New <i>Cosmos</i> Series Plumps for Pantheism, Distorts History

Episode 1313 April 20, 2020 00:13:12
New <i>Cosmos</i> Series Plumps for Pantheism, Distorts History
Intelligent Design the Future
New <i>Cosmos</i> Series Plumps for Pantheism, Distorts History

Apr 20 2020 | 00:13:12

/

Show Notes

On this episode of ID the Future, host and philosopher Jay Richards interviews science historian Michael Keas about the National Geographic channel’s new Cosmos series with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. In the Cosmos episode under discussion, the 17th century philosopher Baruch Spinoza is presented as an early advocate for science.

It makes for a great story, Keas says, except that it’s a serious distortion. Spinoza was an advocate for nature, but he did so by equating it with God, and he opposed some of the most important innovations in science. As both Richards and Keas suggest in their conversation, it appears that the makers of Cosmos: Possible Worlds are trying to use Spinoza’s pantheism to invoke a spiritualized approach to nature and science, one more palatable than strict materialism, but that obscures how Christian theism provided important theological resources for the scientific revolution.

Other Episodes

Episode 0

July 14, 2017 00:13:55
Episode Cover

Is Human Reason Reliable? Interview with Nancy Pearcey

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Discovery Institute Center for Science and Culture Fellow Nancy Pearcey. Discussing her new book,...

Listen

Episode 1416

February 12, 2021 00:21:15
Episode Cover

Darwin Day Meets Black History Month--Sparks Fly

As a nod to Darwin Day and Black History Month, today’s ID the Future spotlights the racist thinking of Charles Darwin and the scientific...

Listen

Episode 0

September 22, 2010 00:17:39
Episode Cover

An Atheist Discusses the Scientific Merits of Intelligent Design

On this episode of ID the Future, atheist philosopher Bradley Monton defends intelligent design as science, discussing methodological naturalism and the evidential force of...

Listen