The Physics of Theism
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God, Physics, and the Philosophy
The Physics of Theism
Jeffrey Koperski
of Science
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This edition first published 2015
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Koperski, Jeffrey.
The physics of theism : god, physics, and the philosophy of science / Jeffrey Koperski.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-118-93281-0 (cloth) – ISBN 978-1-118-93280-3 (pbk.)
1. Physics–Religious aspects. 2. Theism. 3. Religion and science.
4. Science–Philosophy. I. Title.
BL265.P4K67 2015
211′.3–dc23
2014025620
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Cover image: © Brett Charlton / iStockphoto
Set in 10.5/13pt Minion by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India
1 2015
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To my family, Marie, Andrew, Marcus, and Christopher
would have been completed twelve months sooner.
without whom this book
Not a bad tradeoff.
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Contents
Introduction1
I.1 Maps 1
I.2 Cosmology: Singularity and Creation 2
I.3 Overview 5
1 Science and Religion: Some Preliminaries 11
1.1 Conventional Wisdom 11
1.2 History 12
1.3 The Structure of Science 25
1.4 The Relation between Science and Religion 32
2 Fine-Tuning and Cosmology 58
2.1 What Is Fine-Tuning? 58
2.2 Examples 59
2.3 No Explanation Needed 66
2.4 Naturalistic Explanations 82
3 Relativity, Time, and Free Will 102
3.1 Physics and Freedom 102
3.2 STR and the Nature of Time 104
3.3 Contra the Block Universe 117
3.4 Two Suggestions from the Philosophy of Science 134
4 Divine Action and the Laws of Nature 146
4.1 Divine Intervention(?) 146
4.2 The Problems with Intervention 148
4.3 The Nature of the Laws of Nature 156
4.4 Noninterventionist Divine Action 159
4.5 QD: Pro and Con 165
4.6 Noninterventionism: Goring the Sacred Cow 177
4.7 Intervention and Determinism 182
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viii Contents
5 Naturalisms and Design 197
5.1 Science, Myths, and Legends 197
5.2 Intelligent Design 198
5.3 It’s Not Science 201
5.4 Faulty Demarcation 204
5.5 The Real Problems 214
5.6 A Last Word on Conservatism 219
6 Reduction and Emergence 225
6.1 Nothing but Atoms? 225
6.2 The Rise of Reductionism 226
6.3 Popping the Reductionist Bubble 228
6.4 Emergence 233
6.5 Problems and Puzzles 235
6.6 Physics, Causes, and Levels 238
6.7 Theology and Emergence 242
7 The Philosophy of Science Tool Chest 246
7.1 Tools 246
7.2 Realism and Truth 247
7.3 Antirealism 249
7.4 Realism and Religion 257
7.5 Models 259
7.6 Faith, Reason, and Trust 262
7.7 Anomalies and Mystery 266
Index275
