Physicist's Faith In Science And God

[Guest guest]

Arun Reddy arunreddy_n

A Physicist's Faith In Science And God

 

 

A Physicist's Faith In Science And God

Charles H Townes

 

( The author, a Nobel laureate, invented the maser and co-invented

the laser. He spoke to Narayani Ganesh when he visited India

recently. )

 

 

No one can deny that the universe is the outcome of intelligent

placing. It is unusual. We, too, are unusual. To make it possible

for life to exist, special physical laws are required. So I would

say that this is a very special universe. It has been intelligently

planned. How can anyone confute that?

 

So there is indeed a spiritual world; a Creator.

 

Most people do not realise that science, like religion, requires

faith. We make so many assumptions. We believe that the laws of

physics are reliable - that's a kind of faith. We create experiments

that can test and verify these laws.

 

God initiated the universe, He created it. But we change the world

too. Therefore, we have a responsibility; we have to ensure that we

change it for the better. Take cloning, for instance. We humans are

co-creators. How we go about cloning depends on whether we're doing

it for the common good. It raises many complex and difficult

questions. We are changing all the time. So instead of imposing a

total ban on creative research, it is better to regulate it

carefully.

 

What does technology do? It enhances our ability to do newer and

bigger things - for good or bad. Then again, we can harm one another

even without the help of technology. So the potential to hurt each

other predates any technology. Science and technology merely enlarge

the scope, the possibilities. The choice remains with us as it did

even before we invented technology.

 

Science attempts to understand how the universe works. Religion

attempts to understand the purpose and meaning of the universe. If

there is purpose and meaning, it will affect the nature of the

universe. Once we understand the meaning, we can get to know the

purpose. Science is said to be objective while religion is

subjective.

 

Science has its inconsistencies. Religion has its puzzles, too.

Science doesn't allow free will; yet, we think we have free will. We

have to learn to accept inconsistencies in both science and

religion. The more we understand about the two, the greater the

possibility of bringing the two streams of thought closer together.

To make this possible, science and religion will have to change in

many ways.

 

True, science has many inconsistencies. Even general relativity and

quantum mechanics are not consistent with each other. Yet, we think

each one of them is correct. So too in religion. Now take the

subject of revelations. It is part of the history of religion. But

revelations happen in science, too, except that a revelation is not

called a revelation - it's an idea, a flash of genius, a new

creation.

 

When the idea for the laser came to me, I was sitting on a park

bench, thinking... why haven't I been able to do this? Suddenly, I

got this new idea. Who gave me this idea? God? Who knows? In

science, we don't usually talk about it. You could say I had an

idea.

 

I do believe there is a spiritual presence in the universe. It is

difficult to define God, but I can feel an omnipresence everywhere.

People ask, if God created the universe, who created God? So there's

always a problem with a beginning.

 

Many of us create a spiritual universe that is not visible. This

will evidently not be included in the domain of science. So too,

free will. It is said that because we don't know, it can't be. I

would say that because we don't know, we don't know.

 

Charles H Townes

 

( The author, a Nobel laureate, invented the maser and co-invented

the laser. He spoke to Narayani Ganesh when he visited India

recently. )

 

 

 

 

 

Arun Reddy Nukala

 

+44 7946 595063

 

http://groups.msn.com/