April 12, 2025

Ross Douthat on Tech's Religious Awakening, AI, and Transhumanism

1 hour 6 minutes

In this episode of Moment of Zen, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat joins Erik Torenberg to discuss his new book "Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious," making the case that institutional religion is not just socially beneficial but intellectually defensible. They discuss the decline of New Atheism, the tension between traditional Christianity and Silicon Valley's techno-optimism within the "New Right" coalition, and whether AI consciousness points to something beyond materialism.

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LINKS:

Ross Douthat: https://www.nytimes.com/column/ross-douthat

Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious: https://www.zondervan.com/p/believe/

X / TWITTER:

@DouthatNYT

@eriktorenberg

@turpentinemedia

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DISCUSSION:

Ross explains we're at a cultural inflection point where secularization has plateaued and there's evidence of religious revival.

New atheism has declined as the world hasn't become more reasonable despite becoming less religious.

Ross argues religion is intellectually defensible based on fine-tuning of the universe and the hard problem of consciousness.

He contends that merely appreciating religion's social benefits isn't enough—genuine belief is necessary.

The AI discussion explores whether consciousness might exist beyond materialist explanations.

They examine tensions in the "New Right" between tech-optimists and religious traditionalists.

...more

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By Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez

4.2

9090 ratings