets out to discover what drives humans' belief in life after death, focusing on recent scientific attempts to achieve immortality by radical life extentionists, extropians, transhumanists, cryonicists, and mind uploaders, along with utopians who have attempted to create heaven on earth.
For millennia, religions have concocted numerous manifestations of heaven and the afterlife, the place where souls go after the death of the physical body. Religious leaders have toiled to make sense of this place that a surprising 74 percent of Americans believe exists but from which no one has ever returned to report what it is really like.
Heavens on Earth concludes with an uplifting paean to purpose and progress and what we can do in the here and now, whether or not there is a hereafter.
©2018 Dr. Michael Shermer (P)2018 Dr. Michael ShermerListeners also enjoyed...
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In The Science of Good and Evil, psychologist and science historian Michael Shermer explores how humans evolved from social primates into moral primates, how and why morality motivates the human animal, and how the foundation of moral principles can be built upon empirical evidence. Along the way he explains the implications of scientific findings for fate and free will, the existence of pure good and pure evil, and the development of early moral sentiments among the first humans.
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Read by author
- By Gregory A. Townsend on 04-16-23
By: Michael Shermer
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Breaking the Spell
- Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why - and how - it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma.
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Great Reader Actually Enhances A Great Book!
- By Don Caliente on 07-14-14
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The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking
- How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane
- By: Matthew Hutson
- Narrated by: Matthew Hutson, Don Hagen
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In this witty and perceptive debut, a former editor at Psychology Today shows us how magical thinking makes life worth living. Psychologists have documented a litany of cognitive biases and explained their positive functions. Now, Matthew Hutson shows us that even the most hardcore skeptic indulges in magical thinking all the time - and it's crucial to our survival. Drawing on evolution, cognitive science, and neuroscience, Hutson shows us that magical thinking has been so useful to us that it's hardwired into our brains.
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Highly enjoyable
- By David R Pinsof on 05-01-12
By: Matthew Hutson
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The Ascent of Humanity
- Civilization and the Human Sense of Self
- By: Charles Eisenstein
- Narrated by: Steve Wojtas
- Length: 27 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Charles Eisenstein explores the history and potential future of civilization, tracing the converging crises of our age to the illusion of the separate self. He argues that our disconnection from one another and the natural world has mislaid the foundations of science, religion, money, technology, economics, medicine, and education as we know them. It has fired our near-pathological pursuit of technological Utopias even as we push ourselves and our planet to the brink of collapse.
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I love this author!
- By Tamara Smith on 12-03-17
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2084
- Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity
- By: John C. Lennox
- Narrated by: Justin Brierley
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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What will the year 2084 hold for you - for your friends, for your family, and for our society? Are we doomed to the grim dystopia imagined in George Orwell's 1984? In 2084, scientist and philosopher John Lennox will introduce you to a kaleidoscope of ideas: the key developments in technological enhancement, bioengineering, and, in particular, artificial intelligence. You will discover the current capacity of AI, its advantages and disadvantages, the facts and the fiction, as well as potential future implications.
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another stellar work from Lennox!
- By Amazon Customer on 09-03-20
By: John C. Lennox
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At the Edge of Uncertainty
- 11 Discoveries Taking Science by Surprise
- By: Michael Brooks
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The atom, the big bang, DNA, natural selection - all are ideas that have revolutionized science; and all were dismissed out of hand when they first appeared. The surprises haven't stopped in recent years, and in At the Edge of Uncertainty, best-selling author Michael Brooks investigates the new wave of radical insights that are shaping the future of scientific discovery.
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All smoke, no fire
- By Kenton on 07-25-15
By: Michael Brooks
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What the Bleep Do We Know
- Discovering the Endless Possibilities for Altering Your Everyday Reality
- By: William Arntz, Betsy Chase, Mark Vicente
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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With the help of 14 leading physicists, scientists, and spiritual thinkers, this book guides listeners on a course from the scientific to the spiritual, and from the universal to the personal. Along the way, it asks such questions as: Are we seeing the world as it really is What is the relationship between our thoughts and our world? How can I create my day every day? What the Bleep answers this question and others through an innovative new approach to self-help and spirituality.
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Attacking straw men
- By Henrik on 08-06-11
By: William Arntz, and others
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A General Theory of Love
- By: Richard Lannon MD, Thomas Lewis MD, Fari Amini MD
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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This original and lucid account of the complexities of love and its essential role in human well-being draws on the latest scientific research. Three eminent psychiatrists tackle the difficult task of reconciling what artists and thinkers have known for thousands of years about the human heart with what has only recently been learned about the primitive functions of the human brain.
