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A Comprehensible Universe: The Interplay of Science and Theology
Why is our world comprehensible? This question seems so trivial that few people have dared to ask it. In this book we explore the deep roots of the mystery of rationality. The inquiry into the rationality of the world began over two-and-a-half-thousand years ago, when a few courageous people tried to understand the world with the help of reason alone, rejecting the comforting fabric of myth and legend.
After many philosophical and theological adventures the Greek concept of rationality laid the foundations of a revolutionary way of the scientific method, which transformed the world.
But looking at the newest fruits of the world's rationality - relativity theory, quantum mechanics, the unification of physics, quantum gravity - the question what are the limits of the scientific method? The principal tenet of rationality is that you should never stop asking questions until everything has been answered ...
"A Comprehensible Universe is a thoughtful book by two authors who have professional expertise in physics and astronomy and also in theology. They are exceptionally well informed about the history of the relation between science and theology, and they maintain throughout their discussion a respect for empirical evidence and a dedication to rationality. Even though I do not agree with all of their conclusions on matters of great complexity I am impressed by the fairness of their argumentation."
Abner Shimony, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Physics, Boston University
After many philosophical and theological adventures the Greek concept of rationality laid the foundations of a revolutionary way of the scientific method, which transformed the world.
But looking at the newest fruits of the world's rationality - relativity theory, quantum mechanics, the unification of physics, quantum gravity - the question what are the limits of the scientific method? The principal tenet of rationality is that you should never stop asking questions until everything has been answered ...
"A Comprehensible Universe is a thoughtful book by two authors who have professional expertise in physics and astronomy and also in theology. They are exceptionally well informed about the history of the relation between science and theology, and they maintain throughout their discussion a respect for empirical evidence and a dedication to rationality. Even though I do not agree with all of their conclusions on matters of great complexity I am impressed by the fairness of their argumentation."
Abner Shimony, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Physics, Boston University
- GenresScience
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
George V. Coyne
9 books4 followersFr. Coyne joined the Jesuit order in 1951.
He obtained his B.S. in mathematics and Licentiate in Philosophy from Fordham University 1958, and earned a PhD in Astronomy in 1962 from Georgetown University. Lastly, he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from Woodstock College in 1965 and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest.
He conducted astronomical research at Harvard University and the Lunar Planetary Laboratory of the University of Arizona. He also taught at the University of Scranton.
He served as director of the University of Arizona's Catalina Observatory, Associate Director of the Steward Observatory and the Lunar Planetary Laboratory, and acting director of the astronomy department of University of Arizona.
He founded the Vatican Observatory Summer School and Vatican Observatory Research Group while serving as director from 1978 to 2006. He is now the President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
Fr. Coyne has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from St. Peter's College, Jersey City; Loyola University Chicago; University of Padua, Italy; Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Boston College; Le Moyne College, Syracuse, New York; the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts; Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California.
Asteroid 14429 Coyne is named for him.
He is a member of the International Astronomical Union, the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America and the Pontifical Academy of Science.
He is currently teaching at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY.
He obtained his B.S. in mathematics and Licentiate in Philosophy from Fordham University 1958, and earned a PhD in Astronomy in 1962 from Georgetown University. Lastly, he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from Woodstock College in 1965 and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest.
He conducted astronomical research at Harvard University and the Lunar Planetary Laboratory of the University of Arizona. He also taught at the University of Scranton.
He served as director of the University of Arizona's Catalina Observatory, Associate Director of the Steward Observatory and the Lunar Planetary Laboratory, and acting director of the astronomy department of University of Arizona.
He founded the Vatican Observatory Summer School and Vatican Observatory Research Group while serving as director from 1978 to 2006. He is now the President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
Fr. Coyne has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from St. Peter's College, Jersey City; Loyola University Chicago; University of Padua, Italy; Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Boston College; Le Moyne College, Syracuse, New York; the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts; Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California.
Asteroid 14429 Coyne is named for him.
He is a member of the International Astronomical Union, the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America and the Pontifical Academy of Science.
He is currently teaching at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY.
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May 19, 2020This is not yet another simplistic attempt of reconciliation between religion and science. Rather, it is a history book of sorts, a series of lecture notes that trace the development and passage of rationality throughout history as a method for comprehending the world. It explains the three different conceptions of the world that the Greek philosophers developed after they surpassed the mythic stage of comprehending the universe-- the Platonic (mathematics is taken as true a priori and knowledge of the physical world follows), the Aristotelian (the world is understood from empirical, observational physics without mathematics), and the Archimedean (mathematics aids a posteriori to empirical investigations of the natural world). The book shows how the three Greek traditions of rationality underpin the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For instance, the Gospels and the Pauline tradition considered Christ as the Word or Logos made immanent-- the rationality of the universe made into flesh. The early Church fathers, such as St. Augustine, assimilated early Christian philosophy with encounters with Neoplatonism. Scholasticism in the Middle Ages was an opportunity to exercise practices of abstraction and precise definitions that would later be essential to the operations of modern physics.
December 29, 2022
The Interplay of Science and Philosophy...
..sub-title is not very adequate. What we have here is a great history of physics science and models leading to recent understanding of matter particles, space and quantum laws. Of course, part of the book is devoted to the role of Christian religion in all this, because the science and its learning methods has evolved thanks to philosophers and theologians. What I have learned with surprise is, that in the middle of XIII century Europe became familiar with translated works of Aristotle's manuscripts. These manuscripts had been saved by Arabic nations and opened roads for great synthesis of theology with science! I have read other books by Michael Heller (2008 Templeton Prize recipient) and this one (co-authored with George Coyne) is probably his best and most approachable. Though he is a Catholic priest (philosopher, mathematician and cosmologist as well) he never overstates religion's role. His focus is rather on mathematics, why it exists at all and why it is so important. He states that the Universe is rational in the sense, that it has such properties that we are able to learn and research them in a rational way by discovering and using mathematics. There could be some other Universes without any logic (non-mathematical) or mathematical but impossible to describe. Very interesting position for historians and popular science readers.
..sub-title is not very adequate. What we have here is a great history of physics science and models leading to recent understanding of matter particles, space and quantum laws. Of course, part of the book is devoted to the role of Christian religion in all this, because the science and its learning methods has evolved thanks to philosophers and theologians. What I have learned with surprise is, that in the middle of XIII century Europe became familiar with translated works of Aristotle's manuscripts. These manuscripts had been saved by Arabic nations and opened roads for great synthesis of theology with science! I have read other books by Michael Heller (2008 Templeton Prize recipient) and this one (co-authored with George Coyne) is probably his best and most approachable. Though he is a Catholic priest (philosopher, mathematician and cosmologist as well) he never overstates religion's role. His focus is rather on mathematics, why it exists at all and why it is so important. He states that the Universe is rational in the sense, that it has such properties that we are able to learn and research them in a rational way by discovering and using mathematics. There could be some other Universes without any logic (non-mathematical) or mathematical but impossible to describe. Very interesting position for historians and popular science readers.
November 4, 2018
Good book that muses as to why it is possible to analyse the universe mathematically, and understand it (at least to an extent). Very readable, if you can read Polish.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews