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In this dialogue on life\\u2019s deepest and most meaningful issues Michael Shermer talks with psychologist Clay Routledge about: the evolution of motivation and goals in animals and humans \\u25cf what a \\u201cpurpose driven life\\u201d really means \\u25cf how atheists and nonbelievers can create meaningful and purposeful lives \\u25cf the self, personal identity, and existential psychology \\u25cf why people believe in God and fear death \\u25cf why religious people live longer and healthier lives \\u25cf the different types of atheists \\u25cf why one-third of atheists believe in some type of life after death \\u25cf free will as a useful fiction \\u25cf trans-humanism as a faux religion \\u25cf what should an atheist say to someone who is dying or has a loved-one who passed away \\u25cf terrorism as motivated by religion or politics or both.

Dr. Clay Routledge is an author, psychological scientist, consultant, public speaker, and professor. He is a professor at North Dakota State University. He studies basic psychological needs and how these needs influence wellbeing, physical health, and intergroup relations.Much of his research focuses on the need for meaning in life and the need to belong.He has published 95 scholarly papers, co-edited two books on existential psychology, and authored the book Nostalgia: A Psychological Resource. He was the lead writer for the TED-Ed animated lesson Why Do We Feel Nostalgia? His new book Supernatural: Death, Meaning, and the Power of the Invisible World was published in July 2018.

Listen to Science Salon via iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Soundcloud.

This remote Science Salon was recorded on September 12, 2018.

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