Unbelievable? Classic: Live Q&A - Is Religion Useful Fiction or Ultimate Truth? Alister McGrath vs Bret Weinstein (Part 2)
Sep 23, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Bret Weinstein, an evolutionary biologist, challenges the status of evolutionary science and explores whether religion has adaptive significance. Meanwhile, Alister McGrath, a professor at Oxford, defends the relevance of scripture in modern ethics. They dive into topics like the implications of free will, the moral authority of God, and how early Christianity addressed suffering. The conversation balances critical inquiry with respect, questioning whether religion functions more as a cultural hack or as an avenue to truth.
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Perceived Stall In Evolutionary Theory
- Brett argues evolutionary theory's empirical progress has stalled since the 1970s despite many studies.
- He says we lack a recent, widely accepted theoretical breakthrough to answer big questions like speciation and biodiversity gradients.
Treat Theories As Provisional Tools
- Simple scientific ideas can be accurate enough to drive progress but lack precision long-term.
- Update theories when their imprecision prevents answering new, deeper questions.
Meme Theory Needs A Serious Upgrade
- Bret suggests taking Dawkins' meme idea more seriously and linking mimetic and genetic evolution.
- He argues that clarifying that relationship makes human behavior an analytically tractable evolutionary phenomenon.
