The first part of radio series I’ve written and presented, In Doubt We Trust, goes out next Sunday on BBC Radio 4 – March 6, 1.30pm.
We spoke to a wide range of people in the making of it, exploring doubt not just in science and religion, but politics and economics, at a personal and philosophical level. Inevitably, there was too much to squeeze in. So, by way of a taster, here are three ideas that didn’t make the final cut.
Ann Widdecombe: We live in an odd world, now, where doubt in relation to religion is almost mandatory for fear of intolerance, whereas doubt in relation to politics is almost forbidden.
Angie Hobbs: The ancient philosophers were better at doubt because they accepted their task was, in part, to embrace the limits of knowledge and show others how to live with that.
Rowan Williams: Doubting Thomas is often thought of as demanding hard evidence – unless I touch the wounds – and yet it was his encounter with the person of Christ that sparked faith.