Sasha Sagan: Cosmic Rituals (#046)

   Sasha Sagan’s stirring debut book, “For Small
Creatures Such As We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely
World,” is the topic of this week’s episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Sagan is the daughter of late astronomer/author Carl Sagan and
writer/producer Ann Druyan. Show notes and resources are available
here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php Highlights: 00:10:02 The
power of secular rituals versus relying on habits and willpower.
00:23:48 Rituals span the distinction between belief through
evidence, faith, and philosophy. 00:27:01 Poetry for Physicists:
Brian Keating reads poems by Walt Whitman and Richard Feynman
00:34:42 Academic rituals and how to share wonder through
education. 00:44:34 Generational learning and how we’re influenced
by family. 00:56:45 Would Carl Sagan have given up the search for
extraterrestrial life by now? 01:01:46 Questions INTO THE
IMPOSSIBLE asks of all authors. On this Mother’s Day episode, Sagan
discusses her own upbringing and how becoming a mother inspired her
to research rituals from around the world and throughout history.
Her interview with Dr. Brian Keating also touches on her secular
upbringing and the intersection of science and religion. Sasha
Sagan studied literature at NYU and has worked as a producer,
filmmaker, and editor. Her essays, many about the lessons she
learned from her parents, have been published in literary
magazines. Buy Sasha Sagan’s book here Read Sagan’s essays,
including one that inspired her book here Listen to Sagan’s
interview on The Powerful Ladies podcast here Learn more about
Moxie the robot here Find Sasha Sagan on the web:
https://www.sashasagan.com and Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SashaSagan Please subscribe, rate, and review
the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes for a chance to win a
copy of Sagan’s book. Find Brian Kea Learn more about your ad
choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices