Faith and Science

Prominent clashes — both historical and contemporary — have led to the widely held conclusion that science and religion are fundamentally incompatible. Yet, many scientists practice a traditional faith, having found a way to accommodate both scientific inquiry and religious teaching in their belief system. Other scientists are bringing science to bear on the phenomenon of religion and spiritual belief — neuroscientists are studying what happens in the brain during religious experiences, while anthropologists are investigating how religion is linked to cooperation and community. This program provided an intimate look at what scientists have to say about their religious beliefs and what might be revealed by scientific studies of spirituality.

This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

The World Science Festival gathers great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that allows a broad general audience to engage with scientific discoveries. Our mission is to cultivate a general public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.
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Original Program Date: May 31, 2008
Moderator: Bill Blakemore
Participants: Lorenzo Albacete, Nina Azari, Paul Bloom, William Phillips

Bill Blakemore Introduction 00:00

Participant Introductions 06:36

The facts about God 12:40

What happens in the brain when we think about religion? 15:37

Bill Phillips defines faith 26:54

The God question is an intellectual and conceptual problem 37:20

FMRI shows the experience of religion. 53:30

Atheists and theist agree 01:03:16

[johannaprice]

Religious people are people who love their neighbor.
Faith are people who love spirituality. 💘

[MrFossilabgfyth]

Well, I think that science and religion actually go hand-in-hand sometimes. Also, I think there is nothing wrong with being a scientist and believing in a God or gods "depending on what faith".

[brb]

The dictionary definition reflects a common misperception about faith. Faith is as much required by science as it is by religion. "Now faith is ... the evidence if things not seen" (KJV Heb. 11:1). Scientists look for evidence of things not seen -- strings, gravity, Big Bang, nucleotides, etc. -- construct hypotheses, test them, etc. Anyone serious about religion uses the same process, except that the evidence tends to be perceptible through spiritual senses rather than physical senses (and the technological extensions of such). Science has not yet come up with instruments that can detect spiritual phenomena, and just because scientists lack the instruments to detect such phenomena does not mean the phenomena do not exist. Science and faith are wholly compatible as long as it is remembered that they are explorations of different, equally real, realms of existence.

[onenotused]

People lead large portions of their lives believing God does not exist and then after many years of this something personal happens and God reveals himself manifest in ways that can not be explained with the inadiquit words we have to choose from but the end result leaves no choice for now they still do not believe...but instead they know that God is not only real...but more real than anything we think we are sure of in this illuision we call physical reality. Once you know you cannot not know : )

[alas_poor_Yorick]

15 min introduction of 1h program, that's a fail.

[yashaouchan]

Faith is by definition unreasonable...

[paradox.rosalyn]

From the definition, faithbis included in science, isn't it? Because faith is also a phenomonon.

[psychonomist]

Unless and until, by the *combined* use of reason, logic, scientific method, a reasonable reliance on the produce thereof, tempered by the clear and concise rules of critical thinking provide evidence or at least some inference that" a God thing" ever existed or  committed any act in or upon the universe(s), it is an act of ignorant presupposition and or abject stupidity to have  faith in any of the extrapolated fabrications (imaginings) there to related.

David L. Koester Sr.

[pragha]

Dear Nobel laureate, Can water be turned into wine by natural processes? Do you believe in it?

[Gnosis]

Love your brother as your self. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If we can agree on that, all else is a waste of time.

[bradbuckner]

God says very clearly in the Bible believe nothing, on faith alone but faith driven by evidence. You’re wrong Mr.

[christopherpanlasigui]

How can this guy justify that a rejection of a belief due to lack of evidence beyond reasonable doubt is a form of belief.... again rejection of a belief is a form of belief.

Does he mean to imply that every activity in the brain that involved thought process is a belief? 

This is rather a sad improvement in the world of religious philosophy to defend their assertion and position. 

[manuelmorales]

HOW MOTION CREATED THE UNIVERSE ... @OhbQ

[alanmclemore]

Blakemore says he's a "journalist", but then he says he worked 38 years for ABC "News".

Well which is it?

[johnbaart]

WITHOUT FAITH YOU CAN NOT BELIEVE THE WICKED WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THE WORDS OF GOD..IT IS LIKE FOOLISHNESS TO THEIR

[mycount]

science advances by building on past experiments you discover new things that would not otherwise work or based on past discovery. the nobel winner knows he does not see god working yet believes or hopes that god will poke its head you some day.

[hamzatahir]

Except for Paul Bloom, they make no sense.