Current Programme
We are joined again by Dr Joshua Rasmussen (PhD, Notre Dame), associate professor of philosophy at Azusa Pacific University, for an in-depth—and, at times, somewhat mind-bending—conversation on his latest book, Who Are You, Really? : A Philosopher's Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Persons. In the book, published by InterVarsity Press (2023), Dr Rasmussen takes a deep—though very approachable—dive into the almost unfathomable waters of philosophy of mind and fundamental ontology, and invites the reader (as he does here the listener) to embark upon a journey of discovery towards possible understandings of Who We Really Are.
"What does it mean to be human? Philosopher Joshua Rasmussen offers a step-by-step examination into the fundamental nature and origin of persons. Using accessible language and clear logic, he argues that understanding what it means to be a person sheds light not only on our own nature but also on the existence of the One who gave us life."—(IVPress.com)
Joshua Rasmussen, who joined us in 2019 to talk about his book How Reason Can Lead to God, is also author of Defending the Correspondence Theory of Truth and The Bridge of Reason, coauthor of Necessary Existence and Is God the Best Explanation of Things?, and coeditor of A New Theist Response to the New Atheists. He lives in Azusa, California, with his wife Rachel and their five children.
Upcoming Programmes
We shall welcome again Professor Paul Marik, M.D., a former tenured Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, Virginia, and Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC).
Dr Marik, who back in 2020 joined us on the podcast to talk about the Alliance's famous "MATH+" protocol for treating covid-19, will this time be introducing us to the FLCCC's "EAT WELL" guide to fasting and healthy eating and its "I-CARE" guide to managing insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
We shall also be hearing from Dr Marik how, through following principles such as these, he has been able to make significant improvements in his own metabolic health.
(Prior to co-founding the FLCCC, Dr Marik was best known for his revolutionary work in developing a life-saving protocol for sepsis, a condition that causes more than 250,000 deaths yearly in the U.S. alone. Dr Marik is an accomplished physician with special knowledge in a diverse set of medical fields, with specific training in Internal Medicine, Critical Care, Neurocritical Care, Pharmacology, Anesthesia, Nutrition, and Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He is a former tenured Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, Virginia. As part of his commitment to research and education, Dr Marik has written over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles, 80 book chapters and authored four critical care books. His efforts have provided him the distinction of the second most published critical care physician in the world. He has been cited over 43,000 times in peer-reviewed publications and has an H-index of 77. He has delivered over 350 lectures at international conferences and visiting professorships. As a result of his contributions, he has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including the National Teacher of the Year award by the American College of Physicians in 2017. In January 2022 Dr Marik retired from EVMS to focus on continuing his leadership of the FLCCC and has already co-authored over 10 papers on therapeutic aspects of treating COVID-19. In March 2022 Dr Marik received a commendation by unanimous vote by the Virginia House of Delegates for “his courageous treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients and his philanthropic efforts to share his effective treatment protocols with physicians around the world.”—FLCCC Alliance)
We shall welcome to the programme Jacob Hornberger, founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation in the US, for an interview on the historical and political circumstances in the US leading up to 1963, and specifically on the growth of the US national security state and its significance for understanding the assassination of US President John F Kennedy.
(It is hoped that this will be the first of a number of TMR podcasts during 2023 relating to JFK's assassination.)
(Jacob Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation [FFF], a non-profit educational foundation in the United States whose mission is to present the principled case for the libertarian philosophy. He received his B.A. in economics from The Virginia Military Institute and his law degree from the University of Texas. After serving as a trial attorney for 12 years, he left the practice of law to enter the educational-foundation world. Jacob has written and spoken extensively on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and his assassination-related books include: An Encounter with Evil : The Abraham Zapruder Story; The Kennedy Autopsy; The Kennedy Autopsy 2; and Regime Change : The JFK Assassination. FFF has also published JFK’s War with the National-Security Establishment by Douglas Horne (who served on the staff of the Assassination Records Review Board), and CIA & JFK : The Secret Assassination Files by Jefferson Morley (a former investigative reporter for the Washington Post). FFF has also held two conferences relating to JFK, which featured presentations by Oliver Stone, Jeffrey Sachs, Stephen Kinzer, Michael J. Glennon, Ron Paul, Douglas Horne, Jefferson Morley, and others. Videos of the presentations at those conferences can be found in the Multimedia section of FFF’s website: fff.org.”)—FFF.org
Future Programmes
We expect to be joined again by the theologian and historian Dr Martin Erdmann for a possible series of interviews on the subjects of his two major books, The Triumph of Progressivism (2021) and The Spiritualisation of Technology (2022).
"Dr Martin Erdmann studied theology at Columbia International University in the USA (Master of Divinity in Missiology and New Testament Studies), at the University of Basel in Switzerland and at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland (Master of Theology in New Testament Studies and Patristics). In 1996, he founded Online Communication Systems, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio. In 1999, he was awarded a doctoral degree in Modern Church History at Brunel University London in England. From 2000-2001 he engaged in post-doctoral studies in New Testament and History of Theology at the Séminaire Libre De Théologie À Genève (Free Seminary of Theology, Geneva, Switzerland). From 2003 to 2010 he was an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies (distance education) at Patrick Henry College, Virginia. For four years Dr Erdmann headed up the NT department of the Staatsunabhängige Theologische Hochschule Basel (State-independent Theological Seminary), Switzerland. In his position as Senior Scientist at the University Hospital in Basel, he was involved in researching the ethical implications of Nanotechnology. In 2017 the Károli Gáspár-University in Budapest, Hungary awarded him the Dr. Habil. degree in Systematic Theology. Since 2003 he has directed the Verax Institute (Christian apologetics). Dr Erdmann is married to Joy and has two children, Estelle Chérie and Johannes Luc."
Results from TMR survey
Format: Everyone who responded said that they particularly appreciate the interviews (and other types of one-to-one conversation) and asked that these remain at the core of TMR's programming. They also generally prefer in-depth conversations.
Subjects: The majority of respondents are happy with the types of subjects covered on the podcast. (Some aren't keen on subjects that are specifically Christian, while others aren't keen on subjects that are not specifically Christian. Given that this mix is central to TMR's philosophy, such difference of opinion is only to be expected.)
Frequency: Very few asked for the podcasts to be posted at any regular interval (such as weekly or fortnightly), but instead stressed the importance of quality over quantity.
Conclusion: I shall therefore continue in much the same way, but prioritise the in-depth conversations, even though that may impact the frequency with which I post podcasts.
Many thanks to those who contributed.
Julian.
Other arrangements are in the pipeline. I am currently working on the following three projects: an interview in the area of philosophy/theology of mind (see above); an interview on the philosophy of miracle; a possible series of interviews with Dr Martin Ermann on his books, The Triumph of Progressivism and The Spiritualisation of Technology; hopefully some podcasts (of various types) to do with JFK (this being the year that it is). I shall share more details when I have definite arrangements.
