{"id":335826,"date":"2022-09-05T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-05T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/?p=335826"},"modified":"2022-09-05T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T12:00:00","slug":"my-debate-with-atheist-peter-atkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/religions\/logic-reason\/my-debate-with-atheist-peter-atkins","title":{"rendered":"My Debate with Atheist Peter Atkins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of all the video-recorded debates I&#8217;ve done with atheist scientists, the one that&#8217;s been viewed the most is the one I did with former Oxford University chemistry professor Peter Atkins. As of August 26, 2022, more than 400,000 people had viewed the debate on various YouTube channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Atkins is a physical chemist. He&#8217;s the author or coauthor of nine undergraduate chemistry textbooks.<sup>1<\/sup> My colleague Fazale Rana had Atkins&#8217;s books assigned for his chemistry classes. Atkins is one of Britain&#8217;s best-known atheists. In the British newspaper <em>The Guardian<\/em>, Atkins&#8217;s atheism was described as being &#8220;more hardline than Richard Dawkins.&#8221;<sup>2<\/sup> When asked during the prep before our debate if there were any scientists, besides himself, that he respected, Atkins responded that there was only one\u2014Richard Dawkins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Atkins was the first senior member of the Oxford University Secular Society. He is a distinguished supporter of Humanists UK (formerly the British Humanist Association) and an honorary associate of the National Secular Society. He serves on the advisory board of The Reason Project, which presently is headed up by Sam Harris.<mark class=\"has-inline-color has-luminous-vivid-orange-color\"> <\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The debate took place in London on Premier&#8217;s <em>Unbelievable?<\/em> radio\/television show on June 1, 2018. Atkins had just come out with his recent book, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Conjuring-Universe-Origins-Laws-Nature\/dp\/B07G3FHLHR\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QUJIV49MPSWH&amp;keywords=conjuring+the+universe&amp;qid=1661776924&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=conjuring+the+universe%2Cstripbooks%2C125&amp;sr=1-1\">Conjuring the Universe: The Origins of the Laws of Nature<\/a><\/em>. Hence, the topic of the debate was &#8220;Where Did the Laws of Nature Come From?&#8221; The moderator was <em>Unbelievable?<\/em>&#8216;s Justin Brierley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We covered many other topics in addition to the origin of the laws of physics. The predominant issues were whether or not the God of the Bible exists, the intellectual integrity of one&#8217;s beliefs, and the scientific testing of one&#8217;s beliefs. Toward<s>s<\/s> the end of the debate, Brierley asked both of us if we could think of any possible evidence that would cause us to change our minds about the existence or the nonexistence of God. The debate then took a dramatic turn. However, there were many other equally dramatic moments throughout the debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are several reviews of the debate from a Christian perspective. Physician and apologist Erik Strandness wrote one of the best for <em>Patheos<\/em>.<sup>2<\/sup> I haven&#8217;t been able to find a written review from an atheistic perspective. However, Joshua Rasmussen of <em>Worldview Design<\/em> posted a 10-minute video commentary where he complimented Atkins for his courage in the debate and argued against the falsifiability criterion.<sup>3<\/sup> While reading or watching reviews of the debate can give you a general idea of what was discussed, the best option, by far, is to watch the entire debate (1 hour and 4 minutes) in its unedited form. You can do so here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hVCVt-dvVOc&amp;t=2055s\">Hugh Ross vs. Peter Atkins: Debating the Origins of the Laws of Nature<\/a>. I would encourage readers to share the video recording with friends and associates and to set up a group or forum to discuss the debate&#8217;s implications.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Endnotes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The most often used ones are <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Atkins-Physical-Chemistry-11e-Peter\/dp\/0198769865\">Physical Chemistry<\/a><\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Shriver-Atkins-Inorganic-Chemistry-Peter\/dp\/0199236178\"><em>Shriver and Atkins&#8217;<\/em> <em>Inorganic Chemistry<\/em><\/a>, and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Molecular-Quantum-Mechanics-Peter-Atkins\/dp\/0199541426\">Molecular Quantum Mechanics<\/a><\/em>.<\/li><li>Colin Tudge, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2007\/dec\/08\/society\">The Art of the Soluble<\/a>,&#8221; <em>The Guardian,<\/em> London, Society section (December 8, 2007), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2007\/dec\/08\/society\">theguardian.com\/books\/2007\/dec\/08\/society<\/a>.<\/li><li>Erik Strandness, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/unbelievable\/2020\/11\/when-atheism-becomes-unfalsifiable-peter-atkins-and-the-problem-of-evidence\/\">When Atheism Becomes Unfalsifiable: Peter Atkins and the Problem of Evidence<\/a>,&#8221; <em>Patheos<\/em> (November 6, 2020), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/unbelievable\/2020\/11\/when-atheism-becomes-unfalsifiable-peter-atkins-and-the-problem-of-evidence\/\">patheos.com\/blogs\/unbelievable\/2020\/11\/when-atheism-becomes-unfalsifiable-peter-atkins-and-the-problem-of-evidence\/<\/a>.