Q: It's true that creation and afterlife stories are similar in many religions.

A: And the stories are tremendously boring. They're so uncreative. They were written by people thousands of years ago before we even knew about the cosmos. Now we know about DNA and biological algorithms and computers. For 500 bucks you can buy a machine that can do two million operations in a second! The concepts we have now vastly outstrip what the people who wrote these stories had.

Q: Did you grow up with a religious background?

A: My parents weren't really religious, though I went to Sunday school when I was growing up. As a kid you're told things about the existence of God, that he sits on a cloud with a long beard. Kids are earnest and want to believe what adults are telling them so I prayed to God. Then I went through a teenage phase where I was an atheist, but when I became a scientist I realized the only thing we know is that our knowledge is so vastly outstripped by our ignorance.

Q: So you're not an atheist?

A: I'm not an atheist. I find it frustrating and weird that some of my colleagues have written books pretending we've got it all figured out. That's total bull - - - -. No real scientist believes that. What you get from a life of science is an appreciation of the awe and mystery of the world.

I think of myself as a possibilian. The crazy part is that I announced this on NPR, and I've gotten hundreds of responses of people saying, 'I think I'm a possibilian, too.' People started Facebook groups, and a graphic designer designed a T-shirt that says 'I am a possibilian.' It's taking off. Of course it's a joke: We don't commit to anything in particular; we're open to everything. So that's the next book I'm working on: Why I Am a Possibilian.

Connie Ogle is The Miami Herald's book editor.

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