What does it mean to be human in an endless universe? And how do we find meaning when science seems to have declared God dead?
In this profound conversation, Dr. Margot Brouwer shares her personal journey from childhood panic attacks about death to becoming an astrophysicist—and ultimately discovering a philosophy that dissolves the fear of mortality entirely.
In this episode, you'll discover:
About Dr. Margot Brouwer:
Dr. Margot Brouwer is an astrophysicist and author who has been preoccupied with existential questions for as long as she can remember. From a young age, she suspected that studying the universe would provide answers to life's biggest mysteries.
She became the first student to complete a Master's degree in Gravitation and Astroparticle Physics at the University of Amsterdam. At Leiden University, she earned her PhD for mapping dark matter in the universe and was the first to test Professor Erik Verlinde's new theory of gravity. After her PhD, she worked as an astronomical researcher at the Universities of Amsterdam and Groningen.
But despite gaining an ever-deeper understanding of the universe, she couldn't find answers to her childhood questions about meaning, consciousness, and death. Her continuous immersion in philosophy culminated in reading Spinoza's Ethics, where she finally found the key to translate her scientific knowledge into answers to her greatest existential questions.
This pantheistic vision opened the door not only from science to philosophy, but also to mysticism—the spiritual realization that everything consists of one divine whole and that we are inseparable parts of it. Her journey is chronicled in her book "We Are Stardust" (currently available in Dutch, with hopes for an English translation).
Connect with Margot:
If you know of a publisher that might be interested in translating "We Are Stardust" from Dutch to English, please reach out to Margot through her email.
Connect with us:
Review and Share: If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review to help others find this show, and share it with someone who needs to hear this message.