#13 - Sam Hafkenscheid: Nihilism, God and Professional Gaming

In this episode, Geoff Allen and Sam Hafkenscheid convene for a good old-fashioned debate about God and religious beliefs. Geoff takes the side of atheism/naturalism. Sam takes the side of faith/theism. On the side of atheism, Geoff argues that we can explain (and discard) religious belief as an evolutionary adaptation. But what about meaning and morality? Geoff accepts the nihilism that comes with an atheistic position! He sketches an invitation to see the world with ‘optimistic nihilism’ (see episode #8 for a full exposition). He argues that the naturalistic package of rights/freedoms/meanings has the most pragmatic benefit for human flourishing. This is especially true in ‘zero sum’ political conflicts over abortion or discrimination. On the side of theism, Sam argues that we require the idea of God to explain why things exist. What existed before the Big Bang, before time and before naturalistic causes? A mind, like God, is the most plausible explanation, Sam argues. Sam also challenges Geoff’s atheistic conception of meaning and morality. Without God, the only moral truth would be an ‘anything goes’ nihilism. At the very least, this means that atheists should live and let live. If it’s just nihilism and evolutionary adaptation, then trying to convert people to atheism is a waste of resources. Geoff and Sam also discuss: Sam’s career in professional gaming and coaching; the journey versus the result in creative pursuits; losing yourself in a creative process; creativity as ‘flowing with the river’ versus ‘creating the river’; worldviews (our deepest-level beliefs); theistic versus naturalistic attitudes about abortion; how to change someone’s deepest attitudes and how to engage with people who share different worldviews; and other topics! *** Sam Hafkenscheid is a physicist, philosopher and professional DotA coach. He specialises in the areas of quantum physics and evolutionary biology and loves to investigate the relation between science and religion. He is also passionate about working in the field of education, with past experience as a private high school tutor and as a teaching assistant (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Utrecht University). Sam is a professional DotA coach at Gamer Sensei, an esports coaching platform owned by Corsair. He has amassed over 15,000 hours both playing DotA and helping hundreds of DotA players to achieve their competitive goals. Sam received a bachelor in physics and astronomy at the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is currently working towards a masters in history and philosophy of science at Utrecht University. https://www.linkedin.com/in/samhafkenscheid https://www.gamersensei.com/senseis/skullcandy82 *** This episode includes fragments from the track, ‘Optimism/Choate’, written and recorded by Geoff Allen. This music originally appeared in Extrapolator episodes #7 and #8, and it follows the themes of naturalism and optimistic nihilism! The full soundtrack for the Extrapolator podcast is available on Spotify (and all major platforms). Just search for: ‘Extrapolator: Original Podcast Soundtrack’… or click here: https://sptfy.com/6wYf *** Follow Extrapolator on social media for all the latest news: instagram.com/extrapolatorpod facebook.com/extrapolatorpod linkedin.com/company/extrapolator