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Title: The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World by Paul Davies ISBN: 0-671-68787-5 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 01 February, 1992 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.84 (31 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Can one know the mind of God?
Comment: Paul Davies book, 'The Mind of God', is a follow-up to is book, 'God and the New Physics.'
Davies explores in more depth and detail the philosophical implications of modern physics and how the theories and ideas of modern physics can help in the understanding (and occasionally, deepen the confusion) of ideas that have been in the traditional purview of philosophy and theology. In this respect, science has a basic question that comes to the root of all systems of thought -- why?
'Scientists themselves normally take it for granted that we live in a rational, ordered cosmos subject to precise laws that can be uncovered by human reasoning. Yet why this should be so remains a tantalising mystery. Why should human beings have the ability to discover and understand the principles on which the universe runs?'
Davies discusses certain conceptual principles that are essential to the discussion. The division between rational and irrational, particularly in light of 'common sense' -- not too long ago science held itself to be rational because it more conformed to 'common sense' than did 'irrational' religion; as science edges toward the irrational (defined in common sense terms) it loses the ability to use that argument against religion.
'It is a fact of life that people hold beliefs, especially in the field of religion, which might be regarded as irrational. That they are held irrationally doesn't mean they are wrong.'
Davies admits his bias toward rationalism, but leaves room open for discussion. He discusses metaphysics in terms of Kant, Hume, and Descartes, drawing into question the very idea of rationality and the terms of existence in which the scientific universe operates.
'No attempt to explain the world, either scientifically or theologically, can be considered successful until it accounts for the paradoxical conjunction of the temporal and the atemporal.'
From this opening discussion, Davies proceeds to examine the creation of the universe, asking the interesting question in terms of quantum realities -- does the universe have to have had a creator? And, even if scientifically the universe can 'spontaneously' come into being (as some mathematical models and theories seem to allow), how do we account for the construct of laws of nature that permit such a spontaneous generation? Once again, the question 'where is God?' can still have meaning.
Davies spends a great deal of time looking at the nature and use of mathematics in understanding the 'real' world and 'virtual' worlds. Does mathematics exist independently of the universe, or independently of the human conscious construct of mathematics? At what points does mathematical meaning break down (for instance, in the very early universe, when the volume falls below the so-called Planck time, where the universe is theoretically too small for mathematics to be operative).
In the final chapter, Davies returns to the ideas of mysticism and the limits of science.
'Mysticism is no substitute for scientific inquiry and logical reasoning so long as this approach can be consistently applied. It is only in dealing with ultimate questions that science and logic fail us. I am not saying that science and logic are likely to provide the wrong answers, but they may be incapable of addressing the sort of 'why' (as opposed to 'how') questions we want to ask.'
While many scientists have mistrust of religion and mysticism, there are nonetheless notable exceptions, scientists who themselves are deeply religious or have a mystical turn of mind, such as Einstein, Pauli, Schrödinger and Heisenberg.
This is another fascinating trip through the realm of modern science with a particular emphasis on how we know what we know and what there really is to know, and what is in fact knowable.
Rating: 3
Summary: Packed full of contemporary physics; not for everyone
Comment: "The Mind of God" would be a great book for someone interested in theoretical physics and the evolution of ideas related to questions of existence. Author Paul Davies wanders through a multitude of different angles related to contemporary thought in the realm of physics and mathematics, and how explanations can be arrived at to describe creation, nature, and numerous scientific laws. Many great thinkers, past and present are cited, and it is easy to see how extensive debate can arise as scientific and philosophic thought evolve from developing theories.
For someone who is seeking a link between Judeo/Christian thought and scientific explanation, this book is not likely what you're looking for, and will not be easy to read for those who are unfamiliar with cosmology, causation theories, quantum physics, logic and mathematical processes. Though I have a basic understanding of the above, I still found it hard to concentrate and grasp all the physics theories. The tie-in between scientific application and biblical history wasn't there. The 3-star rating doesn't mean this book isn't good; I just happened to be expecting something different.
Rating: 4
Summary: Fascinating, with a qualification...
Comment: In a word, fascinating. Wonderfully lucid account of what modern cosmology and science tell us about the origin and nature of our universe. However, in my view, Western science is very much limited by its own, unquestioned, metaphysical assumptions. Many of which I think Davies has innocently swallowed. Don't get me wrong, Davies is a brilliant man, and a masterful writer. I just think he's hamstrung by the unquestioned metaphysical assumptions of the Western science that he's had years of training in, and made his career in.
The main flaw with Western science is that it generally assumes (without analysis) that there is a physical reality which exists independently of our perceptions and conceptions, but which we can still somehow know by means of those same perceptions and conceptions. This is a metaphysical position that cannot, in fact, withstand analysis. For those who wish to know more on this point, I'd direct them to a wonderful book called Choosing Reality, by B. Alan Wallace. It's a very fond wish of mine that Davies would read that book and tell me what he thinks!
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Title: GOD AND THE NEW PHYSICS by Paul Davies ISBN: 0671528068 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 16 October, 1984 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The FIFTH MIRACLE: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life by Paul Davies ISBN: 068486309X Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 16 March, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Matter Myth: Dramatic Discoveries That Challenge Our Understanding of Physical Reality by Paul Davies, John Gribbin ISBN: 0671728415 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 15 January, 1992 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: ABOUT TIME: Einstein's Unfinished Revolution by Paul Davies ISBN: 0684818221 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 09 April, 1996 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Last Three Minutes: Conjectures About the Ultimate Fate of the Universe (Science Masters Series) by P. C. W. Davies, Paul Davies ISBN: 0465038514 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 1997 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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