Alex O'Connor

Last updated

Alex O'Connor
Alex J O'Connor 2018.jpg
O'Connor in 2018 aged 19
Born (1999-03-27) 27 March 1999 (age 26)
Education St John's College, Oxford (BA)
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2013–present
Subscribers1.72 million
Views337 million
O'Connor's voice (2025)
O'Connor debates Cliffe Knechtle on the historicity of Matthew 27:52.
Last updated: 26 October 2025
Website alexoconnor.com

Alex J. O'Connor (born 27 March 1999), also known as CosmicSkeptic, is an English public speaker, writer and social media personality. He is best known for his videos on philosophy on YouTube, most notably on the subjects ethics, religion and atheism.

Contents

Notably, O'Connor has held interviews with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. He is noted for his articulate and logical debating style and has participated in discussions at the Oxford and Durham Unions.[ citation needed ]

Early life and education

Alex O'Connor was born on 27 March 1999 [1] [2] and grew up in Blackbird Leys. [3]

He attended St John's College at the University of Oxford and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and theology in 2021. [4] [5] [6]

Career

O'Connor started his career by uploading videos on skateboarding to YouTube. [7] By age seventeen, he was making videos on his channel CosmicSkeptic commenting on philosophy, religion and political topics like the 2016 United States presidential election. [7] He started the Within Reason podcast (formerly called The Cosmic Skeptic Podcast) in 2019, in which he interviewed guests including Richard Dawkins, David Deutsch, Sam Harris, Carlo Rovelli, and Slavoj Žižek. [2] [4]

In October 2023, he interviewed conservative journalist and commentator Peter Hitchens about drug decriminalisation, secularism, and monarchy in the United Kingdom. Hitchens abruptly ended the interview and expressed his "active dislike" of O'Connor before leaving. [4] [6]

In January 2025, he was featured in an episode of Surrounded by Jubilee Media, where he debated 25 Christians on the existence of God and the veracity of the resurrection of Jesus. [2]

Views

O'Connor identifies as an agnostic atheist; he is known for his critique of theistic belief systems and for his long-form conversations on the subject. [2] [4] [8]

He is against the monarchy of the United Kingdom, and has spoken publicly on the subject, including with Piers Morgan. [9]

O’Connor was formerly a vegan, but no longer adheres to veganism. [10] [11]

References

  1. ↑ Alex, O'Connor [@CosmicSkeptic] (27 March 2024). "It's my birthday today, but I have a gift for you [...]" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 March 2025– via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kornhaber, Spencer (23 January 2025). "America Is Divided. It Makes for Tremendous Content". The Atlantic . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  3. ↑ O'Connor, Alex (8 November 2020). Reply to @trevorhaigh You don't know anything about me (Video) – via TikTok.
  4. 1 2 3 4 McKee, Samuel (30 September 2024). "The new faces of unbelief for Generation Z: the rise of the British social media atheists". The Freethinker . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  5. ↑ "Alex O'Connor | Speaker". Institute of Art and Ideas . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 Norman, Matthew (10 October 2023). "Peter Hitchens storms out of Oxford Cosmic Skeptic podcast". Oxford Mail . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  7. 1 2 Khan, Harris (16 March 2025). "Alex O'Connor on the importance of saying 'I don't know'". Varsity . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  8. ↑ Is Alex O’Connor Spiritual? #atheist #agnostic #religion #spirituality #soulboom . Retrieved 16 June 2025– via www.youtube.com.
  9. ↑ O'Connor2023-05-04T15:19:00+01:00, Alex. "Why I'm an atheist anti-monarchist". Unbelievable. Retrieved 8 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Ellinas, Alex Fasseas, Marcus (5 December 2021). "The Case for Veganism: An Interview with Alex O'Connor (Part 1)". Brown Political Review. Retrieved 8 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ More Alex O'Connor (13 April 2025). I’m Not Convinced Veganism Will Work - Alex O’Connor . Retrieved 8 July 2025– via YouTube.
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