Creation - From Nothing Until Now

123 Pages·2002·1.109 MB·English

by  W. Drees

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Presenting a brief and accessible overview of contemporary scientific 13
thought,Creation: From Nothing Until Nowis an imaginative and 14
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poetic exploration of our existence from an evolutionary perspective,
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from the Big Bang until now. The author assesses the religious and
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philosophical impact of scientific developments on our understand-
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ing of evolution and the natural world, and examines the changing
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relationship between us and our planet.
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Willem B. Dreesis a physicist, theologian and philosopher. He holds
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the chair in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at the Department of
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Theology, University of Leiden, the Netherlands.
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Creation
From Nothing Until Now
Willem B. Drees
London and New York
First published 2002 by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
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© 2002 Willem B. Drees
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Drees, Willem B., 1954–
Creation : from nothing until now / Willem B. Drees.
p. cm.
1. Creation. 2. Religion and science. I. Title.
BS651 .D75 2001
213–dc21 2001019666
ISBN 0-203-45865-6 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-46057-X (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0–415–25652–6 (hbk)
ISBN 0–415–25653–4 (pbk)
Contents
Introduction 1
A creation story 5
Scene 1. When time was not yet 9
Scene 2. Mystery 14
Scene 3. Integrity 20
Scene 4. Dependence 26
Scene 5. Purpose 29
Scene 6. Luck 33
Scene 7. Humanity 41
Scene 8. Religion 50
Intermezzo: The nature of theology 54
Scene 9. Critical thought 62
Intermezzo: The nature of knowledge 65
Intermezzo: Our knowledge of nature 69
Scene 10. Responsibility 77
From now on: Playing and imagining God 84
Notes and literature 97
Index 113

Introduction 1
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Science
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There is a great story to be told: the development of our world from 15
the very first beginning up to our time, a history ‘from nothing until 16
now’. Through the sciences we have learned a lot about the natural 17
history of our universe. Though our knowledge is neither complete 18
nor final, some conclusions have been established beyond reasonable 19
doubt. Hence, we have to take such scientific insights into account 20
when we articulate and explicate our convictions. What does it mean 21
for our view of humans, of human habits and culture, to know that 22
we have come to be what we are via a long evolutionary process? 23
What does it mean for our view of the Earth when we become aware 24
that our planet is like a speck of dust in a huge universe – a universe 25
that apparently once started small itself? This book is an expression 26
of ‘faith in the natural history of the universe’, of confidence in our 27
current view of the natural history of the universe – the history of 28
stars and of life on Earth. 29
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Creation stories
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Humans have told each other stories for thousands of years. At 33
campfires and in courts and temples, humans told stories about 34
the origin of their world, of the hunting grounds of their tribe, of 35
women and men, of the discovery of wheat and of fire, of the sun 36
and the moon. Creation stories expressed how humans understood 37
themselves in relation to their environment. 38
Such ancient myths are sometimes compared to scientific know- 39
ledge, as if the issue were factual correctness, say about a worldwide 40
flood or about creation in seven days. When creation stories are 41
2 Creation: From Nothing Until Now
judged in this way, they fail. When solely seen as factual claims, these
narratives of a distant past are ready for the dustbin, or perhaps for
a museum of cultural history. ‘That is how people in the past thought
about these things, but now we know better.’
However, creation stories can be appreciated as expressions
of what moved people, what excited them, hurt them, made them
feel grateful. In that sense, they go beyond the limitations of their
own worldview. We can recognize them and identify with them,
since we face similar challenges. Wonder about existence, awareness
of dependence upon forces that are beyond our control, a sense of
responsibility: these are themes that can and should be articulated
as well in the language of our time. In that sense this book is not only
an expression of confidence in the natural history of our universe,
but also a quest for faith in the context of the natural history of our
universe. How can we hold on to a humane sense of meaning, how
can we articulate religious convictions in the context of what we
know about our world ‘from nothing until now’?
Narrative and justification
This book seeks to offer a justified creation story. It therefore is not
just another popularization of science. We will reflect on our place
and task in the light of the sciences. A first step in this project is the
quest for new images. Poets may be better qualified for this task.
Nonetheless I give my own wording of some aspects of the history
of our world, a kind of ‘creation story’ – speaking of ‘mystery’,
‘integrity’, ‘dependence’ and ‘responsibility’ in an interpretation of
the history of our world ‘from nothing until now’. With such words,
the story goes beyond the realm of science; it expresses a spirituality,
a way of being in the world.
Images can be misleading. We should attempt to speak clearly
and correctly. As I see it, the critical attitude of modern culture is
a great gift. Thus, the larger part of this book is an explication
and justification of this creation story. In the justification I relate to
mainstream science as it has developed over the last few centuries.
It is, in my view, not a good strategy to seek to save ‘faith’ by
constructing a ‘science’ of one’s own, as is done in fundamentalism
(e.g. creationism) as well as by spiritual seekers (e.g. holism, astrol-
ogy, parapsychology). Neither is it a good strategy to play down
science too much. Science is not merely offering models that allow
us to calculate the strength of a bridge. In my opinion, science is
Introduction 3
more than an instrument. With the theories and models of the last
two centuries we are able to describe and explain very successfully
large segments of reality. Through the sciences we are finding out
about the way the world is.
We begin at the beginning, and thus consider ultimate questions
– about the origin of our universe and its lawfulness (scenes 1–3).
Then we will take a closer look at the development of the universe
– the formation of matter and, on Earth, the emergence of purpose
in a process driven by chance (scenes 4–6). One of the remarkable
outcomes of this process, among many, has been the emergence of
humans with their social and intellectual capacities, with morality
and religions, and – a few centuries ago – with science and critical
thinking (scenes 7–9). In three asides, I will consider the impact of
modern developments on our understanding of the nature of religion,
of science, and of reality.
We are the product of a long history, ‘from nothing until now’,
as considered here. Time does not end with us; we are also
producers. We are creative creatures. Thanks to the sciences and to
our social organization, we have acquired enormous powers; we can
modify our world. Thus, we need to become responsible beings
(scene 10). The epilogue considers further our creative nature, both
our involvement in changing our world and our freedom to develop
new images and ideas about humans, the world, and God.
Environments
Humans are social beings. Those who came to hear me lecture on
these issues have stimulated me to express myself more clearly. I
am grateful to the board of the Nicolette Bruining Foundation for
entrusting to me the Nicolette Bruining chair for philosophy of
nature and of technology from a liberal Protestant perspective at
Twente University, Enschede, the Netherlands (1995–2001). During
the years this book took shape, I have also been enriched by faculty
of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, especially by my immediate
colleagues at its Bezinningscentrum, a centre dedicated to inter-
disciplinary reflection on religious and ethical issues related to the
sciences. Furthermore, I have benefited greatly from conversations
with scholars and scientists from around the world.
As this book goes to the publisher, I am about to become Professor
of Philosophy of Religion and of Ethics at the University of Leiden
in the Netherlands. Predecessors in this chair have contributed in