<\/li><li>Joshua L. Rasmussen, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lSsruU70Mnc&amp;t=581s\">How to Debate Courageously: A Note on Atkins vs. Ross<\/a>,&#8221; <em>Worldview Design<\/em> (July 11, 2019), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lSsruU70Mnc&amp;t=581s\">youtube.com\/watch?v=lSsruU70Mnc&amp;t=581s<\/a>.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore the heated 2018 debate between Hugh Ross and atheist Peter Atkins on the origins of natural laws, addressing science and faith issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":586,"featured_media":336280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_person_authors":[],"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":"","_classifai_error":"","_classifai_text_to_speech_error":"","_classifai_text_to_speech_scheduled":false},"categories":[64012,64139],"tags":[67681,71084,69580],"discipline":[64121],"reading-level":[64149],"class_list":["post-335826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-logic-reason","category-belief-systems","tag-origins-science","tag-science-debate","tag-laws-of-physics","discipline-physics","reading-level-advanced-deep-dive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ 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Many people assume belief in God means abandoning reason, but the opposite is true\u2014logic and faith work together. The Bible calls us to seek truth, think critically, and test what we hear.\r\n\r\nLogic helps us recognize flawed arguments, evaluate evidence, and grow in wisdom. Even the scientific method relies on logic to examine natural and supernatural claims. Christianity isn\u2019t blind belief; it invites honest questions and stands up to scrutiny. Let\u2019s explore how logic and reason strengthen our understanding of God and his truth.","parent":64009,"count":175,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":64012,"category_count":175,"category_description":"If God created logic as a fundamental part of the universe, shouldn\u2019t it be central to our faith? Many people assume belief in God means abandoning reason, but the opposite is true\u2014logic and faith work together. The Bible calls us to seek truth, think critically, and test what we hear.\r\n\r\nLogic helps us recognize flawed arguments, evaluate evidence, and grow in wisdom. Even the scientific method relies on logic to examine natural and supernatural claims. Christianity isn\u2019t blind belief; it invites honest questions and stands up to scrutiny. Let\u2019s explore how logic and reason strengthen our understanding of God and his truth.","cat_name":"Logic &amp; Reason","category_nicename":"logic-reason","category_parent":64009},{"term_id":64139,"name":"Belief Systems","slug":"belief-systems","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":64139,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Every culture has asked life\u2019s biggest questions: Where did we come from? What is our purpose? What happens after we die? Belief systems around the world attempt to answer these questions, shaping how people see reality, morality, and the divine.\r\n\r\nFrom Buddhism and Islam to New Age spirituality and atheism, each worldview presents a different picture of truth. But do all paths lead to the same destination? And how do their claims hold up against history, philosophy, and science?\r\n\r\nBy examining the beliefs of world religions\u2014and how they compare to Christianity\u2014we can better understand the search for truth and what sets the gospel apart.","parent":64009,"count":479,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":64139,"category_count":479,"category_description":"Every culture has asked life\u2019s biggest questions: Where did we come from? What is our purpose? What happens after we die? Belief systems around the world attempt to answer these questions, shaping how people see reality, morality, and the divine.\r\n\r\nFrom Buddhism and Islam to New Age spirituality and atheism, each worldview presents a different picture of truth. But do all paths lead to the same destination? And how do their claims hold up against history, philosophy, and science?\r\n\r\nBy examining the beliefs of world religions\u2014and how they compare to Christianity\u2014we can better understand the search for truth and what sets the gospel apart.","cat_name":"Belief Systems","category_nicename":"belief-systems","category_parent":64009}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":67681,"name":"Origins Science","slug":"origins-science","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":67681,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":19,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":71084,"name":"Science Debate","slug":"science-debate","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":71075,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":69580,"name":"Laws Of Physics","slug":"laws-of-physics","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":69580,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":22,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/586"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335826"},{"taxonomy":"discipline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline?post=335826"},{"taxonomy":"reading-level","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reading-level?post=335826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}