Is atheism the rational default — or is that claim itself irrational?

In this episode of The Prometheans, Ali Zaka (AZD) sits down with Prof. Kelly James Clark — Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Ibn Haldun University, former student of Alvin Plantinga at Notre Dame, and author of God and the Brain: The Rationality of Belief — to dismantle one of the central assumptions of the New Atheist movement.

Prof. Clark argues that humans are natural-born believers, and that religious belief doesn't require formal evidence to be perfectly rational. Drawing on Reformed Epistemology, the Cognitive Science of Religion, and Plantinga's landmark Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism, this conversation challenges the idea that analytical thinking leads to truth — and asks wh

ether the "rational atheist" narrative is itself built on shaky ground.

What we cover:

→ Why belief in God is the cognitive default, not atheism

→ The "innocent until proven guilty" model of rational belief

→ What the Cognitive Science of Religion actually says about faith and delusion

→ The psychology of atheism — including Theory of Mind and autism research

→ Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism, explained clearly

→ Why your grandmother doesn't need philosophy to rationally believe in God

→ Why disagreement makes us dehumanize the other side

This is essential viewing for anyone serious about philosophy of religion, religious epistemology, or the ongoing debate between faith and reason.

📚 Books recommended by Prof. Clark in this episode available on request in the comments.

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