Episode 120, The Mystery of Existence (Part I - The Debate)

<p class=""><strong>Introduction</strong></p> <p class="">This episode features Jack Symes in conversation with four of the biggest names in philosophy: Richard Dawkins (representing science and atheism), Jessica Frazier (on Hinduism), Silvia Jonas (speaking on Jewish philosophy), and Richard Swinburne (defending Christianity).</p> <p class="">With over six-hundred people registering for tickets, we were absolutely overwhelmed by your support; thank you to everybody who came along! A very special thank you to our Patrons and the Global Philosophy of Religion Project at the University of Birmingham for making the event possible. We hope you enjoy the show!</p> <p class="">'The origin of our universe is the greatest mystery of all. Why is there something rather than nothing? Further still, how did we come to exist in a world with such precise laws of nature and complex creatures? As we shall see, how we answer these questions determines everything: from the meaning of our lives to the secrets of our futures.'</p> <div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" id="block-b0c23e88d6fefdc4834f"> <div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class=""><strong>Contents</strong></p> <p class="">Part I. The Debate</p> <p class="">Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sqs-block horizontalrule-block sqs-block-horizontalrule" id="block-cc642a98c2db83673dee"> <div class="sqs-block-content"> <hr /></div> </div> <div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" id="block-e79d9a392b7719be292e"> <div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class=""><strong>Links</strong></p> <p class="">General</p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.global-philosophy.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Global Philosophy of Religion Project, University of Birmingham.</a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophers-God-Talking-Existence-Philosophy/dp/1350227293" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Philosophers on God: Talking about Existence</em> (Bloomsbury, 2024).</a></p> <p class="">Richard Dawkins</p> <p class=""><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-selfish-gene-9780198788607?cc=us&amp;lang=en" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Selfish Gene (book).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/14234/the-blind-watchmaker/9780141026169.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Blind Watchmaker (book).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1028478/the-god-delusion/9781784161927.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>The God Delusion (book).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1117092/outgrowing-god/9781784164201.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Outgrowing God (book).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flights-Fancy-Defying-Gravity-Evolution/dp/1838937854" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Flights of Fancy (book).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.richarddawkins.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>www.richarddawkins.com</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="http://www.richarddawkins.net/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>www.richarddawkins.net</em></a></p> <p class="">Jessica Frazier</p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.trinity.ox.ac.uk/people/jessica-frazier" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>About (webpage).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780739124406" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Reality, Religion, and Passion (book)</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-bloomsbury-companion-to-hindu-studies-9781472511515/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Bloomsbury Companion to Hindu Studies (book)</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/hindu-worldviews/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Hindu Worldviews: Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality (book)</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.routledge.com/Categorisation-in-Indian-Philosophy-Thinking-Inside-the-Box/Frazier/p/book/9781138545984" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Categorisation in Indian Philosophy: Thinking Inside the Box (book)</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03k289f" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>BBC In Our Times: Hindu Creation (podcast)</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p class=""><a href="https://historyofphilosophy.net/hinduism-frazier" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>History of Philosophy without Any Gaps (podcast)</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p class="">Silvia Jonas</p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.silviajonas.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Silvia Jonas (website).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://silviajonas.com/research/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Silvia Jonas: Research (website).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ineffability-its-Metaphysics-Unspeakable-Philosophy/dp/1137579544" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Ineffability and its Metaphysics (book).</em></a></p> <p class="">Richard Swinburne</p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Existence-God-Richard-Swinburne/dp/0199271682" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Existence of God (book).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/There-God-Richard-Swinburne/dp/019958043X/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=019958043X&amp;psc=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Is There a God? (book).</em></a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Swinburne/e/B000AQ6QSE%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>More books by Richard Swinburne.</em></a></p> </div> </div> </div>