Paul Davies is an English physicist. He is a professor at
Arizona State University as well as the Director of BEYOND: Center for
Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute for
Quantum Studies at Chapman University in California. He has held previous
academic appointments at the University of Cambridge, University College
London, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Adelaide and Macquarie
University. His research interests are in the fields of cosmology, quantum
field theory, and astrobiology.
His field of study has involved him in inquiries concerning
theoretical physics, cosmology, and astrobiology. His research has been mainly
in the area of quantum field theory in curved space-time. Although he has not
explicitly stated that he is a theist, evidence from his statements and quotes
in books could build a strong case for thinking that he does in fact believe in
a creating God. Such as the following.
“I belong to a group of scientists who do not subscribe
to a conventional religion but nevertheless deny that the universe is a
purposeless accident. Through my scientific work I have come to believe more
and more strongly that the physical universe is put together with an ingenuity
so astonishing that I cannot accept it merely as a brute fact. There must, it seems to me, be a deeper level
of explanation. Whether one wishes to call that deeper level ‘God’ is a matter
of taste and definition.” ~ Paul Davies [The Cosmic Blueprint: New Discoveries
in Nature's Creative Ability to Order the Universe. New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1988. p.203]
“There is for me powerful evidence that there is
something going on behind it all.... It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned
nature’s numbers to make the Universe.... The impression of design is
overwhelming” ~ Paul Davies [The Cosmic Blueprint: New Discoveries in Nature's
Creative Ability to Order the Universe. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988.
p.203]
Davies’ comments are as deliberate in their wordage as they
are interesting. He doesn’t deny God outright but neither does he adhere to a
religion either. This could just mean he doesn’t believe in organized religion
like the Roman Catholic Church (theoretically, neither do I). I am guessing he
was either agnostic when he made the first statement or he was being
theologically disingenuous about what he really believed. It is clear he did
not buy into the sheer numbers game of probability that says the Creation was
just a cosmic accident.
Actually, he says he believed in something “deeper”. By this
statement he begins to leave behind the empirical and flirt with a theological
source. The term "deeper" here has to mean metaphysical or outside
the physically provable or empirical. He has already made a scientific
statement that said through his scientific work he could not account for the
ingenuity of the physical universe. Ingenuity implies an act of creation.
Ingenuity implies new ways in an ongoing process to meet or solve problems. As
a matter of fact, by definition etymologically, ingenuity comes from the word
ingenium which just happens to be the root Latin word for engineering. Because
he believed something deeper was involved and he was willing to endeavor into
the non-physical to find it...he was taking a leap of faith. In other words,
Davies believed there had to have been a super-intelligence driving the things
he saw in the physical universe.
If one takes Davies’ comments at face value from his 1992
book The Mind of God it is probable that Davies theological comments are
laced with whimsical doublespeak. In the aforementioned book Davies briefly
explores the nature of reason, belief, and metaphysics. He also examines the
origin of the universe and even a few arguments for the existence of God. In so
doing he includes the possibility that the universe shows evidence of
intelligent design.
So, what we have in Paul Davies is a man who studied the physical
universe and the natural world scientifically, became an expert on it and ended
up in the realm of the supernatural to explain his findings. The conclusion
that he came to is that the complexity and intricacy of the physical universe
could not be a statistical event or accident. Furthermore, he believed the
obviousness of design was implicit in the visible universe also.
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because
God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal
power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation
of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans
1:19-20
Paul Davies said it best in the conclusion to his book The
Mind of God.
"…the existence of mind in some organism on some
planet in the universe [referring to Earth] is surely a fact of fundamental
significance. Through conscious beings the universe has generated
self-awareness. This can be no trivial detail, no minor byproduct of mindless,
purposeless forces. We are truly meant to be here."
Other than the fact that Paul attributes the generation of
self-awareness to the universe, he pretty much nails the fact that these are
not purposeless forces. They are deliberate and meaningful. They are rooted in
intelligence. They are rooted in design. Therefore, the big answers are
foundational to existence and they are profound...and according to
Davies...they are not of naturalistic origin or based in the physical universe.
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