Templeton Ideas Podcast

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Christof Koch (Cosmic Intelligence)

June 04, 2026

Christof Koch is a neuroscientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the Chief Scientist of the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation. As a professor for 25 years at Cal Tech, he pioneered research on the neural basis of consciousness, and he has advanced one of the leading theories of consciousness called Integrated Information Theory. Among his many publications, Christof's most recent book is entitled Then I Am Myself the World: What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It. In our mini-series o...

Albert-László Barabási (Collective Intelligence)

May 21, 2026

Albert-László Barabási is a professor of network science and physics at Northeastern University. He has pioneered the study of complex networks, discovering that most systems are not randomly structured, but contain highly connected hubs. He has authored popular books such as Linked: The New Science of Networks; Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do; and most recently, The Science of Science. In our mini-series on the nature of intelligence, we have talked with Simon Conway Morri...

Susan Schneider (Artificial Intelligence)

May 07, 2026

Susan Schneider is a philosophy professor at Florida Atlantic University, and the founding director of the Center for the Future of AI, Mind, & Society. She has also worked at NASA as the chair of Astrobiology, Exploration, and Scientific Innovation. Susan's book, Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind, explores whether advanced AI systems could become conscious, and how we might design ways to test whether they truly are. In our mini-series on the nature of intelligence, we have talk...