Is there evidence for God with no natural explanation? | John Lennox
Summary
TLDRThe speaker argues for the existence of God based on human rationality and the ability to conduct science, which they believe cannot be explained by natural processes alone. They reference Thomas Nagel's skepticism of a purely Darwinian view of the universe and C.S. Lewis's thoughts on the importance of thinking about thinking itself. The speaker also emphasizes the historical evidence for Jesus Christ's resurrection and the transformative power of Christianity in their own life and others, asserting that these claims are testable and correspond with reality.
Takeaways
- 🔬 The speaker believes that human rationality is a strong reason for the existence of God, as it cannot be explained purely through natural causes.
- 📚 Thomas Nagel's book 'Mind and Cosmos' is mentioned as a significant work challenging the Darwinian view of the universe and the reductionist approach to human rationality.
- 🤔 The speaker emphasizes the importance of thinking about the process of thinking itself, which is often overlooked.
- 🧠 Extreme reductionism, which attempts to explain human rationality solely through atoms and molecules, is criticized for stripping away the meaning and significance of rationality.
- 🤝 The speaker suggests that many atheists and Christians alike are questioning the extreme reductionist view of human existence.
- 🌌 Human rationality is presented as evidence of a designed universe, with mathematical intelligibility and beauty as indicators of this design.
- 📖 The historical fact of Jesus Christ's resurrection is cited as a principal evidence for God in the speaker's life.
- 📝 The speaker has written a book providing evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, using the skeptical approach of David Hume's criterion for evidence and witnesses.
- 🔍 The claims made in the New Testament are testable and have been experienced as transformative in the speaker's life and the lives of others.
- 🙏 The power of forgiveness, transformation of life, and answers to prayer are mentioned as empirical evidence supporting the claims of the New Testament.
Q & A
Why does the speaker believe that human rationality is a strong reason for believing in God?
-The speaker believes that human rationality is a strong reason for believing in God because it cannot be explained purely through natural causes such as atoms and molecules. They argue that a reductionist approach to human rationality, which tries to explain it solely in terms of physical processes, destroys the meaning and significance of rationality itself.
What does the speaker think about the work of Thomas Nagel?
-The speaker respects Thomas Nagel's work, particularly his book 'Mind and Cosmos', which argues against the Neo-Darwinian view of the universe. Nagel's work supports the idea that a purely materialistic explanation of human existence is insufficient and that there must be more to the universe than what can be explained by natural selection.
Who is C.S. Lewis and what point does the speaker attribute to him?
-C.S. Lewis was a British writer and lay theologian known for his works on Christian apologetics. The speaker attributes to Lewis the point that while humans can do brilliant science by thinking, they often fail to think critically about the nature of thinking itself, which is a key aspect of rationality.
What does the speaker mean by 'thinking about thinking'?
-By 'thinking about thinking', the speaker refers to the process of introspection and philosophical examination of the nature of human thought and rationality. It's about understanding how and why humans are capable of rational thought, which goes beyond just the mechanical processes of the brain.
What is the speaker's view on the design of the universe?
-The speaker views the design of the universe, including its laws and mathematical intelligibility, as evidence of a higher power or God. They believe that the complexity and order of the universe cannot be fully explained by natural processes alone.
Why does the speaker believe in the historical fact of Jesus Christ's resurrection?
-The speaker believes in the historical fact of Jesus Christ's resurrection because they find the evidence for it compelling. They have written a book on the subject, examining the evidence through the skeptical lens of David Hume's criteria for evidence and witnesses.
What is the significance of the historical evidence for the speaker's belief in God?
-For the speaker, the historical evidence for Jesus Christ's resurrection is significant because it provides a testable and accessible claim that can be examined and evaluated. They believe that this evidence, when considered carefully, satisfies the normal criteria for truth and supports the existence of God.
What does the speaker mean when they say 'it works'?
-When the speaker says 'it works', they are referring to the practical effectiveness of the claims made in the New Testament. They have witnessed and experienced the transformative power of forgiveness, the ability to live a meaningful life, and the reality of answered prayers, which they believe cannot be explained away by naturalistic explanations.
How does the speaker view the correlation between the claims of the New Testament and empirical science?
-The speaker views the correlation between the claims of the New Testament and empirical science as evidence that these claims are not only coherent and consistent but also correspond with reality. They believe that repeated testing and observation of the effects of these claims provide empirical support for their truth.
What is the speaker's stance on the idea that religious experiences can be fully explained by naturalistic causes?
-The speaker rejects the idea that religious experiences, such as the transformative power of forgiveness and the experience of answered prayers, can be fully explained by naturalistic causes. They believe that these experiences are evidence of a higher power and cannot be reduced to mere physical or psychological phenomena.
What role does the speaker's personal experience play in their belief in God?
-The speaker's personal experiences, including those of their wife and family, play a significant role in their belief in God. They have witnessed firsthand the transformative effects of religious beliefs and practices, which they believe provide empirical evidence that supports the existence of God.
Outlines
🔬 The Role of Human Rationality in Believing in God
The speaker discusses their belief in God, emphasizing that one of the strongest reasons is rooted in human rationality and the ability to conduct science. They argue that human rationality does not have a purely natural explanation, and that attempts to reduce it to mere atoms and molecules, as some atheistic thinkers do, ultimately undermine rationality itself. The speaker references Thomas Nagel's book, which challenges the neo-Darwinian worldview, suggesting that extreme reductionism is problematic and increasingly questioned by both religious and atheistic philosophers.
