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The Evidential Power of Beauty [Paperback]

Thomas DuBay
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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The physicist who knows nothing about Scripture and the theologian ignorant of calculus may yet see eye to eye on the remarkable power of beauty to manifest the presence of truth. It is this probative force of beauty that drives Dubay's impressive reflection on how the perception of harmony instills a sense of conviction among honest seekers in both science and religion. With the help of testimony from a wide range of scientists, Dubay discerns a pattern of elegance and symmetry uniting everything from the astrophysics of the cosmos to the biology of the cell. Disdaining the crabbed literalism of creationist science (which he dismisses as fallacious), Dubay uses the metaphysical intuition of beauty to challenge neo-Darwinian dogmatists who deny the existence of design in our curiously fine-tuned universe. Non-Catholics may protest that Dubay overextends his argument when he concludes with a defense of Catholicism as the supreme depository of truth and beauty, but readers need not endorse Dubay's Catholic orthodoxy to benefit from his philosophic insights. Bryce Christensen

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Ten Stars for Dubay Dec 21 2003
Format:Paperback
I can't say enough about this book to do it real justice. Evidential Power of Beauty has not only opened my eyes, mind, and senses to creation on a deeper level, but it has intensified my hunger and wonder that is often stifled and desensitized in American pop culture. Though one reviewer commented on Dubay's "attack" on rock and roll, I don't believe it was an attack at all. Quite the opposite. Dubay simply made a point about why certain types of music produced harsh, often filthy, shallow repetitive melodies, while others, such as Mozart, produced a more complicated, pleasing piece that required the best of the mathematical beauty and design he discusses throughout the book. It was just another comparison of the beauty of complicated design versus simplistic noise. However,I can give Dubay grace in that area, as I must allow for his lack of knowledge for a band such as YES (very complicated, very beautiful pieces of music)often categorized as "rock." (Though quite a different caliber than,say,Ozzy Osbourne.)I give Dubay a break on that facet of the book.

I am not a scientist,a theologian, or a Catholic. You don't have to be to enjoy this book immensely and even learn a thing or two about something you probably never thought twice about--for example,water. Dubay takes time to explore the "givens" in our world that are so casually seen as "miraculous accidents." His marvelous prose and fire for God lights every page. The underlying push for even beginning to ponder God's mystery,awe, and love is, as Dubay quoted, the "ability to have the humility to sit at the foot of a dandelion."

The book is simply a masterful work of art, a lovely tour of how theology and science merge together at the point of Beauty. Though both disciplines have opposite starting points, they lead to many of the same conclusions about our Universe.

Buy or borrow this book, find a comfortable chair, and take your time absorbing the "evidential beauty" in this book.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Evidential Power of Beauty. Aug 26 2003
Format:Paperback
The author's thesis is simply distilled and has often been an overlooked feature of the teleological argument for the existence and nature of God: not only that design is evidence of intelligence and will, but that beauty is evidence of truth. Catholic theologian Thomas Dubay illustrates the connection between beauty and truth. Physicist Richard Feynman said, "You can recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity." Einstein regarded the beauty of a physical theory as a proof superior to empirical evidence. Mathematicians have long regarded the beauty and elegance of an equation or mathematical expression as the most necessary indicator of its truth. We have come to realize that nature is ultimately mathematics, beautiful mathematics (Plato was right). Why is reality, at its core, beauty? Whether the equations that describe the deepest features of the quantum world, the fine tuning of the cosmic initial conditions, the highly specified organization of microbiological cell "cities" (we could go on and on), nature is all about beauty. What does this indicate to the uncallused observer? And what then is the evidential power of ugliness? Dubay contrasts the two contending worldviews: materialism (existence is a meaningless and ultimately absurd accident), or theism (existence is intended, meaningful), concluding that the very ugliness of absurdity is evidence of the falsity of atheism/philosophical materialism.

"... simple observation shows that people, including academics, readily welcome intellectual interventions and therefore design, when the question is free of cultural biases and does not impinge on their personal lifestyle and chosen philosophy. I find it both amusing and instructive that when scientists come upon evidence in their field (anthropology, for example) that seems to support a theory popular among their colleagues, no one hints that an apparent causal connection was due to random chance. In an archeological dig, if the investigators find a stone so chipped that it could have served as a knife, they conclude that it was deliberately made, that is, designed for that purpose by a human ancestor. Their inference may well be true, but all the same, it is enormously weaker than design in a bird's wing, and fantastically weaker than design throughout any living cell. In the latter, the case for design is overwhelming. When it is rejected, the cause must be due to personal philosophy and bias having nothing to do with science. In more plain language, the rejection has all the appearance of a materialistic dogma that no divine mind must be admitted. This is bad science because it is a position based on a personal philosophy and not on scientific data. The carefully arranged and massive blocks of stone at Stonehenge are a more detailed example of a scientific acceptance of design when such is popular. Their precise positioning is explained, most likely correctly, by the deliberate will to align them to the sunrise at the summer solstice. This likelihood seems stronger than that of the chipped stone, but it remains far, far weaker than the endless examples nature furnishes ... Yes, something less than cool, objective scientific thinking lies behind the rejection of mind behind nature."

The science here isn't always precise, but where it is not it seems that Dubay has understated his case. Thus the discrepancies do not damage the author's thesis. The greater flaw to this volume is that the author has presented not only an apologia for the reality of a wise Creator but for the Roman Catholic Church. Cases against atheism suddenly incorporate attacks on Protestants, rock n roll, contraception, etc. If the book had been edited into something more lean and 'on-task' this would be a tremendous book. It's pretty good as is.

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Format:Paperback
This book is truely wonderfull. My journey with God has always been an interesting one and lately it has been a surprizing one but Thomas Dubay has helped me to understand a deep part of God's call to be that I did not really understand until I read this book.

I have always been fascinated by science and nature but lately in my work with the elderly and with prisoners in the criminal justice system as well as my growning sprituality which includes contemplative prayer. Thomas Dubay's book has helped to to understand how both of these aspects of my walk with God tie to my early appreication of science and nature.

I have also developed a great appreciation for Han Hurs Von Balthasar from this book.

Thomas Dubay is a truely gifted writer and I hope to see many more of his books in the future.

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