Within Reason

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?20:54 - Was Mary Really a Virgin?32:57 - Why Does Nobody Else Mention the Virgin Birth?37:39 - Was Jesus a Product of Adultery? 42:22 - Was Jesus Born in a Manger?48:07 - Who Are the Magi?54:05 - Was the Star Really a Star?01:00:03 - Did Herod Really Order a Slaughter of Infants?01:06:26 - Is the Christmas Story Anti-Imperial?01:13:13 - Are Christmas Trees a Pagan Idol?01:16:12 - John’s Book and the Upcoming Tour

Timestamps0:00 - 1,778,795 Q&A0:24 - 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-Debate01:01:49 - Would You Tour?

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?8:08 - What Makes Humans So Special?17:22 - Has the US Lost its Cultural Identity?29:34 - Martin Luther Wrong About God?36:30 - Is the World an Illusion?46:54 - Should We Believe Our Illusions?53:58 - How Objective is Science?59:41 - Does Science Explain Anything?01:11:10 - Could We Explain Cold to an Alien?1:22:03 - The Hard Problem of Consciousness01:27:44 - Will Computers Ever Become Conscious?01:35:58 - Do You Have Two Brains?01:42:30 - Should We Be Worried About TikTok?1:49:08 - Hank’s Video Ideas01:59:39 - What’s it Like Meeting Your Old Heroes?2:05:51 - Being a YouTuber

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 Theory50:09 - Why the Future Isn’t Changing Like It Used To59:11 - The Scientific Mystery of Torque?01:17:46 - Consciousness

Timestamps0:00 - What Existential Risks Does AI Pose?8:57 - How AI Systems Lie to Us26:04 - Why We Should Be Worried About AI33:28 - What Does It Mean for AI System to “Want” Something?43:41 - AI Weapons and Nuclear Warfare48:57 - Where Should We Focus Our Resources?53:35 - What Policies Should We Enact?