CommencementAddress,Augsburg,2May2009

KerryEmanuel

PresidentPribbenow,ladiesandgentlemen,andgraduatesoftheClassof2009: Itisaprivilegetobewithyouonthismagnificentday.AndIamdelightedtobeinthestatewhereallthe womenarestrong,allthemenaregoodlooking,andallthechildrenareaboveaverage. Itisanauspicioustimetobecelebratingtheaccomplishmentsofscience.Thisyearmarksthe200th anniversaryofthebirthofCharlesDarwin,andthe400thanniversaryofGalileosdiscoveryofthemoons ofJupiterusinganewinvention,thetelescope.Thescientificrevolutionsbroughtaboutby enlightenmenteraphysicsand19thcenturybiologyrevolutionizedourunderstandingoftheuniverse andledtotechnologicalandmedicaladvancesthathaveutterlytransformedthewaywelive.Butthey seriouslychallengedtheroleoffaithinourlivesandbroughtreasonandrevelationintoastateof conflictwhichhasonlyintensifiedinmoderntimes. Mymessagetoyoutodayisthatthesubsequentscientificrevolutionsofthe20thcenturyshouldhave largelyobliteratedanyconflictbetweenfaithandreason.Theirfailuretodosoislargelytheresultofour collectivefailuretomake20thcenturysciencecentraltowhatitmeanstobeeducatedinthe21st century.Todaysphilosophicalargumentsbetweenpeopleoffaithandchampionsofreasonaretrapped inaprisonwhosebarsaremadeofoutdated19thcenturyscience.Itistimewebrokeoutofthisprison. Butwhataprisonitis.Itishardforustodaytoimaginethepsycheofpreenlightenmentman,forwhom theworkingsofeverythingwereveiledinmystery.ItwaseasytobelievethatGodorgodsplayeda directroleineveryactionandineveryoutcome.Explanationsofthephysicalworldwereprovidedby thechurchasrevealedwisdom. ThencamethegreatscientificupheavalsofCopernicus,Kepler,Galileo,Bacon,DesCartes,andIsaac Newton.Inashortspanoftime,theworkingsoftheuniversewereshowntoconformtoremarkably simplelaws;thegreatmysterythathithertohadcloakedeverythingwasremovedfarintoadistant background.TheFrenchmathematicianPierreSimonLaPlaceunderstoodthefullimplicationsof Newtonslaws:Theinitialstateoftheuniversefullydeterminesitsdestiny;theGodoftheeveryday worldwasdemotedtoamerewatchmaker. Forsome,thisrevolutionwasanenormousleapforward,agreatenlightenment.Inthewordsof AlexanderPope, Natureandnatureslawslayhidinnight; GodsaidLetNewtonbe!andallwaslight.

Butforothers,likethepoetJohnDonne,therevolutionwasatraumaticdislocation: ThenewPhilosophycallsallindoubt, TheElementoffireisquiteputout; TheSunislost,andth'earth,andnoman'swit Canwelldirecthimwheretolookforit Thescientistsbehindtherevolutionstruggledtoreconciletheirfaithwiththeirdiscoveries.Theycould notmakethenewviewofnatureasobeyingfixedlawscompatiblewiththeoldideaofaGodofthe everydayworld,buttheycouldanddidseethehandofGodinthelawsthemselves.Theclergy,after firstattemptingtosuppressscience,laterdidwhattheycouldtomakepeacewithit.OlympiaBrown, thefirstwomanordainedasaministerintheU.S.,putitthisway: Themorewelearnofscience,themoreweseethatitswonderfulmysteriesareallexplainedbyafew simplelawssoconnectedtogetherandsodependentuponeachother,thatweseethesamemind animatingthemall. YetthepainfulimplicationsofNewtonslawshoveredoverallphilosophy.Onlybymakinganexception formanhimselfcouldanidealikehumanfreedomsurvive.Butformany,thishumanexceptionalism wasfinallykilledoffbyDarwinstheoryofevolutionbynaturalselection.Itseemedimpossibleto reconcileDarwinsscientificrevelationwithdivinerevelationasembodied,forexample,inGenesis. Noristheideaoffreewill,evenifreducedtothesimplechoicetofollowonesfaith,compatibleinany waywithadeterministicuniverse.Attemptstoredefinemoralityasnothingmorethanbiological imperativeledinthe20thcenturytosuchhorrorsasscientificsocialism.Thecruelmoralityofnatural selectionquiteevidentlylegitimizesmurderandwar.Indeed,asDostoevskyscharacterIvan Karamazovremarked,ifGodisdead,everythingispermitted. HadsciencestoppedwithNewton,Darwin,andFreud,itwouldhavebeenverydifficultifnot impossibletoreconcilesciencewithfaith;theycouldonlyhavebecomeswornenemies.Sciencehadto tacklereligiononlyasaphenomenontobeexplained;SigmundFreudlikenedittoachildhood neurosis.Andfaithcouldonlyhaveseenscienceasitsassassin. Butsciencedidnotstop.ThefirstintimationsofacrackinthearmorofNewtoniandeterminismcame alreadyin1850withthedevelopment,byRudolfClausius,oftheSecondLawofThermodynamics,which statesthataquantitycalledentropymustalwaysincreaseinanyspontaneouschangeofthestateofa system.ForthefirsttimesinceNewton,timehadbeenaccordedtherespectofhavingadefinite direction;atleastthehandsofLaPlacesclockcouldnotrunbackwards.Butthebeginningsofareal breakcamein1900,whenMaxPlanckdiscoveredthatenergycanbeemittedorabsorbedbymatter onlyindiscretequanta,leadingin1927toWernerHeisenbergsUncertaintyPrinciple,whichputs definitelimitsonmansabilitytomeasureandtopredictthephysicalworld.Atfirst,itseemedthatour fundamentalinabilitytopredictoutcomesmightbelimitedtothesubatomicworld.Butwiththe discoveryofchaosbyEdwardLorenzin1961,thelastnailwashammeredintothecasketofthe clockworkuniverse;wenowknowbeyondanydoubtthatitisformallyimpossibletopredictevensuch simplesystemsasanordinarypinballmachinebeyondafewricochets.Butperhapsthemostprofound

