Description:

Nature is capable of extraordinary phenomena. Standing in awe of those phenomena, we experience a feeling of connection to the cosmos. For acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, just as remarkable is that all of what we see around us—soap bubbles, scarlet ibises, shooting stars—are made of the same material stuff and obey the same rules and laws. This is what Lightman calls “spiritual materialism,” the belief that we can embrace spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview. Pairing 36 beautiful, full-color photos evoking some of nature’s most awe-inspiring phenomena with accessible and lyrical personal essays, The Miraculous from the Material: Understanding the Wonders of Nature explores the fascinating science underlying the natural world. 

Lightman will be in conversation with Dacher Keltner, (FAN ’16, ’23), professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley, director of the Berkeley Social Interaction Lab, and faculty director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. His research focuses the biological and evolutionary origins of compassion, awe, love, and beauty, as well as power, social class, and inequality. Keltner is the author of The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence, as well as the bestseller Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life and The Compassionate Instinct. His latest book is 2023’s Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.