The Wolpe-Harris debate on science and religion at American Jewish University caused me to re-read Gregg Easterbrook’s absolutely fascinating 2002 article, “Science and Religion: The New Convergence,” published in (of all places) Wired Magazine.
A JCI post two years ago linked the article and advised readers to print it out and read it at their leisure, since it would “probably remain current for a while.” It is even better on re-reading and (JCI called it) still current — particularly in light of the AJU debate. In the hope that maybe the JCI post is still current as well, here it is again:
Jonah Goldberg posted the following interesting email from one of his readers last week, which reminded me of a story. Here is the email:
Jonah, From Greg Easterbrook of Wired Magazine:
In light of the foregoing, I ask: how are religion and science, at the most fundamental, the most profound, different? The scientist will tell you that his faith, unlike religious faith, isn’t absolute, in that he will change theories when a better one comes along.
It might be unscientific to suggest this, but is this not an absolute faith in man as scientist? Where religion and science differ is that the religious refuse to grant the scientist a first free miracle, after which the scientist in his erudition can explain everything. . . .
"All this stuff — enough to form 50 billion galaxies, maybe fantastically more — is thought to have emerged roughly 14 billion years ago in less than a second, from a point with no physical dimensions. Set aside the many competing explanations of the big bang; something made an entire cosmos out of nothing."
"Look up into the night sky and scan for the edge of the cosmos. You won’t find it — nobody has yet. Instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope’s deep-field scanner have detected at least 50 billion galaxies, and every time the equipment is improved, more galaxies farther away come into focus. . . .
The story this reminds me of is one I first heard in a debate between Rabbi David Wolpe and Stephen Jay Gould, which went something like this:
A scientist challenges God: "I can do anything you can do! I can produce massive explosions and harness the energy! I can travel the universe, and I can make anything you can!"
"Well," says God, "can you make a human being out of nothing but sand?"
"Why yes I can," the scientist says, and bends down to pick up a handful of sand.
"Wait a minute,” says God, “Go get your own sand.”
Someday scientists may conclude that the universe started with a miracle, when Someone said “Let there be light.” If so, it will be ironic that we knew all along, that indeed we were told.
But perhaps each person, each people, each generation must discover this for themselves, all the while continuing the search through a universe that, for all we know, may be infinite.
So we’re recommending it again: Gregg Easterbrook, “Science and Religion: The New Convergence.”