developmentof20thcenturyscienceistherecognitionthattheoutcomeofatleastsomephysical processesdependsontheirbeingobserved.Inthestrange,wonderfulworldofquantumphysics, consciousnessisfundamentalandmankindisbroughtbackfromtheabysstoplayacentralroleinthe universe;indeed,insomeinterpretationsofquantumphysics(suchasthatofthelate,greatphysicist JohnArchibaldWheeler),ourexistenceandthatoftheentireuniversearemutuallydependent.Science hasbecomepowerfulenoughtodiscoveritsownlimitationsandinsodoinghasfreedusforeverfrom thedeterministicshacklesofNewtonianscience.Itcannolongerruleoutfreewilloritslogicalcorollary, theexistenceofGod.Inshort,reason,onceourjailer,hasnowsetusfree. Butnotsothatyoudnotice.Unfortunately,totheextentthatscienceistaughtatall,almostallofits teachingisstuckinthe19thcentury.Onlyabout1/3ofU.S.collegesanduniversitiesrequirestudentsto takeatleastonecourseinthenaturalsciences,andtheserarelyexposestudentstothewondersof quantumphysicsandnonlineardynamics.Theresultingmassignoranceof20thcenturysciencehashad theparadoxicaleffectofperpetuatingarevoltagainsttheshacklesofenlightenmenterascience,a revoltthatdatesbackto19thcenturyRomanticismandnowtakestheformofpostmodernism.21st centurycultureisthusinfullrevoltagainstaversionofsciencethatceasedtoexistalmostacentury ago.Thisrevoltcanbeseenintheisolationofsciencefromotherintellectualculture,lamentedbyC.P. Snowinhis1959essayonthetwocultures,intheportrayalbyHollywoodofscientistsasmad,nerdy, powerhungry,orallthree,andmosttragicallyintherefusalofourculturetoinsistonmorescience education,thusinsuringthattheproblemwillliveoninperpetuity.Ignoranceof20thcenturyscience allowsU.S.senatorstoproclaimthatglobalwarmingisahoax,whilethemisbegotten,quixoticwar against19thcenturysciencewagedbycreationistsandtheirilkdamagesscienceandfaithequally, pretendingasitdoesthatscientificrevelationhasnothingtodowithdivinerevelation.Atthesame time,theradicalfragmentationofscienceitselfmeansthatevengiftedspecialistscanremainlargely ignorantofimportantadvancesoutsidetheirnarrowfieldsofview.Thisisperhapswhythe accomplishedbiologistRichardDawkins,drunkonthepowerofnaturalselection,canproclaimthatGod isadelusion.Ignorantarmiesclashbythenightofoutdatedphysics. Yourgenerationisinapositiontochangeallthat.Weshouldtogetherinsistthathencefortheveryhigh schoolstudentbeexposedto20thcenturyscience,tothefullpowerandimplicationsofquantum physicsandchaostheory.Physicsisfartooimportanttobelefttophysicists.Theonlyprayerwehaveof unitingthetwoculturesistoseetoitthateveryeducatedpersonsunderstandingofscienceisupdated toatleast1961.WewillthenbeabletofullyappreciateAlbertEinsteinspointthatsciencewithout religionislame,religionwithoutscienceisblind. AugsburgCollegehasacompellingmotto:ThroughTruthtoFreedom.Howwonderfulitistoliveinan erainwhichsciencecanaccommodatetheunityofthesetwocentralconceptsaswellasthe compatibilityoffaithandreason. AsbefitsyouasAugsburggraduates,letfaithgiveyouthemotivetodogoodinthisworld,andlet reasongiveyouthepowertodoso.