The following is a definition of cosmology from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: A branch of philosophy dealing with the origin, processes, and structure of the universe. 2. a. The astrophysical study of the structure and constituent dynamics of the universe. b. A specific theory or model of this structure and dynamics. This is a subject that at least at this moment in our common educational development is quite beyond the comprehension of most people. Surely college educated specialists in science now have an understanding of the theory of relativity, black holes, singularities, gravitation, quantum mechanics and etc. By and large these subjects have not filtered down into the common knowledge of most people. Perhaps as the years pass by these subjects will begin to be understood by most people in the same way that people understand that the moon revolves around the earth and the earth revolves around the sun. It is important to continue the study of cosmology inasmuch as cosmologists are in effect trying to resolve those controversial questions of God and creation that plague mankind. The astrophysical approach of developing theories that correspond to celestial observations and calculations may one day shed a clear light on those knotty problems that separate people. The eminent physicist Stephen W. Hawking focuses on this situation at the end of his book The Theory of Everything, page 166.
“Up until now, most scientists have been too occupied with the development of new theories that describe what the universe is, to ask the question why. On the other hand, the people whose business it is to ask why--the philosophers--have not been able to keep up with the advance of scientific theories. In the eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge, including science, to be their field. They discussed questions such as: Did the universe have a beginning? However, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, science became too technical and mathematical for the philosophers or anyone else, except a few specialists. Philosophers reduced the scope of their inquiries so much that Wittgenstein, the most famous philosopher of this century, said, “The sole remaining task for philosophy is the analysis of language.” What a comedown from the great tradition of philosophy from Aristotle to Kant.
However, if we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all be able to take part in the discussion of why the universe exists. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason. For then we would know the mind of God.”
Hawking’s book is encouraging from several standpoints. Mankind has long been defeated in the serious consideration of the whys and wherefores of our lives and universe but here we have an important scientist that gives us hope that in the not too distant future we will have some of the answers to these questions. Here is a quote from the same book, page 163. “I think that there is a good chance that the study of the early universe and the requirements of mathematical consistency will lead us to a complete unified theory by the end of the century--always presuming we don’t blow ourselves up first”
Another encouraging aspect of Hawking’s book is that he does not reject the concept that there may be a God. The human race has been searching and looking to God since the beginning of our advanced development. It would a tough pill to swallow for mankind not to have a God to look up to or to be part of our existence. .
In Hawking’s discussion of the Big Band theory he makes the following statement,
page 107. “This means that the initial state of the universe must have been very carefully chosen indeed if the hot big bang model was correct right back to the beginning of time. It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us.”
Our casual concept of a scientist is as one who rejects some of our most cherished beliefs. While this is often the case, on closer inspection the rejection may be more a matter of details rather than the overall view. Our ancient religious concepts were developed at a time when little was known of the physical world. As knowledge increases at its present furious pace, some of the details of these ancient religions are going to have to be discarded or the religion will fall into disuse. As cosmology continues to come up with answers to some of our basic questions, all thinking will need to be revised and organized. I don’t think we have to fear this subject; it should light our path to the future. Paul Davies is Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Adelaide in Australia . In his book, The Mind of God, published by Simon & Schuster, his last page sums up his position on this important and complicated subject. “The central theme that I have explored in this book is that, through science, 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. How we have become linked into this cosmic dimension is a mystery. Yet the linkage cannot be denied. What does it mean? What is Man that we might be party to such privilege? I cannot believe that our existence in this universe is a mere quirk of fate, an accident of history, an incidental blip in the great cosmic drama. Our involvement is too intimate. The physical species Homo may count for nothing, but the existence of mind in some organism on some planet in the universe is surely a fact of fundamental significance. Through conscious beings the universe has generated self-awareness. This can be no trivial detail, no minor byproduct of mindless, purposeless forces. We are truly meant to be here.”
The jury is still out on the ultimate truths concerning cosmology so we must wait for scientists to finish their work on this subject. The ultimate truths may well be unknowable but that remains to be seen.