We discuss the biggest questions: "what's real?", "who matters?" and "how to make a better world?" with scientists, celebrities, activists, writers and philosophers. The Sentientism worldview is "evidence, reason and compassion for all sentient beings." It's a simple, yet radical, philosophy that's grounded in reality (naturalistic epistemology) and has compassion for all sentient beings (mostly human and non-human animals). Naturalism & sentiocentrism combined.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcast | Website | Spotify | RSS
Lucas studied and practiced architecture in the U.S., Canada, and India before leaving it all behind in an effort to rethink what it is to live a meaningful life. Since then he’s traveled the world, started a philanthropic enterprise, Haven Hearts, and written a beautiful, compassionate book. Along the way he enjoys playing frisbee, making things with his hands, and befriending every dog who crosses his path.
He is the author of The Weight of Empathy, a travel memoir. Lucas describes it as an exploration of both our relationship with animals and his own personal process of learning how to be a compassionate person in an often violent and uncaring world.
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”
Sentientism is “evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
We discuss:
00:00 Welcome
01:15 Lucas’ Intro – author & social enterprise entrepreneur
– Architecture, travelling, volunteering, writing “The Weight of Empathy”, benefitting the world
03:28 What’s Real?
– Non-religious parents, “recovering Catholic” mother, father from a Jewish family
– Raised as a child on a “hippy” commune
– “From the moment I knew the word I probably identified as an atheist”, but not anti-theist
– Some “woo-woo” spirituality. Tarot cards, divination, magic
– Open minded, rational, scientific way of thinking
– Experimenting w/levitation & telekinesis “It was not very successful”
– Religious inspiration in art/culture. Community & separation
– Where people turn to for explanations of the unexplainable
– Alan Watts & Daoism
– Hallucinogenics & mushrooms
– A “hybrid rationalist spiritual view”
– Carl Sagan
– “There’s an inherent quality in matter… that is self-organising”
– From interstellar dust to stars to elements to life to sentience
– “Sentient beings are a way for the universe to observe itself”
– “Maybe if you took mushrooms you’d describe the same things in a different way”
– Teleology, fine tuning argument & the anthropic principle
– Multiple worlds
29:34 What & Who Matters?
– Sensitive, pacifistic tendencies
– Communism (Russian family history), justice, equality
– An affinity with non-human animals (dogs, cats & wild animal)
– Loving the family chickens, but eating them. “These were chickens I knew”
– Inventing a justifying narrative as a child that humans need to eat the meat of animals because “we’re made of meat”
…and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info.
Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our “I’m a Sentientist” wall via this simple form.
Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!
Thanks Graham.
Adam is a Lecturer in Env. Sci. at Deakin Uni. He works on questions related to ecology, conservation & society. He is most interested in: i) how concern for Animals informs environmental values & practice, ii) the env. potential of …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 19 April 2022
Raffael Fasel is University Assistant Professor in Public Law at the Cambridge Law Faculty and Fellow of Jesus College. He specialises in public law, with a particular interest in constitutional theory, human rights law, and animal rights law. Raffael is …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 11 December 2025
Isabella La Rocca Gonzalez is an artist, writer, photographer, teacher and activist. She describes her work as “part of a long tradition in art and photography: to bring to light and find beauty in the hidden, unconscious, or disregarded. As …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 24 November 2025
