{"id":85847,"date":"2020-06-13T11:13:55","date_gmt":"2020-06-13T17:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=85847"},"modified":"2020-06-14T12:57:42","modified_gmt":"2020-06-14T18:57:42","slug":"some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html","title":{"rendered":"Some hear mere noise, while others hear a tune"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Collier's<\/a>
John Collier, \u201cIn the Forest of Arden\u201d (1892) \u00a0[Wikimedia Commons public domain image]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Continuing with some notes from Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology<\/em> (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009):<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The existence of stars rests on several delicate balances between the different forces of nature. \u00a0These require that the parameters that govern how strongly these forces act be tuned just so. \u00a0In many cases, a small turn of the dial in one direction or another results in a world not only without stars, but with much less structure than our universe. \u00a0(cited on xi, from Lee Smolin, The Life of the Cosmos<\/em> [New York: Oxford University Press, 1997], 37)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cReligious faith,\u201d wrote William James, is basically \u201cfaith in the existence of an unseen order of some kind in which the riddles of the natural order may be found and explained.\u201d \u00a0(cited on 1, from William James, The Will to Believe<\/em> [New York: Dover Publications, 1956], 51)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pursuit of discovery,\u201d Michael Polanyi noted, is \u201cguided by sensing the presence of a hidden reality toward which our clues are pointing.\u201d \u00a0(cited on 2, from Michael Polanyi, The Tacit Dimension<\/em> [Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1967], 24)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

An image from Michael Polanyi: \u00a0Where some hear a noise, others hear a tune. \u00a0(paraphrased on 3, from Michael Polanyi, \u201cScience and Reality,\u201d British Journal for the Philosophy of Science<\/em> 18 [1967]: 177-196, especially 190-191)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our capacity for discerning meaningful aggregates, as distinct from chance aggregates, is an ultimate power of our personal judgment. \u00a0It can be aided by explicit argument but never determined by it: our final decision will always remain tacit. \u00a0(cited on 3, from Michael Polanyi, \u201cScience and Reality,\u201d British Journal for the Philosophy of Science<\/em> 18 [1967]: 191)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is an obvious parallel here with Shakespeare\u2019s As You Like It<\/em> (1599-1600), in which the good Duke Senior is exiled to the Forest of Arden, where, like Robin Hood, he lives close to nature with his faithful followers. \u00a0There he reflects that he might be able to learn more from nature than from the corrupt court from which he has been banished:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>And this our life exempt from public haunt<\/span>
\n<\/a>Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,<\/span>
\n<\/a>Sermons in stones and good in every thing. \u00a0(II.i.15-17)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But actually, comments Professor McGrath,<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nature . . . discloses nothing. \u00a0It does not \u201cspeak\u201d because it is mute. \u00a0The construction of meaning is the creative work of the human mind, as it reflects on what it observes. \u00a0Nature has \u201cno tongue to plead, no heart to feel\u201d; its role is limited since it can \u201conly be.\u201d \u00a0(4, citing Gerard Manley Hopkins, \u201cRibblesdale\u201d [1883])<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 Continuing with some notes from Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009): \u00a0 The existence of stars rests on several delicate balances between the different forces of nature. \u00a0These require that the parameters that govern how strongly these forces […]<\/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":[10121,909,10127,545,9218,12545,10247,1230,743,243,12542,816,12548],"class_list":["post-85847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-anthropic","tag-faith","tag-fine-tuned","tag-fine-tuning","tag-natural","tag-polanyi","tag-principle","tag-reason","tag-religion","tag-science","tag-tacit-dimension","tag-theology","tag-william-james"],"yoast_head":"\nSome hear mere noise, while others hear a tune<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Continuing with some notes from Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (Louisville, KY:\" \/>\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\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Some hear mere noise, while others hear a tune\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"    Continuing with some notes from Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (Louisville, KY:\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-13T17:13:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-14T18:57:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/05\/John_Collier_-_In_the_Forest_of_Arden.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=\"2 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\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html\",\"name\":\"Some hear mere noise, while others hear a tune\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-13T17:13:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-14T18:57:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\"    Continuing with some notes from Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (Louisville, KY:\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Some hear mere noise, while others hear a tune\"}]},{\"@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":"Some hear mere noise, while others hear a tune","description":"    Continuing with some notes from Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (Louisville, KY:","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\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Some hear mere noise, while others hear a tune","og_description":"    Continuing with some notes from Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (Louisville, KY:","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2020-06-13T17:13:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-06-14T18:57:42+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/05\/John_Collier_-_In_the_Forest_of_Arden.jpg"}],"author":"Dan Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Peterson","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html","name":"Some hear mere noise, while others hear a tune","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-06-13T17:13:55+00:00","dateModified":"2020-06-14T18:57:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":"    Continuing with some notes from Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (Louisville, KY:","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/some-hear-mere-noise-while-others-hear-a-tune.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Some hear mere noise, while others hear a tune"}]},{"@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\/85847","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=85847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85847\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}