Cosmology, History, and Theology

Contributors

Hannes O. Alfven

Asim O. Barut

Peter G. Bergmann

Allen D. Breck

Robert S. Cohen

Patrick A. Heelan

Philip J. Hefner

Jean Heidmann

Michael A. Hoskin

Stanley L. Jaki

Philip J. Lawrence

Will iam H. McCrea

Jacques Merleau-Ponty

Harles W. Misner

Kristian P. Moesgaard

John D. North

Arthur R. Peacocke

David W. Peat.

Arno A. Penzias

Karl Philberth

Kenji Tomita

Jean-Pierre Vigier

Gerald J. Whitrow

Wolfgang Yourgrau

Cosmology, History, and Theology

Edited by

Wolfgang Yourgrau and Allen D. Breck University of Denver Denver, Colorado

PLENUM PRESS· NEW YORK AND LONDON

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Main entry under title:

Cosmology, history, and theology.

"Based on the third international colloquium held at the University of Denver, November 5-8, 1974."

Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Cosmology-Congresses. 2. Astronomy-History-Congresses. 3. Theology­

Congresses. I. Yourgrau, Wolfgang. II. Breck, Allen duPont. III. Denver. University. QB981.C82 523.1 76-54269

ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-8782-8 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-8780-4 001 : 10.1007/978-1-4615-8780-4

Based on the Third International Colloquium held at the University of Denver, November 5-8, 1974

© 1977 Plenum Press, New York Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1977 A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation 227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher

This volume is dedicated to the memory of

a great cosmogonist

Abbe Lemaltre

FOREWORD

It is difficult to doubt that we suffer at present from the manifold aspects of an economic crisis which affects all walks of life. Well, men in almost every epoch in history have maintained that they were going through a crisis which was sup­posed to be always more grave than any preceding critical phase. Very often those crises were not of an economic nature, but concerned either health, the political structure, the opportunity of acquiring knowledge, and so on.

I think that we would consider today that some of those claims that were made in various historical epochs were often exaggerated if viewed from a historical point of view. However, it seems undeniable that we at present are in the middle of a universal economic crisis which has affected almost every facet of our daily life.

And yet, the fact that despite these adverse conditions it is still possible to gather scholars from all corners of the world to deal with often sheer theo­retical and sometimes abstract pursuits is a refutation of any facile pessimism­it is reassuring to all who wonder where political and social events are taking us. Our salvation may well come from those acts of the mind so character­istic of the pure scientist and scholar.

The appearance of this volume, which is devoted to cosmology, history of science, and theology, confirms my firm belief that man's craving for knowl­edge and understanding is an innate and permanent characteristic, and that there will always be men dedicated to overcoming ignorance and extending and deepening knowledge in the various domains of scholarly study.

This International Colloquium demonstrates clearly that, in spite of the economic crisis and world-wide social unrest, man is capable of devoting the best part of his mind to issues that are non-practical, and not even social or economic-issues such as cosmology, history, and theology. Why have we chosen these subjects for this Colloquium? The answer is very simple: That we continue to study the nature of our Universe and the history of scientific ideas and achievements, as well as the everlasting questions raised in theology, is proof that we are capable of confronting these great topics even while the search to improve socioeconomic conditions goes on. This Colloquium is very convincing evidence that islands of pure search for knowledge are the firmest ground for optimism and hope for the future of man's intellectual

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viii FOREWORD

survival and growth in the midst of the sometimes depressing circumstances surrounding the more prosaic fields of human existence.

We are very proud that our little family here forms such an island. I am particularly happy that the scholarly endeavors exemplified by the contributions to this Colloquium in the form of lectures, discussions, and dialogues took place at the University of Denver. And I wish to conclude my remarks by thanking all of those involved, in the name of the University at large and myself, for having confirmed and strengthened my belief that nothing whatsoever can arrest our intrinsic faith in the advance of human knowledge. And the proper forum to communicate such advance is, in our age, still the University.

University of Denver Denver, Colorado

Maurice B. Mitchell Chancellor

PREFACE

The University of Denver has held two highly successful international confer­ences, both of which were a somewhat new experiment in American academic life, within the past few years. Participating were scholars in the fields of physics, biology, history, and philosophy, from Europe, the Western Hemisphere, and Africa. These first two colloquia were made possible by grants from the Martin-Marietta Corporation Foundation.

The results of these conferences were published in two substantial volumes, which received world-wide distribution and testified to the importance and significance of these conferences. The first volume,Physics, Logic, and History, was published in hard cover by Plenum Press (New York and London) in 1970. It was dedicated to George Gamow, one of our chief participants. Results of Colloquium II (again published by Plenum Press) appeared in 1972 and the vol­ume was dedicated to another participant, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi. This volume was entitled Biology, History, and Natural Philosophy. The paperback edition appeared in 1974.

We are now engaged in a third major international colloquium. This time we intend to address ourselves to the important problems which appear under the heading, Cosmology, History, and Theology. We are assembling this year some twenty American and international cosmologists, historians of science, and theologians. The international character of the conference is of vital relevance to our third effort. By considering the enormous implications which current research brings to all of us, and not only to the academic community, these international scholars will approach as closely as possible the solution of the issues and problems which lie ahead.

