In this second talk of the Science and Faith series Ron Winestock moves on to the topic of cosmology - ie what is the origin of the universe. This is mind boggling stuff and dwarfs the more conventional 'evolution' debates. He explains the anthropic principle that is fast emerging among scientists and which is ironically putting this little old earth back at the centre of attention. He describes the earth as the ark of humanity - a wonder of life in the midst of a barren universe. He contrasts the scientific view of cosmology with the Jewish view. Listen for some of the great discussion here - particularly as we develop the metaphor of the car to explain all of this.

1. ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE
1

2. Genesis 1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the
Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the
light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the
vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,”
and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various
kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to
their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days
and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to
govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to
govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the
fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great
creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird
according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and
let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild
animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all
the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the
livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the
sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for
food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of
life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Word Count: 782
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3. 3

4. Relativity
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5. 5

6. 6

7. Star Wars
Star Trek
7

8. 8

9. The Anthropic Principle: The Earth is
the Ark of Humanity
9

10. 1 Corinthians 1
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us
who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the
philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For
since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was
pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a
stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
10

11. The Anthropic Principle
Everyone must deal with the
Anthropic Principle – It
Encapsulates the 3 Big
Philosophical Questions.
11

12. 3 Big Philosophical Questions
Q1. Why is there something rather than nothing? The issue of “Necessity” as opposed to “Contingency”.
The “Ontological Argument” for the existence of God.
A1. Plato: Divine is eternal
A2. Aristotle: Matter is eternal
A3. Modern Science: Matter is eternal – Quantum Cosmolgy
Q2. Given that there is something, why is it not one but many?
A1. Parmenides: It is only one, the appearance of many is illusion and not real.
A2. Pythagoras: Reality is made up of diverse geometric shapes that produce diversity
A2. Plato: Ideas or forms give rise to the many variations of reality
A3. Aristotle: 5 Elements together with “Essences” combine in various ways to produce diversity
A4. Modern Science – Quantum fluctations
Q3. Given that it is many, what is the nature of the many?
A1. Parmenides: Illusion
A2. Pythagoras: Number
A3. Plato: Forms
A3. Aristotle: Essences
A4. Anthropic Principle – In this universe, space/time and particles describe diversity
12

13. ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE: GREEK VERSION
Genesis 1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the
Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the
light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the
vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,”
and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various
kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to
their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days
and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to
govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to
govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the
fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great
creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird
according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and
let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild
animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all
the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the
livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the
sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for
food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of
life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Word Count: 782
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14. ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE: JEWISH VESION
Genesis 1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the
Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the
light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault
from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and
the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various
kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their
kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days
and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern
the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day
and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great
creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according
to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds
increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild
animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the
creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the
livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky
and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in
it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Genesis 2
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day
and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.
5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to
work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of
the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being…. HUMAN HISTORY….
14

15. Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the earth proclaims the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
Romans 1
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine
nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are
without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but
their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to
be wise, they became fools…
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16. 16

17. GREEKS:
WEAK ANTHROPIC
PRINCIPLE
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18. 18

19. 19

20. 20

21. 21

22. 22

23. 23

24. 24

25. 25

26. 26

27. 27

28. 28

29. 29

30. Stephen Hawking – A Brief History of Time
The idea that space and time may form a closed surface without boundary
also has profound implications for the role of God in the affairs of the
universe. With the success of scientific theories in describing events, most
people have come to believe that God allows the universe to evolve according
to a set of laws and does not intervene in the universe to break these laws.
However, the laws do not tell us what the universe should have looked like
when it started – it would still be up to God to wind up the clockwork and
choose how to start it off. So long as the universe had a beginning, we could
suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is really completely self-
contained, having no boundary or edge, it would have neither beginning nor
end: it would simply be. What place then for a creator?
30

31. Judeo/Christian – Strong Anthropic Principle
31

32. 32

33. Hamlet: What a piece of work is a man, How
noble in
Reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and
moving
how express and admirable, In action how like
an Angel!
in apprehension how like a god, the beauty of
the
world, the paragon of animals. and yet to me,
what is
this quintessence of dust?
Psalm 8
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of
them,
human beings that you care for them?
5 You have made them a little lower than the
angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of
your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
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34. Language
34

35. Music
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36. Mathematics – Schrodinger’s
Equations
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37. 37

38. Teleology – Purpose
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39. Weak Anthropic: It’s small on hypothesis but big on universes
Strong Anthropic: It’s big on hypothesis but small on universes
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40. 40

41. 41

42. 42

43. Scholastics
c. 354 – 430 Augustine – Plato
Incorporated
c. 1135 – 1204 Maimonides – Guide to
the Perplexed – Aristotle incorporated
into Jewish thought
c.1225-1274 Thomas Aquinas –
Influenced by Maimonides and
incorporates Aristotle into Christian
thought.
43

44. 44

45. Intelligent Design is a reaction
against the increasing
encroachment of science into
the realm of religion and its
attempt to remove the creator
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46. 46

47. 47

48. 48

49. 49

50. 50

51. 51

52. 52

53. 53

54. 54

55. 55

56. 56