By: Francis Collins
Dr. Francis Collins is the head of the genome project and one of the leading scientists studying DNA, yet has an ‘unshakable faith in god’. This book is a description of its author’s journey from atheism into belief, and his understanding of the different sciences (Physics, astronomy, Biology, Paleontology, etc...), and his reading of theological philosophers helps him create a very interesting overview of the different issues on the boundaries of the faith vs. science struggle.
The book starts with a description of the backgrounds for the author’s journey through discussing the ‘chasm between science and faith’. Central to this was C.S. Lewis’s book Mere Christianity which discussed many of the themes that are normally thought by scientists. It introduced the ‘Moral Law’ which according to the author is one of the most beautiful of god’s messages planted deep in our conscience. The development of the concept of the moral law is recurring throughout the book. This is one of the remarkable, discontinuous (non-evolutionary) characteristics of the human race (Homo sapiens). Partly its described in altruism – the truly selfless giving of oneself with no secondary motives (I can’t here but think of the very interesting paradox that this is most beautifully and nobly proved by atheists giving away their lives for common good – unlike religious people giving away their lives to enjoy heaven later on ... Divine wisdom?). Another book of C.S. Lewis ‘the four loves’ further explores this selfless love/altruism, – agape (differentiating from the other three: affection, friendship and romantic love).
The writer beautifully discusses some of the most common objectives to the truthfulness of religion, starting from the argument of ‘wishful thinking’, to ‘Harm done in the name of religion’, to ‘allowing people to suffer’ and finally ‘the belief in miracles’.
The next part of the book discusses some scientific truths in astronomy, physics, biology, biochemistry and evolution, showing how in fact instead of proving that the divine principle is not needed, many of these sciences call for divine intervention ( Occam’s razor principle is invoked many times ) to make sense… He stresses on the fact and the need to avoid the ‘god of the gaps’ theories that try to place the proof of existence of god in the current un-explained gaps of these sciences…. These gaps WILL be filled in the future…. Rather the simple fact that the sciences are an interpretation of the natural world, and whenever we move outside the boundaries of that world, the sciences become invalid languages... the boundaries at which these sciences step, rather than the gaps within them are what calls for careful examination.
In the last part, the book discusses the four stances that one can take with regards to this topic, Agnosticism & Atheism, Creationism (Faith Trumps science), Intelligent design (science needs divine help) and Finally Biologos (Theistic Evolution – the harmony of faith and science), which in the writer’s opinion is the solution to the faith-science war, and the one most consistent with human knowledge and nature.
A very interesting rounded book, from a leading scientist, with an open mind – that really adds a lot to the topic..
I would also add that in general ... we as humans are in no way even close to possessing enough knowledge to the degree of removing uncertainty in so many simple facts of life, let alone to produce judgement on the great ultra-natural questions of life and existence based on our elementary (and pitiful) knowledge of the alphabet of science ...
The very fact that many of our sciences move towards complication instead of simplicity and unification shows how much our perspective is really limited, and our experience minor. What makes us sure that what we know now, is different that what we knew - with complete certainty - centuries ago, before gallileo, before copernicos, before newton, before einstein .... all of theirs were just explanations of phenomena that take just one more variable (at a time) into consideration, but there are many many many variables that aren't even thought of .... we know of too few dimensions !!!
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