Life, The Universe, and MIT

As MIT celebrated 150 years, the Veritas planning team at MIT decided to delve into the personal and faith dimensions of some of their top professors. The team hosted 4 MIT professors in a conversation about their life and research at MIT, and how their worldviews interact with their work. The event was co-sponsored by the philosophy and linguistics program, as well as the United Christian Organization, a group of approximately a dozen Christian groups. The Forum featured two Christian professors, Dr. Troy Van Voorhis, Prof. of Chemistry and Dr. Daniel Hastings, Prof. of Engineering and Undergraduate Dean, and two atheist professors, Dr. Alex Byrne, Prof. of Philosophy and Dr. Alan Lightman, Prof. of Humanistic Studies. MIT Professor and Veritas veteran Rosalind Picard moderated the dialogue and the Q &A session, during which she received audience questions through an iPad.

“I thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere of the discussions of topics that are usually never discussed in public, despite their importance. I also admire the open-mindedness of the organization, as they bring in all perspectives, atheists and believers, to the discussion. I’m still an atheist. I did not expect a life-changing forum, but only one that was engaging and informative (and it was).” 

—Graduate Student in Natural Sciences & Math, Atheist

Over 600 people attended the event, which filled MIT’s largest auditorium. All four professors spoke honestly, humbly and often humorously about their lives. Atheist Alex Byrne was witty and winsome, arguing that we do not need God to find meaning. Alan Lightman, striking another tone, suggested we can all find our own meaning, even though we are just collections of matter. Christians Troy Van Voorhis and Daniel Hastings argued that meaning must be found in a religious sense, either through a personal relationship with Jesus or through being created in the image of God. Van Voorhis shared his personal story of faith, while Hastings focused on his sense of calling and how it has shaped his commitment at MIT. Just as 50% of the presenters were not Christian, around 50% of the audience did not identify as Christian.  In fact, some non-Christian students reported that they had almost left upon seeing Veritas’ mission, but stayed because they recognized the dialogical nature of the event.

For days afterward, the MIT community was buzzing about the event. Indeed, the planning team has been nominated for the “Outstanding Event” award as part of MIT’s undergraduate leadership awards. MIT chaplains discussed the event at their roundtable and it prompted other prominent community members to recognize that the missing conversation about faith is still compelling, even in a nominally “secular” place such as MIT. The MIT planning team also provided several opportunities for conversations centered on the forum. The team hosted a reception immediately following the event, and partnered with their local Cosi to land a 10% off deal for audience members who brought their programs on the night of the event! Fellowships hosted ice cream socials and other gatherings in the days following to continue the discussion.

To view the MIT Forum, click here.