Science and the Sacred: Louis, Ard
Ard Louis is a Reader in Theoretical Physics and a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, where he leads a research group studying problems on the border between chemistry, physics and biology. He is also the International Secretary for Christians in Science, an associate of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion and served on the board of advisors for the John Templeton Foundation.
Blogs by Louis
Addressing Christian Concerns About the Implications of BioLogos’ Science, Part 6
February 25, 2011
When I was a child growing up in central Africa, I didn’t come across too many PhDs. I assumed that someone with Dr. in front of their name would surely know nearly all there is to know about their subject and a great deal more about the rest of the world of academic thought. I’ve now got one myself and supervised and examined a good number of PhD theses in both physics and chemistry.Comments (52)
Addressing Christian Concerns About the Implications of BioLogos’ Science, Part 5
February 18, 2011
The fact that there are so many different metaphors reflects the many facets of evolutionary processes. Christians may find some of these metaphors more palatable than others. But it must be kept in mind that all these metaphors, even those with which Christians would be more comfortable, are limited in their ability to fully capture the detailed scientific mechanisms at work.Comments (16)
Addressing Christian Concerns About the Implications of BioLogos’ Science, Part 4
February 12, 2011
The main message of the previous section is that Christians need to be very careful when trying to derive theological truths from the mechanisms of nature. But it is not all doom and gloom for natural theology. Alister McGrath, for example, has recently called for a renewed approach that is more sensitive to the critiques of Newman, Barth, and others.Comments (43)
Addressing Christian Concerns About the Implications of BioLogos’ Science, Part 3
February 2, 2011
The Bible repeatedly proclaims that the whole of the cosmos declares the glory of God. It even goes so far as to say that men are without excuse because God’s eternal power and divine nature can be understood from what has been made (Rom 1). This must surely mean that, however vaguely, people can perceive attributes of God by their own observations of nature.Comments (167)
Addressing Christian Concerns About the Implications of BioLogos’ Science, Part 2
January 24, 2011
Today the dominant assumption among the intelligentsia is very different, namely an autonomous “mother nature” that runs on its own. If there is a God, then they feel he should show himself by intervening — “poking into” — that world. These same influences lead Christians down blind apologetic alleys like arguing for a “God of the gaps”.Comments (20)
Addressing Christian Concerns About the Implications of BioLogos’ Science, Part 1
January 11, 2011
Many barriers to the acceptance of the BioLogos model by evangelical Christians arise from popular misconceptions about the nature of science and its relationship to God's action in our world. These misconceptions mirror those held by the general public (and are regularly exploited by the new atheists.Comments (33)
Miracles and Science, Part 5
July 24, 2010
By getting rid of the miracle stories in the Bible, Bultmann and his followers hoped to make the Christian story more palatable to modern man. Although I recognize the emotional weight of this sentiment, I am not convinced that it is an intellectually coherent approach, mainly for reasons of self-consistencyComments (19)
Miracles and Science, Part 4
July 17, 2010
Science, as well as tools from historical disciplines, can be brought to bear on biblical miracles. For example they can be split into those that are examples of providential timing (type i miracles) and those that can only be viewed as directly violating physical cause-effect relationships (type ii miracles).Comments (37)
Miracles and Science, Part 3
July 9, 2010
How can we then judge whether or not the miracles of the Bible are reliable? Since the word miracle has taken on so many different meanings, it is important to first examine the biblical language. The New Testament predominantly uses three words for miracle: teras, a wonder; dunamis, an act of power; and semeion, a sign.Comments (123)
Miracles and Science, Part 2
July 3, 2010
Rather than attempt to come up with a careful and precise definition of science or scientific practice, I will instead resort to a favorite metaphor of mine. It originates with one of my former teachers at Cornell, the physicist David Mermin, who describes science as a “tapestry” woven together from many threads (experimental results, interpretations, explanations, etc.).Comments (12)
Miracles and Science, Part 1
June 25, 2010
But, for the sake of this blog, I will be a bit presumptuous and venture a guess. My guess would be that, although both seem to be on opposite sides of a vast divide, they are in fact influenced by a similar perspective on science and miracles, one first laid down by the great sceptical Scottish philosopher David Hume.Comments (18)
Ard Louis on Intelligent Design
April 14, 2010
In this short video, physicist Ard Louis echoes these same doubts about Intelligent Design, noting that his primary resistance to the movement is based on theological grounds as opposed to scientific. That is, he suggests that accepting Intelligent Design is a bit like acknowledging that God “[couldn’t] get the world right the first time around”.Comments (39)
Reducing Irreducible Complexity, Part III
January 27, 2010
I am asked all the time to explain, in a nutshell, why irreducible complexity is not a valid argument in favor of intelligent design. However, I have never heard anyone put it in a more cogent form than Oxford biophysicist Ard Louis in this video.Comments (31)
Understanding Genesis 1: Seeing the Majesty and Glory of God in Time
January 23, 2010
In this brief video, Physicist Ard Louis looks at two important aspects of time to consider when reading Genesis 1: chronology and the idea of “deep time”.Comments (9)
What Do You Mean When You Say “Evolution”?
January 20, 2010
In this video clip, Oxford University biophysicist, Ard Louis posits that one of the reasons Christians are hostile to evolution is that they latch onto a particular definition, which puts it in conflict with their theological convictions.
Comments (35)