Has Science Found God? Vic Stenger

New “Scientific” Claims (I) Creation a miracle: Laws of physics violated at creation. Anthropic Coincidences: The laws and constants of nature are so fine tuned for the production of life to be highly improbable by natural means. Intelligent Design: Biological complexity cannot be generated solely by natural processes.

New “Scientific” Claims (II) Benefits of Religion: Experimental evidence for connection between religious behavior and health and that prayer works. Evidence for Supernatural: Experimental verification of supernatural powers of the mind. Supported theoretically by quantum mechanics.

First Law of Thermodynamics Argument:  Where did the energy and mass of the universe come from?  The first law of thermodynamics (conservation of energy) must have been violated at the creation. Refutation: The positive energy of the universe is exactly balanced by negative gravitational potential energy. E = K + Mc 2 - V g = 0 No energy required to produce the universe

Second Law of Thermodynamics Argument:  Where did the order of the universe come from?  The second law of thermodynamics must have been violated at the creation. Refutation: Expanding universe allows increasing room for order to form. Time Entropy Maximum Entropy Entropy max at origin

Arguments from Design

Basic Argument From Design Claim: “I cannot see how the complexity of the universe, especially life, can arise by purely natural processes. Therefore it must have arisen by supernatural processes.” Refutation: Does not logically follow. Argument from ignorance. God of the Gaps

The Fine Tuning Argument Claim : The physics of our universe is fine tuned for our kind of life. Thus the universe shows evidence for intelligent design. Refutation: Some kind of life could exist with different physics.

Could There Be Multiple Universes? Yes.  Nothing we know from physics and cosmology rules out the existence of multiple universes.  Multiple universes trivially solve the fine tuning problem. We simply evolved in the universe suited for us. Our universe is not fine tuned to us. We are fine tuned to our universe.

The Evolution of Creationism (I)  1920s. Teaching evolution a crime in 3 states.  Scopes “Monkey Trial.”  1960s. Supreme Court tosses out Arkansas law.  Rise of “Creation Science”

The Evolution of Creationism (II)  1970s. Laws in 3 states mandate teaching Creation Science.  Supreme Court rules them unconstitutional.  1990s. Failed attempts to teach Intelligent Design in name of “fairness.”  Current: Teach phony “evidence against evolution” in name of “critical thinking.”

Intelligent Design Creationism Claim: Biological structures exist that are too complex to have been produced by Chance or Natural Selection It follows that they were “intelligently designed.”

Intelligent Design Creationism Intelligent Design Creationism Refutation: Evolution works by Chance and Natural Selection Intelligent design creationism is pseudoscience.

Example of ID Pseudoscience William Dembski: Natural causes are incapable of generating information. “Law of conservation of information.” Provably Wrong I nformation gain is equivalent to loss of entropy. Entropy is not a conserved quantity like energy: Second law of thermodynamics

Arguments from Improbability Claim: The universe and life are too improbable to be natural.

Arguments from Improbability Refutation:  Must compare probabilities.  What is probability that the universe and life are supernatural?  Low probability events happen every day. What is the probability that William Dembski exists?

Natural Complexity Complexity is generated naturally all the time Snowflakes and other crystals Ferromagnets Polarized light Evolution!

The Wedge Strategy of the Discovery Institute “To defeat scientific materialism and its destructive moral, cultural and political legacies. To replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and human beings are created by God. To see intelligent design theory as the dominant perspective in science.” Intelligent Design Creationism is pseudoscience motivated by purely sectarian goals.

Is Religion Good For You? Claim: Hundreds of published studies claim connection between religious behavior, especially church-going and health. Refutation:  Many sick people can’t go to church.  Correlation does not imply connection  Natural explanations

Prayers and Miracles Claim: Some scientific studies report benefits of prayer.

Prayers and Miracles Refutation: No published positive results are significant. Best study by Mayo Clinic. Negative. “Intercessory prayer had no significant effect on specifically defined medical outcomes, regardless of risk status.”

Special Powers of the Mind? Claim: ESP and other paranormal phenomena exist and are supported by quantum mechanics. Refutation: 150 years if study have found no significant evidence. Quantum mechanics is widely misinterpreted.

Summary (I)  No laws of physics were violated at the origin of our universe.  No observations in science require the hypothesis of God or the supernatural.  The laws and constants of nature are not so fine tuned for the production of life of some kind to be impossible by natural means.  Biological complexity can be generated by solely natural processes.

Summary (II)  Even if a connection between religious behavior and health existed, it could be natural.  No experimental evidence exists that prayer or other supernatural healing method works.  No experimental verification of paranormal powers of the mind has been found. Not supported theoretically by quantum mechanics. Current science cannot be used to support belief.