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TakingScienceonFaithNewYorkTimes

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TakingScienceonFaith
ByPAULDAVIES
Published:November24,2007

Tempe,Ariz.
SCIENCE,wearerepeatedlytold,isthemostreliableformof
knowledgeabouttheworldbecauseitisbasedontestable
hypotheses.Religion,bycontrast,isbasedonfaith.Theterm
doubtingThomaswellillustratesthedifference.Inscience,a
healthyskepticismisaprofessionalnecessity,whereasinreligion,
havingbeliefwithoutevidenceisregardedasavirtue.

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Theproblemwiththisneatseparationintononoverlappingmagisteria,asStephenJay
Goulddescribedscienceandreligion,isthatsciencehasitsownfaithbasedbelief
system.Allscienceproceedsontheassumptionthatnatureisorderedinarationaland
intelligibleway.Youcouldntbeascientistifyouthoughttheuniversewasameaningless
jumbleofoddsandendshaphazardlyjuxtaposed.Whenphysicistsprobetoadeeper
levelofsubatomicstructure,orastronomersextendthereachoftheirinstruments,they
expecttoencounteradditionalelegantmathematicalorder.Andsofarthisfaithhasbeen
justified.

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Themostrefinedexpressionoftherationalintelligibilityofthecosmosisfoundinthe
lawsofphysics,thefundamentalrulesonwhichnatureruns.Thelawsofgravitationand
electromagnetism,thelawsthatregulatetheworldwithintheatom,thelawsofmotion
allareexpressedastidymathematicalrelationships.Butwheredotheselawscomefrom?
Andwhydotheyhavetheformthattheydo?
WhenIwasastudent,thelawsofphysicswereregardedascompletelyofflimits.Thejob
ofthescientist,weweretold,istodiscoverthelawsandapplythem,notinquireintotheir
provenance.Thelawsweretreatedasgivenimprintedontheuniverselikeamakers
markatthemomentofcosmicbirthandfixedforevermore.Therefore,tobeascientist,
youhadtohavefaiththattheuniverseisgovernedbydependable,immutable,absolute,
universal,mathematicallawsofanunspecifiedorigin.Youvegottobelievethatthese
lawswontfail,thatwewontwakeuptomorrowtofindheatflowingfromcoldtohot,or
thespeedoflightchangingbythehour.
OvertheyearsIhaveoftenaskedmyphysicistcolleagueswhythelawsofphysicsare
whattheyare.Theanswersvaryfromthatsnotascientificquestiontonobody
knows.Thefavoritereplyis,Thereisnoreasontheyarewhattheyaretheyjustare.
Theideathatthelawsexistreasonlesslyisdeeplyantirational.Afterall,theveryessence
ofascientificexplanationofsomephenomenonisthattheworldisorderedlogicallyand
thattherearereasonsthingsareastheyare.Ifonetracesthesereasonsallthewaydown
tothebedrockofrealitythelawsofphysicsonlytofindthatreasonthendesertsus,
itmakesamockeryofscience.
Canthemightyedificeofphysicalorderweperceiveintheworldaboutusultimatelybe
rootedinreasonlessabsurdity?Ifso,thennatureisafiendishlycleverbitoftrickery:
meaninglessnessandabsurditysomehowmasqueradingasingeniousorderand
rationality.
Althoughscientistshavelonghadaninclinationtoshrugasidesuchquestions
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TakingScienceonFaithNewYorkTimes

concerningthesourceofthelawsofphysics,themoodhasnowshiftedconsiderably.Part
ofthereasonisthegrowingacceptancethattheemergenceoflifeintheuniverse,and
hencetheexistenceofobserverslikeourselves,dependsrathersensitivelyontheformof
thelaws.Ifthelawsofphysicswerejustanyoldragbagofrules,lifewouldalmost
certainlynotexist.
Asecondreasonthatthelawsofphysicshavenowbeenbroughtwithinthescopeof
scientificinquiryistherealizationthatwhatwelongregardedasabsoluteanduniversal
lawsmightnotbetrulyfundamentalatall,butmorelikelocalbylaws.Theycouldvary
fromplacetoplaceonamegacosmicscale.AGodseyeviewmightrevealavast
patchworkquiltofuniverses,eachwithitsowndistinctivesetofbylaws.Inthis
multiverse,lifewillariseonlyinthosepatcheswithbiofriendlybylaws,soitisno
surprisethatwefindourselvesinaGoldilocksuniverseonethatisjustrightforlife.
Wehaveselecteditbyourveryexistence.
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PaulDaviesisthedirectorofBeyond,aresearchcenteratArizonaStateUniversity,
andtheauthorofCosmicJackpot:WhyOurUniverseIsJustRightforLife.
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PastCoverage
ESSAYWhat'sinaName?Parsingthe'GodParticle,'theUltimateMetaphor(August7,2007)
THEWAYWELIVENOW:72907EternityForAtheists(July29,2007)
AFreeforAllonScienceandReligion(November21,2006)
BeyondBelief(October22,2006)
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