[Unedited] Helen Fisher with Krista Tippett

Beliefs Formation

Helen Fisher shares her unique upbringing in a non-religious household, highlighting how it shaped her spiritual beliefs. Growing up in a lily-white Christian community in Connecticut, she and her twin sister were not exposed to religious education, which led her to develop a fascination with reality itself as a source of meaning 1. Fisher reflects on how her mother's approach to spirituality involved appreciating nature, like observing worms, rather than traditional religious practices 2. She emphasizes that empathy and core values do not require religious affiliation.

   

Spiritual Identities

The evolution of spiritual identities is a recurring theme in Helen Fisher's work. She recounts her experience studying a matrilineal society, where she observed a deep respect for the earth and a female deity, inspiring her to imagine a new religion combining elements from various faiths 3. Fisher appreciates the unique aspects of different religions, from the art of Christianity to the communal rituals of Islam and the environmental consciousness of Buddhism 4. She suggests that as traditional religious identities fade, people are crafting individualized spiritual lives.