Recent studies from cosmology are presenting strange views of the universe. Could these new studies create a scientific theory of divinity?
In reading Gregg Easterbrook's excellent "Easterblogg" (highly recommended), I read this entry about some of the new theories of cosmology (the study of the universe, its creation, and its processes) about "Dark Energy". For those unfamiliar, dark energy is the theorized energy that is responsible for the continued acceleration of the universe outward. Given the energy that is observed in the universe, it doesn't make sense that the universe should still be expanding, rather than starting to contract again (due to the force of gravity overtaking the initial force of the Big Bang. While we can grasp the need for this energy to explain the expansion, no one has been able to detect or observe this energy directly (hence the moniker "dark"). Easterbrook's article is very thought-provoking, but he doesn't get the science completely right. The existence of dark energy does not require the repeal of the 2nd law of thermodynamics (here it is again in a more high-level form). It merely requires that the universe cannot be a closed system. The second law would not allow energy to be created within the closed system of the universe, but energy can be transferred in from outside the universe.
Think about this now. The universe is all we can observe. If energy is appearing without our being able to observe it, but having a noticeable impact, doesn't that square with our conception of the divine? Something outside of and apart from the universe, adding energy over time to keep the clock running, to keep entropy at bay?
I am not a theist at heart (although I do have a conception of the divine which I believe in), but I am very excited about the potential of this sort of discovery. Ironically, the 2nd Law is often cited by creationists as proof that evolution is impossible. Of course, this argument is meaningless for the same reasons as above: The earth is not a closed system, but receives energy constantly from the sun, which allows it to become more ordered. Could it be that this explanation which supports evolution could also be used to demonstrate the existence of divinity?
Notes:
The 2nd law vs. evolution argument is refuted here (as are a few other common misconceptions about evolution).
A paper relating dark energy to Einstein's cosmological constant(not for the faint of heart, but pretty clear for an academic paper. Also includes the fantastic sentence: "A socially acceptable value of [lambda] cannot be such as to make life impossible, of course.")
An article from Astronomy.com (a little friendlier for lay readers)
Posted by ktismael at February 23, 2004 10:38 PM