The idea of an intelligent creator of the universe may have little scientific support here at UW-Madison, but a thought-provoking lecture by Owen Gingerich at the Pyle Center on March 10 suggested this just might be the case. Gingerich, a professor emeritus of astronomy and science history at Harvard University, is also a senior astronomer emeritus at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the author of over 20 books.
Gingerich spent much of the lecture, titled Designing a Universe Congenial for Life,"" discussing the organic makeup of the universe, the development of life on Earth and the remarkable ways in which scientists now pursue the discovery of life on other planets. Toward the end of his talk, he seemed to break with scientific convention and presented ideas about a designer of the universe in a way that suggested the possibility of a deity.
""Here we have a universe, amazingly, that does have this congeniality [toward life],"" Gingerich said. ""Is this accident or is this some kind of design? It's bothered a number of scientists who feel that it's very important that science should work without any aspect of the supernatural as part of its structure, and therefore there is a feeling that there ought to be some other explanation of this congeniality.""
These comments caused a stir in the audience, who perhaps suspected Gingerich of offering a defense of the Intelligent Design movement, a highly controversial alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution. Intelligent Design theory is presented as a scientific alternative to evolution that embraces the religious concept of creationism, and its supporters actively lobby to have it taught in public school science courses.
But Gingerich quickly refuted this theory, as his knowledge of the universe doesn't preclude him from understanding the process of evolution on our planet. He instead theorized that the larger process of how life begins has a designer.
""Though Darwin's theory of evolution spoke about how the organisms should be fit for their environment, we wouldn't have life at all excepting that the environment itself was fit for the prospects of life,"" Gingerich said.
Gingerich was careful to differentiate his concept of intelligent design with the modern political movement, since he disputes its ideas of the origins of life on Earth. But his talk suggested that the processes of creating life in the universe do not happen by accident, perhaps offering a bridge between science and theology.
""I would prefer to believe in a purposeful universe,"" Gingerich said. ""I just find myself psychologically incapable of believing a totally random, purposeless universe. So within that division there are many ways in which one can view principles of creativity, the role of divinity with respect to creativity.""
His provocative concepts left much room for the imagination, particularly in regard to how religion could use science to advance its presentation of a deity, or deities, in connection to our spirituality. Gingerich doesn't believe the concept of God can easily be simplified, and it should be supported by our rapidly increasing knowledge of the universe.
""And that,"" Gingerich said, putting the matter to rest, ""doesn't, I think, put me into the Intelligent Design camp.