💡 The Link Between Rationality, Science, and Faith
The speaker touches on a critical idea proposed by C.S. Lewis: that while we excel at using rational thought to conduct brilliant science, we often fail to reflect on the nature of thinking itself. They argue that reducing thought to mere physical processes strips rationality of its meaning. This reductionism, once widely accepted, is now facing challenges from various thinkers. The speaker notes that even Darwin had concerns about the implications of reducing thought to natural processes, further suggesting that human rationality is a key piece of evidence for the existence of God.
🌌 The Design of the Universe as Evidence of God
In this section, the speaker reflects on the design of the universe, pointing to its beauty, laws, and mathematical intelligibility as evidence for the existence of God. While these elements are significant, they assert that the most compelling evidence in their personal life is centered around the historical figure of Jesus Christ. The speaker believes that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is a historical fact supported by evidence, and that many have provided convincing arguments for this claim. They highlight their own recent work on this topic, particularly in light of David Hume's skepticism about miracles.
📜 Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus
The speaker argues that the resurrection of Jesus is not only a core belief but also one supported by substantial evidence. They mention having written a book examining this evidence through a skeptical lens, particularly using the criteria set by David Hume for evaluating historical claims. The speaker asserts that there is powerful and testable evidence for the resurrection, a foundational event in Christian faith.
🔄 The Testable Nature of Christian Claims
The speaker concludes by emphasizing that Christian claims, particularly those found in the New Testament, are testable and verifiable through personal experience. They cite examples from their own life, such as the power of forgiveness, answered prayers, and life transformations, which align with the teachings of the New Testament. They argue that this approach mirrors empirical science, in that repeated testing reveals a consistent and coherent correlation between Christian faith and lived reality, fulfilling common criteria for truth.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡God
💡Human Rationality
💡Cause and Effect
💡Thomas Nagel
💡C.S. Lewis
💡Reductionism
💡Darwin
💡Design of the Universe
💡Jesus Christ
💡David Hume
💡Empirical Science
Highlights
One of the strongest reasons for believing in God is the ability to do science.
Human rationality does not have a purely natural explanation.
A cause and effect explanation for human rationality leading back to atoms and molecules destroys rationality itself.
Thomas Nagel's book 'Mind and Cosmos' argues against the Darwinian view of the universe.
C.S. Lewis pointed out the importance of thinking about thinking.
Reductionism fails to account for the significance of rationality.
Extreme reductionism is being questioned by both Christians and atheist thinkers.
Human rationality is considered supreme evidence of the universe's design.
The universe's mathematical intelligibility suggests a design.
The historical and experiential evidence of Jesus Christ is a principal reason for belief in God.
The fact of history that Jesus rose from the dead is believed to be evidence for God.
Evidence for Jesus' resurrection is testable and accessible.
The claims made in the New Testament are testable and transformative.
The power of forgiveness and transformation of life are seen as evidence of God's existence.
Answers to prayer are considered a practical application of the existence of God.
The correlation between the claims of the New Testament and reality satisfies the criteria for truth.
Transcripts
it might surprise you that one of my
strongest reasons for believing in God
is that we can do science
human rationality
does not have a purely natural
explanation
now I would need a lecture to justify
that
but if you can give a cause and effect
explanation for human rationality that
takes you back to atoms and molecules as
leading atheists in the world are now
beginning to recognize you destroy
rationality
I don't know whether you've read if not
perhaps you ought to the book by Thomas
Nagel Mainland Cosmos why the Neil
darwinian view of the universe is almost
certainly false however that for a
provocative subtitle
he's one of the leading philosophers of
the United States
and he's making the point and I only
have time to make this briefly because
there's a huge topic of its own
but it's like C.S Lewis pointed out a
long time ago we can do brilliant
science by thinking but what we fail to
do is think about thinking and they feel
reduced thinking reductionist thickly
simply the atoms and molecules you
take all meaning and empty all
significance of rationality out of it
you've explained it away and destroyed
it and that kind of extreme reductionism
is now being seriously questioned not
just by Christians like myself but by
atheist thinkers
it is a very serious objection and it's
one that Darwin himself ironically
thought of but I don't want to Sidetrack
on that I think that human rationality
is one of these Supreme evidences and of
course the design of the universe at the
level of its laws at the level of its
beauty the fact that this is
mathematically intelligible and so on
but
that tells you so much but the principal
evidence in my life of God is something
that's geared into history and
experience and it surrounds the person
of Jesus Christ and I believe in the
fact of history that he rose from the
dead I believe that you can give
evidence for that now we're having time
to do that but plenty of people have
supplied that evidence and I've even
written a book on it myself recently
looking at it through the eyes of the
skeptic David Hume in his Criterion for
evidence and Witnesses I think there's
powerful evidence that Jesus rose from
the dead and so on so it's testable it's
accessible but the final point I would
beg is it works
it works I have seen in my own life the
life of my wife and my family over many
many years again and again
they
claims made in the New Testament are
testable they work the power of
forgiveness the transformation of Life
the power to live the answers to prayer
I could give you examples of all of
those but we haven't time to do that and
of course one can come in and say well
that can be explained by this and this
and this but there comes a point where
you test the things so often this is
good empirical science by the way
that you see there is a correlation this
is not only coherent and consistent but
it corresponds with reality it satisfies
all the normal criteria for truth
[Music]
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