I'm joined by doctor Peter big ocean he's a full-time faculty member in
Portland State University's philosophy department is also author of the
bestselling book a manual for creating atheists
first question just to kinda give us a little bit a context doctor big ocean is
did you grow up
religious I didn't grow up lose my
down you bring me very happy on church
well it was just a really like to inquire
and I like to run around whenever to be built
seriously members and growing up catholic and
my followers before tossing degenerative tall
my grandmother so what was your first kinda line of thinking along religion
was it the type a thing where your first influence
was from parents did you immediately take to the first ideas you were
presented weather did you resist them
we will not know till invoking run still to be
when I was never really I was never really you were
in any sense understood so when you talk to people who are believers
do you find that your conversations tend to go hand in your book you talk about
whether it's the bank teller or people you meet in the street whoever it is you
like to engage them
about the religion of the city do you find that your conversations with
believers whatever their religious persuasion maybe
go more along the lines up discussing
whether their specific religion and the teachings of their religion
are literally provable or true or other conversations
broader when it comes to religion than their specific teachings
I should never almost never talk about median or
is it important to you recreation and I
always always 100 percent I'm
talk I help people know what is it like to know so
the person whose actions 0 what what people
think they know what work they're clinging to their knowledge claims or
and then tryna figure out by asking questions
practically high-yielding Suhali
if they know what they know okay so then
when what we're really talking about here is as you talked about the Socratic
method of questioning and we can probably also talk about
the basic fundamentals have a piss Tamala G including Aristotle and Rene
Descartes
so when you engage people along these lines do you find most believers
will engage with you along the terms that you've kind of set
or do you come up against the brick wall of sorts where you get to a point where
they say
well I don't need to follow your rationale because
I know that my god is God
and therefore I can circumvent the entire lineup reasoning you're trying to
impose on me as it may be you know I wish we knew each other in their life
because the issue will only get the problem only
when is to lose and cheaper my old yeah
I almost never get not because the all-woman jury
all we can watch the or sincere because not everybody
but yeah next year and he you
a degree is for believing what they believe
who are you to use those that aren't going to be any conversation
that they were pretending to know if they don't know almost never
GQ make sure you get sometimes as well
my I'm just can't leave them at all you know
question about that is no and Billy
it really is I'm talking about religion billion you courses
when if you know somebody whose has three
we'll be taking a little or Places Trust in
dealers who use or have you it
be's he's really her cause she didn't even have
without people seeing our being senate each other's
seen it but i think is just heard that at least just as an aside
from question answers in my pocket was a lot easier
talkin and research into your YouTube she does
house simple those what a crappy
no you when you get into that is directly answer your question you don't
really you'll find very much
so let's lie I like the this idea being able to discuss these things in a civil
way because
some people I talk to you about whether it's religion or politics or anything it
really doesn't matter
I'm able to have what clearly is a civil conversation regardless of whether we
agree or disagree
at the same time it seems to happen a lot with with more religious individuals
that a interview on the show
me merely questioning whether
the story they believe as whether it's the story of creation here is what God
has done specifically or not done
me questioning that in any way is immediately offensive
and I've worked relatively hard over a period of many years to to find a way
to ask questions that really make someone
defend their beliefs which i think they should have to
without being offensive to them and some would say will listen david when the
guest tells you they're offended by you saying
you don't believe Jesus was really born to a virgin died and came back to life
when they say they're offended by that I its it's a cover right it's because they
can't really back it up with actual fact
while the believers will say it's deeply offensive because they sincerely hold
these believes
I honestly don't know how to get around that how can you have a conversation
where you question these believes
without being offensive to individuals who
who who the consider themselves very devout your attention
but thank you so who is only
doesn't there are offended by something that happens a Cajun occasionally be
it should be for one book UTI guilty
due to release to ask questions at the tone composition in fact this is
one primary researchers and for asking this question is that
people don't come as it and they're more like you and discussions
living beaten baby comes and it is because they don't have enough
evidence what they believe whereby said to
jpg really pollution which found that the are you
members Monday you know I don't you go to Skype tonight
technicians he should work if you are you want to know mapucchi
are you know you're not wasn't looking at right now is Matt hopeful
he do you recently we accept that people become assess
because the differential there's a difference between
be the dorsal a happy somethings you will believe me they do not have
sufficient evidence to work
leaving something is part of this using a method of questioning it asking
questions rather than telling someone
best for the and partisans every yeah I don't usually hear you ask questions
and you have to ask questions $3.1 million your
info with us you know do in this is a
Casey seasonal workers is an attitude is
the national parliament questioner so you don't you go to these
conversations G leading in all you can really
but went okay million his personal best deal
I'll yeaa in in
academics you get alternative cherry only give them the benefit of the doubt
why do some people yes you know is leading to something I don't know
so what you're trying to do it do not question their conclusions
desi girl in look at you should look NP
we absolutely exactly how you do this Heidi
know what it is they claim to know it is a legitimate
in addition be said to to words believe in a group even blow hole
no good bird will be yeah the best UK today is up to you
well in case you have to let people the last thing I wanna touch on a limited
time we have is this idea of sometimes I will talk to atheists and agnostics
and they are very proactive in their belief that their is no God and there
could be no God
whether others more like me say I'm not against the idea of a god in principle
I just haven't found any evidence so far that makes me believe one exists
where do you find yourself to be on that spectrum
ass and then it will work thank you comment about last night's USB
I find little I funny
look I'm you know I which
people like you I guess he even longer tell me which question in terms of
getting
I do not think that there's a cure evidence to or at least either issue
after well were gonna however if I were
institution is morally and I we believe
as doctor Peter Berg ocean mentioned the book is a manual for creating
atheist he is a full-time faculty member important state university's
philosophy department really great to have you on I encourage everybody to
check out the book
the zebrafish your time