Cosmic Connections: Resonating with the World / Charles Taylor & Miroslav Volf

Cosmic Connections: Resonating with the World / Charles Taylor & Miroslav Volf

Author: Matthew Croasmun, Ryan McAnnally-Linz, Drew Collins, Miroslav Volf, Evan Rosa, Macie Bridge November 6, 2024 Duration: 54:50
For the Life of the World / Yale Center for Faith & Culture
ReligionReligion & SpiritualityChristianityCultureEducationPhilosophySocietySociety & CultureSpirituality

Has modern humanity lost its connection to the world outside our heads? And can our experience of art and poetry help train us for a more elevated resonance with the cosmos?

In today’s episode, theologian Miroslav Volf interviews philosopher Charles Taylor about his latest book, Cosmic Connections: Poetry in the Age of Disenchantment. In it he turns to poetry to help articulate the human experience of the cosmos we’re a part of.

Together they discuss the modern Enlightenment view of our relation to the world and its shortcomings; modern disenchantment and the prospects of reenchantment through art and poetry; Annie Dillard and the readiness to experience the world and what it’s always offering; how to hold the horrors of natural life with the transcendent joys; Charles recites some of William Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” and Gerard Manley Hopkins’s “The Windhover”; how to become fully arrested by beauty; and the value we find in human experience of the world.

Production Notes

  • This podcast featured Charles Taylor and Miroslav Volf
  • Edited and Produced by Evan Rosa
  • Hosted by Evan Rosa
  • Production Assistance by Emily Brookfield, Alexa Rollow, Kacie Barrett, and Zoë Halaban
  • A Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/about
  • Support For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

What does it mean to live well, not just for ourselves but for the world around us? For the Life of the World / Yale Center for Faith & Culture explores this profound question through conversations that blend deep theological insight with sharp cultural analysis. Hosted by scholars and thinkers like Matthew Croasmun, Ryan McAnnally-Linz, Drew Collins, Miroslav Volf, Evan Rosa, and Macie Bridge, each episode delves into the complexities of faith, philosophy, and everyday practice. You’ll hear discussions that move from abstract ideas to tangible guidance, examining how ancient wisdom intersects with modern challenges in society, education, and personal spirituality. This isn’t about easy answers, but about the harder, more rewarding work of discerning what constitutes a flourishing life-for individuals and communities alike. The podcast serves as an audio extension of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture’s mission, offering thoughtful content for anyone curious about how belief shapes and is shaped by culture. Tune in for a consistently engaging exploration of what it means to seek a life truly worthy of our shared humanity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 247

Official website RSS
For the Life of the World / Yale Center for Faith & Culture
Podcast Episodes
Season of Rebellion / Esau McCaulley on Lent [From the Archives] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:16
Today we’re bringing you an episode with Esau McCaulley, from the Lenten season of 2023. Esau sees Lent as a practice of collective generational wisdom, passed down through centuries of sacramental rhythms—but as a conte…
Faith and Character in a Polarized Society / John Kasich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:43
Can faith sustain courage and openness in a polarized democracy? Former Ohio governor and presidential candidate John Kasich reflects on faith, fear, character, and public life amid deep political polarization and religi…

12345...25»