March 22, 2009
On January 18 I promised further material on science and on the relationship of presentism to science and theistic religion. After viewing a number of blogs I've come to the conclusion that my ideas are not new--just part of a minority view. To make good on my promise I offer a few short paragraphs.
Regarding science, the non-physicist desiring an understanding would do well to read "A Briefer History Of Time" by Stephen Hawking with Leonard Mlodinow. It provides insights into relativity, quantum theory, and string theory in the search for a complete theory of physics. It is well-written and straightforward.
In my reading since January I ran across a book which explains Arab history much more thoroughly than in my book, "God And The Conservation Principle," which I introduced in the January blog. The book is "No God But God" by Reza Aslan. It traces pre-Mohammedan history of the Arab tribes through the origin and growth of Islam to Islam's current state of conflict between fundamentalists and progressives. For anyone interested in understanding Mideast tensions it is a "must read."
Regarding the relation of presentism to science and theistic religions, the recognition that the present is the only reality has simply fallen outside the scope of the physical sciences. Yet anyone who reflects on existence, the ability to experience anything, must admit that it is "always now." That means that the present is an interval during which there is no elapsed time--it is eternal. And it is independent of the propogation of light. This is not to say that scientists don't believe in God. Einstein is famous for his comment on the Uncertainty Principle that "God does not play dice with the universe." And in Hawking's book, the final sentence regarding the discovery of a complete theory is "If we find the answer to that, it would be the ulitimate triumph of human reason--for then we would know the mind of God.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
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