Following up on the "God & Reality" series that finished with some thoughts on our Christian use of science as a resource for theological reflection (here), Tony Rothman's editorial, "The problem with physics," offers a bit more fodder for reflection. While modern physics has shown itself to be a powerful tool for understanding reality, according to Rothman physicists still understand much less than they sometimes seem to think they understand. He observes, "Unfortunately, many of my colleagues — particularly those who write textbooks — present physics as a towering, seamless basilica, ignoring the gaps in our hodge-podge of skewed models. In fact, what is presented as a shimmering cathedral often more closely resembles a hastily erected shanty-town." He goes on to give examples of how physicists are still unable to explain even basic physical realities, and Rothman concludes, "One can hardly challenge the predictive success of modern physics, but one should remember that one is describing nature, and not always understanding it."We need to remember Rothman's point. Physics in particular and science generally are very human ventures and nothing more than that. Science is not god-like in its powers of explanation. And, hard as it may be to believe, it is not the final step in the human road to understanding the universe. Something will eventually replace it—something that will seem as magical to scientific peoples as our technological toys are to pre-scientific peoples. As people of faith, meanwhile, we are called to surf the waves of the sciences playing with ways they can help us better understand God—but I've made that point already.
