Neuroscientist and host of the guided meditation app Waking Up Sam Harris returns to discuss tech’s effect on our psyches. And how the loss of “liminal” spaces may alter us as a culture.

Since 2013, Harris has hosted the Making Sense podcast, which produced his 2020 book, Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity. Sam’s 2014 book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, inspired his WAKING UP meditation app.

John Fuglesang is a comedian, actor, Sirius XM host, and author of Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds.

In 2012, John performed in the Coexist Comedy tour. In 2015, he hosted the PBS documentary Dream On about the many faces of the American Dream, and he’s the longtime host of Sirius XM’s interview show Tell Me Everything.

Susie Essman is best known as the foul-mouthed Susie Greene on HBO’s CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. For 12 seasons her character berated her show biz manager husband, played by Jeff Garlin, and his client, played by Larry David, in expletive-laden tirades that remain masterclasses in verbally-castrating vulgarity. Actor Armin Shimerman is best known as the iconic Ferengi alien Quark on STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE. But it was a love of classical drama that led him to a career in theatre and, eventually, earned him a place in the science-fiction pantheon.

David French is a New York Times columnist, who has called himself a “Reagan conservative,” a “pro-life classical liberal”, and an independent. In 2020, David published Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. For The Times, David often writes about “friendship, marriage, parenting” and “the evangelical church".

In 2024, the fundamentalist wing of the Presbyterian Church, where David and his family had worshipped for 15 years, cancelled him from appearing on a panel at the Church’s General Assembly to discuss “how to be supportive of your pastor and church leaders in a polarized political year.”

Scott talks with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, whose sweeping storytelling has turned history into something deeply human. From "The Civil War" to "Baseball", "Jazz", and "The U.S. and the Holocaust", his work has shaped how we see not just what happened, but who we are.

Raised in a family that valued both curiosity and conscience, Ken describes himself as a spiritual deist. He believes there’s meaning woven into the story, even if we’re still editing the final cut. Ken's films ask quiet but profound questions: What does it mean to be an American, and what stories do we tell to prove it?

Scott talks with author Valarie Kaur, about her book "See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love", her activism, and some historical perspective on the Sikh faith.

Valarie’s activism was sparked after the murder of a Sikh family friend in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. She began to document hate crimes against Sikh and Muslim Americans, out of which came her award-winning 2008 documentary film, Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath.

Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, philosopher, and bestselling author, who offers guided meditations on his Waking Up app, and a virtual Aristotle's Academy of Conversations and courses from Great Thinkers and Teachers.

His book is Subtitled, A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, and it is a map of the continents of spiritual practices it explores a no man's land between science and religion. Harris explores what it means to live ethically and meaningfully without traditional belief.

Scott Talks with actor, podcaster and voice-over artist Paul F. Tompkins. Paul has also acted on TV shows such as Bojack Horseman, Frasier, Weeds, The Sarah Silverman Program, Community and Curb Your Enthusiasm and in films, including Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and There Will Be Blood.

Besides hosting the podcasts Threedom, Stay F. Homekins, and The Neighborhood Listen, Paul regularly guests on other people’s shows, including over 200 episodes of Comedy Bang! Bang!