David Smith interviewed by Huffington Post Live on cults

David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., UNE professor of philosophy, was interviewed on Oct. 16th for a story on Huffington Post Live on the topic, “Do Cults Rewire Your Brain?”

The discussion, hosted by Ricky Camilleri, also included Diane Benscoter, a former cult member,  and Lisa Kerr, author creator of mycultlife.com.

As the former victim of a religious cult, Diane Benscoter discussed how her brain changed when she became devout, forcing her into certain behaviors she wouldn't have normally tolerated. Smith discusses the issues from psychological, cultural and philosophical prospectives. Watch the video.

Smith is the author of Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others and Why We Lie:  The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind. Less Than Human won the 2012 Anisfield-Wolf award for non-fiction.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.