Designed to the Core

by Hugh Ross

Are you up for a trip through the ultimate neighborhood? Join astrophysicist Hugh Ross for an insider’s look at our cosmic neighborhood, where you’ll explore everything from the largest-scale structure of the universe to Earth’s innermost layers.

In Designed to the Core, Ross explains how the most sophisticated scientific instruments reveal exquisite “interior designs” throughout the universe that are ideally suited for human habitation here on Earth right now. This scientific excursion takes us to the interior structures of super-superclusters of galaxies, clusters of galaxies, local galaxies, our Milky Way Galaxy, the Sun, our planetary system, the Moon, and Earth’s interior—all of which reveal fine-tuning that manifests a Designer’s planning and preparation.

Genres: Science, History

376 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2022

About the author

HUGH ROSS launched his career at age seven when he went to the library to find out why stars are hot. Physics and astronomy captured his curiosity and never let go. At age seventeen he was the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society. With the help of a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council (NRC) of Canada fellowship, he completed his undergraduate degree in physics (University of British Columbia) and graduate degrees in astronomy (University of Toronto). The NRC also sent him to the United States for postdoctoral studies. At Caltech he researched quasi-stellar objects, or "quasars," some of the most distant and ancient objects in the universe.

Hugh's unshakable confidence that God's revelation in Scripture and nature do not, will not, and cannot contradict became his unique message. Communicating that message as broadly and clearly as possible became his mission, wholeheartedly encouraged by family and friends. He and his colleagues at Reasons To Believe keep tabs on the frontiers of research to share with scientists and nonscientists alike the thrilling news of what's being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology. In this realm, he has written many books, including: The Fingerprint of God, The Creator and the Cosmos, Beyond the Cosmos, The Genesis Question, A Matter of Days, Creation As Science, and Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, due to be released October 1, 2008.

Between writing books and articles and hosting Creation Update, a weekly live webcast, Hugh travels the world challenging students and faculty, churches and professional groups to consider what they believe and why. He presents a persuasive case for Christianity without applying pressure. Because he treats people's questions and comments with respect, he is in great demand as a speaker and as a talk-radio and television guest.

Hugh lives in Southern California with his wife, Kathy, and two sons—and two cats.

from reasons.org

Reviews

[Andy Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugh Ross does a masterful job describing the uniqueness of our local universe, from our local super-cluster of galaxies to the Earth's crust.

In a mind-bending tour-de-force, he reveals the essential features of the our galactic super-cluster, our galactic cluster, and then the Milky Way galaxy. For Dr. Ross, 'essential features' mean features without which life couldn't be possible.

The universe is a hostile place. Too many black holes, or black holes that are too close will kill all life.
The same goes for supernovas. Even our Sun must be just the right size and stability to sustain life.

But that's not all. We also need the other planets in the solar system to be where they are for system stability. 'Stability' means our Earth isn't moving out of the habitable life zone orbit.

Finally, Hugh Ross examines the details from the Earth, from the core to the crust. It's unusually dense and rich in iron, which enables an active magnetic field--essential for life. Without our magnetic field, solar radiation would wipe away all life and the atmosphere.

The core must be partially solid and partially molten to allow heat to be released at the proper rate. If heat comes too fast, the magnetic field shuts down, just as it does for too little heat.

The heat release is controlled by the multiple layers of the mantle and the crust with its tectonic plates. The plates bring water into the mantle, which is essential for convection.

Dr. Ross closes the book by examining the philosophical implications of these essential to-life discoveries.

This book may well become a classic application of the anthropic principle to geology as well as outer space.

[Ethan Jarrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Designed to the Core by Hugh Ross exceeded my expectations! The book is very accessible and thought-provoking. I appreciated Ross's ability to present complex scientific concepts in a way that’s understandable to a broad audience, without overwhelming me with technical jargon. His focus is more on exploring the intricate details of how life as we know it came to be, highlighting the remarkable features of the universe that make life possible—without necessarily pushing the idea of intelligent design in an overt or doctrinal way.

Ross does a great job of presenting scientific content in an engaging way without getting bogged down in overly complex details. This makes the book approachable for people without extensive backgrounds in science, but still insightful for those with more technical knowledge.

Another common theme is that while Ross discusses the fine-tuning of the universe and the improbability of life emerging by chance, he doesn’t take an overtly religious or dogmatic stance on intelligent design. Even though I might agree with the intelligent design theory, it is usually off-putting to have such unprovable opinions in a science book that focuses on fact. This approach allowed me to engage with the scientific arguments without feeling like I was being pushed into a particular philosophical or theological framework.

