A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature

by Benjamin Wiker, Jonathan Witt

Meaningful or meaningless? Purposeful or pointless? When we look at nature, whether at our living earth or into deepest space, what do we find? In stark contrast to contemporary claims that the world is meaningless, Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt reveal a cosmos charged with both meaning and purpose. Their journey begins with Shakespeare and ranges through Euclid's geometry, the fine-tuning of the laws of physics, the periodic table of the elements, the artistry of ordinary substances like carbon and water, the intricacy of biological organisms, and the irreducible drama of scientific exploration itself. Along the way, Wiker and Witt fashion a robust argument from evidence in nature, one that rests neither on religious presuppositions nor on a simplistic view of nature as the best of all possible worlds. In their exploration of the cosmos, Wiker and Witt find all the challenges and surprises, all of the mystery and elegance one expects from a work of genius.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Intelligent Design, Philosophy, School, Christian, Biology

257 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2006

About the author

Benjamin Wiker is a writer, teacher, lecturer, husband of one wife, and father of seven children. He has a Ph.D. in Theological Ethics from Vanderbilt University, an M.A. in Religion from Vanderbilt University, and a B.A. in Political Philosophy from Furman University. He has taught at Marquette University, St. Mary's University (MN), and Thomas Aquinas College, and is now a Professor of Political Science and Director of Human Life Studies at Franciscan University, and a Senior Fellow of Franciscan's Veritas Center.

Reviews

[Melissa Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC book! Examines the attributes of the cosmos that point far beyond to a designing intelligence. Wiker and Witt discuss the hallmarks of genius in astrophysics, chemistry, biology, and abstract mathematics (I will never look at a right triangle the same again!) using the analogy of Shakespeare's elaborate literary masterpieces. (I learned more about old Bill in these 252 pages than I ever did in college English. Ha. Go figure.)

[Mariah Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

AO Year 12 preread.

This was in the worldview category, I believe. So many of the worldview books I’ve read take you on a tour of declining ideas, spends a good minute in the 1960s, and then ends with some sort of ultimatum which leaves you feeling rather discouraged. 🙃 This book wasn’t like that at all; therefore, I adored it.

The big idea is materialist reductionism tried, but God. Whether it is the nature of genius (as they break down Hamlet’s “Methinks it is like a weasel”, as it is pregnant with meaning within context of the scene, act, play, mind, world of Shakespeare) or the genius of nature (discovering the periodic table, structure of the cell, design of a flower, etc.) anything that has come against these things in pride and idolatry has (and will continue to) collapse into itself because there is a meaningful order that we don’t create, but discover—and continue discovering in mystery and paradox. God is bigger than Darwin and Freud and Descartes and the next materialist with their ideas. God’s meaning and order has been and will continue to be revealed despite it all.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors refute materialism by exploring certain aspects of the world that indicate design, meaning, and purpose: literature, geometry, chemistry, and the living cell. A motley assortment of other things are also discussed, but not organized into separate chapters—for example, the anthropic principle (fine-tuning for human life), the properties of water, and the complexity of the eye.

The writing isn’t as thorough or organized as it should be. The authors get distracted by tangents, leave loose ends, or forget to tie things together in a cohesive conclusion. Why are there two chapters on literature and two chapters on chemistry? Why not condense? Why not devote one chapter each to all major examples? Much should have been cut and reorganized. At the same time, much is left out that should have been included—the golden ratio comes to mind, fine tuning in physics, or electro-magnetism.

Not as impactful as I had hoped. It aims high and falls short. But gets points for aiming high.

Mentions Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, which I enjoyed.

[Ella Moody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad that's over.

[Linnea Kroeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book! I wrote down a lot of quotes from it, and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent look at a wide variety of subjects in order to define "genius" and apply it to aspects of the
natural world. Compelling and fascinating! I learned a lot about Shakespeare, the properties of water
and the periodic table of elements, among other things! Highly recommended--most of it is well within
the grasp of a layperson.

[Abe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this book smart, but it's also quite funny. Highly recommend.

[Stinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

In A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt seek to disprove the assumption that science has demonstrated conclusively the universe is without purpose or meaning. They methodically make the case for genius in the world of literature, then bridge this evidence to that of genius in mathematics and chemistry, finally resting on biological order. The authors effectively wage war against the prevalent reasoning of materialistic reductionism and are able to score some potent hits.

