In today’s episode, we’ll explore some of the most basic questions about science: Why do we do science? Does science rely on any foundational truths? And is it possible to be a scientist and believe in God?
You’ll hear from John Lennox, emeritus professor of mathematics at Oxford. He explores the history of modern science, the philosophical assumptions that shape science today, and why he thinks that believing in God broadens his scientific worldview rather than shrinking it.
This forum was held at Georgia Tech in 2014. Thank you to the student planning team at Georgia Tech for making this event possible.
I’m not remotely ashamed to be both a scientist and a Christian. Far from hindering science, it was faith in a rational Creator that served as the engine driving the development of science.
The God I believe in is not a “God of the gaps.” He’s the God of the whole show—the God of what I don’t understand and the God of what I do.
Stephen Hawking once said, “Religion is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” When The Times of London asked how I responded to that, I replied, “Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light.”
The more I understand about the universe, the more I admire the genius of the God who did it that way.
Are there basic assumptions shared by all scientists, or is science somehow axiom-free? As I began to research this question, I discovered all kinds of fascinating things. One stood out: all scientists seem to accept one fundamental axiom—that science can be done.
The explanatory power of physics and chemistry is not adequate to account for the meaning.
Just because there's no mathematical proof doesn't mean we can't have enough evidence to stake our lives on something. I can't prove mathematically that my wife of 46 years loves me—but I'd stake my life on it because I have 46 years of evidence that she does. Commitment in science, as in life, is made on the basis of evidence.
