Playing God with the physics of nature
The idea that the universe was started by intelligent beings has been a staple of science fiction writers for many years. And these beings have included a message or a hidden code in the cosmos to tell us how it was done. Several physicists have speculated on the creation of a universe in a lab using inflationary dynamics of false vacuum bubbles. In particular, Physicist Andrei Linde of Stanford University suggested creating a baby universe using fine-tuned physical constants to send a message to the occupants of that universe. Codes may also be hidden in the digits of Pi or the Riemann Zeta function; it could be in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is in effect a giant billboard in the sky, the blip from the origin of the universe. There are also cosmic neutrinos, or gravitational waves (ripples in spacetime), or photons/the speed of light could also be carrying this message.
In this book author Zeeya Merali focuses as how current knowledge in physics and cosmology help cosmologists create baby universes with its own set of physical laws. Secondly could we find the Ultimate Truth, the force behind the creation of space, time, and matter (energy)? Is there a God behind all this? Where is the link between us and the Creator? The book discusses if science proves the beliefs held by an established religion? Religion is one of the motivating factors for the author as she interviews numerous physicists and their contribution to cosmology. It becomes apparent why The Templeton Foundation and its “Spiritual Progress” funded this project. Each chapter focuses on one key subtopic and features conversations with physicists. The diversity of scientists’ religious beliefs is an interesting topic, and author freely expresses her own religious beliefs, which explains her enthusiasm for bringing physicists with strong religious orientation.
Readers who believe in scientific evidences, and the veracity scientific explanations may find this book unbearable. Even religious readers may also be bored because of weak interplay between science and religion. Case in point, the reflections of physicist Antoine Suarez. He shares his religious convictions convinced him to plan physics experiments that would disprove quantum physics, and when it did not, he found a new way to fit his god into this picture, by embracing the “many worlds interpretation” of quantum physics proposed by physicist Hugh Everett.
There are several notable figures in science who have openly criticized finding god in physics and biology. Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking famously said in an interview in June 2015 that there is no god and science is able to explain the origination of everything. Hawking also said that before we understood science, it was natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation about creation and the origin of the universe. He suggested that it is unnecessary to invoke God. Theoretical chemist Peter Atkins of University of Oxford has pointed out on the incompatibility of science and religion. He observes that the religion scorns the power of human comprehension, and science encourages inquiry and reasoning. In one interview with Ben Stein, Atkins said that the religion was "a fantasy", and "completely empty of any explanatory content. It is also evil! Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins is another prominent critic of religion said that religion is both a source of conflict and a justification for belief without evidence. It is not based on evidence and called it "one of the world's great evils".
Merali’s true intentions show up when she observes that string theory and inflation may be hiding the truth that God may have created heavens and earth. She focuses on such topics as the relation between the laws of physics and God’s happiness, the existence of a physical “consciousness field,” and how quantum physics may support religious beliefs such as life after death, and resurrection. She hopes that within the next few decades physicists may be able to create baby universes. This is fiction than science, since the data from the LHC particle accelerator is not supporting her wish. We need scientific claims that can be backed up with evidence and not by wishful thinking. She ignores one key question in this book. Do humans have moral and ethical right to tinker with cosmos?
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