The Confusion of Faith and Knowledge

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"Everyone is an atheist about some gods, and then the question is, well, why are you an atheist about those gods?" "I would not say that I know for certain that God exists. Every Sunday in church, in the middle of the Mass, I stand up and say, I believe in one God," he says. The Nicene Creed or the Apostle Greaser statements of belief and not statements of certainty. 'We're absolutely certain that only of a best, very few things'

There’s a sort of spark to life — moments that stir up something inside of us that we can’t explain. Maybe you've experienced this while playing with your dog, or singing along at a concert, or seeing the Northern Lights.

Perhaps these sparks are simply neurons firing, chemicals releasing, and muscles contracting. Or perhaps these sparks point to something like a soul, something transcendent. How do we know which it is? And what do we do when our evidence remains elusive?

This episode is an excerpt from a Veritas Forum at MIT in 2016. You’ll hear from biologist Dr. Ken Miller (Brown University), and philosopher Dr. Alex Byrne (MIT), as they discuss the human soul, evidence, and what gods we do — or don’t — believe in. This vibrant conversation is moderated by Dr. Ian Hutchinson, a nuclear physicist at MIT.

Watch the full Forum event here.
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Visit veritas.org to learn more about the mission of the Veritas Forum and find more resources to explore the ideas that shape our lives.