Einstein and God - the god of human understanding of science was not an atheist

[David Pinnegar]

http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay.htm

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery -- even if mixed with fear -- that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence -- as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature.

[David Pinnegar]

Hi!

Following in the spirit of Einstein's views, the obituary yesterday of Professor Sir Michael Drummet is inspiration.

Drummet was a devout believer, following the Catholic line of faith. Perhaps a few extracts here might illustrate why he was worthy of mention.

When exploring the ramifications of a philosphical thesis - or distinguishing between possible versions of it - Drummett was in a class of his own. Philosophical discussion with him was inexhaustible. He never sought the last word on a subject; indeed he deinied that there were ever any last words in philosophy. Progress in the subject was possible because careful reflection could expose flaws in the crude responses to philosohpical conundrums that w are initially disposed to give. But such reflection will bever yeild a resoilution that commands universal assent. As often as not, it will instead reveal mistakes in the forumation of the problem.

In Drummett's writings, a 30 page discussion of a question frequently issues, not in answer to it, but in the judgment that the question has been misconceived, and needs to be superseded.

He addressed issues of Truth, in 1962 being appointed as Reader in the Philosophy of Mathematics and in 1979 took up the Wykeham Chair of Logic at Oxford.

For anyone on the quest, for someone as fastidiously logical as Drummett to be found to have been a man of faith makes his writings worthy of investigation. Writing about "The Logical basis of Metaphysics" controversially he argued that the basic notions of classical logic are in the last analysis unintelligible.

I suggest that it is perhaps that unintelligibility that the understanding of God attempts to assist us with which to grapple.

Best wishes

David P