Episodes 100
Avg. Duration 31m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.8 (93)
Since Dec 2012
Latest Episode May 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Months
Format
Episodic
Consistency
67%
Hosting
rss.buzzsprout.com

About This Podcast

Biologist Dr. Rupert Sheldrake and psychotherapist Mark Vernon explore the frontiers where rigorous science meets life's deepest mysteries. Through original research and thoughtful dialogue, they investigate consciousness, memory, spiritual practices, and the nature of reality itself—questioning the materialist assumptions that have dominated science for centuries. Their conversations bridge empirical investigation with ancient wisdom, offering fresh perspectives on everything from prayer and dreams to the extended mind and humanity's role in nature.

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Recent Episodes

Making Sense of the Resurrection of the Body

May 07, 2026 35m

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yU1CQIE4T10Many people report apparitions of their loved ones after death, and even of loved dogs and cats. But how do these after-death communications align with…

S13E99 Patron Saints

Jan 22, 2026 37m

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/274OwKLCsFMSupport the show on Substack: https://rupertsheldrake.substack.comSaints and genii locorum, or spirits of place, are the names in various wisdom…

S13E98 The Quiet Revolution

Nov 25, 2025 32m

Support the podcast by subscribing on Substackhttps://rupertsheldrake.substack.comWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qbRW_iehUA0The mood has shifted. Subjects that were once taboo - like God - are…

S12E97 The Wisdom of the Imagination

Oct 02, 2025 34m

The imagination is often regarded as a valuable but fanciful capacity. But what if imagination were not an optional extra, or even the possession of human beings alone, but a fundamental feature of…

S12E96 What is really known about consciousness?

Aug 06, 2025 47m

You may agree that the so-called hard problem of consciousness exposes the deep inadequacies of a materialist worldview. But the alternatives - various forms of panpsychism, panentheism and idealism…

S12E95 Does nature obey laws?

Jun 16, 2025 41m

The conviction that the natural world is obedient, adhering to laws, is a widespread assumption of modern science. But where did this idea originate and what beliefs does it imply? In this episode of…

S12E94 Living in an Age of Spiritual Crisis

Mar 05, 2025 52m

Much of the modern world has become uncoupled from the transcendent in a cultural experiment Nietzsche called the death of God. But might this spiritual crisis prove to be a time of rebirth? In this…

S12E93 Evolution: From Natural Selection to Omega Point

Jan 29, 2025 35m

Watch: https://youtu.be/_ywyQIFMtQEDarwinian evolution shapes modern biology, but the notion of evolution has a wider history, too. In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake…

S11E92 Forms and the Reformation of Science

Dec 06, 2024 39m

Forms are all around us: clouds, flowers, creatures, even systems of thought and logical relations. And yet the nature of forms is rarely part of the modern scientific conversation. In this episode…

S11E91 Purposes in Nature and Minds

Oct 25, 2024 30m

One of the premises of modern science is that nature is devoid of purposes. Instead, purposeless explanations for phenomena are sought. And the strategy has proved hugely productive. Except that…

S11E90 How does memory work?

Sep 17, 2024 39m

No one knows. Repeated experiments have failed to locate where memories are stored in the brain, casting doubt on the conventional assumption that memories are stored as material traces. In this…

S11E89 Randomness and Indeterminism

Jul 16, 2024 38m

Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/_TZ-8RMPHM8Randomness and luck, fate and providence. How do these facets of life relate to one another? Or is everything, actually, mechanically determined with…

S11E88 The Fullness of Life

Jun 07, 2024 34m

At school, we learn that being alive is to possess certain functions, from respiration to reproduction. But what is life and why can the word “life” be used more widely than referring only to…

S11E87 Force Fields, Behind the Fog of Maths

May 08, 2024 37m

Einstein remarked that there was physics before Maxwell and physics after Maxwell, the difference being the introduction of modern field theory. So what difference did fields make and, more to the…

S11E86 Matter is Frozen Light

Apr 09, 2024 40m

The everyday stuff called matter turns out to be both more fascinating and stranger than we usually assume. In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon ask…

S11E85 The Nature of Energy

Mar 01, 2024 36m

Energy is a key organising principle in modern science, the conversation of energy being a grounding and universal law. But what is energy? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert…

S11E84 The Speed of Gravity

Jan 26, 2024 32m

Isaac Newton is best known for his theory of gravity. And yet, the great scientist also insisted: "the cause of gravity is what I do not pretend to know.” In other words, notions like gravity, and…

S11E83 Humanity’s role in nature. Are we more than just a problem?

Dec 20, 2023 35m

Environmental degradation caused by technological progress is in the news almost everyday. So can any sense be made of an ancient intuition that human beings are not just part of nature but have a…

S11E82 The Extension of Mind Through Space and the Sense of Being Stared At

Nov 10, 2023 42m

Do our minds reside solely inside our heads, or perhaps bodies? Or do they extend into the wider world, perhaps even reaching to the stars? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert…

S11E81 Can we do without organised religion?

Oct 22, 2023 37m

Churches are in decline, certainly in the western world. People tend not to turn to a priest for spiritual insight or advice. But is a lived relationship with the sacred and wisdom traditions denuded…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Sheldrake Vernon Dialogues have?

The Sheldrake Vernon Dialogues has published 100 episodes since December 2012, covering topics in Natural Sciences, Philosophy.

Is The Sheldrake Vernon Dialogues still active?

The Sheldrake Vernon Dialogues is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 months. Average episode length is 31m.

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