In this conversation, Darren Iammarino shares his journey into process philosophy and theology, describing how he was first drawn to Whitehead’s ideas and how these concepts have shaped his teaching and spiritual practice. Darren and Jared then turn to questions at the intersection of AI and process metaphysics, considering whether artificial intelligences can truly be conscious, how parasocial relationships with AI complicate our notions of self and society, and what Whitehead’s philosophy might contribute to these debates. Finally, they delve into theological questions about novelty, divine creativity, and the role of eternal objects, envisioning a cosmos where creatures participate in the ongoing creation of new possibilities.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Darren's efforts to connect process thought with yoga communities and other non-Christian spiritual practices
• The challenges of making process ideas accessible beyond academic contexts
• Reflections on AI, consciousness, and the nature of relationships with inorganic agents
• Darren’s critiques of Whitehead’s notion that God eternally contains all possibilities
• A vision of novelty and creativity emerging from the interplay between God and creatures
• Speculation on the cosmological function of quantum randomness
• Connections between process thought, interfaith dialogue, and ecological civilization

What happens when the boundaries of the self dissolve? In this profound episode, theologian and Unitarian Universalist minister Thandeka joins hosts Jay McDaniel and Jared Morningstar for a vulnerable and wide-ranging conversation exploring spiritual experiences of no-self, the impact of trauma on identity, and the philosophical power of nothingness.

Through deeply personal stories and philosophical insights, the conversation weaves together:

Isaac Stern concerts and moments of ego dissolution

Islamic prayer, Buddhist emptiness, and Zen koans

The psychological legacy of childhood trauma

Whitehead’s process theology and Schleiermacher’s affective religious experience

The rise of small spiritual communities as healing spaces

Together, they ask: What is the role of community in reclaiming our whole selves? Can traditions like Buddhism, Islam, and process theology offer resources for healing in a fragmented world?

In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, philosopher Andrew M. Davis joins hosts Jay McDaniel and Jared Morningstar to explore how process philosophy, aesthetic values, and spiritual formation intersect across theology, science, and personal narrative.

Raised in an evangelical context, Davis shares how thinkers like Whitehead, Hartshorne, and Max Scheler helped him move beyond deconstruction toward a renewed vision of reality shaped by beauty, truth, and goodness.

This episode explores:

The aesthetic foundations of value and metaphysics

Whitehead’s vision of a universe in process and perpetual becoming

Evangelicalism, post-evangelicalism, and the "anatheistic" journey of returning to the sacred

Process views of teleology, eschatology, and the God of love

The evolving role of religious ideals, compassion, and purpose in a fluid cosmos

In this episode of Conversations in Process, hosts Jay McDaniel and Jared Morningstar sit down with guest Matt Segall to reflect on the relaunch of the podcast and the broader vision of process philosophy for the 21st century.

This episode explores:

• The evolution of the Conversations in Process series
• The integration of the Cobb Institute with the Center for Process Studies
• What “process thought” means in the context of spirituality, culture, and academic discourse
• How the podcast will explore new voices, emerging worldviews, and the deeper edges of metaphysical thinking

In this episode of Conversations in Process, host Jared Morningstar speaks with Jay McDaniel about how they first encountered the world of process thought. Through Alfred North Whitehead's work, they share their journeys into the intersections of 20th-century philosophy, metaphysics, theology, and spiritual inquiry.

Together, they explore:

How Whitehead’s philosophy offers a vibrant alternative to rigid dogmatism

Why process thought may have something of value for today’s spiritual and philosophical seekers

The influence of other process thinkers like Charles Hartshorne and Henri Bergson

The continuing relevance of metaphysical speculation in contemporary life

In this episode of Conversations in Process, Jay interviews renowned podcaster and process theologian Tripp Fuller, digging into the more personal side of his faith and theology. Tripp is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Theology & Science at the University of Edinburgh. He received his PhD in Philosophy, Religion, and Theology at Claremont Graduate University. For over 13 years Tripp has been doing the Homebrewed Christianity podcast where he interviews different scholars about their work. In 2020 he published Divine Self-Investment: An Open and Relational Constructive Christology.

In this conversation, Jay asks Tripp to trace his theological development from his formative years, asking what influenced his perspectives and how he grappled with issues such as the authority of sacred texts. Jay then asks of music, and what religious or spiritual role this played and continues to play in Tripp’s life—a topic which led to a number of insights about religious pluralism, the function of symbolism, and the logic of the one. In closing, Tripp talks about how he shares his faith with his children in light of their various phases of life, and the importance of the religious virtue of friendship which he sees as core to the message and life of Jesus.

LINKS:

• Tripp’s website
• Homebrewed Christianity
• Theology Beer Camp: The God Pods Strike Back
• Divine Self-Investment: An Open and Relational Constructive Christology
• Conversations in Process
• The Cobb Institute
• Open Horizons

In this episode of Conversations in Process, Jay sits down with Sufi scholar and musician Ali Hussain to discuss potential points of contact between Islamic mystical theology and process thought. Ali Hussain has a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan, Department of Middle East Studies. His research focuses on the image of Jesus AS in the writings of Muslim polymath Muhyiddin Ibn Al-Arabi and later Muslim scholars. His other research interests include Islam and Sufism in America, art and creativity in Islam and the creative engagement that Sufi mystics have with Arabic through the mediation of the Quran. He has published a number of books and articles, including “The Art of Ibn Arabi,” “The Metaphysics of Creativity: From the Qur'an into Ibn al-'Arabi,” “Ibn Al-Arabi and Joseph Campbell: The Metaphysics of Creativity and Mythology of Contemporary Art,” and most recently “A Nostalgic Remembrance: Sufism and the Breath of Creativity.”

In this conversation, Jay and Ali explore the similarities and contrasts between the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi and Whitehead’s cosmological and theological perspectives. They discuss issues of immanence and transcendence, negative theology, the problem of evil, and much more. Ali shares the intellectual roots of Islamic mysticism, which draws in part from the same Platonic traditions in which Whitehead himself finds inspiration. Jay discusses common process perspectives on the vulnerability of God and the openness of the future, which Ali thinks can fit into a Sufi perspective as well when considered in relation to particular Divine Names. In closing, they discuss the centrality of beauty in both Sufi traditions and Whitehead’s philosophy, connecting the ideas of harmony and intensity with Divine Mercy and an open future.

• The Adhwaq Center for Spirituality, Culture and the Arts
• A Nostalgic Remembrance: Sufism and the Breath of Creativity
• Ali on Instagram
• Conversations in Process
• The Cobb Institute
• Open Horizons