{
  "id": 13021274,
  "title": "Beyond religion and atheism: The secret third answer to big questions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/beyond-religion-and-atheism-the-secret-third-answer-to-big-questions",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-09T04:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Big Think",
    "slug": "big-think",
    "url": "https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/symes-god-atheism/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Philosopher Jack Symes, currently a professor at Durham University, was inspired to write a book after realizing that the common atheist argument against God actually works just as well when applied to a benevolent deity. Symes rejects the idea that science can fully explain the origin of the universe, the fine-tuning of physical laws, and the emergence of consciousness. He argues that philosophy is necessary to clarify concepts and understand the world, even if science cannot provide answers to these fundamental questions. The new atheists, including Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett, dismissed the need for a philosophical approach, claiming that science had all the answers. However, Symes believes that science cannot explain questions related to the origin of the universe, the fine-tuning of physical laws, and the emergence of consciousness, which he considers to be the domain of philosophy.",
  "summary": "For decades, atheists have used one move to dismantle the case for God: swap in an evil one and show that the arguments work just as well. Philosopher Jack Symes was convinced by it, and was 50,000 words into a book defending atheism when he noticed that the exercise kept tipping toward goodness. He threw out the manuscript and started over. This video Beyond religion and atheism: The secret…",
  "key_points": [
    "Philosopher Jack Symes writes book on third answer to big questions",
    "Rejects science's explanation for origin, fine-tuning, consciousness",
    "Philosophy needed for understanding fundamental questions"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Philosopher Jack Symes' work signals a shift away from the science-vs-religion debate, positioning philosophy as a necessary complement to science in addressing fundamental questions about the universe and human existence.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}