{"id":44640,"date":"2017-10-19T11:09:56","date_gmt":"2017-10-19T17:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=44640"},"modified":"2017-10-19T11:09:56","modified_gmt":"2017-10-19T17:09:56","slug":"under-the-floor-of-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html","title":{"rendered":"Under the floor of heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Moon,<\/a>
Earth from just above the Moon. \u00a0\u00a0(NASA public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two ways of looking at the cosmos:<\/p>\n

A tiny planet floating amidst the vastness of an impersonal cosmos that truly does not care.\u00a0 Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg: \u201cThe more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.\u201d\u00a0 Still, he thinks, science can bestow upon us a fleeting and ultimately meaningless dignity in the face of utter cosmic nihilism.\u00a0 \u201cThe effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of farce, and gives it some of the grace of tragedy.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Quite different from French philosopher Henri Bergson\u2019s remark that \u201cthe universe is a machine for the making of gods.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 In Weinberg\u2019s opinion, the universe is a machine, yes, but it was constructed for nothing by nobody.<\/p>\n

In a 1995 address entitled \u201cPhysics and the Mind of God,\u201d Anglo-Australian physicist Paul Davies notes the strikingly lawful nature of the universe, which \u201cpermits complex order to emerge from chaos, life to emerge from inanimate matter, and consciousness to emerge from life.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Cited in John Polkinghorne, \u201cEschatology: Some Questions and Some Insights from Science,\u201d in The End of the World and the Ends of God<\/em>, ed. John Polkinghorne and Michael Welker (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2000), 32.\u00a0 [See original.]<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Find specific source.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Paul Davies, \u201cPhysics and the Mind of God,\u201d First Things<\/em> 55 (1995): 34.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Close observers of the skies have long noticed their remarkable orderliness and harmony, which led, eventually, to the notion of the \u201cmusic of the spheres,\u201d which is well expressed by\u00a0Lorenzo\u2019s words to Jessica, in Shakespeare\u2019s The Merchant of Venice<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Look how the floor of heaven<\/p>\n

Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold:<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not the smallest orb which thou behold\u2019st<\/p>\n

But in his motion like an angel sings,<\/p>\n

Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins;<\/p>\n

Such harmony is in immortal souls;<\/p>\n

But whilst this muddy vesture of decay<\/p>\n

Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Pierre Lecomte du No\u00fcy remarked more than half a century ago, \u201cparalyzing skepticism and destructive materialism . . . are by no means the inevitable consequences of the scientific interpretation of nature, as we have been led to believe.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

And that is perhaps more obvious now that it has been at any time in the past one hundred and fifty years.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice<\/em>, V.i.58-65.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Lecomte du No\u00fcy, Human Destiny<\/em> (Longmans, Green and Company, 1947), xv.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Changing focus just a bit . . .<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It sounds like an idea for a really gripping horror movie:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hunt for the Brain-Eating Amoebas of Yellowstone\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But perhaps you prefer science fiction?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA tech-destroying solar flare could hit Earth within 100 years\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I was a little kid, I was a rabid Godzilla fan. \u00a0So, when Godzilla met King Kong or Rodan, I was so very there for it. \u00a0But would I want to be on the scene for this<\/em>?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Would Happen If a Hurricane Hit an Erupting Volcano? \u00a0A showdown of natural forces could have unanticipated consequences in the Caribbean.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I found myself thinking, as I read the article above, about the old junior high school conundrum of what would happen if the irresistible force were to meet the immoveable object. \u00a0(My answer: \u00a0The indescribable event.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

More seriously, though, I found myself thinking about the cataclysmic events narrated in 3 Nephi.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Two ways of looking at the cosmos: A tiny planet floating amidst the vastness of an impersonal cosmos that truly does not care.\u00a0 Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg: \u201cThe more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.\u201d\u00a0 Still, he thinks, science can bestow upon us a fleeting and ultimately meaningless dignity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nUnder the floor of heaven<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Two ways of looking at the cosmos: A tiny planet floating amidst the vastness of an impersonal cosmos that truly does not care.\u00a0 Nobel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Under the floor of heaven\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"    Two ways of looking at the cosmos: A tiny planet floating amidst the vastness of an impersonal cosmos that truly does not care.\u00a0 Nobel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-19T17:09:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/files\/2016\/11\/NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html\",\"name\":\"Under the floor of heaven\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-19T17:09:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-10-19T17:09:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\"    Two ways of looking at the cosmos: A tiny planet floating amidst the vastness of an impersonal cosmos that truly does not care.\u00a0 Nobel\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Under the floor of heaven\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/\",\"name\":\"Sic et Non\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\",\"name\":\"Dan Peterson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dan Peterson\"},\"description\":\"\\\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\\\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Under the floor of heaven","description":"    Two ways of looking at the cosmos: A tiny planet floating amidst the vastness of an impersonal cosmos that truly does not care.\u00a0 Nobel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Under the floor of heaven","og_description":"    Two ways of looking at the cosmos: A tiny planet floating amidst the vastness of an impersonal cosmos that truly does not care.\u00a0 Nobel","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2017-10-19T17:09:56+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/files\/2016\/11\/NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg"}],"author":"Dan Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Peterson","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html","name":"Under the floor of heaven","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-10-19T17:09:56+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-19T17:09:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":"    Two ways of looking at the cosmos: A tiny planet floating amidst the vastness of an impersonal cosmos that truly does not care.\u00a0 Nobel","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/under-the-floor-of-heaven.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Under the floor of heaven"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/","name":"Sic et Non","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045","name":"Dan Peterson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dan Peterson"},"description":"\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44640\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}