Conversations Beyond Science and Religion - Is Certainty a Good Thing?

All too often we act with an air of certainty over topics that demand humility. Examples are the theory of evolution, the emergence of consciousness from the gray matter of the brain, and the interpretation of the Bible. We are taught that confidence is good, conviction better, and being right is all that matters. But it is hard to see how someone can be certain about any of these subjects: Don’t we need to explain the origin of life and the struggle for existence to get evolution going? Where in the billions of brain neurons do we find the moving picture of consciousness? What can make someone certain that any particular reading of the Bible is the right one? Perhaps it’s better if we find a way to tolerate a little uncertainty and live with it. This is the topic of the book written by this week’s guest, Dr. John Bancroft, former Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine, the author of the probing new book, Tolerance of Uncertainty. Listen in as Philip and Dr. Bancroft give life to a topic that extends to any area and affects all of us.

Conversations Beyond Science and Religion – Is Certainty a Good Thing?