Awe as a Scientific Emotion: An Interview with Sara Gottlieb
We talked to Sinai and Synapses fellowship alum Sara Gottlieb about her research on awe, which has been published in the journal Cognitive Science.
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Sara Gottlieb is a graduate student in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a BA in psychology and philosophy from Macalester College, and previously served as the lab manager for the Moral Cognition Lab at Harvard University. Sara’s core research interests fall at the intersection of psychology and philosophy, and include moral judgment, the competing explanatory power of science and religion, and moral disgust. One current project aims to understand how secular experiences – and especially encounters with science – can provoke a deep and meaningful sense of awe. She is also currently researching how explaining things in reductionist terms, such as using neuroscience to describe the mind, influences our bioethical judgments about things like abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and cloning.
My Big Fat Vegetarian Wedding
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Does Science Need Its Own Rituals?
Does religion offer something special that science doesn’t?
Is Some Science Off Limits?
Why are morality, religious experience, and love topics that are often perceived as being beyond the scope of science?
How the Language of Awe Connects Us
What do seeing oneself as a part of nature and seeing oneself as part of a massive demonstration have in common?
How Do We Deal With Fear?
Can religion — as a source of creative meaning — “inoculate” us against the fears that naturally arise?
Awe Elicits a Desire for Order
Awe often leads both theists and non-theists to seek order and structure.
It’s Always Good to Rethink Our Assumptions
If we can approach our level of knowledge with humility and openness, we can discover more about ourselves and our world.
