cosmology

The Privileged Planet

The Privileged Planet

Today, most scientists and philosophers claim that Earth is an ordinary speck of dust adrift, without purpose or significance, in a vast cosmic sea. This idea (popularized by the late astronomer, Carl Sagan) is an outgrowth of the naturalistic philosophy that has dominated science for the past 150 years. Yet, remarkable evidence–unveiled by contemporary astronomy and physics-may now tell a Read More ›

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What Contemporary Physics and Philosophy Tell Us About Nature and God

Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, Ph.D., and co-author of New Proofs for the Existence of God, waslks through some of the new arguments for God’s existence as reasoned from astrophysics. Listen in as he talks about universe expansion, anthropic fine-tuning, and other novel arguments from the past decade.

Digital Microscope In Laboratory

What Is the Science Behind Intelligent Design?

Intelligent design (ID) is a scientific theory that employs the methods commonly used by other historical sciences to conclude that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ID theorists argue that design can be inferred by studying the informational properties of natural objects Read More ›

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View of the stars at night
Photo by Clint McKoy on Unsplash

Is There Merit for ID in Cosmology, Physics, and Astronomy?

Although much of the public controversy over intelligent design has centered on biology and Darwinian evolution, the evidence for intelligent design goes far beyond biology. There’s especially intriguing evidence of design in cosmology, physics, and astronomy. To say that ID has merit in cosmology and physics, I mean that there is positive evidence for ID in those parts of nature Read More ›

Abstract blurred nature background dandelion seeds parachute. Abstract nature bokeh pattern
Abstract blurred nature background dandelion seeds parachute. Abstract nature bokeh pattern

Introduction to The Privileged Planet

Even more mysterious than the fact that our location is so congenial to diverse measurement and discovery is that these same conditions appear to correlate with habitability. We don't think this is merely coincidental. It cries out for another explanation, an explanation that suggests there's more to the cosmos than we have been willing to entertain or even imagine. Read More ›

Are We Alone In the Universe?

Is the truth out there— somewhere? Speculation about these big questions made the X-Files a cultural phenomenon. Trying to answer them using real science has made the career of Cuban-born astronomer Guillermo González colorful and controversial. A research professor of astronomy at Iowa State University, González is a leader in the new and burgeoning field of astrobiology—the “highly interdisciplinary study,” he explains, “of life in the universe: its origin, distribution, and destiny.” Read More ›
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Electric power tower showing structural complexity
Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

Is There Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God?

Introduction What is implied by the concept of “an intelligently designed universe”? What does it mean on a grand scale to assert that the universe is the product of an intelligent designer? In a scientific age that exalts rationalism and chance, what empirical evidence could possibly support such a claim? As humans contemplating the immense complexity of the cosmos, might Read More ›

Post-Agnostic Science:

1. Anthropic Coincidences In 1973, astronomer and cosmologist Brandon Carter (Carter 1974) delivered a lecture in which he announced an exciting new discovery: the fundamental constants of the physical world must have been very delicately fine-tuned in order to make life possible. Since that time, literally dozens of such remarkable coincidences have been discovered, the so-called “anthropic coincidences.” (‘Anthropic’ is Read More ›