Origin

Origin is a Socratic dialogue carried out between multiple characters in the context of a fictional story that argues the merits of science and religion in the evolution of the human species. Significantly, Langdon thinks in the wake of Kirsch’s presentation, “Dialogue is always more important than consensus” (442). As the media feature pundits from all backgrounds, Langdon marvels that the dialogue Kirsch opened is his true gift to humanity, a refocusing of the facts surrounding questions that have been, for untold ages, dominated by religions. Kirsch firmly believed that humanity was capable of shedding outdated ideas, and because he believed this fully, he instructed Winston to do whatever was needed to maximize viewership ahead of the presentation. What Kirsch believed, in essence, is that humanity is capable of reason. For Kirsch, reason is arrived at after rigorous dialogue and focused study. Kirsch’s idea of reason also concludes with his truth—that the reality of science overshadows the relevance or potential of religion. However, this strict line of thinking on Kirsch’s behalf doesn’t detract from his part in reintroducing bigger questions into the public zeitgeist.

The characters of Robert Langdon, Rabbi Köves, and Father Beña argue for a middle ground wherein both religion and science play important roles.