Friday 8 January 2016

Where did the laws of physics come from?


I have been viewing a number of YouTube videos in which many eminent scientists state that they are atheists and the basis for such a position is that they have not found any evidence that the universe was established by a creator - that the currently known laws of physics and science explain what we observe.  I found this position interesting as in many places in the Quran we are directed to ponder on the sky/ the universe / the heavenly bodies / the stars / the planets....and wonder how did they get there?

When I hear that the laws of physics and the laws of science which we (currently) know are enough, doesn't this beg the question, "Where did the laws of physics come from?"

I think the simple answer we have from a scientific perspective is that we don't know.  So what options do we have to consider as an answer to this question? Did they just happen? They just appeared? By chance? Isn't there logic in the proposition that perhaps something created them? Certainly we have no evidence to refute this proposition but how can we show this to be true? In the same way that we actually know that a motor car came from a factory (without seeing a factory) could it not be the same for the laws of physics?

As a Muslim, we believe that this World is a test. The test is to believe and worship in the Creator (Allah) without seeing him. Assuming this being the case then as for any test there will be a capability to "pass" or "fail". Given this then surely wouldn't it be the case that the "evidence" for the Creator (Allah) would be finely balanced? Sufficient "evidence" for some but insufficient for others, the ability to recognise and accept the "evidence" determined by you?

It follows that the test wouldn't be an academic exercise of trying to convince you, this would have to come from you. I am currently writing a book which I hope Inshallah will document what it is that convinces some to believe and will analyse those beliefs from a scientific, evidential and philosophical perspective.

From my research so far, it does seem that the media is awash with eminent scientists debunking some Christian views that are contrary to today's known science but this isn't satisfactory to me. This isn't a debate about whether a questionable Biblical calculation of the Earth's age is incorrect and therefore there isn't a Creator.  I want to know (and hope to document this with logical points) what is the "evidence" for a Creator. This will require looking at "evidence" from a scientific and philosophical perspective. Unfortunately, science, on its own, meaning hypothesis, experimentation, observation, repeat, won't give us the answer. For example, when it comes to the thinking on the creation of the universe, we do not have an all answering experiment for this.  It sounds obvious but I mention this to show that science cannot provide all the answers. Having said that, where we can use science we should.

I want to show as well that a belief in a Creator isn't a disbelief in science per se or in scientific facts. It seems all to easy to brush anyone who believes in a Creator as a disbeliever in logic, rational thinking and science. This isn't the case.

If you know where the laws of Physics come from I would love to hear from you.  

Quran Surah 50 - Ayat 6

"Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have made it and adorned it, and there are no rifts therein"

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