We believe that workers in each of the three disciplines-cosmology, history, and theology-have much to say to contemporary man about the nature ofthe world in which he lives. But we also believe that scholars should not devote themselves to their disciplines in isolation. Hence our desire to bring them to­gether, to speak to one another, and to write for the widest possible audience.

The Board of Higher Education of the United Methodist Church has con­tributed funds for this Third Colloquium in honor of Chester M. Alter, who was Chancellor of the University of Denver from 1953 to 1966. He is a vigorous pro-

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x PREFACE

ponent of the physical sciences, a liberal education, and the integrative approach to all learning symbolized by this Colloquium.

Further fmancial support of Colloquium III comes from the fum of Nelson, Haley, Patterson, and Quirk, Inc., of Greeley, Colorado, a subsidiary of C-E Tec, Waltham, Massachusetts.

The Editors

PARTICIPANTS

HANNES O. ALFVEN, Applied Physics and Astrophysics, the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm and the University of California, San Diego. General cosmology, origin and evolutionary history of the solar system, plasma physics; Nobel prize in physics 1970 for fundamental work in magnetohydrodynamics.

ASIM O. BARUT, Physics, University of Colorado. Elementary particles, gravitation, mathematical physics, statistical mechanics, quantum field theory.

PETER G. BERGMANN, PhYSics, Syracuse University. General researches in theoretical physics, particularly in special and general relativity theories, gravi­tation, irreversible processes and statistical mechanics, underwater sound inquiries, mathematical physics; assistant to Albert Einstein, 1936-1941.

ALLEN D. BRECK, History, University of Denver. Cochairman of the Collo­quium; medieval history, historiography, philosophy of history, Copernican studies, Wyclyf studies.

ROBERT S. COHEN, Physics and Philosophy, Boston University. Editor of Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science; history and philosophy of science, plasma physics, relations of history and physics.

JORGEN EHLERS, Astrophysics, Max-Planck-Institut fUr Physik und Astro­physik, Munich. Mathematical foundations of Einstein's theory of gravitation, description of matter in GRT and applications of GRT to astrophysics and cos­mology, axiomatics in physics, relationship between physical theories.

PATRICK A. HEELAN, S.J., Philosophy, State University of New York at Stony Brook. Elastic wave propagation in high-energy physics and in inho­mogeneous media, philosophy of quantum mechanics, quantum logic, geometry of pictorial space, philosophy of perception, the hermeneutics of experimental science.

PHILIP J. HEFNER, Systematic Theology, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. Nineteenth-century German theology, the interrelationship between science and theology, contemporary philosophy; editor of Zygon, Journal of Religion and Science.

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xii PARTICIPANTS

JEAN HEIDMANN, Astronomy, Paris Observatory in Meudon. Cosmology, galactic structure, radioastronomy; editor of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

MICHAEL A. HOSKIN, History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cam­bridge. Founder-editor of History of Astronomy (journal), editor of General History of Astronomy, Coeditor of Journal of the History of Science; sidereal astronomy, especially William Herschel.

STANLEY L. JAKI, Benedictine priest; History of Science, Seton Hall Univer­sity. History of Astronomy, philosophical and theological presuppositions in the development of cosmology, history of physics, lack of finality in physical theories, their interaction with other disciplines of human culture; Gifford lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, 1974-1975 and 1975-1976.

PHILIP J. LAWRENCE, History of Science, Harvard University. Histories of cosmology, biology, geology, and theology in the 19th century and their inter­actions; theory of uniformitarianism.

EDWARD A. LINDELL, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Denver.

WILLIAM H. McCREA, FRS, Emeritus, Astronomy, University of Sussex. Astrophysics, relativity theories, cosmology, rate of accretions of matter by stars, mechanism for radio-galaxies and quasars, the Universe, its structure and properties; coeditor of Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics (Cam­bridge U.P.).

JACQUES MERLEAU-PONTY, Epistemology, University of Paris, Nanterre. Cosmology (especially of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries), physical time, causality, structure and development of modern sciences.

CHARLES W. MISNER, Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland. Grav­itational collapse, conservation laws and the boundary of a boundary, relativity and topology, cosmology and gravitational radiation.

MAURICE B. MITCHELL, Chancellor, University of Denver.

KRISTIAN P. MOESGAARD, History of Science, University of Aarhus. Mathematical astronomy before Newton, Copernican theory of precession, Copernican influence on Tycho Brahe, comparison between Arab scholars, Ptolemy, and Copernicus.

JOHN D. NORTH, History of Modern Cosmology and the Exact Sciences, Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford. Editor-in-chief of Archives internationales d'histoire des sciences; medieval intellectual life, espe­cially mathematics and astronomy, origins of calculus of tensors, interrelation­ship of geometry and logic in the nineteenth century.

PARTICIPANTS xiii

ARTHUR R. PEACOCKE, Dean of Clare College, University of Cambridge. Theology: science and theology, thoughts about the Eucharist. Biophysical chemistry: molecular basis of heredity, physical chemistry of biological macro­molecules, e.g., osmotic pressure of biological macromolecules.

