Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science Through Faith

by Spencer Klavan

The world is not a machine. Humanity is not a mistake. 
 
For centuries, a grim anti-human outlook has taken hold of the public imagination, teaching us all to view ourselves as random products of a cruel and uncaring natural world. Today, from apocalyptic environmentalism to twisted eugenics and dystopian bionic augmentation, movements are rising around the world to dispense with humanity or subordinate it to a pitiless mechanical logic. For many, it has come to seem as if the human spirit is obsolete, religious faith is illusory, and mankind is destined to be extinguished or surpassed. Some might even see the end of humanity as a good thing. 
 
But that is not our future. Light of the Mind, Light of the World tells a daring new story about how we got here, and how we can chart a better path forward. Surveying the history of science and faith from the astronomers of Babylon to the quantum physicists of postwar Europe and America, classicist and scholar Spencer A. Klavan argues that science itself is leading us not away from God but back to him, and to the ancient faith that places the human soul at the center of the universe. Reconciling the discoveries of science with the truths of the Bible, Klavan shows how the search for knowledge of the natural world can help illuminate the glories of its Creator, and how the latest developments in physics can help shatter the illusion of materialism.

Genres: Science, Religion, Nonfiction, Philosophy, History, Theology, Faith

272 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2024

Reviews

[Mike Fendrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been very interested in how the cultural, sociological, technological and epistemological trends and ideas of our very secular age have made the notion faith in God so implausible. Charles Taylor started the discussion (sort of) with "A Secular Age" and many writers have added to the discussion in helpful (and I would add better) ways. This book is a good addition. Klavan describes how advances in science, physics in particular, have taken us to the point where materialist understandings of what we discover simply don't measure up or can't explain the reality of what is happening and being measured. Those with "eyes to see and ears to hear" see the Creator, the mind behind the project. Others refuse to see, refuse to accept even a hypothesis that includes anything immaterial. The life developed by these materialists is a dry parched desert, an inhumane, dead matter in motion hellhole. Klavan tells a human story, rather than humanity's future existing in a database (a dead end), but the necessity of human naming, measuring, pursuing the mystery of the universe to better understand God and bring meaning and purpose to the human project.

There is one thing that perhaps Klavan didn't intend to do but it appears to this reader that he starts with science to discover God rather than discover God to explain science. This may be a pathetic understanding of presuppositional apologetics, but the Scriptures are clear that those with "eyes to see and ears to hear" have first been found by God. But I also don't think Klavan intended this to be a salvation tract but to open our eyes to see how much a dead end the material worldview is. Our creation has agency, it is not just a bunch of natural resources for us to manipulate and profit from.

I highly recommend this book. One the one hand it is very encouraging to think we exist in a vibrant, mysterious creation generated from a Mind that intends our best. And it helps us to realize just what a dead end the utterly secular, materialistic creation of the matter in motion world science has given us. No wonder there are those who want humans extinct, or our future is on a flash drive (see The Matrix). Read and be excited that we live in such a fantastic world.

[Leonardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a decent entry into a difficult topic which the cultural luminaries have side-stepped for almost a century at this point: What do you make of the claims of Quantum Mechanics from a philosophical viewpoint. Anyone familiar with Klavan should know that for him this means a return to older categories of philosophy, recast for the post-modern world, and I, a physicist, agree with him. The book is divided into three sections. The first and third are the best where I believe the second should have been split into two separate sections just to ensure there is no confusion. The first takes the reader through the Classical and Medieval worldview of the world and leaves him at the precipice of Copernicus. The second navigates him through the dissolution of that worldview by way of the new scientific method. It is of my opinion that Klavan comes down a bit too harshly on Galileo in this one, but he gives Simon Laplace exactly the treatment he deserves. If you know you know. This section splits off from the triumph of the machine way of thinking into the discoveries of quantum mechanics where the fundamental building blocks of matter are revealed to not be very material. Here I believe Klavan should’ve edited his history presentation to underscore just how disastrous the Ultraviolet Catastrophe was for the pre-QM world. The third then delves into how this scientific fact should change the reader’s viewpoint about some of his own materialist/objectivist assumptions concerning humanity’s role in the universe. Chapter 9 in the book I think is the best one, and not just because Klavan quotes both St. Augustine and John Wheeler. This chapter was as if he had reached into my brain and pulled out my own musings. Definitely recommend. The prose is good. And don’t be afraid of the physics. It’s all handled with kids gloves. He does get QM right, in my book. And that’s the important part. I wish that there was more room in the book to discuss why QM, Classical, Stat Mech, and GR are all considered separate fields of physics, and why that is important in how the philosophy of the discipline is formed, but maybe that’s another book.

