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 nuclear physicist Dr. Ian Hutchinson (MIT).
The laws of physics themselves demand an explanation that stands somehow out of science. Whether that is a physical explanation or a spiritual explanation, nature is not self-explanatory.
Everyone is an atheist about some gods. And the question is, well, why are you an atheist about those gods?
I think the most important quality in any person of faith is humility. I don't mean false humility. I mean genuine humility to say, "I don't know for certain." There's a reason why belief is called faith and not certainty.
