>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WE'RE HERE WITH RICKY GERVAIS. WE WERE TALKING BEFORE, ABOUT
THIS TWEET BEFORE, THAT YOU LIKED THIS TWEET THAT WAS
TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU WERE GOING IT TO GO TO HELL, THAT IT SHOULD
GET A KNIGHTHOOD. DO YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN A
KNIGHTHOOD? BECAUSE A LOT OF-- A LOT OF
BRITISH PERFORMERS END UP, LIKE, GETTING A KNIGHTHOOD FOR SERVICE
TO THE COMMUNITY OR DRAMA. DOES THAT INTEREST YOU? >> IT'S NOT LIKE IT WAS IN THE
OLD DAYS. IF IT PLANTE I COULD GO DOWN THE
STREET ON A HORSE WITH A SWORD KILLING PEOPLE, THEN, YES. BUT IT'S NOTHING. IT'S NOTHING-- GIVE ME A BIG
SWORD AND A HORSE, AND THEN I'LL TAKE IT. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? >> Stephen: TALKING ABOUT HELL
BEFORE, ABOUT THIS TWEET ABOUT YOU GOING TO HELL. AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE AN
ATHEIST, CORRECT? >> YEAH. <i>( APPLAUSE ).</i> >> Stephen: PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
DEBATING-- THAT'S THE DEVIL WAITING FOR YOU IN HELL, BY THE
WAY. DID YOU WANT TO DEBATE THIS? SO RICKY GERVAIS, WHY IS THERE
SOMETHING INSTEAD OF NOTHING? >> THAT'S-- THAT'S-- THAT MAKES
NO SENSE AT ALL. >> Stephen: YOU HAVE TO ANSWER
MY QUESTION. >> THAT'S NOT THE TWO CHOICE S. >> Stephen: THOSE ARE THE
CHOICES I'M GIVING YOU. I'M THE HOST. ( LAUGHTER ). >> WELL, I DON'T --
>> Stephen: DO YOU WANT TO CONCEDE THE DEBATE. WHY IS THERE SOMETHING RATHER
THAN NOTHING? >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN OUT OF
NOTHING? >> Stephen: WHY IS THERE
SOMETHING INSTEAD OF WHY IS THERE NOTHING? WHY DOES THE UNIVERSE EXIST AT
ALL? WHY IS THERE SOMETHING? >> BUT SURELY THE QUESTION IS
NOT WHY BUT HOW? WHY IS IRRELEVANT. >> Stephen: ANOTHER FINE, HOW
IS THERE SOMETHING? IF YOU THINK OF GOD AS THE PRIME
MOVER,. >> I DON'T. >> Stephen: IS THERE A PRIME
MOVER. IS THERE A DEMI-URGE THAT
STARTED EVERYTHING. >> OUTSIDE OF SCIENCE AND NATURE
I DON'T BELIEVE SO. SO THE INTERESTING THING IS--
THAT'S THE THING I'M AN AGNOVELTYIC ATHEIST. AGNOSTIC MEANS NO ONE KNOWS IF
THERE'S A GOD. EVERYONE IS TECHNICALLY AN
AGNOSTIC BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW. AN AGNOSTIC ATHEIST IS SOMEONE
WHO DOESN'T KNOW THERE IS A GOD--
>> YOU'RE NOT CONVICTED OF YOUR ATHEISM. >> I AM. ATHEISM ISN'T A BELIEF SYSTEM. ATHEISM-- SO THIS IS ATHEISM IN
A NUTSHELL. YOU SAY, "THERE'S A GOD." I SAY, "YOU CAN PROVE THAT?"
