AUSTIN, TEXAS: Joe Rogan recently invited Stephen Meyer on his podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience'. Rogan is well known for discussing a variety of topics on his show. Recently the duo discussed the Big Bang theory, science, and faith.
Stephen C Meyer is a retired educator and author. He promotes the pseudoscience of intelligent design and helped found the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture (CSC), which is the principal institution driving the intelligent design movement. Meyer was a lecturer at Whitworth College before joining the DI Meyer is a DI senior fellow and the CSC's director.
'Everything that we know is turning out to be false'
Rogan asked Meyer about his reasons for doubting neo-Darwinism, intelligent design, and his book, 'Return of the God Hypothesis'. Meyer also discussed the problem of evil, the James Webb Space Telescope, the multiverse, language, free will, determinism, miracles, alien life forms, psychedelics, and his personal religious experience.
Meyer remarked, "There's been a lot of media reports suggesting that the findings of the James Webb Telescope have undermined the case for The Big Bang or the Big Bang Theory, but there's an interesting backstory to this. Most of these media reports were based on the writings of a single physics researcher named Eric Lerner, who's been kind of carrying a torch to refute the Big Bang since 1990."
"Lerner, in one of his articles, quoted a University of Kansas astrophysicist as saying that she stays up late at night wondering if, based on James Webb, everything that we know is turning out to be false," he further added.
"It turns out that that researcher, that astrophysicist, disclaimed his use of the quote and explained that he took it completely out of context, saying that she was talking about theories of Galaxy formation, not about whether or not there had been a big bang and not about whether or not the universe is expanding as we would expect," he continued.
Stephen Meyer discussed various other topics
Meyer further discussed the James Webb Telescope detects uber redshifted infrared radiation, confirming the Big Bang Theory's red shift. NASA's technology super-cools the detector to prevent interference. The telescope confirmed the expansion of the universe from its beginning, but the formation of galaxies is debated. The origin of the universe is estimated to be around 13.8 billion years ago, but further detection could help better understand the universe's origin.
The author also explored the concept of the universe and its beginnings, focusing on the singularity theorems of Hawking, Penrose, and Ellis. Hawking's PhD thesis in the 1960s focuses on the expanding universe and the idea that matter becomes more diffuse over time.
He explained that Einstein's theory of gravity suggests that a massive body curves space or time, but this theory has a loophole due to quantum effects in the smallest smidgens of space-time. Guth and Velenken's proof of a beginning is a limiting case, indicating a definite beginning to time and space. The author argues that evidence from observational astronomy, theoretical physics, and Guth and Velenken supports the conclusion that the universe had a beginning.
'Some of the best stuff on the internet'
Rogan's podcast is the most listened podcast in the world. Therefore, the episode got viral and gathered over 4000 comments. A fan wrote, "It was a tough conversation for Joe at times, it’s great to see some constructive conflict at such a high level on a fascinating topic. Some of the best stuff on the internet today."
Another user added, "Surprisingly enjoyable conversation that gave me a lot to think about. Stephen humbly reminding me that I still have prejudices, if I'd known he was a proponent of intelligent design I doubt I'd have listened but he makes a great argument for it."
"This is another example of why this is the best podcast on the face of the Earth. The ideas stem from comedy, to politics, to health, to religion, and a fusion of all of those things together in a myriad of combinations, that teases and pleases the intellect," wrote a commentator.
A fan of Meyer's intelligence wrote, "Yes! I love Stephen Meyer. Very intelligent and always great discussion with him. So excited for Joe to have more of these discussions."
