Episode description
Episode description
From witchcraft to shamans to those with schizophrenia, voices and visions have always been part of human experience and they have always intrigued anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann. She now studies how various cultures understand these mysterious mental phenomena. Luhrmann has observed and talked to hundreds who’ve experienced voices and visions and learned there are “different pathways” to understand them, as she tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.
Episode Reference Links:
- Stanford Profile: Tanya Marie Luhrmann
- Tanya Luhrmann: Website
Connect With Us:
- Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
- Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon
- Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook
Chapters:
(00:00:00) Introduction
Host Russ Altman introduces guest Tanya Luhrmann, a professor of anthropology at Stanford University.
(00:02:18) Origins of Interest
Tanya shares her background and how it influenced her studies on the human mind and its perceptions.
(00:05:53) Methodologies in Anthropological Research
The methods used to understand experiences like hearing voices and seeing visions.
(00:07:04) Cultural Variability in Human Experiences
How hearing voices varies across cultures, and their implications on mental health.
(00:13:42) The Clinical and Non-Clinical Spectrum
The clinical aspects of hearing voices, and how they are perceived and treated in different contexts.
(00:18:01) Non-Clinical Manifestations and Practice
The influence of practices and beliefs on non-clinical supernatural experiences.
(00:22:24) Characteristics of Leaders
Factors that make certain individuals leaders in perceptual practices.
(00:23:43) AI and Relationships with Chatbots
Parallels between relationships with imagined entities and modern AI chatbots.
(00:28:40) Conclusion
Connect With Us:
Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon
Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook