Stephen Hawking Theoretical Physicist

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Stephen Hawking Theoretical Physicist
The odds against a universe like ours emerging
out of something like the Big Bang are enormous.
I think there are clearly religious implications
whenever you start to discuss the origins of the
universe. There must be religious overtones.
But I think most scientists prefer to shy away
from the religious side of it. Stephen Hawking,
Stephen Hawkingss Universe, Boslough, 109.
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Are There Good Reasons to Believe God Exists?

• Origin and design of the universe points to a
  Creator
• Design in genetics points to a Creator
• Personal experience and historical evidence
  surrounding Jesus Christ indicates He is God

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1. The scientific evidence indicates that the
   universe had a beginning to its existence

• Our whole system of science is based on the
  premise that if something has a beginning to its
  existence then it must have a cause (cause
  produces an effect)
• 3. Therefore, the universe must have a cause

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4. The cause of the universe must be independent
of what it produced (space-time, matter and
energy
5. Something independent of the dimension of
time is timeless and beginningless 6. Therefore,
the cause of the universe is timeless and
beginningless (from 4 5) 7. An entity can have
a cause only if it has a beginning (one cannot
cause a state of affairs if that state of
affairs already exists) 8. Therefore, the cause
of the universe cannot, itself, have a cause (6
7) Sub-conclusion (B)
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9. Anything existing outside of space and
time must be eternal and immaterial.
10. Therefore, the cause of the universe must be
eternal (6 9) Sub-conclusion (C)
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11. No natural processes of any kind can occur
independent of the dimension of time
12. Therefore, the cause of the universe cannot
be a natural process of any kind (4
11) 13. An effect must be caused by either
natural processes or a free agent 14. Therefo
re, the cause of the universe is a free agent
(12 13) Sub-conclusion (D)
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1. The cause of the universe is a free agent who is
   uncaused, eternal and immaterial (8,10 14)
   Addition of the three sub-conclusions

Advances in science are increasingly pointing to
what people in most societies throughout history
have always intuitively known There is a Creator.
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Not only has the universe been created, but the
scientific evidence indicates that any universe
capable of supporting life must be fine tuned to
a staggering degree.
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Sir Roger Penrose Mathematical Physicist
The accuracy of the Creators aim would have
had to be one part in 1010(123) Hawking, S. and
Penrose, R., The Nature of Space and Time,
Princeton Princeton University Press (1996),
34,35.
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Advances in genetics are increasingly indicating
that organic life required an intelligent
designer.
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Life has the appearance of being designed
"even the most hardened atheist must agree that
plants and animals are design-like in appearance
in a way that rocks and planets are not."
Michael Ruse, Philosophy of Biology, Prometheus
Books, Amherst, NY, (1998), 16.
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Developing a scientific method
For a more sophisticated method, we need

1. An objective method to measure design
2. An upper limit beyond which ID is required

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Developing a scientific method
Claude Shannon1 has provided an objective method
for quantifying functional anomalies in terms of
'bits' of information
1. Shannon, C. (1948). A mathematical theory of
communication. Bell Syst. Tech. J. 27, 379-423
623-657.
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A scientific method to measure design
From Shannon's theorem, functional (meaningful)
Information If (bits) -log2 (n'/n) n' number
of functional configurations n total number
of configurations
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A scientific method to measure design
Example 1 "methinks it is like a weasel"
n' 1 n 2728 1.2 x 1040 If - log2 (1/1.2 x
1040) 133 bits
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A scientific method to measure design
Example 2 radio signal from deep space,
specifying the first 20 prime numbers (71 beeps,
with longer beeps at primes).
n' 1 n 271 2.4 x 1021 If - log2 4.2 x
10-21 71 bits
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Developing a scientific method
Since 71 bits is a certain indication of an
intelligent origin, let us set the bar at 70
bits. Note This means that some configurations
produced by ID will not be identified.
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A scientific method to identify ID
We now have a scientific method to test for
intelligent design.
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A scientific method to identify ID
Step One quantify the information carried by a
functional anomaly using, If (bits) -log2
(n'/n)
Step Two If If is greater than 70 bits, then ID
has been involved in producing the configuration.
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A scientific method to identify ID
Prediction For any configuration observed to be
produced by natural processes, the information
required to produce that configuration will not
exceed 70 bits.
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A scientific method to identify ID

• Note This method is based on two empirical
  facts
• nature cannot produce configurations requiring
  more than 70 bits of information,
• ID can.

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Application

• NaCl crystal 0 bits
• atactic polystyrene 0 bits
• patterns arising out of chaotic interactions 0
  bits
• sand ripples formed by wave action 0 bits
• Radio signal from deep space containing the first
  20 prime numbers 71 bits
• Mass spectrometer at the U of Toronto 85,000 bits

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Simplest known life form
M. genitalium is the simplest known life form,
with 480 genes (480 kb).
If 120,000 bits Probability of natural
processes assembling the simplest genome is, at
best, 10-38,000. To appreciate this, the most
improbable event we could reasonably expect to
observe in the history of the universe is about
10-141.
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Summary
Threshold
simplest known life form 120,000 bits
human genome 14.3 million bits
0
70bits
Information required (bits)
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ID was involved in the origin and diversity of
organic life

• Natural processes cannot produce more than 70
  bits of information
• It is an empirical fact that ID can produce
  configurations that contain vastly more than 70
  bits of information
• The most rudimentary life form requires at least
  120,000 bits
• Therefore, ID is essential for the origin and
  diversity of organic life

