Alex O'Connor

1. 2013The channel begins

   The CosmicSkeptic channel starts in 2013, first with skateboarding videos. It then turns to philosophy and religion.

   Wikipédia 2026 · Alex O'Connor - Wikipedia
2. 2016First atheist video at 17

   His first video on religion is "The Paradox of Prayer", an argument that praying is pointless. His tone is that of a confident young atheist.

   Article · From atheist YouTuber to praying…
3. 2016"I grew out of religion"

   In "Why I, an atheist, am afraid of hell" he says he was raised Catholic, grew out of religion and spirituality, and is categorically not convinced that God exists. He admits a lingering childhood fear of hell, which he says later faded.

   In their words

   « I'm an atheist. Okay, categorically I am not convinced of God's existence. »Calls himself an atheist: he is not convinced that God exists. watch

   « I grew out of religion. I grew out of spirituality. »Says he was raised Catholic and then grew out of religion, realising only recently he is an atheist. watch

   « i'm glad to report that that doesn't happen anymore »Says his lingering childhood fear of hell, which he had even as an atheist, is gone. watch

   Video 2016 · Why I, an atheist, am afraid of…2
4. 2017First big debate: the moral argument

   Against Frank Turek he calls himself an agnostic atheist and says the moral argument would only work if someone could prove that objective morality exists.

   In their words

   « I'm what you might call an agnostic atheist »Calls himself an 'agnostic atheist': he does not claim to know there is no God, but does not believe in one. watch

   « I would see it as a compelling argument if you could prove to me that objective morality did exist »Would find the moral argument compelling if objective morality were proven, since naturalism would struggle to explain it. watch

   « he makes the ought is fallacy in my my opinion »Says Harris's 'moral landscape' commits the is-ought fallacy: showing what helps societies does not show what we ought to want. watch

   Video 2017 · Alex O'Connor vs Frank Turek |…2
5. 2018"Morality can't be objective, even if God exists"

   In a solo video and in a debate with Inspiring Philosophy, he defends non-cognitivism: religious morality would be subjective too.

   In their words

   « this makes objective morality and impossible as far as I'm concerned even just in principle »Says that objective morality is impossible for him, even in principle, because all morality is ultimately subjective. watch

   « religious morality is subjective even if God does exist and even if he really is the author of good and bad »Argues that divine command morality stays subjective even if God exists and sets good and bad. watch

   « with the most famous atheistic case for this probably being sam Harris's in the moral landscape »Names Sam Harris's The Moral Landscape as the best-known atheist case for objective morality, which he plans to dismantle. watch

   Video 2018 · Morality Can't Be Objective,…2
6. 2019A podcast, and a debate on determinism

   He launches his podcast, first called The Cosmic Skeptic Podcast. In September he debates whether his belief in determinism undermines his atheism.

   Wikipédia 2026 · Alex O'Connor - Wikipedia2
7. 2020Craig on the kalam argument

   William Lane Craig discusses the kalam argument with O'Connor. O'Connor opens by pressing the objection that nothing really begins to exist; they also cover infinity and Thompson's lamp.

   Video 2020 · Dialogue with Cosmic Skeptic,…
8. 2021The evil-God debate

   Against Max Baker-Hytch he argues that if an evil God seems absurd given all the good in the world, a good God is as absurd given all the evil. He stresses the argument does not claim an evil God exists: the point is to expose an inconsistency.

   In their words

   « it makes as much sense to say that it's preposterous that there's a good god uh despite all of the evil in the world »If it is absurd to posit an evil god given all the good in the world, it is as absurd to posit a good god given all the evil. watch

   « the argument is simply trying to kind of draw an inconsistency in the way that uh a theist might be thinking about this »Stresses that he does not claim an evil god exists: the evil god hypothesis only exposes an inconsistency in theist reasoning. watch

   « the point that stephen law makes is that all of these theodies or at least most of the main ones can simply be reversed »Relies on Stephen Law's point that the main theodicies can be reversed to defend an evil god. watch

   Video 2021 · DEBATE: Could God Be Evil? |…
9. 2022The tier list of arguments for God

   He ranks the arguments for God's existence one by one; the moral argument, he says, "doesn't really have much going for it".

   In their words

   « I would say this as an as an atheist because I don't believe in objective values »Says he is an atheist, and that he does not believe in objective values. watch

   « I would say this as an as an atheist because I don't believe in objective values »Denies objective moral values: for him, moral goodness is not a fact of reality. watch

   « if God's commanding you not to rape because there's something wrong about rape in and of itself »Uses the Euthyphro dilemma: if God has a reason to command, that reason grounds morality, not God. watch

   Video 2022 · Arguments For God's Existence…
10. 2022Three facts atheism explains better

    Debating Jonathan McLatchie, he says atheism accounts better than theism for divine hiddenness, the geography of religions and suffering, yet adds "I don't believe there is no God".

