Modern Physics and Ancient Faith
Stephen M. Barr
Narrated by Mark D. Mickelson
Available from Audible
Book published by University of Notre Dame Press
A considerable amount of public debate and media print has been devoted to the “war between science and religion.” In his accessible and eminently readable new book, Stephen M. Barr demonstrates that what is really at war with religion is not science itself, but a philosophy called scientific materialism. Modern Physics and Ancient Faith argues that the great discoveries of modern physics are more compatible with the central teachings of Christianity and Judaism about God, the cosmos, and the human soul than with the atheistic viewpoint of scientific materialism.
Scientific materialism grew out of scientific discoveries made from the time of Copernicus up to the beginning of the twentieth century. These discoveries led many thoughtful people to the conclusion that the universe has no cause or purpose, that the human race is an accidental by-product of blind material forces, and that the ultimate reality is matter itself. Barr contends that the revolutionary discoveries of the twentieth century run counter to this line of thought. He uses five of these discoveries—the Big Bang theory, unified field theories, anthropic coincidences, Gödel’s Theorem in mathematics, and quantum theory—to cast serious doubt on the materialist’s view of the world and to give greater credence to Judeo-Christian claims about God and the universe.
Written in clear language, Barr’s rigorous and fair text explains modern physics to general readers without oversimplification. Using the insights of modern physics, he reveals that modern scientific discoveries and religious faith are deeply consonant. Anyone with an interest in science and religion will find Modern Physics and Ancient Faith invaluable.
Stephen M. Barr is professor of physics at the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware.
REVIEWS:
“In Modern Physics and Ancient Faith, Barr skillfully masters both physics and theology.... His work is a thing of scholarly beauty”
— Science & Theology News “In this well-reasoned and accessible book, Stephen Barr argues against the idea that modern science has discredited belief in God. Barr, an accomplished theoretical particle physicist currently at the University of Delaware and a lay Roman Catholic, adroitly marshals recent developments in the natural and computer sciences to show that science, far from clearly discrediting religious belief, can in many instances reasonably be construed to support it. The book is well documented, and the exposition is masterful, making it a valuable asset for those theists wanting to learn more about the ways in which the sciences can contribute to the materialist-theist debate.”
—Journal of Religion “Stephen Barr does heroic service with his book Modern Physics and Ancient Faith as a revolutionary insurgent within the intellectual hegemony of modern scientific materialism.”
—Crisis Magazine “It is a happy day indeed when one finds a work by a scientist that is so clear, based upon serious reflection, and demonstrates a broad knowledge of philosophy and religion as well as science. Modern Physics and Ancient Faith is such a work. Barr ... has a wonderful way of explaining difficult theories in modern physics. Equally impressive is his ability to reflect upon the philosophical and theological implications of these theories and explain them to us in ordinary English.”
—Theology Today “An unusual and provocative affirmation of religious faith. Neither religiously sectarian nor technically daunting, this is a book that invites the widest range of readers to ponder the deepest kinds of questions.”
—Booklist “The strength of Barr’s book is his competent and clear accounts of the discoveries of modern science in a way that is also theologically informed.”
—New Oxford Review “A well-written explanation of the consonance of recent scientific discoveries with Judeo-Christian teachings on God.”
—Science & Technology News “A well-written and logically argued presentation on the relationship between religion and science ... Barr makes both modern physics and theology understandable to the general reader. This is a worthy successor to P.C.W. Davies’s God and the New Physics ... Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal “A lucid and engaging survey of modern physics and its relation to religious belief.... Barr has produced a stunning tour de force ... [a] scientific and philosophical breakthrough.”
—National Review “Stephen Barr’s book … energizes the reader, since its philosophical positions are well argued, its writing is clear and accessible, and its religious affirmations are provocative for believers and nonbelievers alike.”
—Christian Century “Uniting science and religion, the author and physicist uses his scientific expertise to support his belief that the universe is best expalined by divine design, pressing evolutionary theory for a plausible account of the origin of what quantum physics demands—a conscious observer.”
—Columbia College Today
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