Sárospataki Füzetek 14. (2010)

2010 / 1. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Byl, John: Világnézetek háborúja: a keresztyénség és kihívói.

War of the Worldviews

Figure 2. Three Worlds and Three Mysteries (Penrose 1994:414).

These three worlds have three mysteries associated with them: how do they interact with each other? How does the objective physical world of flowers, wine and thorns relate to our subjective inner experiences of beauty, joy and pain? How does mathematics interact with the worlds of matter and mind? Why do mathematical laws play such a large role in the physical universe? The physical universe seems to emerge mysteriously from the mathematical realm. The second mystery is how the physical world of matter can produce perceiving minds. The final mystery, which brings us full circle, is how a perceiving human mind can arrive at abstract mathematical truths. These are among the most profound questions confronting humanity.

There are many more questions that arise for naturalism. Consider, for example, the following:

1. Math to matter

• Why does the universe exist?

• Why does it have order & uniformity?

• Why is it mathematically intelligible?

• Why does it have a particular mathematical form?

• How are mathematical forms actualized?

2. Matter to mind

• How can purposeless matter give rise to purposeful life?

• How can chance give rise to complexity?

• How did information arise?

• How can matter become conscious?

• The unity of the self

Sárospataki füzetek 33