When people tell me that they are just not interested in science, especially not if it’s physics, then I simply do not know what to say. How could they? It’s like not being interested in art. How could one say “I don’t like art” and live? Why is physics not considered in the same way? It’s knowledge of creation at its most fundamental. It matters precisely because it is so far removed from ordinary human experience of creation, such as a beautiful sunrise or a meadow in full bloom. Physics takes us so far away from the human experience of creation, yet immerses us more deeply into the divine art within which the world of our experience arises. To see this, you do not even need to have faith in God. When there is a major step forward in physics, theists and non-theists alike speak of what they have discovered with religious devotion. Shouldn’t you like this stuff?
It baffles me that so few Franciscans share my interest in science. I hear there are more than 30,000 friars like me worldwide, but if there is another who cares about physics as I do, I have yet to meet him. Is it really just me and Roger Bacon? But aren’t Franciscans supposed to be interested in nature? Aren’t we supposed to understand how creation sings the praises of God? Did St. Francis not sing that nature in the abstract—the four classical elements of wind, water, fire and earth—proclaims the praises of God? The whole point of this canticle is that Franciscan praise of nature is not dancing on a meadow in bloom but seeing through life’s hardships toward the goodness of creation.
It is not even that you can say that physics is too difficult, because it requires mathematics far beyond the ordinary. Yes, if you want to become a physicist, you need to be very good at math. If you want to make a breakthrough, you need to be close to a genius. But if you just want to watch and admire, you can find solid explanations with very little math. There’s a slate of excellent books that explain the most complex insights with simple examples that require nothing more than a genuine interest in thinking and understanding.
No, I think that the real reason is fear. When we study physics, we are confronted with how different the world is from the way we think it should be. We see powers far beyond our imagination. If we have a religious sense, it brings us face-to-face with how different God is, how different God’s ways are from our ways. But we prefer to domesticate the divine into a good-luck charm who provides us with a carefree life, preferably with good weather. But life challenges us much more deeply.
However, isn’t it wonderful that we have minds that can grasp what is at the bottom of creation, the way it all started and how it developed? Our brains can understand it! Our minds can grasp a glimpse of the greatness of God. How could you possibly not care?
Image credit: Ansar Iqbal / CMS (CERN).