YOU SAY, "NO." I SAID, "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU
THEN." SO YOU BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, I
ASSUME. >> Stephen: UHHH, IN THREE
PERSONS, BUT GO AHEAD. ( LAUGHTER ). >> OKAY, SO YOU BELIEVE-- OKAY. BUT THERE ARE 3,000 TO CHOOSE
FROM, YOU KNOW, OF PEOPLE -- >> Stephen: I'VE DONE SOME
READING, YEAH. >> SO BASICALLY, YOU BELIEVE
IN-- YOU DENY ONE LESGOD THAN I DO. YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN 2,999 GOD. AND I DON'T BELIEVE IN JUST ONE
MORE. >> Stephen: RIGHT. ( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: DO YOU DO YOU DO
YOU EVER HAVE A FEELING OF GREAT GRATITUDE FOR EXISTENCE? >> OF COURSE,. >> Stephen: DO YOU EVER HAVE--
>> I KNOW THE CHANCES ARE BILLIONS TO ONE THEY AM ON THIS
PLANET AS ME AND NEVER WILL BE AGAIN. >> Stephen: I KNOW I CAN'T
CONVINCE YOU THAT THERE IS A GOD, NOR DO I REALLY WANT TO
CONVINCE YOU THAT THERE IS A GOD. I CAN ONLY EXPLAIN MY EXPERIENCE
WHICH IS I HAVE A STRONG DESIRE TO DIRECT THAT GRATITUDES
TOWARDS SOMETHING OR SOMEONE. >> OF COURSE,. >> Stephen: ASK THAT THING IS
GOD. >> WE WANT TO-- WE WANT TO MAKE
SENSE OF NATURE AND SCIENCE. IT IS TOO UNFATHOMABLE--
EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE WAS ONCE CRUNCHED IN SOME SMALL
ATOM --
>> Stephen: BUT YOU DON'T KNOW THAT. YOU'RE JUST BELIEVINGLY STEPHEN
HAWKING AND THAT'S A MATTER OF FAITH IN HIS ABILITIES. YOU DON'T KNOW IT YOURSELF. YOU'RE ACCEPTING THAT BECAUSE
SOMEONE TOLD YOU. >> WELL, YEAH, BUT SCIENCE IS
CONSTANTLY PROVED OVER TIME. YOU SEE, IF WE TAKE SOMETHING
LIKE ANY FICTION, AND ANY HOLY BOOK AND ANY OTHER FICTION, AND
DESTROYED IT, OKAY. IN 1,000 YEARS' TIME, THAT
WOULDN'T COME BACK JUST AS IT WAS. WHEREAS IF WE TOOK EVERY SCIENCE
BOOK AND EVERY FACT AND DESTROYED THEM ALL, IN 1,000
YEARS THEY'D ALL BE BACK BECAUSE ALL THE SAME TACKLES WOULD BE
THE SAME RESULT. >> Stephen: THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S REALLY GOOD. <i>( APPLAUSE )
THAT'S REALLY GOOD.</i> >> SODON'T NEED-- I DON'T NEED--
I DON'T NEED FAITH IN SCIENCE. I DON'T NEED FAITH TON PROBABLY
IF I JUMP OUT OF A WINDOW, EVERY OTHER TIME SOMEONE JUMPED OUT OF
A WINDOW THEY SMASHED TO THE GROUND BECAUSE OF THIS THING
CALLED GRAVITY. >> Stephen: AND THEN SATAN
WOULD BE RAPING YOU. >> THIS IS WHY I'M A GOOD BOY. >> Stephen: RICKY, PLEASE COME
BACK AND DEBATE SOMETHING EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. "DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD"
IS ON NETFLIX FEBRUARY 10. RICKY GERVAIS, EVERYONE!
This is a nice debate where facts and opinions are discussed and mutual respect wins out.
Imagine if that's what politics was like.
Did Stephen just use Macs reasoning for why science believers and religious believers are similar? https://youtu.be/sZ2bQq4Hgmg?t=3m10s
Gervais accorded himself really well. Nicely argued.
Great example with those science books coming back. It really shows the difference between science and religion
Colbert was starting to sound like Mac for a second there.
Stephen is so cool. He's not afraid to be straightforward about his beliefs without downplaying or belittling different views. It comes across as very sincere and considerate, from a person who seems honest with himself about the issue of God's existence. As a christian, i wish we represented ourselves like this more.
When Colbert asked about something coming from nothing, the obvious retort would be to question where god came from. If god is allowed to exist without a prior creator then why can't the universe? Attributing creation to a god doesn't get round the issue of something having to have either come from nothing, or to have just always been. All it does is change the prime mover from being the universe itself (or some prior physical process) to it being a supernatural entity.
Kmt, thought it was Stephen Merchant not Colbert.
a coherent and respectful debate on religion by two adults....it's like watching an eclipse