The Science/Religion Debate.
Star Trek is often interpreted to have a negative view of religion,
in favor of a humanistic and atheistic vision of the future. In
this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary
Fruhling challenge the typical interpretation of science and
religion in Star Trek, considering both the rationality of
religious belief and also potential issues with the rationality of
scientific reasoning.
Topics in this episode include traditional philosophical arguments
attempting to prove God's existence, the correspondence theory of
truth vs. the coherence theory of truth, logical positivism and the
meaningfulness of religious language, the tentativeness of
scientific conclusions, Thomas Kuhn on paradigm shifts in science,
and the problem of divine action. Mike and Zachary conclude the
discussion by asking what we can learn about divine action and
top-down causation by the movement of matter and antimatter
particles inside the warp core of a starship.
This episode also introduces the Meta Treks review contest, running
between December 15, 2015 and January 15, 2016.
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 8 (00:01:06)
Overview of the Topic (00:01:25)
Meta Treks Review Contest (00:11:54)
Discussion Starts (00:14:50)
The Rationality of Religious Belief (00:18:08)
The Correspondence Theory of Truth (00:31:15)
The Irrationality of Science (00:38:10)
Final Thoughts (01:14:55)