[Christian Orton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit wooden, but at least it's short. And tons of good education within!

[Dave Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps most notable for its compelling defeat of materialism, which I still think is the strongest argument for atheism. While he does use this in the end to step in to argue for the Christian God as the thing that makes the best sense of a world that is not purely material, it's worth stating that his premise can lead to other conclusions. Which is just to say, anyone can hear and accept the argument. While it offers a powerful foundation for Christianity, the argument for Christianity would be a separate thing.

I'm sure some will find it complicated, but I actually think he does an amazing job of making this material accessible and entertaining. It's really easy to follow, and much of the argument overlaps, allowing you to gain a sense of its flow and repetition, adding layers as it goes.

For the world to be known, for the world to be explained, one needs to be able to attend for the observer. It is observation of the world that, makes it alive, and in a modern age that continues to fight to reduce observation to the world's material form, what continues to emerge is a dead vision of reality. The answer is in the light. The light reveals. More importantly, the light is how we see anything at all

[Jared Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though I wish I had read it before I read Owen Barfield’s “Saving the Appearances.” Although it was also my appreciation for Barfield that made Klaven’s book resonate. So I guess it’s all even.
I have been fascinated with big things and small things. The mystery that dwells beyond the cosmos and the mystery that recedes into the minuscule depths of matter has been the wrench in my epistemology (though a wrench feels negative and a poor metaphor in light of this book). Klaven reassesses the relationship between natural philosophy and theology after analyzing and summarizing the developments in these fields (primarily natural philosophy). The result is an understanding of man that teases out the best in humanism while repressing the machine/industry elements. He demonstrates that we must not abandon the participatory embodiment of our humanity through technology, for that is the very end of the world and all that therein is. It’s an illuminating book that I hope to return to someday.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read, parts of it were difficult for me to completely understand, but I got the gist. Materialism is an inadequate representation of the world - this is illustrated by quantum mechanics, which is in effect at the subatomic level. The weird laws of quantum mechanics dictate that everything, including dark matter, exists as both a particle and a wave. The book argues that consciousness is required to resolve the uncertainties inherent at the quantum realm. This is illustrated by the Schrodinger's cat experiment.

[Cynthia Hilston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and insightful!

Spencer Klavan is a delight to listen to when he speaks, so immersing myself in his writing was even more delightful. He has a brilliant, deep, and analytical mind that bridges science and religion.

[Jess Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never forget the day, early in my journey as a teacher at a Christian private school, when a student approached me with an earnest question: “How can you love science so much? Doesn’t science go against God?”

I couldn’t fault him for asking. He was, after all, a product of our time—a time when the voice of modern science often declares in unison, “God is dead,” while remaining strangely blind to the profound mysteries it unravels each day. We overlook that the origins of scientific inquiry were birthed by those who sought to uncover divine order in a chaotic world. We forget that many of history’s greatest minds, from Kepler to Newton, pursued their discoveries with reverence, seeing in the cosmos the fingerprints of their Creator. Instead, we are taught to idolize figures like Charles Darwin, Fred Hoyle, and Richard Feynman—brilliant minds, yes, but so consumed by their knowledge that their inflated egos leave no room for the divine. The rise of this atheistic movement in the scientific community has stripped humanity of its inherent dignity and wonder. In this bleak worldview, we are reduced to mere atoms, aimlessly drifting through the void, with no purpose, no beauty—nothing more, nothing less.

But this cynical outlook—both on science and on life—is not where science began, nor where it is destined to go. Recently, I wrote about the Nobel Prize-winning research in quantum entanglement—a discovery that challenged our very understanding of reality. At the heart of this field is an astonishing revelation: matter itself requires observation for its wave function to collapse into a concrete state of being. It is as though science, in its most cutting-edge form, is beginning to point toward something more ethereal, more mystical, than we ever imagined. The modern age of science is slowly lifting the veil, suggesting that perhaps there is more beyond the curtain than we’ve dared to believe.

