Within Reason

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#135 Christmas Isn't What You Think - John Nelson Dec 20, 2025

Show notes

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at ⁠https://ground.news/AlexOC⁠ - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.

For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: ⁠https://www.alexoconnor.com⁠.

John Nelson earned a PhD in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Edinburgh in 2023. He writes for the Substack ⁠Behind the Gospels⁠.

His ⁠thesis⁠ is the first book-length study of Jesus' physical appearance in the Gospels. He runs a weekly Substack called "Behind the Gospels" which aims to make Biblical studies accessible to all.

TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) Was Jesus Really Born on Christmas Day?

(2:51) Are the Birth Narratives Attempts at History?

(6:34) Where Was Jesus Actually Born?

(16:19) Were the Birth Narratives Added Later?

(22:21) Was Mary Really a Virgin?

(34:24) Why Does Nobody Else Mention the Virgin Birth?

(39:06) Was Jesus a Product of Adultery?

(43:49) Was Jesus Born in a Manger?

(49:34) Who Are the Magi?

(55:32) Was the Star Really a Star?

(1:01:30) Did Herod Really Order a Slaughter of Infants?

(1:07:54) Is the Christmas Story Anti-Imperial?

(1:14:40) Are Christmas Trees a Pagan Idol?

(1:17:39) John’s Book and the Upcoming Tour

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1.75m QnA - Triangles, Getting Owned by GodLogic, and Douglas Adams' Puddle Dec 19, 2025

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TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) 1,778,795 Q&A

(0:24) How Are You?

(5:12) If You Could Choose Your Date of Birth, When Would It Be?

(9:36) Survival Tips From Bear Grylls?

(10:21) How Do You Remember so Much Stuff?

(15:24) What is Your Dream Podcast?

(17:01) Doesn’t Consciousness Just… Emerge?

(29:26) If You Clean a Vaccum, Are You a Vaccum Cleaner?

(35:41) Is Water Wet?

(37:26) How Many Holes Are In a Straw?

(40:55) Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich?

(42:28) Do You Edit Everything By Yourself?

(43:23) What Would It Be Like to Observe a Contradiction?

(43:33) Which Philosophical Concepts are Often Misunderstood?

(50:29) When I Changed My Mind Mid-Debate

(01:01:49) Would You Tour?

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#133 Hank Green on God, Science, and Consciousness Dec 07, 2025

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For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: ⁠https://www.alexoconnor.com⁠.

Hank Green (⁠@hankschannel⁠) is one of YouTube's most beloved creators. One half of ⁠vlogbrothers⁠, he is also the co-creator and host of ⁠SciShow⁠ and ⁠Crash Course⁠.

TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) Where Are All the Aliens?

(8:02) What Makes Humans So Special?

(18:44) Has the US Lost its Cultural Identity?

(30:57) Was Martin Luther Wrong About God?

(37:52) Is the World an Illusion?

(48:16) Should We Believe Our Illusions?

(55:22) How Objective is Science?

(1:01:03) Does Science Explain Anything?

(1:12:28) Could We Explain Cold to an Alien?

(1:23:26) The Hard Problem of Consciousness

(1:29:06) Will Computers Ever Become Conscious?

(1:37:20) Do You Have Two Brains?

(1:43:52) Should We Be Worried About TikTok?

(1:50:30) Hank’s Video Ideas

(2:01:02) What’s it Like Meeting Your Old Heroes?

(2:07:14) Being a YouTuber

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#132 Vsauce - Does Anything Exist? Nov 30, 2025

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Michael Stevens is the creator of ⁠Vsauce⁠, one of YouTube's most popular channels. Alongside Hannah Fry he hosts the newly-launched podcast ⁠The Rest is Science⁠.

TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) Does Anything Really Exist?

(10:32) Is Michael a Mereological Nihilist?

(19:42) Are Philosophers Overcomplicating Function Behaviour?

(25:24) Do “You” Really Exist?

(41:57) Free Will and the Bicameral Mind Theory

(50:09) Why the Future Isn’t Changing Like It Used To

(59:11) The Scientific Mystery of Torque?

(01:17:46) Consciousness

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#131 Toby Ord - Will AI Destroy Humanity? Nov 27, 2025

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Toby Ord is an Australian philosopher. In 2009 he founded Giving What We Can, an international society whose members pledge to donate at least 10% of their income to effective charities, and is a key figure in the effective altruism movement, which promotes using reason and evidence to help the lives of others as much as possible.

The Precipice: https://amzn.to/3XdUAEx

Ord's Website: https://www.tobyord.com/writings

TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) What Existential Risks Does AI Pose?

(8:57) How AI Systems Lie to Us

(26:04) Why We Should Be Worried About AI

(33:28) What Does It Mean for AI System to “Want” Something?

(43:41) AI Weapons and Nuclear Warfare

(48:57) Where Should We Focus Our Resources?

(53:35) What Policies Should We Enact?

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#130 Philip Goff - Why I'm a Heretical Christian Nov 16, 2025

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Philip Goff is a British author, panpsychist philosopher, and professor at Durham University whose research focuses on philosophy of mind and consciousness. Specifically, how consciousness can be part of the scientific worldview.

Buy Philip's books here.

Timestamps

(0:00) Why Philip Became a "Heretical Christian"
(7:13) Panpsychism and the Fine-Tuning Argument
(18:46) Why God’s Power is Limited
(30:10) The Problem of Suffering
(42:53) Non-Western Religious Positions
(48:34) What is the Role of Jesus in This?
(57:35) “Why Aren’t You Just a Hindu?”
(01:02:23) What is the Point in the Crucifixion?
(01:09:41) The Beautiful Uncertainty of Religion

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#129 Will MacAskill - We're Not Ready for Artificial General Intelligence Nov 09, 2025

Show notes

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For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: ⁠https://www.alexoconnor.com⁠.

William MacAskill is a Scottish philosopher and author, as well as one of the originators of the effective altruism movement. Get his book. What We Owe the Future, ⁠here⁠.

TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) The World Isn’t Ready for AGI

(9:12) What Does AGI Doomsday Look Like?

(16:13) Alignment is Not Enough

(19:28) How AGI Could Cause Government Coups

(27:14) Why Isn’t There More Widespread Panic?

(33:55) What Can We Do?

(40:11) If We Stop, China Won’t

(47:43) What is Currently Being Done to Regulate AGI Growth?

(51:03) The Problem of “Value Lock-in”

(01:05:03) Is Inaction a Form of Action?

(01:08:47) Should Effective Altruists Focus on AGI?

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