DAVID W. PEAT, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. Astro­physics, especially stellar spectroscopy, evolution and chemical history of stars and the galaxy, and related fields of nucleosynthesis; theology of nature and its cosmological aspects.

ARNO A. PENZIAS, Radioastronomy Physics, Bell Laboratories, Crawford Hill Laboratory. Microwave physics, satellite communications, atmospheric physics, interstellar matter cosmology, astronomical uses of TV.

KARL PHILBERTH, fam. O.S.B., Puchheim, West Germany. Glaciology, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire. The relevance of general relativity theory and cosmology to religious problems.

KENJI TOMITA, Physics, Research Institute for Theoretical Physics, Hiroshima University. Cosmology, general relativity, gravitational collapse, galaxy forma­tion, chaotic universe.

JEAN-PIERRE VIGIER, Theoretical Physics, Institut Henri Poincare, Paris. Cofounder with Louis de Broglie and David Bohm of a new elementary-particle model; proponent of nonzero photon rest mass; atomic phYSiCS, general rela­tivity theory, cosmology, theory of levels in physical reality.

GERALD J. WHITROW, History and Applications of Mathematics, Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London. Cosmology, cos­mogony, general relativity theory, history of astronomy, of cosmology, and of mathematics; aspects of the study of time.

WOLFGANG YOURGRAU, History of Science, University of Denver. Cochair­man of the Colloquium. Quantum theory, gravitation, general relativity, clas­sical and nonclassical thermo physics, variational principles, cosmology; cofounder-editor of Foundations of Physics; assistant to Erwin Schr6dinger, 1930-1933.

CONTENTS

I. COSMOLOGY: MYTH OR SCIENCE? Hannes Alfven, University of California, San Diego and Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm . ...................... .

II. ELEMENTARY PARTICLES, UNIVERSES, AND SINGULARITY SURF ACES Asim O. Barut, University of Colorado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

III. GENERAL RELATIVITY AND OUR VIEW OF THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE Peter G. Bergmann, Syracuse University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 23

IV. QUANTUM RELATIVITY AND THE COSMIC OBSERVER Patrick A. Heelan, State University of New York at Stony Brook.. 29

V. THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE IN THE FRAME OF CONVENTIONAL GENERAL RELATIVITY Jean Heidmann,Paris Observatory, Meudon. . .. .. . .. .. . . . .. ... 39

VI. MODELS, LAWS, AND THE UNIVERSE William H. McCrea, University of Sussex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 59

VII. COSMOLOGY AND THEOLOGY Charles W. Misner, University of Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 75

VIII. AN OBSERVATIONAL VIEW OF THE COSMOS Arno A. Penzias, Bell Laboratories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 101

IX. THE GENERATION OF MATTER AND THE CONSERVATION OF ENERGY Karl Philberth,Puchheim (West Germany) . ................... 113

X. ON A CHAOTIC EARLY UNIVERSE Kenji Tomita, Hiroshima University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 131

XI. COSMOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF NON-VELOCITY REDSHIFTS-A TIRED-LIGHT MECHANISM Jean-Pierre Vigier,Institut Henri Poincare . ................... 141

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xvi CONTENTS

XII. THE ROLE OF TIME IN COSMOLOGY Gerald J. Whitrow, Imperial College of Science and Technology. .. 159

XIII. ON SOME COSMOLOGICAL THEORIES AND CONSTANTS Wolfgang Yourgrau, University of Denver . ................... 179

XIV. JOHN WYCLYF ON TIME Allen D. Breck, University of Denver . ....................... 211

XV. THE ENGLISH BACKGROUND TO THE COSMOLOGY OF WRIGHT AND HERSCHEL Michael Hoskin, University of Cambridge . .................... 219

XVI. THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND THE IDEA OF AN OSCILLATING UNIVERSE Stanley L. Jaki, Seton Hall University . ...................... 233

XVII. HEAVEN AND EARTH-THE RELATION OF THE NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS TO GEOLOGY Philip Lawrence, Harvard University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 253

XVIII. LAPLACE AS A COSMOLOGIST Jacques Merleau-Ponty, University of Paris, Nanterre ........... 283

XIX. COSMOLOGY IN THE WAKE OF TYCHO BRAHE'S ASTRONOMY Kristian P. Moesgaard, University of Aarhus .................. 293

XX. CHRONOLOGY AND THE AGE OF THE WORLD John D. North, University of Oxford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 307

XXI. COSMIC ORDER AND HUMAN DISORDER Robert S. Cohen, Boston University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 335

XXII. BASIC CHRISTIAN ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE COSMOS Philip G. Hefner, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago . ...... 347

XXIII. COSMOS AND CREATION Arthur Peacocke, Clare College, Cambridge . .................. 365

XXIV. CREATION AND REDEMPTION David W. Peat, University of Cambridge ..................... 383

APPENDIX: AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE THIRD PART OF KANT'S UNIVERSAL NATURAL HISTORY AND THEORY OF THE HEA VENS Stanley L. Jaki, Seton Hall University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 387

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 405

SUBJECT INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 409