PHYSICS – 'ALIENATION FROM' INSTEAD OF 'ORIENTATION TOWARDS' THE CREATOR?

Abstract

The religious attitude of many physicists is atheist or agnostic. In the present article, it is
argued that this attitude is favoured by the present shape of the natural science called Physics.
The first reason is that the modern concept of nature is alienated from that of creation. The
second is that, according to the dominating view, nature is epistemologically silent about itself.
Additionally, the view of the axiomatic and thence hypothetical-deductive character of modern
Mathematics and the conjectural character of its applications to the material world make impossible
an organic connection between mathematical objects and material things. There exists
only a practical knowledge of the successful use of Mathematics in Physics. This peculiar
epistemological climate in Physics has become more and more alienated from the intellectual climate
generated by ordinary experience and its evidence, which in turn is confirmed by Christian revelation.

It is this peculiar intellectual atmosphere in which a physicist carries out his professional actions.
Their moral assessment is done with the help of two distinctions: the first between
the views of Physics as providing a physicalist world-view or as a field of professional activity like others.
The second distinction is between the two effects of a professional action of
a physicist: every such action tends to its immediate object, and every such action, by
upkeeping the existing professional standards, contributes eo ipso to perpetuate the present intellectual climate in Physics.
While such actions may be still morally acceptable, the situation
is precarious. Therefore it is convenient to have Physics reformed from within. Such an
internal reform should be experience-based and thus start from the very outset from the epistemological
climate generated by ordinary experience, which is in harmony with the epistemological
climate generated by Christian revelation.

This reason on moral grounds is the third motive for attempting an internal reform of Physics.
The first one concerns the removal of the ignorance about the link of mathematical objects to material things.
It is simply due to the necessity of having a sound selfunderstanding of Physics.
This in turn is closely related to the “apologetic” motive of removing the disharmony
between the epistemological climates referred to above. Surprisingly, some current
views of the relationship between Theology and Physics (I. G. Barbour, M. Heller, Th. F. Torrance)
do not envisage any need for an internal reform of Physics. Instead they promote an
increased influence of Physics upon Theology.