Book review: Hinduism and Physics merge in 'God & Science'-God & Science: Divine Causation and the Laws of Nature

May 17, 2005

Hinduism and Physics merge in ‘God & Science’ God & Science: Divine Causation

and the Laws of Nature. By V.V. Raman(April 25, 2005) Though the majority of

science-and-religion books are Judeo-Christian in nature, there has been a

recent surge of spokespeople from other traditions — namely, Buddhism, Islam

and Hinduism — publishing about the harmony of their beliefs with modern

science. God & Science is mathematician Richard Thompson’s well-written

collection of essays, showing the connection between science-and-religion and

Hinduism. Through the book, Thompson proves himself to be a thoughtful writer

with a solid mathematics and physics background. Furthermore, he shows a clear

understanding of Hindu and other religious texts and a devotional sympathy for

the Vaishnavism, a metaphysically sophisticated form of Hinduism dedicated to

the worship of Vishnu, a major Hindu god. Thompson clearly argues that the

myths surrounding Vaishnava literature can be meaningfully interpreted in terms

of current science — in conjunction with the many-worlds theory, geological time

scales or evolution. The book’s chapter themes range from cosmology to

consciousness. It discusses rational mythology; the 1995 milk miracle, in which

Hindu statues began “drinking” milk offered to them; the advanced astronomy in

works on Hindu sacred history and much more. In the process, God & Science

explains, in laymen’s terms, some of the complex ideas of current physics.Most

technical physicists wouldn’t concur with efforts to harness physics into a

God-centered worldview, but this book will open readers’ eyes to the richness

and multiplicity in human culture. For those who take God as the substratum of

the universe, this Vaishnavite version of that conviction will prove both

interesting and insightful.V. V. Raman is an emeritus professor at the

Rochester Institute of Technology.

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