The Importance of Trust and Reason in Seeking the Truth

1min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Key takeaways

Transcript

Episode notes

If trust and the possibility of discovering truth are absent, the pursuit of truth is unlikely
A balance of rational judgment and trust is needed to seek the truth
In cases of conflict between faith and reason, trust reason over faith
Pure faith without reason is meaningless and contemptible
Reason should be tempered and encompass a broad perspective
Reason should not be reduced to a mathematical equation
Questioning the concept of deity in probabilistic or Bayesian terms can be considered from a perspective

David Bentley Hart is an American writer, philosopher, religious scholar, critic, and theologian who has authored over 1,000 essays and 19 books, including a very well-known translation of the New Testament and several volumes of fiction.

In this conversation, Tyler and David discuss ways in which Orthodox Christianity is not so millenarian, how theological patience shapes the polities of Orthodox Christian nations, how Heidegger deepened his understanding of Christian Orthodoxy, who played left field for the Baltimore Orioles in 1970, the simplest way to explain how Orthodoxy diverges from Catholicism, the future of the American Orthodox Church, what he thinks of the Book of Mormon, whether theological arguments are ultimately based on reason or faith, what he makes of reincarnation and near-death experiences, gnosticism in movies and TV, why he dislikes Sarah Ruden’s translation of the New Testament, the most difficult word to translate, a tally of the 15+ languages he knows, what he’ll work on next, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded March 23rd, 2023.

Other ways to connect

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Tyler on Twitter
Join our Discord
Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu
Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here.