I humorously sugest that beer, silly shows, and perhaps poodles are proof. I then step out of this talk before someone coments that was indeed rather silly. And perhaps sugests that only certain beers are.
On Fri, Oct 13, 2017 at 12:44 PM, George Duncan <[email protected]> wrote: > By > Jeremy England > Oct. 12, 2017 6:29 p.m. ET > 311 COMMENTS > <https://www.wsj.com/articles/dan-brown-cant-cite-me-to-disprove-god-1507847369#comments_sector> > > I recently learned that I play a role in Dan Brown’s new novel, “Origin.” > Mr. Brown writes that Jeremy England, an MIT physics professor, “was > currently the toast of Boston academia, having caused a global stir” with > his work on biophysics. The description is flattering, but Mr. Brown errs > when he gets to the meaning of my research. One of his characters explains > that my literary doppelgänger may have “identified the underlying physical > principle driving the origin and evolution of life.” If the fictional > Jeremy England’s theory is right, the suggestion goes, it would be an > earth-shattering disproof of every other story of creation. All religions > might even become obsolete. > > It would be easy to criticize my fictional self’s theories based on Mr. > Brown’s brief description, but it would also be unfair. My actual research > <http://www.englandlab.com/publications.html> on how lifelike behaviors > emerge in inanimate matter is widely available, whereas the Dan Brown > character’s work is only vaguely described. There’s no real science in the > book to argue over. > > My true concern is with my double’s attitude in the book. He is a prop for > a billionaire futurist whose mission is to demonstrate that science has > made God irrelevant. In that role, Jeremy England says he is just “trying > to describe the way things ‘are’ in the universe” and that he “will leave > the spiritual implications to the clerics and philosophers.” > > Two years ago I wrote in Commentary magazine that it is impossible simply > to describe “the way things are” without first making the significant > choice of what language to speak in. The language of physics can be > extremely useful in talking about the world, but it can never address > everything that needs to be said about human life. Equations can elegantly > explain how an airplane stays in the air, but they cannot convey the awe > someone feels when flying above the clouds. I’m disappointed in my > fictional self for being so blithely uninterested in what lies beyond the > narrow confines of his technical field. > > I’m a scientist, but I also study and live by the Hebrew Bible. To me, the > idea that physics could prove that the God of Abraham is not the creator > and ruler of the world reflects a serious misunderstanding—of both the > scientific method and the function of the biblical text. > > Science is an approach to common experience. It addresses what is > objectively measurable by inventing models that summarize the world’s > partial predictability. In contrast, the biblical God tells Moses at the > burning bush: “I will be what I will be.” He is addressing the uncertainty > the future brings for all. No prediction can ever fully answer the question > of what will happen next. > > Humans will always face a choice about how to react to the unknowable > future. Encounters between God and the Hebrew prophets are often described > in terms of covenants, partly to emphasize that seeing the hand of God at > work starts with a conscious decision to view the world a certain way. > > Consider someone who assumes that all existence is the work of a creator > who speaks through the events of the world. He can follow that assumption > down the road and decide whether God seems to be keeping his side of the > bargain. Many of us live like this and feel that with time our trust in him > has been affirmed. There’s no scientific argument for this way of drawing > meaning from experience. But there’s no way science could disprove it > either, because it is outside the scope of scientific inquiry. > > Some religious adherents do make claims that deserve to be disputed by > science. For instance, they may openly acknowledge that their deepest > beliefs are incompatible with the existence of dinosaurs. The fictional > me—and perhaps Mr. Brown too—might hope to put these holdouts back on their > heels. But disputes like this never answer the most important question: Do > we need to keep learning about God? For my part, in light of everything I > know, I am certain that we do. > > *Mr. England is a professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of > Technology.* > > Appeared in the October 13, 2017, print edition. > > George Duncan > Emeritus Professor of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University > georgeduncanart.com > See posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram > Land: (505) 983-6895 > Mobile: (505) 469-4671 > > My art theme: Dynamic exposition of the tension between matrix order and > luminous chaos. > > "Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may > then be a valuable delusion." > From "Notes to myself on beginning a painting" by Richard Diebenkorn. > > "It's that knife-edge of uncertainty where we come alive to our truest > power." Joanna Macy. > > > > On Fri, Oct 13, 2017 at 12:36 PM, Stephen Guerin < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Do you have a non paywall copy? >> >> On Oct 13, 2017 12:32 PM, "George Duncan" <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Following up on a FRIAM discussion this morning at St John's College: >>> Truth comes in various guises. Jeremy England recognizes this. >>> >>> https://www.wsj.com/articles/dan-brown-cant-cite-me-to-dispr >>> ove-god-1507847369 >>> >>> George Duncan >>> Emeritus Professor of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University >>> georgeduncanart.com >>> See posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram >>> Land: (505) 983-6895 >>> Mobile: (505) 469-4671 >>> >>> My art theme: Dynamic exposition of the tension between matrix order and >>> luminous chaos. >>> >>> "Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It >>> may then be a valuable delusion." >>> From "Notes to myself on beginning a painting" by Richard Diebenkorn. >>> >>> "It's that knife-edge of uncertainty where we come alive to our truest >>> power." Joanna Macy. >>> >>> >>> >>> ============================================================ >>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >>> to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >>> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove >>> >> >> ============================================================ >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >> to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove >> > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove >
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