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Darwinian evolution and ID
Two radically different types of evolution
Micro-evolution variation of allele frequencies
in a population over time, including the
introduction of new alleles through
mutation. Example First mentioned in the Bible,
in the book of Genesis (BC 1400), when Jacob
varied the allele frequency in his
father-in-laws goats and sheep.
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Darwinian evolution and ID
Macro-evolution the production of a gene that
codes for a novel protein (a new three
dimensional structure) that is functional.
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Darwinian evolution and ID
Darwinian scenario

• a gene is duplicated within a genome, making
  it redundant
• the redundant gene is free to evolve via
  mutations
• eventually, the evolving gene codes for a
  novel protein (new 3-D structure)
• the entire process is guided by natural
  selection

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Darwinian evolution and ID
Work by Blanco et al., published in 1999, has
shown that the regions in between islands of
functional sequence space produce non-folding,
non-functional proteins.
Blanco, Angrand Serrano (1999) 'Exploring the
conformational properties of the sequence space
between two proteins with different folds and
experimental study' J.Mol.Biol. 285, 741-753.
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Darwinian evolution and ID
Blanco et al. conclude, "the appearance of a
completely new fold from an existing one is
unlikely to occur by evolution through a route of
folded intermediate sequences."
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Functional and non-functional sequence space for
a given gene
functional sequence space, microevolution can
optimize sequences in this area of sequence space
non-functional sequence space
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Functional and non-functional sequence space for
a given gene
From Taylor et al., if the top of the island were
1 kilometer square, the next nearest island would
be at least 56 billion kilometers away.
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Darwinian evolution and ID
Natural selection can only work on folding,
functional intermediates. Blanco et al. Have
found that there may be none.
Virtually all of macro-evolution is going to have
to occur without the aid of natural selection.
(99.9999999999999999999999)
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Darwinian evolution and ID
The evolution of a novel protein will require an
evolutionary trajectory that is almost entirely
in non-folding, non-functional sequence space.
Without the aid of natural selection, a new gene
must evolve via a random walk.
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The probability of crossing sequence space in a
single recombination is n'/n e.g., 2 x 10-22
for a simple enzyme
The probability of crossing sequence space via a
random walk is n'/n(N!/NN) Where N of
residues e.g., 3.3 x 10-141 (compare 4.2 x
10-141)
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Darwinian evolution and ID

• the informational gap between functional proteins
  cannot be crossed by natural selection, as it is
  inoperative in those regions
• the informational gap is too large to be crossed
  by chance or a random walk
• it is an empirical fact that ID can be used to
  cross non-functional sequence space (Taylor et
  al.)

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Darwinian evolution and ID
Conclusion
Intelligent design appears to be required for the
origin and diversity of organic life.
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Philosophical Implications
We must not curtail the advancement of science
because we prefer to 'shy away' from the
philosophical implications.
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Philosophical Implications
There are two issues here

1. Scientific issue was ID involved in the origin
   and diversity of organic life?
2. Philosophical issue if ID was involved, what are
   the philosophical implications?

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Philosophical Implications
Two large philosophical implications

1. The intelligent designer is God (consensus)
2. There must be some purpose and meaning to life

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Argument from Personal Experience

• If just one person in history has actually
  experienced God, then God exists
• At least one person in history has actually
  experienced God
• Therefore, God exists

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There are only Three Options

• I am lying
• I am insane
• I am telling the truth

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Rational justification for belief in the
Christian experience of God

• Jesus of Nazareth claimed to be God
• There is warrant for taking His claim seriously
• Therefore, there is warrant for believing that
  the God exists

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Warrant 1 Jesus fulfilled ancient prophecies

• The Old Testament was completed prior to the time
  of Christ
• There are hundreds of prophecies in the Old
  Testament
• They can be classified into two groups
  prophecies concerning the first coming of the
  Messiah, and prophecies concerning the end of
  human history.
• Jesus fulfilled the first set against impossible
  odds
• Therefore there is warrant for taking His
  statements about being God seriously.

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Some Messianic Prophecies

• The Messiah would come from Bethlehem and have
  existed from eternity past.1 BC 700
• The Messiah would make his entrance on the
  landscape of history 483 years after the decree
  was issued to rebuild Jerusalem (AD 19 - AD 39).2
  BC 500

1. Micah 52 2. Daniel 925, (Correlate Daniel
927 and 1211)
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• Shortly after his arrival in Jerusalem, the
  Messiah would be killed.1
• God would one day be valued at 30 pieces of
  silver.2
• The Messiah would die for the sins of all
  humanity.3
• The Messiah would be despised by the Jewish
  nation.4

1. Daniel 926 2. Zechariah 1112,13 3. Isaiah
5211,12 535,6,10,11 4. Isaiah 533
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Warrant 2 There are three lines of historical
evidence that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead
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The conclusion of scholars

• One of the foremost scholars in the area of the
  historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus
  of Nazareth. William Lane Craig Assessing the
  New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the
  Resurrection of Jesus, (Edwin Mellen Press,
  1989).
• Orthodox Jewish Scholar, Pinchas Lapide The
  Resurrection of Jesus A Jewish Perspective,
  trans. Wilhelm C. Linss (Minneapolis Augsburg,
  1983)

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Three historical facts

• The tomb was empty on the third day even though
  it had been under Roman guard
• History indicates that hundreds of people saw and
  interacted with Him after His death
• The explosion of Christianity within weeks of His
  death, coupled with the belief that He had risen
  from the dead

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Rational justification for belief in the
Christian God

• Jesus of Nazareth claimed to be God
• There is warrant for taking His claim seriously
• Therefore, there is warrant for believing that
  God exists

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• Given
• the scientific evidence for the existence of God
  and,
• the historical evidence for the Judeo-God,
• there are good reasons to believe that God exists.