"From Fall 2016 to Fall 2019 Marcelo Gleiser conducted a series of nine public dialogues between eminent scientists and humanists on challenging topics and ideas whose very definitions and meanings are disputed. Sponsored by the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement at Dartmouth College, founded by Gleiser, these events were held in theaters and universities across the US and immediately followed by workshops, open to the public, at which attendees could converse directly with participants. Great Minds Don't Think Alike collects edited versions of these discussions, which set an example, in a time when public discourse is seriously threatened, of how people can engage in a fruitful exchange of ideas even when they strongly disagree. The cast of characters is stellar: David Chalmers and Antonio Damasio on consciousness, Sean Carroll and Alan Wallace on reality, Patricia Churchland and Jill Tarter on the future of intelligence, Rebecca Goldstein and Alan Lightman on faith, Jimena Canales and Paul Davies on time, Ed Boyden and Mark O'Connell on transhumanism, Elizabeth Kolbert and Siddhartha Mukherjee on immortality, and Jeremy DeSilva, David Grinspoon, and Tasneem Zehra Husain on being human"-- Provided by publisher.

The mystery of consciousness : a dialogue between a neuroscientist and a philosopher /David Chalmers, Antonio Damasio -- The nature of reality : a dialogue between a Buddhist scholar and a theoretical physicist / Sean Carroll, B. Alan Wallace -- Future of intelligence : human, machine, and extraterrestrial: a dialogue between an astronomer and a philosopher / Patricia Churchland, Jill Tarter -- The nature of spirituality : a dialogue on science and religion / Rebecca Goldstein, Alan Lightman -- The mystery of time : a dialogue between a science historian and a physicist / Jimena Canales, Paul Davies -- Cyborgs, futurists, & transhumanism : a dialogue between a neuroscientist and an author / Ed Boyden, Mark O'Connell -- On human and planetary longevity : a dialogue between an environmentalist and a doctor / Elizabeth Kolbert, Siddhartha Mukherjee -- On being human : a dialogue on literary and scientific perspectives / Jeremy Desilva, David Grinspoon, Tasneem Zehra Husain.