A Physicist's Faith In Science And God

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A Physicist's Faith In Science And God

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/

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