Ross’s exploration of fine-tuning—the idea that certain universal constants seem to be "just right" for life to exist—was very fascinating. While I might not have agreed with all of his conclusions, the discussions about the precision required for life are often highlighted as eye-opening.

Although I have an interest in cosmology, astronomy, and biology, I don't often read many books on the topic, but I still found the book to be a satisfying and stimulating read. Ross draws on a wide range of disciplines, offering an interdisciplinary look at how life is intricately connected to the design of the universe. This probably helps the book appeal to a variety of readers who are curious about the intersection of science and existential questions.

[Michael Santini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abundance of new material uncovered by Hugh Ross will amaze you.

[Robert Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This most fascinating book brings the astrophysicist and even a layman such as me to the consideration of “design implies a designer.” I would challenge any devoted scientist to read this account of the study of the observable universe and draw his or her own conclusions. Yes, the author, Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist and a Christian apologist but Designed to the Core is strictly a book of exploration of the universe finding the uniqueness of planet Earth to support intelligent life with no religious arguments. The body of the book has no references to biblical text or Christ himself. I believe that the title and Intelligent Design should not be critiqued until every chapter is read. The research and the depth of astrophysics presented to show that only the Earth in all the universe is suitable for “the enduring existence and sustenance of advanced life.”

Chapter-by-chapter, Hugh Ross shows through much technical data that the “features of the universe, the Laniakea Supercluster (that in which our planet is located), Virgo Cluster, Local Group, Milky Way Galaxy, Local galactic neighborhood, Sun, solar system, Moon, and Earth that converge to make the existence of humans and global civilization possible boggle the imagination. On every size scale observed, interior fine-tuning appears both essential and favorable to a vast diversity of life—and the entire age of the universe is required for all these interior features to come together.”

It is only in the very last paragraph of the last chapter ending the pages of scientific evidence does Ross state his personal belief:

“In all my studies of science, my readings of global wisdom and literature, and my philosophical ponderings, I’ve become convinced that the Way to this eternal home is the Person who fine-tuned the universe and Earth. The Way has a name, and that name can be found in the pages of the New Testament.”

Please read the book of evidence, “Designed to the Core” before you consider discounting the author’s heart…

[. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Давам 5 звезди защото е хубава, просто не е мой тип.

Много техническа и то за астрономи.

Реално автора наистина тръгва от най-далече в космоса и стига до земята и ядрото на земята.

Говори за как всичко е доста напаснато така, че да позволи за краткия период от време на тази планета да има живот.

Някои неща, които ми направиха впечатление, е че от всичките открити "земноподонни планети" открити от телескопа кеплър повечето, даже всички са нищо общо със земята, и най-вероятно няма изобщо условия за живот на тях.

И нещо, което ме шокира малко просто не се бях замислял за него.

Че има цели огромни галактики, (може би някои от тях са били яки уоупейпъри например галактиката собреро, които е общо взето консенсус и страдащите от душевната болест атеизъм - астрономи, че са почти със сигурност мъртви галактики. Че няма нито една звезда и изобщо система дето да има условия за земен живот.


Което е доста шокиращо.

Мнението ми за наличие на други извънземни цивилизации освен земната си е горе долу като преди.

Но никога до сега не съм се замислял за толкова огромно място като цяла галактика в което да няма нито една живо планета.


Книгата е мн сериозен научен труд. Уж в популярен, но е доста технически


Ако бях астроном щях мн да се изкефат.

В цялата книга за Бог се намеква съвсем леко в началото и в последното изречение на книгата.

Останалото беше суха научно популярна проза.

Едва ли някой атеист би прочел тази книга, но реално е супер научна и доста технична.

Може би ако бях по-наяеътре в полето на астрономията щях да съм доста запален.

Просто нивото на книгата беше над моето.

Чувал съм за Орт облакът и някакви такива неща, но съм по-близо до физиката отколкото до астро паста на астро физиката.

Иначе се вижда, че автора е използвал книгата си абсолютно като демонстрация, че е сериозен учен и автор и че християнството е напълно съвместимо със сериозната наука.

[Larry White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind Boggling (but be sure you want your mind to be boggled!)

This is an excellent book by one of the best scholars on scientific evidence for intelligent design. Hugh Ross, PhD (Astronomy) and founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization exploring the compatibility between science and the Christianity, adds “Designed to the Core” to several previous books on faith and science. He presents a thorough and convincing analysis of the improbable characteristics of the universe that, while independent of each other, are uniquely necessary to support advanced intelligent life.

