RIP Charles Townes, Brilliant Physicist,
Man of Faith
by Simcha Fisher
" Faith is necessary for the scientist even to get started, and deep faith is necessary for him to carry out his tougher tasks. Why? Because he must have confidence that there is order in the universe and that the human mind - in fact his own mind - has a good chance of understanding this order. " (1)
Yesterday, Nobel Prize winner Charles Townes died at the age of 99. He invented the laser and discovered the black hole at the center of the galaxy, and spent many decades on the vanguard of scientific inquiry.
He also seems to have been a tremendously approachable and genial man, and was very open about his Christian faith -- and about the natural cooperation between faith and reason, religion and science. In a 2005 interview with National Public Radio, he said:
Consider what religion is. Religion is an attempt to understand the purpose and meaning of our universe. What is science? It's an attempt to understand how our universe works. Well, if there's a purpose and meaning, that must have something to do with how it works, so those two must be related.
In an interview with UC Berkley News in 2005, he expounded on this idea:
..................
Read more: www.ncregister.com
by Simcha Fisher
How the Laser Happened: Adventures of a Scientist
Yesterday, Nobel Prize winner Charles Townes died at the age of 99. He invented the laser and discovered the black hole at the center of the galaxy, and spent many decades on the vanguard of scientific inquiry.
He also seems to have been a tremendously approachable and genial man, and was very open about his Christian faith -- and about the natural cooperation between faith and reason, religion and science. In a 2005 interview with National Public Radio, he said:
Consider what religion is. Religion is an attempt to understand the purpose and meaning of our universe. What is science? It's an attempt to understand how our universe works. Well, if there's a purpose and meaning, that must have something to do with how it works, so those two must be related.
In an interview with UC Berkley News in 2005, he expounded on this idea:
[S]omehow, we humans were created somewhat in the likeness of God. We have free will. We have independence, we can do and create things, and that's amazing. And as we learn more and more - why, we become even more that way. What kind of a life will we build? That's what the universe is open about. The purpose of the universe, I think, is to see this develop and to allow humans the freedom to do the things that hopefully will work out well for them and for the rest of the world.Later in the interview, he expresses his frustration with the idea that evolution and intelligent design (rightly understood) contradict each other:
..................
Making Waves (Masters of Modern Physics)
Read more: www.ncregister.com
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario