A vast majority of people in this world believes that god
created universe and everything in it. A small minority of us are of the
opinion that everything can be explained by science, which has already has made
tremendous stride in uncovering nature’s deep secrets, and will continue to do
so in the foreseeable future. Then there are those in the middle who believe
that we need to go beyond science to explain many aspects of our universe and
our experience of living in it. Here are some examples of items they put forth
in support of their belief.
1.
There is a soul
that resides in the body and leaves when a person dies. If you believe that
to be true, many things can be explained. For example, soul can be the entity
that makes a collection of chemicals “alive.” Soul is also the “thinker of the
thought” or what gives us self-awareness. If you believe in rebirth, soul
provides the way a person can be reborn, by going from a person who has died to
the one who is about to be born. However, people like me would say that there
is no evidence that a soul exists* and there is high likelihood that emergence
of “life” from self-replicating chemicals would be explained by science someday
not far in the future. Self-awareness, or consciousness, could be just a
function of brain that has not yet been explored or explained, but that does
not mean it will not be. According to a well-known author Yuval Harari
(Sapiens, Homo Deus), conscious brains is probably a byproduct of nature making
intelligence that can reason about itself and its environment. Finally, the
concept of rebirth serves to provide a soothing message to those bereaved by
the passing of a loved one, that he/she has not gone forever, but born elsewhere.
However, as far as science is concerned, it just does not make any sense.
2.
There has to be
purpose in life, some deep meaning why we exist. There could be, but what
if there isn’t? What if nature just does its own things, following the rules of
physics, with no plan, no “meaning”? Why isn’t that an acceptable way of
looking at things? Why do we need everything to have a meaning? Indeed, there
is a school of philosophy behind this assertion…existential nihilism.
3.
There is a
mysterious energy or force that directs what goes on. There are mysterious
entities such as dark matter and dark energy in universe that science is
investigating. However, I don’t think this is what the folks who believe in the
mysterious force/energy refer to. They believe in a mysterious force that is directing
how and where life should exists and that remains an active participant in our
lives. On the surface, this sound very much like the concept of “Intelligence
Designer,” often mentioned in place of god by folks who are of scientific bent
but do not think science can explain everything. True, we don’t know for sure
what is reality. However, if there is an Intelligent Designer, then who created
him/her/it? A super Intelligent Designer? Who created him/her/it? Wouldn’t we
get into an endless loop trying to reason out of that one?
4.
“It can’t be a
coincidence that I got help exactly when I needed it.” My response would
be---why can’t it be?
5.
Wouldn’t the creation
of an organism violate the second law of thermodynamics---by reducing entropy? If
you are not a student of science, this refers to the fact that universe goes
from order to disorder; low entropy to high entropy, and an organism represents
order and so low entropy. However, a deeper dive illustrates that entropy can reduce if the system is not isolated.
An increase in entropy somewhere else more than compensates for that reduction,
thereby keeping the second law intact. So, this argument does not apply.
6.
Can universe emerge
from nothing? Yes, it can. As explained by a theory called Quantum gravity,
universe can and always will appear from nothing. Such universe can have matter
and energy as long as the total energy, including the negative energy
associated with gravity, is zero (from “A Universe from Nothing” by Lawrence
Krauss). Could this universe include an Intelligent Designer? I believe that it
does include a designer, in the form of laws of physics. To make it intelligent
would need an intelligence maker and we will be back in the conundrum expressed
under point 3.
7. How can such complexity in life be created
without some intervention? Given enough time---billions of years in this
case--- and a process that incorporates variations in living organisms, coupled
with natural selection (Darwin’s Theory), living things of enormous complexity,
including humans, can evolve. The key here is “given enough time.” A very
readable book in this area is “Your Inner Fish” by Neil Shubin.
In summary, as Steven Weinberg, a physicist, says (ref. the
above book by by Lawrence Krauss), “Science does not make it impossible to
believe in God, but rather makes it
possible not to believe in God. Without science, everything is a miracle.
With science, there remains the
possibility that nothing is.”
I agree with him.
-----------------------------
* Note: When I say this, I am presented with “scientific”
evidence that shows that soul exists. Much like climate change, there are
people who work on alternate science. So, once you are convinced of any of the
items above, including the existence of soul, to be true, it is always possible
to find someone to back you up. This is a clear manifestation of confirmation
bias, in that you selectively look for evidence that confirms what you believe
in and discard the rest.
