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Throughout history, humans have dreamed
of knowing the reason for the existence of the universe.
In The Mind of God, physicist Paul Davies, author
of the acclaimed God and the New Physics, explores
whether modern science can provide the key that will unlock
all the secrets of existence.
Many scientists now believe that, given
the laws of nature, the universe can come into being spontaneously,
without the need for a creator. Phenomena such as life and
consciousness also seem to be explicable in scientific terms.
Yet a profound mystery remains. Where do these laws of nature
come from? Have they been created by God, or can they be
explained some other way?
The mystery deepens when it is recognized
that the laws that produced the big bang also encouraged
the emergence of organized complexity in the universe, leading
eventually to conscious organisms. Davies argues that these
laws must have a remarkably special form. In a bold and
controversial analysis, he claims that the success of mathematics
in describing nature points to a deep and significant link
between the human mind and the organization of the physical
world.
In his quest for an ultimate explanation
of existence, Davies explores the origin and evolution of
the cosmos, the nature of life and consciousness, the possibility
of other universes, and the claim that our universe is a
kind of gigantic computer. His startling conclusion is that
the universe is no accident, but is structured in a way
that provides a meaningful place for thinking beings.
"Through science," Davies writes,
"we human beings are able to grasp at least some of
nature's secrets. We have cracked part of the cosmic code.
Why this should be, just why homo sapiens should
carry the spark of rationality that provides the key to
the universe, is a deep enigma. We, who are children of
the universe -- animated stardust -- can nevertheless reflect
on the nature of that same universe, even to the extent
of glimpsing the rules on which it runs." By means
of science, we can truly see into the mind of God.
Paul Davies is Professor of Mathematical
Physics at the University of Adelaide in Australia. His
research has ranged across much of fundamental physics and
cosmology, and he has earned an international reputation
through his earlier books God
and the New Physics, The
Cosmic Blueprint, Superforce,
and Other Worlds.
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