From Gods to the Unknown: Epistemological Reflections on Faith, Science, and Media Narratives

This paper discusses how media narratives translate miracles into scientificized “unknowns” in two cultural traditions. Ancient myths in two cultural traditions made the incomprehensible divine will–Nuwa’s creation of humanity, Pangu’s separation of heaven and earth, Genesis, and Prometheus?thus locating mystery in the position of sacred authority. In contemporary techno-narratives Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem, Luc Besson’s Lucy, and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar made the incomprehensible higher-dimensional physics or cognitive evolution, thus locating awe in the position of sacred authority, while also placing it in the position of scientific authority. Analysis demonstrates that atheism’s denial of the unknown renders it a form of idealism; true materialism is in the position of humble recognition of what is unknown.