Anyone who seriously studies science soon encounters evidence of wonder. Wonder at the marvelous symmetry and interconnectedness of the universe; a glimpse into transcendence at the universality of the basic principles of mechanics and the behavior of energy. An example is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which observes that the randomness, or disorder, of a closed system always increases. Originally conceived by deduction of the behavior of theoretical "heat engines", this law's application to all biological systems--from the disorder of an undergraduate's dorm room to how complex human social systems work--has been seen and explicated by scientists in disciplines outside of physics, and indeed, by philosophers.
How about Newton's Third Law of Motion? "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." The implications of this simple but divinely elegant observation about our physical world are easily apparent to the most casual observer. For, as the Epistle Paul warned the Galatians, "Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7, King James Version).
Science is never far away from the transcendent. In fact, deeper explorations of science only offer ever-clearer glimpses of it.
Anyone who seriously studies science soon encounters evidence of wonder. Wonder at the marvelous symmetry and interconnectedness of the universe; a glimpse into transcendence at the universality of the basic principles of mechanics and the behavior of energy. An example is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which observes that the randomness, or disorder, of a closed system always increases. Originally conceived by deduction of the behavior of theoretical "heat engines", this law's application to all biological systems--from the disorder of an undergraduate's dorm room to how complex human social systems work--has been seen and explicated by scientists in disciplines outside of physics, and indeed, by philosophers.
How about Newton's Third Law of Motion? "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." The implications of this simple but divinely elegant observation about our physical world are easily apparent to the most casual observer. For, as the Epistle Paul warned the Galatians, "Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7, King James Version).
Science is never far away from the transcendent. In fact, deeper explorations of science only offer ever-clearer glimpses of it.