Interview

Why science needs faith

Professor Dominique Lambert

Contents - Oct 2013 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Postscript on the Australian elections - Peter Westmore Pope Francis to consecrate world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary - Peter Westmore News: The Church Around the World Frassati Australia and the New Evangelisation - Fr Paul Chandler OSCE Conference: The new face of religious intolerance - Bishop Mario Toso The Catholic Church is holy, despite its members' sins - Audrey English Interview: Why science needs faith - Professor Dominique Lambert The priesthood and the Catholic faith - Fr John O'Neill PP Church of Divine Mercy in Singapore: an amazing discovery - Kazimierz Kozlowski Blessed Jacinta Marto: heroine of Fatima - Cedric Wright Letters: Dr Mobbs replies ... - Frank Mobbs Letters: Exaggeration? - Noel Keith Roberts Letters: Humanae Vitae - Ron Graham Letters: Moral failure - John Wynter Letters: Harmful effects - Richard Grant, Willie Chenhall, Maryse Usher Letters: Creator's plan - Clare Ryan Letters: Culture of life needed - Fr Bernard McGrath Letters: Anti-religious bigotry - Peter Kamsma Events: Spiritual Exercises in Bowral, December 2013 Books: A Book of Saints and Heroes, Heroines, by Joanna Bogle - Val Prendergast (reviewer) Books: COURAGE AND CONVICTION, by Joanna Bogle - Peter Westmore (reviewer) Books: ON THE LEFT BANK OF THE TIBER, by Fr Gerald O'Collins SJ - Frank Mobbs Books: THE FREEDOM OF LOVE, by Rafael de Santiago - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Support: Launch of 2013 Fighting Fund - Peter Westmore Books: Order books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: Bishop Fisher: Young Catholics must be Christ in the world - Bishop Anthony Fisher

Prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins consistently dismiss religion as the enemy of science. But Professor Dominique Lambert, a respected expert in theoretical physics and the philosophy of science at the University of Namur, Belgium, believes not only does the Catholic faith, when correctly applied, not hinder science, but gives it vital intelligibility, meaning and purpose.

On a recent visit to Rome, Professor Lambert spoke with Zenit about the necessity of a harmonious relationship between faith and science and why the Catholic faith is best equipped to provide it.

Zenit: Can you explain what you mean by your assertion that only with faith is it possible to give complete intelligibility to science?

Lambert: In this dialogue, we have to say first of all that I cannot extract from science some theological point of view. In other words, science is producing many questions – rational and coherent questions – which are beyond the scope of its own methods.

For example, the question of the ultimate foundation of existence, the meaning and history of existence – life, values, questions of a metaphysical and ethical nature – these are in fact produced by scientific activity but cannot be solved within the borders of scientific method.

But atheists will insist that science can offer all the answers. Why is this not so?

Because methodologically, science puts into brackets this question of meaning, the foundation [of existence]. The source of the existence is not solved by science because science presupposes this assumption, but rationally you need some explanation.

For example, you can say: "I believe the world is a source of existence"; or I can say: "Rationally, no, the existence of the world is received from a cause that is external to the world." So you have a rational question but the answer cannot be formed because of methodological reasons. Intelligibility in fact needs something other than this ...

You respect the autonomy of science, but you shed some light on it, [giving] an answer and an increase in intelligibility, and this is important.

It's not straightforward because we can, for example, adopt a religious position but one which will decrease the intelligibility of the world.

You say that Richard Dawkins and other such atheist scientists try, in their own way, to offer a metaphysical perspective to science, but this doesn't work. Could you explain more?

His [Dawkins'] way of looking at religion, his way of giving to science some metaphysical power, does not respect the epistemological level of science. In fact, he is giving to science some metaphysical power that science does not possess. I respect his point of view, but we can in fact show that Dawkins gives to science some non-scientific powers.

You also have observed a common trait among Nobel Prize winners in science, that they almost always write about philosophy after receiving their awards. Why is this and what does it say about science and faith?

This is, for me, a clue that science is not self-sufficient. Many, many great scientists are writing books on their activities, but books which are in fact philosophical works.

This is normal, but it's important to look at this phenomenon, because it shows us that in fact science cannot be self-sufficient. Science produces metaphysical questions and, in fact, great scientists tend to solve these problems. This is normal because their scientific activities produce these questions ...

For example, I can assume some theological point of view, and I realise it can be completely incoherent with the scientific research. Take American creationism in the literal sense: if we adopt this point of view we will discover it does not respect the contents of contemporary biology – there is a kind of contradiction and it doesn't work.

But in the Catholic Church, we have a theology of creation whose point of view respects evolution and so on completely, but gives to evolution an additional meaning which is not directly present in the scientific research but that scientific research is coherent with this point of view ...

You also talk about faith giving hope to science. Could you explain more?

If we are believers or atheists, we are carrying out the same science, but a religious attitude can change the way we do science.

Of course, your ethics, your ontological perspective is influenced by your theological point of view or religious attitude, and this gives you a kind of optimism. Msgr Georges Lemaître, who discovered the Big Bang theory, said that science is the same for atheists and believers, but religious beliefs give you a nice optimism and hope, hope in the enigma of the universe as a solution ...

Would you say it also gives life to research?

Yes, it gives you some meaning to your scientific life, a sense of your scientific practice and action. You can have other nice motivations, but faith gives you a nice impulse and realisation that all of this world has a deep meaning to be discovered. That is the solution to the enigma, as Msgr Lemaître said.

I would also like to emphasise that, regarding the relationship between science and faith, it is important to avoid two kinds of problems: those coming from concordism [and] discordism. We need to avoid them and instead need some kind of articulation.

In fact, in the Catholic tradition we have this quest for articulation because we have the nice tradition of fides et ratio [faith and reason], intellectus quaerens fidem [seeking to understand faith], and fides quaerens intellectum [faith seeking understanding].

The First Vatican Council condemned rationalism – that is, reason alone without faith, but also fideism, faith without reason, and it's very nice to realise that in the Catholic tradition we have such a dynamic articulation between faith and reason.

This tradition proffers absolute respect but without breaking the autonomy of science and theology.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 26 No 9 (October 2013), p. 9