Today on Upstream, Ross Douthat joins Erik Torenberg to discuss his new book ‘Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious,’ exploring the decline of new atheism, the intellectual defense of institutional religion, and the intersection between traditional Christianity, Silicon Valley, and modern materialism.
This episode originally aired on Moment of Zen (April 12, 2025).
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LINKS:
Ross Douthat: https://www.nytimes.com/column/ross-douthat
Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious: https://www.zondervan.com/p/believe/
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X / TWITTER:
@DouthatNYT
@eriktorenberg
@turpentinemedia
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(01:05) Cultural moment and secularization
(03:35) Debate with Christopher Hitchens
(07:46) Arguments for religion
(15:15) Materialism vs. mind
(17:34) Sponsors: Oracle | Adquick
(22:48) New atheism’s decline
(31:41) Reflecting on religion and politics
(32:57) The role of religion in personal life
(34:55) Sponsor: Squad
(36:04) AI and consciousness: a philosophical debate
(41:27) Transhumanism and the future of humanity
(43:21) Nietzsche’s critique of Christianity
(49:44) The new right: ideological tensions
(55:29) Wrap
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