In his book Monopolizing Knowledge, MIT plasma physicist Ian Hutchinson first cites a passage from Chance and Necessity, by the Nobel Prize-winning biologist Jacques Monod:   The cornerstone of the scientific method is the postulate that nature is objective.  In other words, the systematic denial that ‘true’ knowledge can be got at by interpreting phenomena in terms of final causes–that is to say, of ‘purpose.’   Hutchinson agrees that Monod has correctly characterized science, and then proceeds to... Read more

    Another portion of one of the manuscripts that I’m working on:   In 63 B.C., Judea became a client-state of the new superpower, Rome. Thus, as the Christian era dawned, the vast majority of the Jewish population—in Palestine and in other centers such as Alexandria—lived in areas under Roman control. At first, the Romans didn’t rule Palestine directly. They preferred rule through locals, such as the infamous Herod. Herod saw himself as something of a reformer, dragging a... Read more

    “Scientism is the belief that all valid knowledge is science.  Scientism says, or at least implicitly assumes, that rational knowledge is scientific, and everything else that claims the status of knowledge is just superstition, irrationality, emotion, or nonsense. “The purpose of this book is to show the pervasiveness of the doctrine of scientism; to explore its coherence, and consequences; and to show that it must be repudiated, both to make sense of a vast range of non-scientific human... Read more

      “I strongly believe in the existence of God, based on intuition, observations, logic, and also scientific knowledge.” “Science, with its experiments and logic, tries to understand the order or structure of the universe. Religion, with its theological inspiration and reflection, tries to understand the purpose or meaning of the universe. These two are cross-related. Purpose implies structure, and structure ought somehow to be interpretable in terms of purpose.” “At least this is the way I see it.... Read more

    In my manuscript, I’ve just spoken about the pre-Islamic Arabian value of revenge, rather than charitable forgiveness.  So we continue:   The story of Shanfara, a poet and outlaw of the tribe of Azd, will also illustrate something of the ideal Arabian hero. The story is told that when he was just a young child, he was kidnapped by another tribe, known as the Banu Salaman. (Banu, here, means “sons [of].”) He was brought up among them and... Read more

    A quotation of which I’m fond, from a man for whom I always had enormous respect — Hugh B. Brown (1883-1975), who served as the first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church during the years in which I became aware of such things:   “We should all be interested in academic research. We must go out on the research front and continue to explore the vast unknown. We should be in the forefront of learning in... Read more

    I’ve had occasion several times before to quote from John Charlton Polkinghorne, KBE (Knight of the British Empire), FRS (Fellow of the Royal Society), who is an English theoretical physicist, theologian, writer, and clergyman.  He was a professor of mathematical physics at the University of Cambridge until he resigned his professorial chair to study for the priesthood, becoming an ordained Anglican priest in 1982.  He served as the president of Queens’ College, Cambridge, from 1988 until 1996.   And now I’m going to do it again:   Again and again in physical science we... Read more

    The beat goes on:   Nomadic life breeds hardiness, frugality, eagerness for material things, fortitude, and hospitality. Such qualities are essential to sur­vival. Furthermore, the nomad was and is an individualist, impa­tient of discipline, reluctant to submit to restraint or authority. (In early Islam, it was always wondered whether the bedouins could ever be real Muslims.) This trait had interesting consequences. With a few exceptions where they came in contact with the Romans or the Persians, or in... Read more

    Another installment from the initial draft of my forthcoming book:   In 175 B.C., aggressive Jewish reformers found an enthusiastic but dangerous ally in a new Seleucid monarch who called himself Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus believed in Hellenism, yes, but he also thought that Hellenism would provide him with higher tax revenues—revenues that he desperately needed in order to keep his many wars going. Casting his eyes around the empire for money, he found a promising source of untapped... Read more