Gary Laderman

Who is Gary Laderman?

Gary Laderman is a professor of American religious history and cultures At Emory University. He teaches and writes about death and dying, religion and sexuality, and sacred drugs. His most recent book is Don't Think About Death: A Memoir on Mortality.

Topics and Timestamps

• 01Gary Laderman discusses his academic work studying death, dying, and mortality as a religious historian at Emory University
• 02The conversation explores how different cultures and religions approach death and the dying process
• 03Gary's new memoir 'Don't Think About Death' examines his personal relationship with mortality and fear of death
• 04Discussion covers sacred drugs, religion, and sexuality as interconnected themes in American religious history
• 05Joe and Gary explore how modern society has become disconnected from natural processes like death and dying
• 06The episode examines taboos around death in American culture compared to other societies
• ▶Gary introduces his background studying death and dying in American culture0:00:00
• ▶Discussion of how modern American society has become disconnected from death0:15:30
• ▶Gary explains different cultural and religious approaches to mortality and dying0:28:45
• ▶Conversation turns to sacred drugs and their role in spiritual and religious practice0:42:00
• ▶Gary discusses personal motivations for writing 'Don't Think About Death' memoir0:55:15

The Show

In JRE 1565, Joe sits down with Gary Laderman, a professor of American religious history and cultures at Emory University who has dedicated his career to studying death, dying, religion, and sexuality. Gary brings a unique academic perspective to topics that most people actively avoid thinking about, which is fitting given his new memoir is literally titled 'Don't Think About Death'.

The conversation centers on how deeply Americans are disconnected from death compared to other cultures and historical periods. Gary explains that this disconnection is relatively modern, a product of how we've medicalized death and pushed it out of the home and into hospitals. He discusses how different religious traditions have developed their own ways of processing mortality, and how these frameworks have shaped everything from funeral practices to how we talk about the afterlife.

One of the core themes is how American culture treats death as a taboo subject we're supposed to ignore until it's unavoidable. Gary contrasts this with societies where death is integrated more naturally into the fabric of everyday life. Joe finds this fascinating from the perspective of how it shapes our psychology and our ability to live meaningful lives.

The discussion touches on sacred drugs and their role in religious practice and spiritual exploration. Gary's academic work encompasses how these substances have been used across cultures as tools for understanding transcendence and mortality. This ties into his broader interest in how religion, death, and altered states of consciousness intersect in human experience.

Gary also discusses his personal motivations for writing the memoir, touching on his own mortality and what it meant to confront death not just academically but personally. The conversation is respectful but direct, with Joe asking substantive questions about why we fear death so much and whether that fear is useful or destructive.

Best Quotes

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