Great snippet of a topic I touch on often, the zero-sum contest between religion and science. Brian Greene, the cosmologist generally avoids that, but he lectures on how the universe began and how it will end and that leads naturally to the conclusion that there are no souls or an eternity in heaven. The YouTube title doesn’t do it justice, because Greene is not asking Sam to change, but he does find attacks on religion ineffective, particularly when words like “stupid” are used. He wants to point away from religion and hopes things will go that way.
Sam understands and admits he’s had some trouble with that, but dispels a myth. Personally I’m shocked this myths persists, but I see it still. It’s that Sam’s approach doesn’t work, that you can’t reason people out of something they didn’t get reasoned into. That’s false, as shown by data. Brian agrees and but again defends his approach. They agree there are two approaches, and Sam admits the backfire effect of entrenching people’s beliefs when you attack them, also supported by data and evidence and logic. Also, amazingly something people seem unaware of.
Sam points out the problem of a Christian who can’t be told that a nuclear war or a despoiled environment is a problem, because they are waiting for Jesus, and those things have to happen before Jesus comes. He asks Brian if you should deal with that. But Brian says yes, but he doesn’t come up against that much. Unfortunately, it cuts off there.