Unbelievable?

From 2016: The problem of evil and suffering is a key objection to the existence of a loving God. But what if the very existence of moral ‘evil’ requires a God? Oxford undergraduate Josh Parikh is a young Christian apologist who won Tyndale Fellowship’s 2015 IVP ‘Young Philosopher of Religion’ Prize for his essay on the problem of evil. He interacts with atheist Cory Markum as they debate the problem. Can real evil exist in a godless universe and could God have sufficient reasons to allow apparently gratuitous suffering?

For Josh Parikh’s prize winning paper on the problem of evil : http://www.tyndalephilosophy.co.uk/prize.html

For Cory Markum: http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blogs/cory

-markumll

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Should we be fearful or make friends with our robot helpers?   And how can humans flourish in this brave new world?  One of our guests today on Unbelievable believes the hidden power of humans is that we are imperfect yet essential?

Roger Bolton hosts this edition of Unbelievable with writer and theologian Dr. Eve Poole and Prof. Beth Singler, a digital ethnographer. 

Our seemingly irrational qualities, like emotions and intuition, are what Unbelievable guest Dr. Eve Poole calls the "junk" code that define humanity, fostering the reciprocal altruism that sustains our existence. 

Eve Poole's argument might upset or even offend those with a fairly traditional faith, as she argues that we should consider giving robots 'souls'. But if we give robots, as Eve suggests,  the 'junk code' of humans, will that lead to calls to give robots rights? How do we feel about giving rights to a toaster? Eve Poole did her PhD in Theology and Capitalism at the University of Cambridge and is an expert on leadership and education.

Professor Beth Singler is a digital ethnographer based at the University of Zurich. Beth explores the social, ethical, philosophical and religious implications of advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics.

 

https://bvlsingler.com/

https://evepoole.com/

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From 2016: A Wheaton college professor was recently threatened with dismissal after claiming that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Justin is joined by two Christian guests to debate the question, Joseph Cumming a scholar of Islamic and Christian thought at Yale and former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi. 

For Joseph Cumming: http://www.josephcumming.com/

For Nabeel Qureshi: http://www.nabeelqureshi.com/

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Do we need to reconsider the moral status of animals? What does the Christian worldview tell us about animals? Do we change our attitudes towards animals if we believe they have capacity for pain and pleasure, challenging anthropocentric views, advocating for animal rights, promoting vegetarianism and critiquing speciesism? Or closer to home people often ask 'will I see my doggie if I get to heaven?'.

Host Roger Bolton is joined by Joyce D'Silva and Nathan Rittenhouse to debate this thorny issue on Unbelievable. Joyce D’Silva is Ambassador Emeritus for Compassion in World Farming, the leading charity advancing the welfare of farm animals worldwide. Nathan Rittenhouse is a speaker and preacher and co-founder of the podcast Thinking Out Loud.

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From 2016: Until his death from cancer over four years ago, Christopher Hitchens was one of the preeminent figures of new atheism: a prolific writer who was eloquent, witty and in great demand for his speaking and debating. Justin is joined by Christopher's brother Peter Hitchens who is a columnist for the Mail On Sunday, atheist blogger Ed Turner, and Peter Harris, a Christian apologist writing a PhD on Hitchens. In this show we assess some of his arguments against religion, including the claim that "religion poisons everything" and belief in God is like believing in a celestial North Korean dictator.

For Peter Hitchens: http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/

For Peter Harris: http://www.bethinking.org/author/peter-harris/page/all

For Ed Turner: https://edthemanicstreetpreacher.wordpress.com 

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The Big Conversation - Episode 6 | Season 5

In this special two-parter, we explore "The Robot Race". Are developments in Artificial Intelligence spiralling out of control, and what can we learn about ourselves - the human race - in light of AI's rapidly expanding capabilities?

Here, in part two, we debate the nature of human consciousness and free will - comparing it to AI and robotics - and ask how humanity should best flourish now that the AI genie is out of the bottle. Speaking into this issue, from two very different perspectives, is Christian believer Nigel Crook, Professor in Artificial Intelligence & Robotics at Oxford Brookes University and author of "Rise of the Moral Machine: Exploring Virtue through a Robot's Eyes"; and atheist Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive & Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, winner of The Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture 2023, and author of "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness".

