The Ultimate Test of Certainty

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

Bacon is definitely either or. Either you like bacon, or you're wrong. And to illustrate why this is a problem, I have a little story to tell. It's about a friend who gets lost and ends up in a deep valley with no way out. She notices that across a very deep valley, there is a plate of bacon. But the bridge sways violently back and forth every time the wind blows. Will the bridge hold if Sally attempts to cross it, or will it collapse?

The same facts can lead to different stories. You see this daily in your news feed — major events produce dozens of headlines, and each article has its own interpretation of the facts. This is how we make sense of the world: when we get information, we want to interpret it. But, with so many choices, is there a right interpretation?

In today’s episode, we ask this question. How can you interpret the facts of your life and make sense of your meaning and purpose? Our speaker is Dr. Troy Van Voorhis, a professor of Chemistry at MIT. He discusses how interpretations may not always be in conflict with each other, and how his Christian faith informs his approach to certainty.

Sign up for our newsletter here.
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.