How To Be An Agnostic
practice not mathematical equations: ‘Science only gives a thin
notion of God.’
Further, it’s quite possible to read too much into physics.
An example of that would be equating the singularity of the
Big Bang with the creative moment described in the book of
Genesis. Or looking at quantum mechanics and deriving, say, an
ethic of relationship, or a basis for telepathy from the phenom-
enon of particle entanglement. That is going too far because the
quantum world is so manifestly different from the macro world
of our reality. It’d be like recommending the planet Mercury as
a lovely place for a holiday because the sun always shines there.
Polkinghorne writes: ‘Physics is showing the world to be both
more supple and subtle, but you need to be careful.’
That said, reading too little from physics is the other extreme
he rejects. Hence notions such as the multiverse to explain away
observations like fi ne-tuning, seem to him like ‘desperate’ mea-
sures to do away with the theist possibility with which physics
is commensurate. This critique is also made by the theologian
Hans Küng, in his book, The Beginning of All Things: Science and
Religion. He talks of a kind of political correctness against reli-
gious connotations derived from science, and an ‘instinctive
opposition’: for these folk, there is a sense in which any scien-
tifi c explanation, no matter how wild, is preferable to a theo-
logical refl ection.
The key is to realise that science has its limits when it comes
to these deeper human concerns, Polkinghorne believes. He
argues that if you want to pursue the search for understanding –
‘a quest that is most natural for [us] to embark upon’ – then we
have to be prepared to go beyond the domain of science. And
this, surely, is right. It’s the conclusion I’ve reached in my look
at the meaning of modern physics and the possibility of cosmic
religion.
The truth is that although modern physics is imaginatively
inviting, it is not proof positive of any particular metaphys-
ics. This is the cause of the diversity among our physicists:
though they look at the same science, the science alone can’t