This is precisely why I am so eager to recommend Spencer Klavan’s extraordinary new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science Through Faith. Klavan does what so few have the courage to do—he asks where science truly began, with whom, and where it is headed. With poetic precision and keen insight, Klavan traces the history of scientific discovery, peeling back the layers of misconception to reveal a startling truth: science has never been the tool of atheism. Rather, it has been, from its very beginning, a method by which Christians have sought to know their Maker more intimately, to delve deeper into the mysteries of creation. His prose is not just informative—it is a revelation, a profound meditation on the unity of faith and reason.

Klavan’s narrative isn’t merely a recounting of scientific facts; it is an invitation, a pilgrimage. He doesn’t bog his readers down with pages of dense mathematical equations, but instead, he invites us to walk beside him as he explores the wonders of the universe—from the philosophical musings of the ancients to the enigmatic world of quantum mechanics. He leads us to rediscover what has been obscured: the simple yet profound truth that science, at its core, has always been about understanding the One who, with a word, called the universe into existence. “Let there be light,” the Creator declared, and there was light—light that continues to shine, not just in the physical world but in the very pursuit of knowledge itself.

Klavan’s book is no dry academic text; it is a journey of discovery, one that speaks to the scientist and the seeker alike. Whether you are a novice or an expert, whether your passion lies in science, history, philosophy, or faith, Light of the Mind, Light of the World is a profound and timely reminder of the true purpose of science. Klavan’s vision is not just for today; it is a call to a brighter tomorrow, urging us to return to the roots of scientific inquiry—to the feet of the Father, where creation first began

[J. Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just finished this part-sophomoric, part-moronic exercise in amateur cosmology. (Didn’t really “finish” reading every word but got through as much as I could without throwing the book across the room.). I only bought this because of Ross Douthat’s deceptively positive NYT review and I hereby publicly ask Mr. Douthat for a refund.

It is as if the author had never read the teleological and god-of-the-gaps apologies and their counter-arguments. Starting with a disclosure that he is not a scientist, the author later dismisses the work of Stephen Hawking as mere “conjecture.” Imagine a discussion of ancient Greek/Roman physics without explaining Epicurus or Lucretius (both later mentioned in a throw-away comment relevant to enlightenment thinkers). Later we get a defense - not just of the Bible, but of Genesis - in a science book (it’s just that the days were not 24 hours long, as if that was an original apology).

Then another human-centric hypothesis: Webb Telescope images are forcing astrophysicists to revise galaxy-age predictions because human observation changed them. Give the author points for creativity. That would be a good predicate for a Cixin Liu novel.

The Big Bang is hard to explain. Quantum Physics seems spooky. Science does not yet have a handle on consciousness. The author concludes that all of this makes humans special! Let’s remind the author that we go around the sun and not vice versa; the scientific method figured that out and will get to these other issues eventually. This work would deserve an A- if it were a Creative Writing project for freshman Composition class. But, probably not a passing grade in any science class.

Gave this two stars instead of one because it reminded me of my naive wonder years - ah to be 19 again…

[David Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hard book to review. You know I often avoid "science and faith" books because so many of them are just bad - they either aren't written by, or to, people who are well-trained in science, and they just aren't that good.

But this one is pretty good. The first half (and some of the rest), which is basically a philosophically-informed history of science, is STUPENDOUS. It's great, highly recommended for that.

But then his main argument is ~sort of~ that reality itself, in some important (but never clearly defined) way, does not exist without a mind, probably a human mind, to observe it. As a physicist, the worst part for me was his "as quantum mechanics now teaches us", and at times I think nearly all physicists would disagree with what he is pulling out of QM, he would've done better just to make a philosophical argument.

But the argument is basically that we are the center of the universe, the universe comes into reality as we observe it. Seems to me he mixes together, over and over again, two ideas:

1. In order to SPEAK about and understand the universe, that universe has to affect us (say our senses) in some way, we are active participants. No doubt that is true. I think any materialist would agree.

2. But, sometimes rather emphatically, the universe itself *gains reality*, moves from being a potentiality to a reality, when it is observed by a conscious mind.

And per #2, I just have to disagree, at least disagree that QM requires any such thing. God may indeed place high value upon conscious minds, but the various workings of the universe do not, in my opinion, become unreal when those minds depart.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating philosophical look at faith and science. When science first became a field of study, it was fused with and fueled by faith. Over time science itself became an idol and God became unnecessary. As Nietzsche so pointedly said, "God is dead and we have killed him." Now science is not only anti-God it is becoming increasingly anti-human. Klavan argues in this interesting book, that science can actually lead us back to God. Whether you are a Christian or not, Klavan's walk through history and his arguments about the danger of "Science" and where it has led us will give you something to think about, especially after the pandemic and the growth of AI technology. A thoughtfully written and well foot-noted book.

