Ep 065: David | You’re Asking Me to Doubt | Street Epistemology

Ep 065: David | You're Asking Me to Doubt | Street Epistemology San Antonio, TX 14 March 2015 Twitter: https://twitter.com/magnabosco Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magnabosco210 Playlist of Street Epistemology: http://tinyurl.com/PL-AM-ST-EPS Playlist of SE Breakdown Tutorials: http://tinyurl.com/PL-AM-SE-BD-TUTORIALS Playlist of Secular Exchanges: http://tinyurl.com/PL-AM-SEC-EXCH Playlist of Interviews & Presentations: http://tinyurl.com/PL-AM-ST-TALKS Playlist of Bails & Fails: http://tinyurl.com/PL-AM-SE-BANDF Want to Learn More About Street Epistemology? Read the Book: Peter Boghossian: 'A Manual for Creating Atheists' http://tinyurl.com/SE-PB-AMFCA David is a pastor traveling with his family and several other street preachers to spread the word of God to college students partying in South Padre Island for Spring Break and stopped in front of the Alamo to pass out tracts. In conversation we discover that the things David uses to arrive at his belief in Jesus (prophesies, miracles, prayer) are not testable or falsifiable in any way. Faith is briefly discussed as well. Looking back at this encounter, it may be the last time I conduct an intervention with so much background activity going on. I can hear my voice change as I get more excited by all the activity, and I think this anxiety will be noticeable to regular viewers of my work. I also wish I could have spent more time helping David examine the difference between the process of re-examining a belief, and doubt. David is most certainly not comfortable doubting-it's against his core belief. "Why must someone never doubt a belief?" or "Can you see any potential harm from never doubting a belief?" would have been good questions. It would also be neat to see if the footage taken from David's daughter (?) will ever surface, as many people have asked for a different angle to observe my body language and camera setup. Music provided by Chet Hovatter. Mistakes: I'll probably never suggest falsifying prophesy again. In the future, I have another, more effective approach that I will use to have the interlocutor re-evaluate their position on the reliability of prophesy. I missed an opportunity at the very end when David was explaining what he would accept to falsify his inability to accept evolution. I should have pointed out that, while he was willing to do this for evolution, he was unwilling to do it for his God belief. "Why does this cherished belief of yours get a pass?" would have been a great question. 17 March 2015: I just now realized that David said at the very start of the video that he used to see and then believe (back when he was a "sinner") and now with a God in his life he is comfortable believing without seeing. But his new approach is NOT used with regards to his position on evolution, as David claims that he doesn't accept it because evolution cannot be seen in a lab. Please let me know if you notice any mistakes so that I can address them here for self-improvement. Video captured using Go-Pro Video edited using PowerDirector The views addressed here are mine and mine alone, and are not necessarily views shared by members of my family and friends. Twitter: https://twitter.com/magnabosco Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magnabosco210