Alex O'Connor

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Not to be confused with Alexander James O'Connor.

Alex O'Connor
O'Connor in 2018
Personal information
Born (1999-03-27) 27 March 1999 (age 25)
EducationSt John’s College, Oxford
Occupation(s)YouTuber, blogger, commentator, debator
Websitecosmicskeptic.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2016–present
Subscribers
  • 775 thousand
[1]
Total views
  • 125 million
[1]

Alex J. O'Connor (born 27 March 1999), formerly known as CosmicSkeptic, is an English sceptic YouTuber and blogger, who discusses and debates theology from an atheistic, agnostic, and sceptic perspective. O'Connor is also the host of the Within Reason podcast; guests of which have included Richard Dawkins, William Lane Craig, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Robert Barron, Sam Harris, and Michael Knowles.

Early life and education[edit]

Alex J. O'Connor was born on 27 March 1999[2] to a practising Roman Catholic family in Blackbird Leys, Oxford.[3][4] During his youth he attended Catholic schools and church on Sundays, occasionally serving as an altar boy and eventually being confirmed in the Catholic Church. In his teenage-years he started to become disillusioned with religion and began to call himself an atheist. Reflecting on his Catholic education, he was critical of the way Hell is taught to children, viewing it as a concept that can lead to psychological trauma.[5]

O'Connor took his A-level exam twice, doing poorly the first time but performing better the second time due to having changed subjects.[6] His A-level grades made it possible for him to apply and get accepted at St John’s College, Oxford to study philosophy and theology. He began his studies in 2018, and has taken part in numerous activities such as debates at the Oxford Union, as well as in other colleges and universities such as Trinity College, Oxford and the Cambridge Union.[7] In a debate at the Oxford Union, he clarified his religious position as agnostic atheism, since it is ultimately impossible to prove or disprove the existence of a higher power.

Within Reason podcast[edit]

Since April 2019, O'Connor has been the host of the Within Reason podcast, where he discusses theology, religion, and philosophy in depth. Guests of the podcast have been:[8]

Peter Hitchens controversy[edit]

During episode 43 of the podcast featuring English journalist and commentator Peter Hitchens, an altercation occurred which ended by Hitchens leaving the podcast abruptly. According to Hitchens, O'Connor had hosted him on false pretenses, which was due to the first topic of the conversation being about drug legalization and lasting for an hour. During the altercation, O'Connor explained that they had previously agreed on the topics they would discuss and the length of time they would discuss them for: "One hour on drug legalization and one hour on God". Shortly after Hitchens left the studio, he started to tweet negative statements at O'Connor. While initially unsure about releasing the episode, O'Connor viewed that the tweets were mischaracterising the situation and released the unedited episode on his YouTube channel, which later became one of his most viewed videos.[9][10]

Personal life[edit]

O'Connor has stated that he has drawn a great deal of personal influence from Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. When asked if he wanted to 'join' the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism, he said he would be reluctant to.

He has also been a staunch and vocal critic of factory farming and the treatment of animals in these farms. Until March 2024 he was on a vegan diet, which he had to abandon because he did not view it as practical anymore. O'Connor has also credited Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation as helping him shape his view on veganism.[11]

As well as being a supporter of animal rights he has been critical of the British Royal Family, having been invited as a commentator on several TV-panels, notably with Piers Morgan on Uncensored.

O'Connor has said to have been interested in music despite not being able to fully grasp music theory. He plays the guitar and occasionally sings covers of songs which he uploads to his second YouTube channel.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "About CosmicSkeptic". YouTube.
  2. ^ "Alex O'Connor". twitter.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024. March 27{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ O'Connor, Alex [@CosmicSkeptic] (19 April 2020). "I grew up in Blackbird Leys, Oxford" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 May 2024 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "In Conversation with CosmicSkeptic: Cancel culture, contrarianism and Christ". cherwell.org. University of Oxford: Cherwell. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Why I, an atheist, am afraid of hell". youtube.com.
  6. ^ O'Connor, Alex [@CosmicSkeptic] (7 October 2019). "First time I did them I got DDDU" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 May 2024 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "Lent Term 2023 – The Cambridge Union". issuu.com. Cambridge Union. pp. 18–19. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Within Reason (podcast)". listennotes.com. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  9. ^ Norman, Matthew. "Peter Hitchens storms out of Oxford Cosmic Skeptic podcast". oxfordmail.co.uk. Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Alex. "Famous Journalist Storms Out of Interview". youtube.com. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  11. ^ Cockshaw, Rory. "Is Veganism Healthy? A Response to Alex O'Connor (Cosmic Skeptic)". viva.org.uk. Viva!. Retrieved 14 May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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