Ross begins with the broadest reaches of the cosmos and its galaxies, down to the unique features of our own Milky Way Galaxy, to our solar system, and the Earth and moon, literally all the way to the core of the Earth. The book examines geophysical and cosmological features with great detail and ambition, and demonstrates how so many are critically harmonized with the precise criteria to support life as we know it. Convincingly, Ross explains how even slight variations in any of a multitude of factors would make our existence impossible. The powerful appearance of purpose abounds. It is mind boggling, to say the least.

But, as excellent as the book is, it may not be for everyone. Most readers who have explored the arguments for design will find some things with which they are familiar. If they were convinced before, they will be convinced overwhelmingly by this book. But, they must have a deep inclination toward scientific detail to appreciate this book fully. It can be overwhelming enough to discourage a more casual reader, in my opinion. Some will just not want to boggle their mind quite so much.

[W. Derek Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished listening to the audiobook version of this book, and my mind is completely blown!

In this book Hugh Ross provides detailed information about the various physical structures and processes that make life on our planet possible. This book is highly technical, yet the sheer amount of details serves to constantly reinforce the author's argument that our universe is incredibly fine-tuned for life -- what is often referred to as the Anthropic Principle. So many physical circumstances, from our time and place in the Laniakea Supercluster, the Virgo Cluster, the Local Group of galaxies, our Milky Way Galaxy, our Solar System, are just right for the existence of life on this planet, together with the specific structure of Earth, that the evidence for a Creator is almost overwhelming. Not only is our particular location in the Universe uniquely favorable to life, so is our specific time in the Universe's history.

I personally find this evidence compelling, although I know others might not find it so compelling. In fact, as one who believes in a Young Earth, I found much of this book's descriptions of events that have occurred on cosmic and geologic timescales challenging to consider, for which I'm grateful. It certainly gives me a greater appreciation for arguments in favor of an Old Earth and an Old Universe. Regardless of your current stance on the existence or nonexistence of design in our Universe, I urge readers to have an open mind to consider the evidence that Hugh Ross presents in this book.

[Robert Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh Ross in Designed to the Core argues that the universe did not arise by random chance. Ross examines the Laniakea Supercluster of Galaxies, the Milky Way Galaxy. The Laniakea Supercluster protects us from harmful radiation while the overall structure of the Milky Way whirlpool is designed just right for life to flourish on Earth. The sun is a g-class star but it is also unique for life to flourish on Earth. The outer planets of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranius and Neptune block harmful meteorites and comets from impacting the Earth. Without these planets life would not be possible on Earth. It turns out that the moon is responsible for the 24-hour period on Earth. If the Earths Day where either longer or shorter life would not be able to exist. Finally, Ross examines the Earth's inner core which generates a magnetic field protecting life from harmful cosmic razes from the sun. Hugh Ross examines the Earth's mantle and crustal interior. The Earth too appears to have been designed. If you have a a layman's understanding of astronomy and physics, then this book will be a challenge for you. If you don't know much about science then I recommend Hugh Ross's other works which are more accessible. Designed to the Core is a very technical book, it's a tough to read but it is very rewarding.

[Steve Penner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ross convincingly demonstrates that the anthropic principle is alive and well in astrophysics and Earth geography. From the universe to the core of the Earth he explains how fine tuned our existence is at every level to make human life and an advanced civilization a reality and how it is unlikely to be possible in any of the visible universe, which is only one 15th million of the entire universe. It is not an easy read as some of the technical language is dense and the numbers can be overwhelming. It really is hard to get your head around some of it, but it's even harder to conceive how this planet could be the product of chance over time. I'll put my money on a designer/tuner every time.

[Kelley Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ross has a way of taking cosmological discussions and bringing them down to the kitchen table, but his discussion on the anthropocentric view of the cosmos left me with more questions than answers. Much of this and any of this type of work is grounded on words like theory, assumption, estimate, etc. Yes, he does present interesting facts with charts and numbers, but I was left wanting to see the underlying data and learn how he reached some of his conclusions. Still, it was well written and presented.
Note: I "read" this in an audio format while running, so I did not have the pleasure of seeing the many charts and illustrations that came in the available PDF. This was my loss.

[Dennis W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent but fairly technical

As always, Mr. Ross has done his research, which is mostly a gathering of the various findings of the world's top (and current) scientists in a number of disciplines. Though several parts are difficult for us lay people to comprehend, Hugh breaks down the technical terminology into explanations easier for most to understand or at least grasp the jist of it.

As always, his conclusions point the reader into the depths of philosophical pondering as to just how this special planet came to be so superbly designed to support complex life - like us.