[Carole Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book that takes readers through the history of science and its impact on faith. Klavan’s main thesis: the light that streams from our minds meets the “let there be light” of God’s creation, and our minds cooperate with the mind of God; we participate in His creation. While scientific discoveries from the twentieth century to the present—relativity, quantum mechanics—confirm this truth, our beliefs and institutions are still trapped in long outdated mechanical-numerical models that remove human experience from relationship with the world. We need to accept the fact that humanity, the watcher and guardian of existence, is the portrait that science describes and live in our world accordingly. A mind-changer.

[Pamela Mogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The luminous beauty of Klavan's writing revealing the pathway down which science and philosophy have lost and are losing themselves in their flight from theology is a work of genius. No dry history of the origins of modern thought, I could hardly put Light of the Mind down, but finished it with a grateful heart for the scope and depth of insight on "things too wonderful for me." For those who worry/fear the trajectory of today's humanism and physics and the Armageddon they seem to portend, this book is literally a God-send as it explains for the layman how the newest revelations of physics point us instead back to the oldest revelation of the Spirit that hovered over the formless deep.

[Robert Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading light of the Mind, Light of the World. I am a little disappointed in the book. The book claims to be about how science has gone wrong and that ancient faith, namely the Judeo - Christian world view can save mankind from a mechanized world where people are just a hunk of meat. The book is really a history of science and cosmology. The last two chapters discuss faiths impact on science but only tangentially.

[Neo_classical · Rating 4 out of 5]

spot on as always Spencer, brilliant message and the final 1/3 was excellent as he pieced everything together, however I think a little more clarity on the journey that we would be on earlier in the book would have been must appreciated and helped it flow a little better, especially like near the end of the 1st 1/3 and beginning of the 2nd 1/3, wasn't really sure where we were going in the narrative

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of this book is eminently readable and persuasive. Having heard an interview of the author, there’s a lot more info that apparently didn’t make it into that first 75% or so of the book.

The close is pretty good, too.

The 10-15% in between though?
I don’t disagree with it, but it’s much more like reading the pleading of conclusions.
It’s a shame it doesn’t see more “showing your work.”

Still, this is very much worth reading and debating. Find a chevrutah and do so together.

[Marti Ann OMalley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intelligent wisdom

The author advocates a scientific Christianity. They are not two divergent paths. He about the history of physics and how the world is clay in humans and their creator's hands. I learned there were many scientific advancements in physics since my basic curriculum way back when.

[Andrey Sushch · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book. This is beautifully written for the heart and the mind. Klavan masterfully interweaves history, philosophy, science, and theology into a compelling narrative that forces the reader to see Man’s significant place in the order of the World. This is what classicism is for - the Platonic integration of all studies into a truth that is whole.

[David G · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book I’ve read on science on faith

This is the book I have been waiting to read for many years. Spencer’s literary style is beautifully poetic and comprehensive. The book gives a true understanding of what science is and was always meant to be, through the lens of faith. Brilliant

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an eye-opener. I never understood or appreciated how advanced physics was actually pointing away from the mechanical, material universe perspective to one that is indicating something else, something more, is at play. Well worth reading, although it does get a little "heavy" in the final chapter or two.

[Rafael Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breve pero sustancioso libro que hace un recorrido por la historia de la ciencia para demostrar que el materialismo que ha dominado la investigación científica en los últimos siglos, y que ha resultado en grandes avances tecnológicos pero con efectos cada vez más deshumanizantes, está siendo cada vez más cuestionado precisamente por los avances científicos más recientes.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might have been the wrong book for me, but I found it extremely dry and difficult to pay attention to. In short, I found it boring; I fell asleep every time I picked it up. Perhaps it was a bit technical, but I did go to graduate school and I understood the points he was making. It just seemed like it took too long to get there

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating exploration of the history of science and the implications of where it eventually led to - the mystery of light and human existence and observability

[Michael Bozmarov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate that so much learning and complex thought can still be compressed and written such that it is digestible and enjoyable. The point of the book is excellent, the writing is beautiful.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though some of the science and philosophy was a bit beyond me, the ideas were clearly defined. The dance between science and faith was beautiful described and a compelling argument of why the two go hand and hand.

[D. Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without mind, matter does not matter...