Ep. #55 – Modern Physics & Ancient Faith w/ Dr. Barr
Summary
Dr. Stephen Barr joins us to discuss his book Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. Does science support the existence of God? What about the order in the universe and the so-called “fine-tuning”? Are those evidence for God? Also, we discuss at length (and have a good-hearted dispute) over whether the Kalam argument is evidence for the existence of God.
Guest Short Bio
Dr. Stephen Barr is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Delaware. His particular areas of expertise include grand unified theories and particle cosmology. He’s a renowned speaker on topics of science and religion and author of the excellent book Modern Physics and Ancient Faith.
Show Outline
In the first segment, Dr. Barr speaks to how he became involved in the faith and science discussion. Particularly, he discusses the origin of the growing Society of Catholic Scientists.
In the next segment, we look at whether science provides evidence for God. Dr. Barr discusses the orderliness of the universe and distinguishes this from “fine-tuning.” Also, we have a lengthy discussion about the Kalam argument and whether it provides evidence for God.
In the final segment, I ask Dr. Barr what he would change from his 2003 book based on recent science. He discusses the Lucas-Penrose argument mentioned in a previous episode with Dr. Jim Slagle.
Resources Mentioned
Modern Physics and Ancient Faith by Dr. Stephen Barr
The Believing Scientist: Essays on Science & Religion by Dr. Stephen Barr
The Society of Catholic Scientists
Related Episodes
Ep. #11 – Scientism is Still False w/ Dr. JP Moreland
BONUS|Science & Faith w/ Dr. Trasancos