If you missed Part 1, catch up here: https://www.thebigconversation.show/videos/season-5/episode-5

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The Big Conversation is a video series from Premier Unbelievable? featuring world-class thinkers across the religious and non-religious community. Exploring science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human. The Big Conversation is produced by Premier Unbelievable? in partnership with John Templeton Foundation.

• For Nigel Crook: https://ntcrook.com

• For Anil Seth: https://www.anilseth.com

• For more robotics by Boston Dynamics: https://www.youtube.com/@BostonDynamics

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From 2016: Luke Griffiss-Williams has an interesting faith journey. Having been an evangelical Christian, doubts about the deity of Jesus led him to convert to Judaism. But further doubts about the historicity of the Old Testament led him to become an atheist. Richard Harvey, senior researcher with Jews for Jesus responds to Luke’s story as well as telling his own of how, as a Jew, he came to believe in Jesus as Messiah.

For Luke Griffiss-Williams: https://myspace.com/hatterarts

For Richard Harvey: http://www.mappingmessianicjewishtheology.eu/

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In the second part of their discussion based on the book Coming to Faith Through Dawkins, theologian Alister McGrath and YouTuber Alex O'Connor discuss where we may be heading in regards to religion and atheism. Faith or Atheism: what's next? Recorded on 9/11, 22 years after the tragic events at New York's World Trade Centre, which in many ways provided a catalyst for the New Atheist movement, they discuss why New Atheism has lost its appeal, what some of the new concerns and questions are and whether anything will replace it. Alister shares the evidence that compelled him to move from atheism to Christianity and Alex contemplates what it might take to convince him that God exists. Your host on Unbelievable? for this riveting debate is Ruth Jackson.

For Alex O'Connor: https://www.youtube.com/user/alexjoconnor

For Alister McGrath: http://alistermcgrath.weebly.com/ 

 

Buy the book, Coming to Faith Through Dawkins: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coming-Faith-Through-Dawkins-Christianity/dp/0825448220

Missed Part One? Catch up here: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/unbelievable/unbelievable-coming-to-faith-through-dawkins-part-1-has-new-atheism-failed-alister-mcgrath-and-alex-oconnor/16243.article

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From 2016: The latest survey from the UK Office of National Statistics shows that religious people are happier than atheists. Hindus came first in terms of reported happiness and Christians second. Christian researcher and author Ann Morisy discusses with atheist blogger and author Craig James why people of faith consistently report higher levels of wellbeing in surveys than atheists. What other factors may account for the results and does it have any bearing on the truth of religious claims?

For Ann Morisy: http://www.stpancraschurch.org/index.php?id=126

For Craig A James: http://www.thereligionvirus.com/

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The Big Conversation - Episode 5 | Season 5

In this special two-parter, we explore "The Robot Race". Are developments in Artificial Intelligence spiralling out of control? Can we slow the development of large scale AI even if we wanted to? And what can we learn about ourselves - the human race - in light of AI's rapidly expanding capabilities?

Here, in part one, we confront the ominous existential question: could AI ever replace humanity? The implications for the future of humankind posed by developments such as ChatGPT, robotics, and data sharing are discussed by Nigel Crook, Professor in Artificial Intelligence & Robotics at Oxford Brookes University and author of "Rise of the Moral Machine: Exploring Virtue through a Robot's Eyes", and Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive & Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, winner of The Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture 2023, and author of "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness".

• For bonus content, updates and more shows sign up at: http://www.thebigconversation.show

• Take our survey! https://survey-star.co.uk/robotrace1

The Big Conversation is a video series from Premier Unbelievable? featuring world-class thinkers across the religious and non-religious community. Exploring science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human. The Big Conversation is produced by Premier Unbelievable? in partnership with John Templeton Foundation.

• For Nigel Crook: https://ntcrook.com

• For Anil Seth: https://www.anilseth.com

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