The Big Bang and God The Big Bang and God An Astro-Theology wherein an astronomer and a theologian offer a study of interdisciplinary convergences with natural theology both in the scientific researches of Sir Fred Hoyle and in the philosophical researches of Charles Hartshorne and Alfred North Whitehead, thereby illustrating a constructive postmodern trend Theodore Walker Jr. and Chandra Wickramasinghe the big bang and god Copyright © Theodore Walker Jr. and Chandra Wickramasinghe, 2015. All rights reserved. First published in 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN: 978–1–137–55242–6 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Walker, Theodore, 1953– The big bang and God : an astro-theology / Theodore Walker Jr. and Chandra Wickramasinghe. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–1–137–55242–6— ISBN 1–137–55242–5 1. Astronomy—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Religion and science. 3. Cosmology. I. Wickramasinghe, Chandra, 1939– II. Title. BL253.W35 2015 201.65231—dc23 2015009996 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: September 2015 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Sir Fred Hoyle (1915–2001) and Charles Hartshorne (1897–2000) Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη Contents Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Summary Preview xvii Chapter 1 Astro-Theology and Cosmology 1 1.1 Modern Astro-Theology—William Derham 1 1.4 Constructive Postmodern Revisions 1 1.7 Cosmology—Fred Hoyle 3 1.8 Big Bang Cosmology—Georges Edouard Lemaître 3 1.11 Big Bang Cosmology—Edgar Allan Poe 4 1.20 Hoyle’s Contributions to Big Bang, Steady-State, Quasi-Steady-State, Inflationary, Oscillatory, and Multiverse Cosmologies 6 Chapter 2 Interdisciplinary Convergences: From Stardust to Generalized Deity 11 2.1 Astrochemistry 11 2.3 From Astrochemistry to Astrobiology 11 2.4 First Hoylean Argument Leading to Astrobiology 12 2.5 Anthropic Principle 12 2.10 Nuclear Astrophysics 14 2.11 Second Hoylean Argument Leading to Astrobiology 15 2.12 Astrobiology 15 2.16 Comets and Biology—Cometary Panspermia 16 2.19 Insterstellar Bacteria 17 2.20 Astrobiology and Cosmology 18 2.21 From Astrobiology and Cosmology to Theology 18 viii l Contents Chapter 3 Microbiology and Cometary Panspermia in Context 21 3.1 Origins of Microbial Life 21 3.4 Modern Science versus Religion 22 3.14 Enter Fred Hoyle 24 3.22 From Elements to Organic Molecules and Life 26 3.24 Hoyle–Wickramasinghe Collaboration Begins 27 3.30 Cometary Panspermia versus Random Assembly 29 3.35 The Meteorite Microfossil Saga 31 3.39 Microorganisms in the Stratosphere 32 3.41 Cometary Panspermia Today 33 3.46 Concerning the Next Chapter 35 Chapter 4 Cosmology, Reality, and Panoramic Theology 37 4.1 Cosmic Variables 37 4.2 Variations in Reality-Inclusiveness 37 4.4 Reality-Inclusiveness and the Reality of God 38 4.6 Panentheism 38 4.11 Pantheism 40 4.12 Classical Theisms 40 4.14 Atheism 40 4.15 Reality-Inclusiveness and Universe 40 4.16 Panentheism Affirms One God, One Universe 41 Chapter 5 Cosmology, Panoramic Biology, and Panoramic Psychology 43 5.1 Cosmology: Definitions and Scope 43 5.7 Cosmological Models 44 5.16 Cosmology: Where Biology and Psychology Meet Theology 47 5.20 Panspermia and Panpsychism: Dictionary Data 47 5.23 Panspermia 48 5.28 Panpsychism 49 5.30 Panpsychism and Brain Functions 50 5.36 Panpsychism as Neoclassical and Constructive Postmodern 51 5.39 Panpsychism/Universal Psychicalism/ Cosmic Consciousness 52 5.42 Nature of Consciousness 52 5.45 Universal Animism 53 5.46 Universal Creationism Entails Universal Evolution 53 5.50 Panpsychism and Obviously Inanimate Objects 55 Contents l ix Chapter 6 Analogy, Metaphysics, Mythical Symbols, and Religion 57 6.1 Mind–Body Analogy and Person-to-Cell Analogy 57 6.6 From Psychology and Biology to Theology 58 6.8 Analogy and Metaphysics 58 6.10 From Astro-Biotic and Cosmo-Biotic Reasoning to Generalized Theology 59 6.19 Physical Fact and Metaphysical Truth 62 6.28 Mythical Symbols 65 6.33 Panspermia and Theological Implications 67 6.38 Panspermia and Religion 68 Chapter 7 Future Interdisciplinary Convergences with Theology: A Constructive Postmodern Trend 71 7.1 Astronomy, Astrobiology, Cosmology, Theology 71 7.3 Sociology 72 7.5 Metaphysical Sociology 73 7.6 Metaphysics of Nature 73 7.7 Metaphysics of Morals 73 7.8 Liberty-Oriented Ethics, Cosmology, and Theology 74 7.9 Narration/Storytelling 75 7.11 Mythology 75 7.14 Graphic Images, Art, Dance, Music, Poetry, Literature 77 7.16 Science and Science Fiction 78 7.19 Science and Spirituality 79 7.20 Multiverse Speculations and Avoiding the G-Word 80 7.22 Multiverse and Implicit Generic Quasi-Steady-State 81 7.27 Concluding Predictions 82 Appendices Future Astrobiology 87 Chandra Wickramasinghe 8.1 Rigidity of Paradigms 87 8.8 Clash with Religion: The Arkansas Trial 89 8.13 Emergence of Cometary Panspermia 92 8.18 Clash with Authority 93 8.20 Evolutionary Predictions 94 8.23 Horizontal Gene Transfer 97 8.28 Viral Sequences in Genomes 98 8.32 Astronomical Spectroscopy 100 8.35 Crucial Data from Meteorites and Comets 101 8.36 The Polonnaruwa Meteorite 101 8.43 The Sheffield Balloon Experiments 103 8.44 The Rosetta Mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko 103