There are two things that you are not supposed to talk about in polite company: religion and politics. I have to concede, however, that I enjoy both topics of conversation, especially as they relate to science. And apparently I am not alone. Stephen Hawking, the renowned astrophysicist and cosmologist, discusses his recent revelation on the subject in his new book The Grand Design.
I should clarify, first, that Hawking is not claiming that science has proven that God does not exist, only that science has eliminated the need for God. While less controversial than the alternative, it has still been viewed by the scientific community as an attack on the community. But honestly, this really isn't anything new. The scientific community has been making essentially this same claim for years. So why is this any different? Well, Hawking comes armed with some fancy science that he says closes the book on the subject once and for all.
What Does Science Say About Creation?
Even if we assume that the Universe initially existed in a complete vacuum state, absent of all matter and energy and before time began, it is possible for a Universe to spring into existence. In fact, according to the laws of quantum mechanics such events should happen spontaneously at a very high rate.
Some of the Universes created would collapse almost as quickly as they were created. Others would expand so quickly that nuclear reactions would have no chance to exist and would be doomed to expand forever. However, some would meet the specific conditions right to support life. And at least one of those could contain the right planet, orbiting the right star at the right time for the right conditions to exist for life to spring into existence.
The Rebuttal
First of all, this entire argument presupposes that the Universe initially exists in a complete vacuum, but also coincidently still obeys the laws of general relativity and quantum mechanics. Those on the religious side of the debate would likely resolve to the classic refrain "well who implemented the laws of general relativity and quantum mechanics?" Well, I believe this to be the wrong question, but I'll get to that in a moment.
Ultimately the short answer to the question is that there is nothing dictating (as far as we know) what the laws of physics were. This leaves the door wide open for a deity to choose whatever laws he/she sees fit. But it does not preclude a set of physical laws naturally existing prior to the big bang. While this does not appease the religious types it does lead to a more fundamental question that calls into question Hawking's assertion that general relativity and quantum mechanics would dominate a pre-Universe.
Specifically, why are there any laws of physics at all? Most cosmological models lose traction prior to the moment of creation as we have no way of predicting what the laws of physics are before the "big bang". There is nothing about the current state of our Universe that allows us to even guess the conditions surrounding the moments prior to existence. While Hawking's position is just as valid as any, it is far from conclusive.
But let's take things even one step further. Assuming that Hawking's Universe is correct, and the Universe arises from a natural process (again ignoring the fact that he is relying on the pre-Universe conditions matching the post-Universe conditions, for which there is no evidence) is it possible to explain the evolution of the Universe completely using only current physical laws? In short, no.
This is not to say that science needs God to explain some of the phenomenon of the Universe, but science certainly does not rule God out. Take for example the expansion of the Universe. This is a subject that physics struggles to explain. The current resolution is that a mysterious dark energy drives the Universe to expand, which is our way of saying that we have no clue. Now, I am not suggesting that this is specifically God's doing, but simply pointing out that there are major holes in our understanding of the Universe (which this is one of many) and that to conclusively say that a higher intelligence is not involved is premature at best.
So while Hawking's comments are interesting, it certainly does not bring to a close the debate of whether science can claim exclusive rights to the creation of our Universe. I have a feeling that the conversation will continue ad nauseam for decades to come. Why do I think that? Because we've been saying for decades that we are on the door step of understanding all there is to know about the Universe. But this simply isn't true. As soon as we think we are getting close the Universe always seems to reveal something new that just perplexes us even more, and I don't know that an end is in sight.
