“La Física da de sí lo que su método le permite”, dice un científico y filósofo de la Universidad de Navarra en respuesta al nuevo libro de Hawking
"Physics gives of itself what its method allows it to give."
- According to Santiago Collado, Deputy Director of group Science, Reason and Faith, "a physicist cannot speak of creating from nothing as does the Christian faith or Philosophy".
"Physics gives of itself what its method allows. There will always be questions that will remain out of its reach, questions that the 'set of particles' to which Hawking alludes to refer to the human being continually asks: the meaning of existence, of life and death, etc.". This is the opinion of Santiago Collado, Deputy Director of group of research Science, Reason and Faith (CRYF) of the University of Navarra in response to Hawking's latest book, from which some quotes have been published in The Times.
According to the British publication, Hawking affirms that "the Universe can and does create itself out of nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason why something exists, instead of nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist". With respect to this, the physicist and doctor in Philosophy of the University of Navarra assures that "to see the laws of the Universe as an explanation of its self-creation has no rational or empirical basis. In fact, to speak of 'spontaneous creation' is contradictory. When this expression is used in Physics, it usually refers to a simple material transformation".
Thus, he points out that "a physicist cannot speak of 'creating from nothing', as can the Christian faith or Philosophy. In Christianity, God is the author of the laws, he does not limit himself to using pre-existing laws to organize one or several universes".
Intelligent life on other planets
On the other hand, Hawking proclaims in his work that the existence of God depends on the probability of the existence or not of a world like the one we know. However," notes Professor Collado, "God's own thing is not to fine-tune the parameters so that we can exist, but to create. And creating is a free and loving gift of God. This can hardly be explained by physics and arguments based on probability".
The third sentence of Hawking 's book that The Times publishes postulates: "The fact that we human beings - who are fundamentally mere collections of fundamental particles of nature - have come so close to understanding the laws that govern us and our universe is a great triumph". Against this, the director of research of the School Ecclesiastical Philosophy of the University of Navarra asks: "How can a collection of particles achieve 'that great triumph' while remaining just that: a collection of particles? We will be at least something else, not just that."
"Finally, Hawking seems to suggest that if there were many planets like Earth, with intelligent life, Christianity would be disproved, or at least in trouble. Whether there are more or fewer planets with or without intelligent life is not directly addressed by the magisterium of the Church, but Christianity has never denied this possibility," points out the professor of Philosophy of Nature.