# 1751: The Cosmic Authority Problem | A Prominent Atheist Admits His Fear of God

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages-611126/1751-the-cosmic-authority-problem-a-prominent-atheist-admits-his-fear-of-god.md
Podcast: [Wisdom of the Sages](https://stenobird.com/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages-611126)
Published: 2026-04-01T20:11:00+00:00
Episode link: https://wisdomofthesages.libsyn.com/1751-the-cosmic-authority-problem-a-prominent-atheist-admits-his-fear-of-god
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Duration seconds: 3926

## Resource

Nobody wants a boss — and according to a prominent atheist philosopher, that's exactly the problem. Thomas Nagel, professor of philosophy at New York University and one of the most respected philosophers of the 20th and 21st centuries, made a startling admission: "I want atheism to be true" — not because the evidence demands it, but because the idea of God makes him uneasy. In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha unpack what Nagel called the "cosmic authority problem" — the deeply human tendency to start with the conclusion we want and work backwards. The Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, ancient Sanskrit texts on consciousness and devotion, suggest something even more striking: what we're running from is exactly what we're looking for. The God we're afraid of — the cosmic authority, the judge, the warden — turns out to be something else entirely. In the 10th Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Krishna is described not as an untouchable supreme force, but as a being whose very essence is to be controlled by love — the boss who finds his happiness in serving others, who becomes vulnerable so that love can be felt. The authority we've been running from turns out to be the love we've been searching for everywhere else. Wisdom of the Sages exists to help you find it. ******************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 *********************************************************************

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