A Meaningful World has many strengths as a work of literature. It is easily comprehensible and given its broad range of topics has wide appeal to readers of differing interests. Not surprisingly, the material is ordered clearly and the topics, though familiar, are elucidated in a fresh and fascinating manner. But while Wiker and Witt accomplish their goal of presenting a strong argument against materialistic reductionism, one is left with the wish that their case, though broad, would have been sharpened a bit, more pointed. The evidence for the thesis is provided, but the authors might have done better to devote more of their material, at least toward the end of the book, to making their case against materialism more explicit. Nevertheless, Wiker and Witt have succeeded in proving the universe is not without meaning or purpose. From Shakespeare to the attributes and organization of the elements, the case for meaning and purpose within the universe is made manifest in their writing.

On a few separate occasions I read a section of A Meaningful World aloud to my wife or son. Usually, they find my theological, scientific, and philosophical books boring – only a helpful sleep aid. However, my twelve year old son, who has great interest in science, and particularly my wife, who is an outdoor science teacher, found the material very engaging. Hence, I recommend this book not only because the subjects discussed within its pages are important but also because the writing is of good quality. I readily recommend A Meaningful World to science teachers or any science enthusiasts. As well, I recommend Wiker and Witt's book to those curious about the interaction of philosophy and modern Western culture. Finally, I believe those interested in the history of the arts and sciences would glean much fruit from the pages of A Meaningful World.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this interesting looking book on a display shelf at the library. The introduction promised to combat the nihilism of modern society and to inject life back into mathematics and science.
Sounds good right?
I only read a few pages before I saw the first red flag, a citation from a book by Michael Behe. And I know immediately that this is one of those books written by someone who believes that evolutionary theory is directly related to moral decay. And of course the corollary, all that is beautiful and good is the result of a loving god.
I was hoping this book would be deeper than "god did it, so it's meaningful", but it really wasn't.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote a radio program and published a review of this book. The summary of the radio program can be found here.
As my granfather said...if this is the kind of book that Intelligent Design people are putting out, the Darwinists have a real problem.

[Justin Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best apologetic text I've read, combining several different disciplines, from literature to history to geometry to chemistry, using a philosophical understanding of these and nature to identify the proof of a designing genius behind our world. Compelling, exciting, and beautifully written. One of the most enlightening books I've read in a while.

[Moonburst · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for Contemporary Christian Belief. Though the main idea wasn't horrible, it was very insulting to read as a science major. The attitudes of the authors were not good in terms of being taken seriously by the scientific community. I would not suggest reading this book. It's not worth it.

[Aria Maher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as I wanted to. It starts out very strongly, but some of the later chapters seem to get a little repetitive, and can be very dense with scientific detail. Overall, I think that this is a good book and it makes a solid argument against the reductionist philosophy that seeks to reduce the works of Shakespeare to random letters typed out by monkeys and living organisms to random chemical reactions.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

While sometimes difficult to understand, I appreciated the thoughtfulness of the authors in talking through their ideas as well as those of others that they don't agree with, often going in depth to point out both strengths and weaknesses.

[Eris Cardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benjamin Wiker is an excellent author. He lays out poetic, thoughtfully, and clearly the genius that resides in humans, in mathematics, and, of course, in nature itself. At many points through the book, I found myself awed by how incredible our universe is and how wonderful the Lord who made it.

[Nate Madole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for school. Skimmed several chapters as it was incredibly dense at times. I enjoyed it though.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacob read y12 rated 3 stars...krb 6/27/24

[Chris AtLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Meaningful World shows how our universe is fundamentally meaningful. Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt
demonstrate this by exploring various aspects of the human experience and human genius.

The chapters dealing with Shakespeare, Euclid as well as the chapters about the history of the periodic table of elements were particularly enjoyable.

One great side benefit of reading this book is a wealth of references to other great books to read!

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid design book with a couple twists. Wicker takes on the ugly implication of Darwinism that is often missed as relates to human genius. By looking at areas such as Shakespeare, geometry, and the construction of the period table, the authors make a good case against Darwinist visions of a meaningless world.

The book is a bit more philosophical than most design books, but I don't see that as a detriment, particularly if you're not someone who memorizes great chunks of scientific data. The principles can be easier. However, readers should be warned that most of these chapters are not light reading.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel presentation of Intelligent Design using literature, math, chemistry, astronomy, etc.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Absolutely loved it! Didn't understand all of it, but loved it!!

[Tom]

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