The group of research Science, Reason and Faith (CRYF) of the University of Navarra invited last Tuesday, April 21st to David Jou -Full Professor of Physics at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, poet and popularizer- to give the seminar graduate : "La razón cósmica como parte de la razón biólogica".

Rationality can be considered, in the world of science, from various perspectives. The speaker addressed the relationship between cosmic reason and biological reason. The former considered from a physical perspective that offers an abstract, broad explanation, prior to any galaxy or star and, therefore, to the human being himself. And the biological reason seen as a product of the human brain that has been arrived at evolutionarily.

David Jou posed a series of questions that arise naturally when trying to relate these two rationalities. The questions served him to offer a global overview of the philosophical problems that arise from the data that contemporary science is providing us with. He enriched his approaches through the recitation of some of his poetry.

The speaker highlighted the extraordinary conditions that seem to be necessary for cosmic rationality to admit biological rationality. On the other hand, Professor Jou illustrated how nature seems to continually overflow biological rationality itself: "Nothing in evolution is necessary from the scientific point of view. Man would have only needed a spearhead to survive, and yet we have justice, art, religion, mathematics... All these are gifts. Human reason is an overflow, which brings the transmission of general culture, technology and medicine", he declared.

Regarding transhumanism, he said that technology allows us to intervene in our biology to achieve, for example, slower aging, slower degradation or greater intellectual capacity. "We don't know, he said, where we will go, but it is exciting to wonder about it". However, he regretted that we are considering "how to improve our species by means of resource to new technologies when, in reality, we could live much better if, with the means we already have, we were capable of being more generous, more supportive and fairer".

In the opinion of speaker, it seems clear that achieving peace in the world is a much more complicated task than researching about physics or Chemistry, because making peace possible involves generosity, something that is rational, but much deeper and broader than those laws we study.

David Jou also pointed out the relationship between cosmic reason and divine reason. "Einstein had said that for him God was the physical rationality of the universe, but God is much more; he has a much more foundational aspect: he is a loving reason. He creates the world ex amore and ex nihilo. Is this at odds with cosmic reason? I don't think so," he concluded.

Biography

David Jou i Mirabent, holds a PhD in Physics from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona where he is currently Full Professor of Condensed Physics subject . His research has focused mainly on the thermodynamics of irreversible processes. He is also the author of an extensive poetic work that includes philosophical, scientific and religious themes. In addition to his extensive scientific production, he has written several essays in which he addresses multidisciplinary issues and is developing a wide dissemination work. He has received several awards from research. He is a member of the Science and Technology Section of the Institut d'Estudis Catalansof the Reial Acadèmia de Doctorsand a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Madrid, and of the Accademia Peloritana of Messina.