David Eagleman on Uncertainty
There isn’t much room for maybes in the God vs No God debate. Beyond the dogmatic views that exist on both sides of the argument, the alternative – uncertainty – tends to get dismissed as vague, woolly thinking or hedging one’s bets.
Neuroscientist and writer, David Eagleman, is interested in the possibilities that ‘grey areas’ hold. A Possibilian, he argues, is one who is interested and comfortable with our present position of vast ignorance and one who can celebrate uncertainty.
As fast as science progresses, vast unchartered waters of ignorance open up ahead and new questions constantly arise. What is dark matter? Are mass and energy truly equivalent? How does consciousness emerge from its constituent parts? These and hundreds of other questions stretch far beyond debating the possible existence of God. Possibilianism represents an appeal for intellectual humility when confronted with all of these unknowns.
In a world where we are supposed to have all the answers, all the time, David will preach to us about the virtues of being unsure, and show how and why it is possible to enjoy a clear-thinking, dogma-free awe for the mysteries around us.
David Eagleman is a neuroscientist and a fiction writer. During the day, he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law at Baylor College of Medicine. He is best known for his work on time perception, synaesthesia, and neurolaw. At night, he is a fiction writer. His debut work of fiction, Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, became an international bestseller and is published in 22 languages.
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