In its history, humanity has resorted to the idea of God mainly for two reasons. The first that of providing an explanation for the existence of the world and life, particularly human life. The second to provide a foundation for moral action. In this lecture, we will try to ask two questions respectively about each of these two aspects: 1) In the face of the enormous progress of science, which, as in concentric circles, is increasingly extending its explanatory capacity for existence and life while simultaneously reducing the ground of explanation left to religions, do we still need to resort to the idea of God to explain the existence of the world and life? 2) Do we still need religion as the foundation of our moral action? Do we need God to do good? In short, will it be true that “if God does not exist, everything is permitted”? Or will it not be instead that precisely as long as there is God everything will be allowed?
See the Eranos 2023 program here.
