Does God Play Dice?: A Look at the Story of the Universe

by John Theodore Houghton

Book Overview

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310515718
• ISBN13: 9780310515715
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Cantilever Books
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Compelling Defense of the Intelligent Design

"We live in a society largely ignorant of both the aims and the limitations of science. On the one hand, we are subjected by the media to a caricature of science, which uses its authority to pronounce where its writ does not run. " Sir Robert Boyd, FRS, London University Does God Play Dice? Ancient Greeks would not object to the idea that their minute universe is generally governed by chance, making the Gods play dice quite literally, by throwing dice in their temples, to explore the will of Gods. Romans followed suite, and Emperor Claudius even wrote a book on the art of winning at dice. Questioning the probabilistic nature of the quantum theory, since random events are impossible to predict precisely, in view of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Einstein comment on the pagan practice was, "I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world." In opposition to Einstein's comment, Stephen Hawking replied, "Not only does God play dice," adding, "but... He sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen!" Limits of Science: Realizing the limited nature of science opens the gate to an understanding of God, which complements the scientific truth and gives life, love and peace. Schrodinger believed, like most great scientists that science has limits; it knows nothing of beauty and ugliness, goodness or evil, God and eternity. Toward the end of his career he made a statement, "I am very astonished that the scientific picture of the real world around me is very deficient. It gives us a lot of factual information, puts all of our experience in a magnificently consistent order but it is ghastly silent about all and sundry that is really near to our heart, that really matters to us." Science and Faith: Science commands the truth, only in matters that can be objectified; while in the spiritual world, where goals, values, and purpose are located, science has little to add. It is a dry lean life that is restricted absolutely to the scientific standard of proven truth, where we are merely a colossal system of conscious atoms, but without meaning or purpose. "Only love has no limits. In contrast, our predictions can fail, our communication can fail, and our knowledge can fail. For our knowledge is patchwork, and our predictive power is limited. But when perfection comes, all patchwork will disappear.'' (1 Cor. 13:8-10) Scientific Theology Essays? John Houghton, Oxford's professor of atmospheric physics, and director of the pioneering Meteorological office, agrees with Einstein that, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." He instructs the reader on a search of modern scientific concepts of 'Space and Time', from the 'Big Bang' through 'A fifth dimension', in twelve enlightening lectures, in George Gamov engaging style and Asimov's clarity. Houghton articulates scientific discoveries, homogenizes science and faith, with his approach to represent faith to the scientific academia as the binocular vision of God's