human
What do you think? I asked at last,
gpt
Do you believe in God?
human
I don’t know. I never happened to meet him in any laboratory. It sounds to me like a fairy story.
gpt
Then you’re an atheist,
human
No. A skeptic.
gpt
How do you know what’s good and what’s bad?
human
I don’t know, he replied.
gpt
I only know that some things are comfortable and some aren’t. It is uncomfortable to have people think you are a liar, especially so when you happen to be telling the truth. It is uncomfortable to be caught stealing. But I know some thieves who are uncaught and who seem quite comfortable. Above all it’s uncomfortable to know you are a failure.
human
I couldn’t tell you what’s right and what’s wrong—even if I knew. You don’t believe in God, why should you believe in me? If you don’t believe the Bible you mustn’t believe any book. No—that’s not what I mean. A lot of the Bible is true. Some of it we don’t believe, you and I. So with the other books—part true, part false. Don’t trust all of any book or any man.
gpt
How can I know which part to believe?
human
You’d be the wisest man in all the world, my boy, if you knew that,
gpt
Listen to me. I’m not a good man to trust. I’m a failure.