There is Nothing so Vast as a Small Mind Nor as Tiny as an Open Mind
“I have no doubt that in reality the future will be vastly more surprising than anything I can imagine. Now my own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.”
~J. B. S. Haldane
In his blog post yesterday, Jon wrote: “I am a man of faith and reason. I do not believe the two to be mutually exclusive….” That brought to mind the modern idea that religion and science are mutually exclusive.
The foremost example is perhaps the theory of evolution. On the one hand, you have those that believe that evolution is fact. One must remember, however, that it is the theory of evolution, not the law of evolution. Perhaps one day, there will be a law of evolution. Perhaps not. What is true is that it is the most plausible scientific explanation we have for the origins of the various species of life on Earth. One cannot rule out that it may one day be dismissed in favor of another theory, which itself could one day be elevated to the status of a law.
On the other hand, you have those who dismiss evolution entirely, in favor of creationism. Some even go so far as to try to wrap religious faith in science and call it “intelligent design.”
That is, in and of itself, somewhat of a misnomer, as who is to say that evolution is not “intelligent design” at work?
I do not regard science and religion as mutually exclusive. Is it outside the realm of possibility that God created the universe, not with a lot of hands-on work forming man out of clay, but by setting into motion a master plan that resulted in the universe and life on Earth as we know it today? Each time we make new discoveries about the universe around us only adds to the wonder that it is. The argument can even be made that something as seemingly mundane as mathematics can have a beauty all its own.
Some will argue that it is all evidence of God’s handiwork. Others will argue that it is by pure chance.
Who is to say that it isn’t a little of both?
A student in Kentucky has attempted to show, scientifically, that light could have been formed by sound, such that when God said “Let there be light,” the sound created light.
Recently, planets have been found to be forming around old stars. Previously, it was thought that planets formed when the solar system was originally formed (or a stray object was caught by a star’s gravitational pull). The late formation of planets suggests that, perhaps, planet-forming is something very natural in the universe. By design, perhaps?
We are still discovering the mysteries of the universe and the odds are great that we have only touched the very tip of the iceberg. Just consider what we’ve discovered so far. Consider mathematics and physics, especially quantum physics which can sometimes be mind-boggling as to the “weirdness” that sometimes seems inherent in it.
Is it inconceivable that a deity could have done the equivalent of writing a few lines of computer code, which self-replicated and self-modified itself to create that deity’s end goal? We use computers every day to simplify our tasks. Game programmers write games that create entire universes for us to play in. Can we really be so sure that God didn’t do the same?
Can we really be certain that evolution wasn’t God’s method of creation?
“When science discovers the center of the universe a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it.”
~Bernard Baily
Some people of faith will regard the cosmos as unimportant, seeing only winning converts to their faith as being importance. Some people of science will look to the universe to point out the insignificance of man.
Both views are short-sighted. Consider the vastness of the universe. Although some may think it an illusion (and there are those who believe the moon landings were faked), it’s a really big place. Why would God create all of that if not for us to go forth, explore, and multiply? Should we think we should limit our “be fruitful and multiply” only to the confines of the Earth? Why grant us a curiosity about the world around us, and then hope we don’t act upon it?
On the other hand, if there is no God, there will be no miracle to save us. There is no guiding hand, no invisible force in the cosmos that leads us away from self-destruction. In the vastness of space, all there is of us is but a tiny and fragile speck in the universe. We’re just one wandering black hole, one blast of gamma radiation, one solar disaster away from annihilation. We need to expand beyond the confines of our planet in order for the long term survival of mankind.
Some may adopt a pessimistic view of humanity, regarding nothing we have created as being of value. But, I see wonderful things all around us that ought to be preserved for perpetuity. Books. There are lots and lots of wonderful books. How about paintings and sculpture? What about entertainment too? Or of toys and machines? We are surrounded by greatness, but we are apt to overlook it.
The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, sayin’ “how do you do?”
They’re really sayin’ “I love you”
~”What a Wonderful World”
Lyrics by Bob Thiele (using the pseudonym George Douglas) and George David Weiss
Civilization is both our blessing and our curse.
On the better hand, civilization allows us to progress and grow. It allows us to spread ideas far and wide. It allows us more free time to express ourselves, to create new inventions, to think more and watch over our shoulder less.
On the lesser hand, civilization makes us more prone to laziness and sloth. We fail to learn the lessons of history. We become prone to letting despots take more control over our lives, just so long as we are kept fat and happy with food, wealth or entertainment.
We forget that there are people out there who, like some species of animals, seek dominance and control over others. Civilization separates us from the need to look over our shoulder as we hunt for food. We don’t generally need to worry about a predator sneaking up on us at the grocery store and carrying us away as their dinner. We ignore or lose that little bit of paranoia that tells us some one is hunting us for food or to achieve dominance. Thus, we disregard the tiny despots that live among us, deluding ourselves that such and such a thing “will never happen!”
Until it’s too late, of course. Then we ask why no one warned us, why no one tried to stop our new overlords (including those we ourselves may have elected!), all the while passing the blame onto others and not accepting that it was our own reasoning that led us to distrust our own internal warnings.
Science and religion are not mutually exclusive, nor are reason and faith.
Sometimes we need to follow our instincts. Other times, we need to listen to reason.
Wisdom is knowing which one to trust.
This is an incredible post. It’s a question I’ve had recently after watching an enlightening scientific show. You’re point that it is the Theory of Evolution and your reasoning beyond that is a conversation I’ve been needing to have. Thank you for posting this, my never ending curiosity between faith and science has a bit more to speculate about now. However, I feel at times I’ve experienced personal miracles, which are hard to explain without there being some type of deity. Great post.
That’s heavy stuff, but I agree completely. It’s amusing how science and religion are at odds, even though they are so closely related, separated only by rigid faith and steadfast reason. If they were both to be a little more flexible, maybe a few questions could be answered.
Pete… ideologues are at odds. Science and religion, as understood by quite a few great scientific minds, tend to co-exist quite harmoniously.
I stand corrected. That’s a much needed clarification, thanks.
I try not to think about these sorts of things. Now that I am out of college, my thinking days are over. I keep myself busy with my five kids, they keep me up until 3am enough as is; without my worrying if my religion is compatible with science. My oldest came up with a great saying this weekend, he told second in line during an insult fest “Cease the winds from between your chikes.” Which is a nice version of “you’re talking out your bleep.” I think I am going try to this saying out both on my church friends and those who try to insult me for being religious. Cease the wind!!! After I kick # five out of the house, I’ll go back to watching PBS and staying up all night wondering about the cosmos. Great post- it reminded me why thinking hurts.
Interestingly… though Einstein did not believe in God in the sense of organized religion, per se. He still believed in God, and asserted that true science was only informed by religion, that is, he believed that it was impossible to be a good scientist without having a strong religious orientation. I think the discussion is an important one, actually, it’s fundamental to our existence. I can think of nothing sadder than passing time on this earth without seriously giving thought to the question of “Why am I here? How did I get here? Why do I believe what I believe?” Or worse, being afraid of those questions… or even worse still, being afraid of the answers.
[...] in the whole blogosphere. It’s the whole thing Dan was talking about in his post about Science vs. Religion and the whole question of why? Great post by the [...]
[...] in the whole blogosphere. It’s the whole thing Dan was talking about in his post about Science vs. Religion and the whole question of why? Great post by the [...]