    In their words

    « religion varying by region is exactly what we would expect if it is a man-made cultural phenomenon »Argues that religion varying by birthplace fits naturalism better than a God who makes himself equally accessible. watch

    « the existence of meaningless or unnecessary suffering does seem to be incompatible with the existence of a God who loves us and has the power to prevent it from happening »Argues that gratuitous suffering is incompatible with a loving, powerful God. watch

    « atheism offers a better account in my view then theism of three crucial and unavoidable facts »Says atheism explains divine hiddenness, geographical religious statistics and suffering better than theism. watch

    Video 2022 · DEBATE: Theism vs Atheism |…2
11. 2024"I'm an ethical emotivist"

    In "Every Argument For Atheism" and in his conversation with Sam Harris, he keeps the same line on ethics: moral claims express feelings, not objective facts.

    In their words

    « I'm an ethical emotivist so of course I'm going to understand these terms differently to you »He says he is an ethical emotivist: moral words express attitudes, they do not describe objective facts. watch

    « I suppose I'm just unconvinced by that analysis of what good and evil are »He rejects the view that evil is only a lack of good: it does not capture what is bad about suffering. watch

    « I think I agree with this explanation if omnipotence just means the ability to do all logically possible things then God can be omnipotent »He accepts the theist answer to the stone paradox: logical contradictions are not things God must be able to do. watch

    Video 2024 · Every Argument For Atheism2
12. 2025 Change of mindMore open to Christian ideas

    In January he faces 25 Christians on the show Surrounded. Early in 2025 his exchanges with Christian scholars get a lot of attention. He still calls himself agnostic and calls himself a "professional fence sitter".

    Wikipédia 2026 · Alex O'Connor - Wikipedia23
13. 2025Jesus as an ideal human, and the mind left open

    Debating David Wood, he reads Jesus as "a sort of idyllic human being" rather than as God. With Peter Godfrey-Smith and Robert Greene he says he is "stuck in the middle" on whether the mind is the brain.

    In their words

    « I'm not sure we should read too deeply into the accusations of blasphemy against Jesus »He argues the blasphemy charge at Jesus's trial does not show Jesus claimed to be God. watch

    « the best way of understanding who Jesus is is, like I say, a sort of idyllic human being »He reads Jesus as an ideal human being, not as God. watch

    « I think it a suspicious reading of the New Testament to say that Jesus was claiming identity with Yahweh »In his closing, he calls the reading that Jesus claimed to be Yahweh suspicious. watch

    Video 2025 · DEBATE: Did Jesus Claim to be…23
14. 2025The mystery of morality, at the Royal Institution

    On a panel of moral philosophers he declares himself an ethical emotivist, compares ethics to aesthetics, and says much moral disagreement is really about facts. He calls Singer's principle a wonderful idea and uses the shrimp-welfare example to explain reflective equilibrium.

    In their words

    « I am an ethical emotivist. I think the answer to this question is feeling. »States that he is an ethical emotivist: moral judgements come down to feeling. watch

    « ethical emotivists think that ethical statements are expressions of emotion »Explains emotivism: saying 'murder is wrong' is like saying 'boo murder'. watch

    « a lot of what we call moral disagreement isn't moral disagreement at all »Says much so-called moral disagreement is actually about facts, not values. watch

    Video 2025 · Debating Morality With…23
15. 2026Debate with Craig in London

    In May he debates Craig at the Royal Institution. He challenges whether the universe had a beginning and raises animal suffering.

    Video 2026 · Alex O'Connor vs William Lane…
16. 2026Did Jesus rise from the dead? Debate with Trent Horn

    He argues the data fits a resurrection but fits just as well with its being false, so as an agnostic he does not believe it. He points out that the earliest martyrs died for visions or second-hand accounts.

    In their words

    « in that position as an agnostic, I'm not going to believe in the resurrection »Says that, as an agnostic, he will not believe in the resurrection. watch

    « The data fits with what would happen if it were true. What I'm saying is it also fits with what would happen if it were not true. »Argues the evidence fits the resurrection but fits just as well with its being false, so it does not settle the question. watch

    « that just isn't enough for me to to place my my faith and trust in Jesus of Nazareth »Says the available testimony is only visionary or second-hand, not enough to ground faith in the risen Jesus. watch

    Video 2026 · Debate: Did Jesus Rise From the…2

The arguments 24

The site's arguments they defend or criticize, and why. Click a title to see the full argument.