In the new book Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality, National Public Radio correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty surveys various scientific fields and highlights discoveries – particularly in neuroscience and quantum physics – causing us to rethink our models of reality. They're also causing a growing number of scientists to reconsider the objective validity of spiritual experiences and religious teachings.
These results are controversial because, if validated, they fundamentally undermine the dominant scientific paradigm of a purely material universe. Nevertheless, reports Hagerty, more and more data pour in to challenge what has been settled consensus. Her reporting suggests that experimental results make it easier for scientists and religious believers to be open to, and learn from, each other's worldviews.
If funding comes through, Dallas could well play a key role in what might be a new scientific revolution. Southern Methodist University theologian William Abraham is leading a top-flight international team of neuroscientists, physicists, theologians, psychologists, philosophers and others to investigate whether mental activity can alter brain states and what the implications might be for free will. The idea is to look into, from a nondogmatic perspective, whether the latest findings in neuroscience and quantum physics should cause us to revise science's exclusively materialist model of the human person – and what that could mean.
One prominent member of the Abraham team is University of Montreal neuroscientist Mario Beauregard, who contends there is now convincing empirical evidence for the soul's existence – and that restless young scientists want to know more. Beauregard tells NPR's Hagerty, "It's only a matter of time before there will be a major paradigm shift."
OH PUHLEEEZE!!
Convincing empirical evidence for the soul's existence? To whom? Astrologists also think there are convincing evidence for what they do. It doesn't mean there is one.
I'd like to know how long is this "matter of time". 10 years? 20 years? 150 million years? Because the SAME type of claim on the existence of such a thing has been done for hundreds of years already! How many times does one gets away with saying such nonsense before people stop believing? Obviously, it is an infinite number.
It is always funny to me when most people who claim about the connection between "spirituality" and "quantum physics", actually have very little understanding of either, and certainly not on quantum physics. They THINK they do, after reading some pop-science books. All I can say is, after reading that pop-science books, go ahead and build me a solid-state transistor. After all, that works because of quantum mechanics. Since you've understood quantum mechanics, build me a transistor!
Zz.
6 comments:
Ah yes...as one of the very few in the world (I know several others) trained in both theology and quantum physics -- I do a lot of cringing!
I hope you are being sincere when you say that. It's always nice to have someone else on the same corner. :)
I get criticized a lot for "attacking" spirituality and religion. Actually, I don't criticize them when they stick to what they do. It is when they try to JUSTIFY what they believe in by bastardizing physics, or try to merge those two together based on ignorance, is when I attack them.
I would think that for anyone who believe in any form of religion or spirituality, using the "god of the gaps" as it has been said, is a very dangerous game to play. This is because, as history has shown, science often can fill up many of these gaps! When this occurs, one is diminishing one's god, and it then becomes another factor in undermining the validity of one's belief.
So I really don't quite understand this "need" to want to use a badly-understood physics, in the first place, to somehow justify one's beliefs.
Zz.
I am sincere...I am quite faithfully Roman Catholic, trained as both a systematic theologian and as a quantum mechanic and cringe, for example, when I encounter someone whose acquaintance with mathematics ends at algebra trying to make theological arguments using QM. I wince, I cringe, I attempt to point out the enormous holes...generally to very little avail!
I enjoyed browsing the blog and look forward to following it...
Thank you. It would be an asset to have you here, since I've been known to go off the deep end (well, not really) on my rant on such a thing.
So how does one ends up getting trained in theology AND just "quantum mechanics"? Normally, one studies physics formally to actually get any kind of a proper and rigorous knowledge in quantum mechanics.
Zz.
I trained in quantum mechanics by getting a Ph.D. in it (awarded by the chem dept, but 1/2 of my graduate credits came from the physics dept). Then I returned to grad school at night for a degree in theology. I teach and do research in quantum chemistry, and have an active research group.
Ah, that makes perfect sense. I was stuck into thinking of QM being taught as part of a physics program.
Zz.
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