Steven Weinberg's Opinions
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Agree
The final approach is to take the Schrodinger equation seriously... In this way, a measurement causes the history of the universe for practical purposes to diverge into different non-interfering tracks, one for each possible value of the measured quantity. ... I prefer this last approach.
Agree
The human mind remains extraordinarily difficult to understand, but so is the weather. We can't predict whether it will rain one month from today, but we do know the rules that govern the rain, even though we can't always calculate their consequences. I see nothing about the human mind any more than about the weather that stands out as beyond the hope of understanding as a consequence of impersonal laws acting over billions of years. There do not seem to be any exceptions to this natural order.
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Disagree
Mark Twain described his mother as a genuinely good person, whose soft heart pitied even Satan, but who had no doubt about the legitimacy of slavery, because in years of living in antebellum Missouri she had never heard any sermon opposing slavery, but only countless sermons preaching that slavery was God's will. With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion.
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Agree
...it seems to me that physics is in a better position to give us a partly satisfying explanation of the world than religion can ever do, because although physicists won't be able to explain why the laws of nature are what they are and not something completely different, at least we may be able to explain why they are not slightly different. ... Religious theories, on the other hand, seem to be infinitely flexible, with nothing to prevent the invention of deities of any conceivable sort.
Disagree
In essence, [the Cosmological Argument] argues that everything has a cause, and since this chain of causality cannot go on forever, it must terminate in a first cause, which we call God. The idea of an ultimate cause is deeply attractive, and indeed the dream of elementary particle physics is to find the final theory at the root of all chains of explanation of what we see in nature. The trouble is that such a mathematical final theory would hardly be what anyone means by God.
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Disagree
There do not seem to be any exceptions to this natural order, any miracles. I have the impression that these days most theologians are embarrassed by talk of miracles, but the great monotheistic faiths are founded on miracle stories—the burning bush, the empty tomb, an angel dictating the Koran to Mohammed—and some of these faiths teach that miracles continue at the present day.
Agree
...by doubling the amount of CO2 ... we're doing things that have an obvious potential for producing great harm. We ought to be pretty sure we're not doing harm before we are sanguine about continuing to do these things. I really think we should control the amount of CO2 we're putting into the atmosphere, even if we're not certain.
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Comparisons to Other Experts
Agree
Galileo Galilei
Father of Science
100%
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1 opinions
Max Tegmark
Professor of Physics
100%
/
1 opinions
Steven Pinker
Psychology Professor
100%
/
1 opinions
Elton John
Musician, Pop Icon
100%
/
1 opinions
Richard Feynman
Nobel Laureate in Physics
100%
/
1 opinions
Eliezer Yudkowsky
Artificial Intelligence Researcher
100%
/
1 opinions
Austin Cline
Philosopher
100%
/
1 opinions
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California 2003-
100%
/
1 opinions
Richard Dawkins
Evolutionary Biologist, Writer, Atheism Activist
100%
/
1 opinions
Bill Maher
Political T.V. Host, Comedian
100%
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1 opinions
Bertrand Russell
Iconic Philosopher of 20th Century
100%
/
1 opinions
John Stuart Mill
Philosopher, Political Economist, 19th Century
100%
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1 opinions
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Mostly Agree
Paul Collins
Catholic Priest, Author, Radio Host
75%
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1 opinions
The Economist
Politics and Business Magazine
75%
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1 opinions
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Mostly Disagree
Bjorn Lomborg
Politics Professor, Economist, Writer
25%
/
1 opinions
Albert Einstein
Physicist, Icon of the 20th Century
25%
/
1 opinions
B.P. Radhakrishna
Geologist, President of the Geological Society of India
25%
/
1 opinions
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Disagree
John Polkinghorne
Physics Professor and Reverend
0%
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2 opinions
The Catholic Church
Largest Christian Church
0%
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2 opinions
Peter Woit
Physicist
0%
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1 opinions
Roger Penrose
Mathematics Professor
0%
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1 opinions
New Testament
Christian Specific Bible
0%
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1 opinions
Napoleon Bonaparte
Emperor of France
0%
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1 opinions
Andrew Newberg
Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry & Religion
0%
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1 opinions
John Clayton
Christian Teacher
0%
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1 opinions
Antonello Colangeli
Doctor
0%
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1 opinions
Luiz Sérgio Solimeo
Christian Writer
0%
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1 opinions
Mani Norland
Homeopathy Teacher
0%
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1 opinions
Roy Spencer
Meteorologist
0%
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1 opinions
Don Aitkin
Politics Professor
0%
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1 opinions
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