particularly with a very strong brand of atheism, and there was that famous time you debated with chris hitchenss extremely corrosive and damaging. somebody then asked about spirituality. and while the others didn't really bit, you said, actually, no, there is room for spirituality in my life. but i'm just wondering what that means for you. ultimately, despite everything you say about the science and evidence and rationality, do you believe in some sort of higher power? some non—human force at work? well, it's not a matter of believing in a higher power, it's a matter of experiencing the fact that consciousness is intrinsically mysterious. and it's the context in which all of our most wonderful experiences appear, right? and it's also the context of all of our suffering, and the mechanics of that is something we can understand more and more and change our lives for the better. but it's also the context in which human life can get better and better, and i think some classically spiritual values like self transcendence and unconditional love, right, are at the core of any movement in the direction