God, the Multiverse, and Everything: Modern Cosmology and the Argument from Design

by Rodney D. Holder

Modern cosmology tells us that the universe is remarkably 'fine-tuned' for life. If the constants of physics or the initial conditions at the Big Bang were different by the smallest of margins then the universe would have been dull and lifeless. Why should the universe be so accommodating to life? Many cosmologists believe that the existence of many universes can explain why ours is so special. In this book Rodney Holder subjects this 'multiverse' hypothesis to rigorous philosophical critique. A multitude of problems is exposed. Going substantially further than existing treatments, Holder argues that divine design is the best explanation for cosmic fine-tuning, specifically that design by God is a superior explanation in terms of both initial plausibility and explanatory power, and is therefore the most rational position to take on the basis of the cosmological data.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 30, 2004

About the author

The Rev. Dr. Rodney Dennis Holder, DPhil (Astrophysics, Christ Church, Oxford, 1978; Theology, Oxford University, 1996), is an Anglican priest and a Fellow of Cambridge University. He was Course Director of the Faraday Institute, 2006–2013, and remains a Bye Fellow of St. Edmund's College and a Faraday Associate. He completed his ministerial training in 1997, then worked for four years as a curate in South Warwickshire, spent a seven month sabbatical period as chaplain of the English Church in Heidelberg, and was then Priest in Charge of the Parish of the Claydons, Diocese of Oxford, 2002–2005.

Holder is Reviews Editor of Science and Christian Belief and is on the national committee of Christians in Science. He is a member of the International Society for Science and Religion, the Society of Ordained Scientists, and the Science and Religion Forum.