Cosmology as Contact Between Science and Theology



• Cosmology as Contact Between Science and Theology

  Author	Willem Drees
  Rights	© 2015 Aletheia - Associação Científica e Cultural | © 2015 Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia
  Volume	63
  Issue	1-3
  Pages	533-553
  Publication	Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia
  ISSN	0870-5283; 2183-461X
  Date	2007
  DOI	10.17990/RPF/2007_63_1_0533
  Language	English
  Abstract	Abstract: Scientific cosmology raises various issues of philosophical interest. Among these is the understanding of ‘the beginning’, as it arises in normal cosmology, which seems not intelligible as an ordinary beginning (‘in time’), but rather as a beginning ‘of time’. Recent cosmological research that seeks to unite theories of gravity and of quantum physics is speculative; various proposals with different philosophical perspectives on time and reality co-exist. This plurality of speculative cosmological proposals reflects also a diversity of views regarding the nature of explanations. ‘Anthropic principles’ are not fruitful as additional explanations. It is argued here, however, that any cosmological proposal will always have an open end, due to limit questions that arise in relation to the scientific research but are not answered by it. These limit questions allow for various religious interpretations, theistic, pantheistic and agnostic. Key Words: Anthropic principle; Astrophysics; Beginning; Big Bang; Cosmology; Creation; Einstein, Albert; Evolution; Explanation; Explanation of facts; Explanation of laws; Gravity; Hawking, Stephen; Limit questions; Linde, Andrei; Metaphysics; Meta-universe; Multiple Universes; New physics; Penrose, Roger; Physics; Possible Universes; Quantum cosmology; Quantum gravity; Quantum physics; Reality; Science and Theology; Teleology; Theism; Theory of Relativity; Time; Unification; Vilenkin, Alexander.
  Date Added	14/07/2015, 15:29:50
  Modified	20/07/2015, 10:39:33

  Tags:

  • Einstein, Albert;
  • metaphysics
  • Philosophy of Science
  • Quantum Physics;