By Ryan Fackler
Last Thursday evening, astronomer Dr. Jennifer Wiseman discussed the magnificence of the physical universe and provided insights on the spiritual realm.
The talk, titled “A Magnificent Universe: (and Our Place in It!),” was a Veritas Forum event hosted by Haverford Christian Fellowship. It was divided into two distinct parts: a presentation of scientific wonders discovered by astronomy and an analysis of how “a Biblical view of the cosmos relate[s] to our scientific view,” according to Wiseman. She discussed how she reconciled her scientific background with her belief in God as a “cosmic presence” defined by scripture.
Wiseman began the forum by giving a “prospective with which we can understand” the physical universe. According to Wiseman, the physical realm should be observed through the prospectives of “magnitude, beauty, progression, activity, mystery, and exploration.”
In her introduction, Wiseman presented a wide variety of photographs of nebulae, stars, galaxies, and other astronomical wonders, discussing the scientific understanding of the universe. She described that through astronomy, as “our only way to have a time machine,” humanity has been able to understand the physical nature of the heavens like no other time in history. According to Wiseman, “it was predicted that if our universe had a beginning…we should be able to see it.”
Commenting on a picture taken by the Hubble telescope with an aperture the size of pencil lead, Wiseman said, “It just about knocks you over…every little blip is not a star, but a galaxy.” Moreover, as she marveled at the picture, she said, “Anyone who’s not awestruck by this, I’m sorry for.”
After summarizing the vast amount of knowledge possessed by modern science, Wiseman addressed those “mysteries” which still remain. With respect to the current understanding of the cosmos, she described how only between 4 and 5 percent of all matter is understood. The 73% of the universe believed to be composed of “dark energy” and the 22% composed of “dark matter” are still mysterious. Because of this limited knowledge, she remarked how “humility is something we need right now.”
Wiseman discussed how scientists are able to peer billions of years into the universe’s past, and even determine that there may be other life-supporting planets. She asked, “Does that mean we are getting less and less significant?”
She continued, “It turns out that in Copernican times, being removed from the center [of the universe] was considered an elevation not a demotion” in the subsequent years, and the significance of human life has come under increasing skepticism.
In response, Wiseman said, “We have to figure out what it means to us to be significant. Is it to be rare?” Transitioning from her role as a scientist to a believer, she echoed the common statement that “science is limited to the question of how and when and why,while faith addresses the questions like Why (is there a purpose) and Who.”
From her years looking into the far reaches of the cosmos, Wiseman feels that, “God appears to be powerful, creative, the creator of love and beauty, patient, faithful, desiring freedom within the context of faithfulness… one who gives and enables Life, and one who loves.”
As for the question of the significance of human life, Wiseman clarified where, for her, our significance resides. She sees no inherent significance in our location, for “we do not seem to occupy a special place of a significant volume.” The space in which humanity does exist, however, “is in just the right situation for life to thrive.” As such, because “fundamental constants seem finely tuned” to life, she concludes that human-life remains significant.
This article is © 2008 The Bi-College News. The material on this page is free for personal or educational use, but may not be reproduced, reprinted, republished, redistributed, or otherwise transmitted to a third party without the express written permission of The Bi-College News, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041.
Editor's note: Articles that appear in the Last Word section are works of satire.
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