Unbelievable? Classic: What best explains the universe - God or naturalism? Sean Carroll vs Luke Barnes
Sep 30, 2025
Join Sean Carroll, a theoretical physicist and cosmologist at Caltech, and Luke Barnes, an astrophysicist from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, as they delve into whether God or naturalism best explains the universe. They discuss the philosophical implications of Big Bang cosmology, the fine-tuning of constants, and the potential of a multiverse. Exploring concepts like poetic naturalism and necessary beings, they engage in a spirited debate about the meaning behind the vastness of the cosmos and the evidence that might suggest design versus brute facts.
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Cosmology Debates Often End In The Pub
- Luke Barnes jokes that cosmologists often discuss metaphysics 'in the pub' after conferences.
- He notes there are serious interdisciplinary meetings, but social talk remains common.
Poetic Naturalism Defined
- Poetic naturalism holds that one world exists but many useful ways of talking about it are valid.
- Higher-level concepts like consciousness or morality can be legitimate descriptions without adding new supernatural entities.
Defend Your Worldview With Evidence
- Treat naturalism as a hypothesis to defend, not an unexamined default.
- Sean Carroll recommends collecting evidence and reasoning toward naturalism rather than assuming it a priori.