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Great subject matter-hard to listen to
- By Laurel on 07-22-19
By: Richard Lannon MD, and others
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Thank God for Evolution
- How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World
- By: Michael Dowd
- Narrated by: Michael Dowd
- Length: 9 hrs
- Abridged
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Here is a revolutionary perspective on the relationship between religion and science that builds a bridge between people of all beliefs.
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Religion without God
- By Paul on 09-22-10
By: Michael Dowd
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Riveted
- The Science of Why Jokes Make Us Laugh, Movies Make Us Cry, and Religion Makes Us Feel One with the Universe
- By: Jim Davies
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Professor Jim Davies's fascinating and highly accessible book, Riveted, reveals the evolutionary underpinnings of why we find things compelling. Drawing on work from philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, psychology, economics, computer science, and biology, Davies offers a comprehensive explanation to show that in spite of the differences between the many things that we find compelling, they have similar effects on our minds and brains.
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Fun and excellent listen!
- By Alejandro Franco on 04-13-18
By: Jim Davies
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What listeners say about Heavens on Earth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- eve
- 03-23-18
truth telling Michael Shermer was fair
The author explored the possibilities honestly and belittled no one. Michael's book made me want to read or listen to more of his works. David Smalley was a great choice for his amazing voice and I appreciated hearing the author narrating. I must say, I could listen to David read the entries in a phone book in his voice and feel content. Please Michael write more. Your material is understandable and just makes sense. It is clear that you are brilliant and are writing this to help the masses. Thank you.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-05-18
Interesting and very well done
The subject matter is fascinating and Shermer is a brilliant guy. I highly recommend this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- D.C. Lozar
- 05-02-18
A Poignant Work of Scientific Liturature
In his book, “Heavens on Earth,” Michael Shermer does a wonderful job of addressing and debunking many of the anti-aging theories. Additionally, he provides rational arguments as to why humans cling to these theories despite the discouraging evidence. He addresses the ethereal aspects of new-aged religions, the cultish draw of technologic immortality, the way we think as we approach death, and how people are fooled into thinking they've experienced life-after-death or that a child could be the reincarnated soul of a dead pilot. I was impressed with the respect he showed our varied human belief systems even as he methodically dissected the tender flesh to reveal the brittle bones upon which they were built. This is a book for thinkers, written by a thinker, and it garners my highest praise and respect. Well done!
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- Jan D. Leslie
- 01-20-19
Great food for thought
Engrossing book. covers all attempts to extend life beyond its current bounds, and their short comings. As well as the dangers of utopian fantasies when people try to force them into existance.
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- R. Erazo
- 04-28-18
Excellent Book
Very thought provoking, informative and intellectually honest. People seem to forget that we are the lucky ones to be alive.
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- Fernando Enrique Plata
- 03-06-18
Heaven is Here
I loved it. It sets a basic point to live in the here and now. Highly recommended.
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2 people found this helpful
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- BigWally
- 08-24-18
Fascinating subject as told by a brilliant author!
This is an absolutely fascinating book about the SCIENTIFIC search for the afterlife, immortality, and utopia. I have read most of Dr. Michael Schermer's books, but this is one of his best! He fully documents all his assertions with scientific studies or experiments. Dr. Schermer is a confirmed skeptic, and he publishes SKEPTIC magazine to which I subscribe. He has monthly lectures at Caltech by world famous philosophers, scientists, authors, etc. I liked the book so well I purchased a hard copy.
While I have the utmost respect for Dr. Schermer, I disagree with him about authors reading their own books which he favors. In my experience, authors (with a few exceptions) should NEVER read their own books. The classic mistake that an author reading his/her own book is that the volume of the speech fluctuates from loud to very soft. Often, the author "trails off" at the end of a sentence. I wish that Dr. Schermer would engage a professional reader, but in an author interview it appears he is always going to read his own books. His co-reader on this book has a very deep voice which many times is difficult to hear clearly.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 01-15-20
Great book. Makes you think.
Well thought out and researched. Really enjoyed the discussion of the Utopian societies that we have tried and the technology/medicine views that we will eventually outsmart death.
The audio is very quiet though. It needs to be renormalized and compressed to turn the levels up.
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- Paul
- 04-17-18
Overall great
Important message is live now and don’t miss your life hoping for the next which likely will no go beyond 120. Awesome breadth of information. Now...when standard narrators keep mispronouncing scientific terms, I give them a pass. But when the author does, it gives me pause and forces me to question how familiar they are with the science they are using in their book. Shermer is great, but I am confused about multiple mispronunciations.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Arthur Gyldenege
- 02-17-23
Great scientific and philosophical perspectives
A clear and direct critique of historical and modern views of the afterlife and eternal life. Showing that most views struggle to withstand even modest scrutiny. Whether it’s heaven, reincarnation, or the singularity, Michael Shermer will make you think a little bit more deeply about what living means.
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