[Carey Smoak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Location, location, location. Normally we think of this as referring to real estate. But in this book, Hugh Ross, shows in many ways that the Earth is in the right location to support advanced life. Specifically, at the level of the universe, the Laniakea Supercluster, the Virgo cluster, the Sun, the solar system, the Moon and the Earth, numerous factors converge to make human life and civilizations possible. Only a Designer could have fined-tuned all of these factors at so many levels to create a habitable planet (Earth) for human life!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well done. Author goes through example after example of just how special Earth is. From the Laniakea super cluster to the Virgo cluster to our Local Group of galaxies to the Milky Way, our position in the Milky Way, the distribution of rocky and gas giant planets in our solar system, the size, composition, and location of our moon, the Earth's iron core and water distribution, it is abundantly clear that we are special. Nowhere we have looked comes even remotely close to the amazingly perfect location we have for supporting intelligent life.

[bob myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evidence for your faith

Dedicated to my brother. It takes less faith to believe in a designer creator than the random chances of every fine tuning of the universe. This is a very well presented evidence pointing to our Creator

[Paul Triller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible version.

Wow. When you take it all in (as best our minds can) it is amazing we exist at all.

This view, from universal to global and then to within our planet itself, certainly raises many questions about our universe being brought forth by mere random forces.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book by scientific apologist Hugh Ross. The chapters that include discussions of galaxy superclusters and clusters were fantastic, I selected his exhibit showing the Laniakea supercluster of galaxies as my new lock screen wallpaper for my laptop!

[Dominic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit like a text book. Remains relatively unbiased until the end where the guy plugs the new testament. But I appreciate it covers stuff like cosmic webs, super voids, black holes, etc. would like to take a second crack at it with some notes.

[Donald Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Eye opening

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty amazing on how perfect our world is to have life. The book is very good. Very scientific and difficult at times, but it was obviously well researched and presented well. Def a great read.

[Thomas Mulshine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book by Hugh Ross probably deserves more than the two stars I gave it however, one would need to be an astronomer or a cosmologist to understand most of the contents. I got 50% through it however, but I finally realized that it was too far over my head to continue.
I believe his bottom line is that the whole universe design is no accident.

[Luke Nix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Ross has written another incredible book on the history of the universe. He achieves a good balance between a technical and non-technical presentation for both types of readers. This one is a bit more technical than some of his latest works, but that is appreciated since it places the details in front of the reader rather than in the appendix.

I must say that I noticed in this book that he reserved the majority of his philosophical and theological conclusions for the introduction and conclusion, as opposed to revisiting them in each chapter. This approach, though, while adequately setting up the investigation into the cause of our planet, allows the skeptical reader to focus on the scientific data presented before being confronted with the dramatic conclusion that has theistic, specifically Christian, significance.

Whether the reader is a Christian or not, they cannot have a comprehension of the content presented and not come away with a sense of awe about the universe and, perhaps, a sense of dissatisfaction with modern naturalistic explanations.

I recommend "Designed To The Core" to any Christian who is interested in science and particularly astronomy. Dr. Ross really brings the magnificence of God's creative acts into focus for the reader. He also presents a distinctly abductive argument for God's existence (and design) based upon the scientific observations of the universe. For Christians who have questions about how Dr. Ross reconciles a historical reading of Genesis and the observations of God's creation, I also highly recommend his books "Navigating Genesis" and "A Matter of Days."

If you are a science teacher presenting from a Christian perspective, you may particularly find this book of value. As science teachers present data on God's creative actions, they need to present it accurately and show how it is compatible with God's Word. The presentation of the natural data given by Dr. Ross in "Designed To The Core" not only shows compatibility but presents a powerful argument from the sciences against naturalistic explanations for students.

I recommend "Designed To The Core" to agnostics and deists who value nature in their investigation of whether the theistic God of the Bible exists or not. Dr. Ross presents the data from the sciences then presents his abductive argument. The book's content is focused heavily on the scientific data, but as it progresses, the argument and conclusion of intentional design become more obviously implied. The fact that Dr. Ross simultaneously argues for God's existence and intentional design dissuades the agnostic from taking the half-step into deism and pushes the deist to logically recognize God's intervention in the history of the universe. Both agnostic and deistic readers will be challenged to find a more consistent explanation in any naturalistic alternative. For agnostics and deists, I also recommend Dr. Ross' books "Creator And The Cosmos" and "Why The Universe Is The Way It Is."

I also recommend this book to any atheist who is interested in the argument for God from the apparent design of our planet for advanced life. Dr. Ross presents numerous observations from the sciences then offers a best-explanation argument (abductive reasoning). The book spends probably 95% of its space on the scientific observations and only about 5% on the logical argument and theological conclusion, though the argument is always in view throughout its pages. If an atheist is seeking the most logical explanation of this world, without committing the logical fallacy of presupposing atheism, this book cannot be ignored.

For the full review, go here:

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