Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Jess Frazier, Steve Fuller, and Barry C. Smith discuss the relationship between science, philosophy, history, and religion.
In centuries to come, will science continue to be the dominant narrative?
With a free trial, you can watch the full debate at iai.tv/video/the-grandest-of-grand-narratives?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description
Some see history as the overall narrative we need to make sense of our lives and our culture. For others it is science. Then again there are those who endorse religion or philosophy as the most powerful grand narrative. There's little agreement on which is the best or even if there is a "best" overall narrative. Richard Dawkins declared "Science is the poetry of reality." Yet the founder of the philosophy of science, Auguste Comte, argued that "to understand a science, it is necessary to know its history." Cicero went further claiming history "is the light of truth." While Thucydides argued that behind all history is philosophy: "History is philosophy teaching by example." For Hegel philosophy and history were one. And of course, for many religious belief is paramount.
Do we need to choose between science, history, philosophy and religion? Is one dominant and the others merely incidental? Or can we hold all of them at once, even if in some respects they are incompatible?
#philosophy #history #religion
Steve Fuller is a professor of sociology at the University of Warwick. He is the founder of the research program of social epistemology and the author of dozens of books, including Post-Truth: Knowledge as a Power Game.
Barry C. Smith is a professor of philosophy and director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London. He is an expert on the senses and consciousness and leads groundbreaking interdisciplinary work on flavour, smell, and perception.
Jessica Frazier is a philosopher at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. She is an expert on Indian Philosophy and the European tradition of phenomenology.
Phil Collins hosts.
The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics. Subscribe today! iai.tv/subscribe?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=the-grandest-of-grand-narratives
00:00 "Philosophy opens up possibilities"
00:22 Steve Fuller on the cyclical nature of history
03:39 Barry C. Smith on religion and science
07:25 Jess Frazier on the grand narrative of philosophy
For debates and talks: iai.tv
For articles: iai.tv/articles
For courses: iai.tv/iai-academy/courses
Jess Frazier, Steve Fuller, and Barry C. Smith discuss the relationship between science, philosophy, history, and religion.
In centuries to come, will science continue to be the dominant narrative?
With a free trial, you can watch the full debate at iai.tv/video/the-grandest-of-grand-narratives?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description
Some see history as the overall narrative we need to make sense of our lives and our culture. For others it is science. Then again there are those who endorse religion or philosophy as the most powerful grand narrative. There's little agreement on which is the best or even if there is a "best" overall narrative. Richard Dawkins declared "Science is the poetry of reality." Yet the founder of the philosophy of science, Auguste Comte, argued that "to understand a science, it is necessary to know its history." Cicero went further claiming history "is the light of truth." While Thucydides argued that behind all history is philosophy: "History is philosophy teaching by example." For Hegel philosophy and history were one. And of course, for many religious belief is paramount.
Do we need to choose between science, history, philosophy and religion? Is one dominant and the others merely incidental? Or can we hold all of them at once, even if in some respects they are incompatible?
#philosophy #history #religion
Steve Fuller is a professor of sociology at the University of Warwick. He is the founder of the research program of social epistemology and the author of dozens of books, including Post-Truth: Knowledge as a Power Game.
Barry C. Smith is a professor of philosophy and director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London. He is an expert on the senses and consciousness and leads groundbreaking interdisciplinary work on flavour, smell, and perception.
Jessica Frazier is a philosopher at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. She is an expert on Indian Philosophy and the European tradition of phenomenology.
Phil Collins hosts.
The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics. Subscribe today! iai.tv/subscribe?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=the-grandest-of-grand-narratives
00:00 "Philosophy opens up possibilities"
00:22 Steve Fuller on the cyclical nature of history
03:39 Barry C. Smith on religion and science
07:25 Jess Frazier on the grand narrative of philosophy
For debates and talks: iai.tv
For articles: iai.tv/articles
For courses: iai.tv/iai-academy/courses
