The Veritas Forum

Latest Episodes:

If God is Good, Why is There Pain and Suffering? | Sean McDowell & Paul Rinzler Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

In today's episode, a Christian professor and an atheist professor grapple with a timeless question: if God is good and all-powerful, why is there so much suffering?

You'll hear from Sean McDowell, Professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, and Paul Rinzler, Professor Emeritus at Cal Poly. In this conversation, moderated by Brooklyn Perry, they explore whether a divine plan can account for apparently random suffering, reckon with the implications of moral evil, and share their perspectives on finding hope amid suffering.

This forum was held at Cal Poly in April 2026. Thank you to the student planning team who made this event possible. You can find a link to the full forum in the podcast description. Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

The "Grind": Meaningful or Meaningless? | Lydia Dugdale & James Valentini Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

In today's episode, a physician and a former college dean grapple with "grind culture."
You'll hear from Lydia Dugdale, a professor of medicine at Columbia, and James Valentini, a chemistry professor and a former dean of Columbia College. In this conversation, moderated by Seth Freeman, they discuss the difference between meaningful work and meaningless striving, what it looks like to live with the end in mind, and the relationship between career and calling in a world defined by achievement culture.
This forum was held at Columbia in April 2026. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible. A link to the full forum is in the podcast description. Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

When Will I Be Satisfied? | Arthur Brooks & Andrew Huberman Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

In today's episode, our speakers explore this question: How can I live a satisfied life?

You’ll hear from Arthur Brooks, a professor at Vanderbilt and author of The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness. He’s in conversation with Andrew Huberman, professor at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Labs podcast. In this conversation, they explore what it means to find a fulfilling life through scientific and faith-based practices, as well as their own journeys with religious belief. The forum is moderated by Charles Lee, professor emeritus at Stanford.

This forum was held by the Veritas at Stanford student organization in April 2026. Thank you to the Veritas at Stanford student organization for permission to co-release this recording.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

MIT Professors on Success and What Really Matters | Cullen Buie & Desirée Plata Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

In today's episode, two MIT professors reflect on this question: In an academic culture obsessed with making a name for yourself, what does it look like to care about something bigger than your own success?

You'll hear from Desirée Plata, an environmental engineering professor at MIT, and Cullen Buie, a mechanical engineering professor at MIT. In this conversation moderated by Mia Chung, they discuss where ambition crosses into ego, how they order their priorities between faith, family, and work, and what sustains them through personal loss and professional pressures.

This forum was held at MIT in March, 2026. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

What Science Can (And Can't) Tell Us | David Lahti & Michael Weisberg Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

In today’s episode, our speakers discuss this question: Is science the only reliable tool for understanding the world? Or for questions about meaning, morality, and ultimate purpose, do we need something more?

You’ll hear from David Lahti, a biologist at Queens College, and Michael Weisberg, a philosopher at Penn. In this conversation, they explore the limits of scientific knowledge, how evolution intersects with questions of faith and suffering, and how their Christian and agnostic worldviews help them make sense of the difference between knowledge and faith.

This forum was held at Penn in April 2026. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

Are We Living in the Best of All Possible Worlds? | Lennox & Lowenstein May 07, 2026

Show notes

The concept of a “multiverse” — formerly an obscure idea in philosophy and theoretical physics — is now mainstream. Movies like best-picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once or Marvel’s Spider Man: Into the Spiderverse invite us into an expansive vision of the cosmos: one where there are infinite worlds, possibilities, and comparisons. Even though these multiverse films feature outlandish sci-fi story lines (like hot dog fingers), their characters wrestle with many of the same questions we do, like, are we living in the best possible world?

In this episode, we discuss just that.

You’ll hear from mathematician John Lennox (Oxford) and moderator Daniel Lowenstein (UCLA) in a Forum event at UCLA in 2015. Together, they explore the toughest questions surrounding our existence. What do we do in the face of tragedy? Why do we experience pain? And, if there is a God who created the world, why did he make it like this?

Thank you to the Forum planning team at UCLA for making this event possible. Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

Questioning Christianity: A Professor's Journey from Skepticism to Faith | Molly Worthen Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

In today’s episode, historian Molly Worthen (UNC-Chapel Hill) discusses the most radical pivot of her life: becoming a Christian after years of religious skepticism.

Moderated by psychology professor Thad Polk (University of Michigan), you’ll hear Molly’s story of journeying from doubt to faith. She explores how the historical claims of Jesus’ Resurrection, existential questions about meaning, and honesty about her doubts led her to the Christian faith. She also answers questions from the student audience about what her life has looked like after becoming a Christian.

This forum was held at the University of Michigan in March 2026. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

Why the Resurrection Changes Everything (If It's True) | N. T. Wright & Shelly Kagan Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

In today’s episode, a theologian and a philosopher explore what happens when we die. They discuss questions like, Is death the end, or is it the beginning of something new? And how do Christian claims about Jesus’ Resurrection change the way we think about death today?

You’ll hear from N. T. Wright, a New Testament scholar at Oxford, and Shelly Kagan, a philosopher at Yale. In this lively conversation moderated by Columbia medical ethicist Lydia Dugdale, they explore death, the afterlife, Jesus’ Resurrection, and how our views on these subjects influence the way we live right now.

This forum was held at Yale in 2014. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

The Messiness of Meaning | Satyan Devadoss & Stuart Firestein Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

Meaning can be straightforward — a red octagon means “Stop!”, a hand wave with a smile means “Hello,” or adding two and two equals four.

But meaning is often more complicated — a friend saying they’ll eat “whatever” for dinner or a significant other texting, “We need to talk.”

In this episode, our speakers invite you into the messiness of meaning — and discuss how best we can search for it.

You’ll hear a conversation between mathematician Satyan Devadoss (U San Diego) and biologist Stuart Firestein (Columbia). Satyan and Stuart bring their scientific backgrounds and religious perspectives as they explore the role of reason in the search for meaning, what can and can’t be taken at face value, and what strategies can help us find truth — from the scientific method to literary analysis to religious tradition.

This Forum was held at Columbia University in 2014. Thanks to the forums planning team at Columbia for making this event possible.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

Do Christians Have a Stronger Claim on Morality than Atheists? | John Hare & Peter Singer Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

In today’s episode, two moral philosophers explore our everyday ethical choices. Are your gut-level reactions about right and wrong a signal from a higher reality—or just a chemical reaction in your brain? And if God isn’t the foundation for our morality, do our values actually mean anything?

In this throwback Veritas Forum, you’ll hear from Peter Singer, a philosopher and emeritus professor at Princeton, and John Hare, a philosopher at Yale. Drawing from their atheist and Christian worldviews, they explore where moral intuitions come from, whether morality can stand apart from religion, and how questions of happiness, suffering, and the life and teachings of Jesus shape their understanding of what it means to live well. You’ll hear both of their opening statements followed by an excerpt of their moderated discussion.

This forum was held at MIT in 2010. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

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