The Uncertainty Podcast

Ethan Muse and I spar over the problem of evil, cosmic fine-tuning, infallible popes, and the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee . Follow me on X because you’re awesome . EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:44 Rutgers, philosophy, and C...

Michael Huemer, philosopher at U.C. Boulder, joins me for a wide-ranging discussion of arguments for and against the existence of God, with special focus on his new argument for atheism: the impossibility of an infinite God. Check out Mike’s book, Knowledge, Value, and Reality: A Mostly Common Sense Guide to Philosophy . Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do...

Is it even possible to have empirical evidence for God's existence? What if the stars realigned to spell out "I exist! Sincerely, God." Wouldn't THAT count as evidence for God? It seems that the answer is yes. But then, various objections to arguments for God seem to imply that even this extravagant, awesome evidence for God would not be any evidence whatsoever for theism. To many philosophers, th...

Matthew Vines, author of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships , joins me to discuss the revised version of this now classic texts. Has Matt has changed his mind on any major issues? What, in the end, would Matt conclude if he determined that the Bible did prohibit same-sex relationships? Listen to find out! Video of this interview is available on YouTub...

I discuss and debate the merits of drug-induced experiences for one's religious beliefs, the difference panpsychism makes, the distinction between God's essence and energies, and giant purple platypuses floating over New York City. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee . Follow me on X b...

Talia Mae Bettcher and Tomas Bogardus join me to debate the question, "What is a woman?". Is gender biologically grounded, socially constructed, or something else entirely? If you're looking for a cordial and substantive exchange from two thinkers who fundamentally disagree on these issues, look no further. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh plea...

Keegan Kjeldson of the Untimely Reflections YouTube channel returns to the podcast to discuss the merits of continental philosophy. While he is largely in favor and I am not, we both agree that Hegel is abysmally obscure. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee . Follow me on X because you...

The great, the one, the only Joseph C. Schmid returns to the podcast to offer a comprehensive reply to (almost) every objection to the fine-tuning argument for theism. Ever worried about puddles? Inverse gamblers? Stalking horses? Boltzmann Brains? Alex Malpass? Well, fear no more: we define, describe, and dispel (or defend!) all these concerns and more. Not gonna lie guys, this is one of my favor...

Dan Linford returns to the channel to offer his reply to my recent discussion with William Lane Craig, wherein he replied to critiques of his case for a cosmic beginning. We discuss probability theory, the BGV theorem, emergence of spacetime, and the relevance of quantum gravity to our scientific inferences about a beginning of the universe. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To sup...

David Enoch and Lance Bush face off over the question of whether objective moral truths exist. They debate the intuitiveness of moral realism, whether most people are moral realists, question-begging, radical skepticism, and much else besides. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee . Foll...

Joshua Rasmussen explains his cosmological argument for God's existence: the existence of contingent things requires an explanation, and God fits the bill. Roughly stated, for sure, but that's the idea. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee . Follow me on X because you’re awesome . EPISO...

William Lane Craig, Christian philosopher and apologist, returns to the channel to defend his use of cosmology in support of the kalam cosmological argument. In particular, we focus on recent critiques of his work from Daniel Linford, Phil Halper, Niayesh Afshordi, and others. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either vi...

Robyn Faith Walsh, professor of New Testament at the University of Miami, discusses how people in antiquity would have understood the concept of "resurrection", whether Jesus or Paul was the true founder of Christianity and what Paul meant when he said that we will be raised with "spiritual bodies", and what facts the historian can establish concerning the events before and after Jesus' death. Vid...

Alex Malpass and I sit down to hash out our differences surrounding the fine-tuning argument for theism. The debate is a veritable blood bath of ruthless repartee and, at times, intellectual genius - and we hope you enjoy. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee . Follow me on X-formerly-T...

Michael Huemer returns to the channel to answer YOUR best objections to his case for free will. While I originally styled this as a "bonus" episode, it is not a bonus. It's the main weekly thing. Forgive me. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . Check out our original discussion about free will . To support the channel, do please oh pleas...

With the gracious hosting of Amos Wollen, myself and Noah McKay debated Alex Malpass and Nathan Bray on the question of God's existence - specifically, theism versus naturalism. Noah and I defended theism via appeal to a historical case for miracles and the fine-tuning of the universe for life. Alex and Nathan contended that theism was no better an explanation for these phenomena than naturalism,...

Michael Huemer returns to the channel to discuss arguments for and against skepticism, the thesis that we cannot know much of anything, including whether or not we are dreaming right now. Other topics discussed: direct realism about perception and the arguments from illusion and hallucination, phenomenal conservatism, and the costs and benefits of self-publishing. Video of this interview is availa...

Theologian and philosopher David Bentley Hart explains the contours of his argument against materialism is his new book, All Things Are Full of Gods: The Mysteries of Mind and Life. We explore his idealist leanings, the claim that a mechanistic approach to nature could never explain consciousness, and the thesis that atman is brahman, that I am fundamentally identical to infinite consciousness. Vi...

David Wallace, professor of philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, explains why he finds the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics convincing. We discuss probability, what it means for persons to "split", whether teleportation means death, and the role of philosophy in assessing science. Video of this interview is available on YouTube . To support the channel, do please oh please co...

Philosopher, author, and intelligent-design advocate Stephen Meyer joins me to discuss the arguments of his recent book, Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries that Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe . While we only got around to two of those three discoveries, our conversation was robust, engaging, and will interest both advocates and critics of Stephen's work. Check out vide...

Prof. Daniel Wolne explains historical theories of religion with special focus on Sigmund Freud's speculation that religious belief arises from a projection of a father figure onto the universe. We then dive into contemporary theories arising from the cognitive science of religion: theory of mind, hyperactive agency detection devices, and social function theories. Check out video of our discussion...

Isn't "smorgasbord" a great word? Amos Wollen, my friend and fellow Oxford graduate student, joins me to debate his novel argument for the compatibility of God's love and an eternal Hell, a theodicy involving our consenting to suffering prior to our births, a case for the Baha'i faith, a fine-tuning argument from beauty, and the real reason that I take so many bathroom breaks. Check out the video...

Two philosophers come together to debate the question of whether objective, mind-independent moral facts exist. Mike says yes, Matt says no. They discuss whether we can ever have reason to go against our desires, whether beliefs about morality make any difference to our behavior, how we know things about the world, and the relevance of intuitions. Check out the video of the debate on YouTube . To...

Emerson Green walks through three powerful objections to attempts to reduce consciousness to the brain: phenomenal transparency, philosophical zombies, and vagueness. Check out Emerson's YouTube channel . To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee . Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter . EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:05 What are yo...

Dr. Randal Rauser and I explore the arguments of his new book, The Wideness of the Sea: How to be Evangelical and Gay-Affirming , wherein he offers a four-part case for including a gay-affirming perspective within the fold of Christian orthodoxy: scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee . Follo...