From: abkevich@husc3.harvard.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: How do Jews reconcile science and philosophy with their faith?
Date: 28 Jan 93 00:00:10 EST
Organization: Harvard University Science Center

In article <106765@netnews.upenn.edu>, hlevene@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Howard 
Levene) writes:
> In article <44049@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> ph600fcy@sdcc14.ucsd.edu (Matthew 
> Harrington) writes:
>>There seem to be many Jews (perhaps non-practising) in the sciences
>>and mathematics.  Perhaps some of them even read this newsgroup.  It
>>seems to me that it is difficult to reconcile various scientific
>>accomplishments with religion in general.  For example, evolution
>>and the big-bang theory run contrary to the account given in the
>>Bible.  In the philosophical realm, I haven't heard any defenses of
>>free will vs. determinism or other dilemmas given by people of a
>>Jewish background.  So, how do you people do it?  "It" refers to
>>reconciling your fundamental religious beliefs with the scientific
>>and philosophic theories (&c.) of the day.
>>
>>					Perplexed,
>>					Matt Harrington
> 
> 1)  Torah described creation is allegorical and needn't be reconciled with 
> 	science.

I don't like this explanation. It is too easy. You could explain everything by
such way.

> 
> 2)  G-d decided that when He revealed the Torah, He'd leave out the part about
> 	Schroedinger's Time Independent Wave Equations for fear that the
> 	ancient Hebrews wouldn't quite understand it.

But if it is a case He could revealed all these equations by the way which
will not horrify ancient Jews but might be understood later (as happened with
other things).

> 
> 3)  Ask Slartibartfast (ref.  Hitchkiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
> 
> 4)  The Universe was created seeming to be 20 billion years old in as much as
> 	Adam was created as a full grown man even when his chronological age
> 	would make him a baby.  This statement can neither be proven nor 
> 	disproven.

I like this one because it doesn't need additional assumptions.
I want add one more:

   5)  All theories of modern phisics are unreliable, because they are based on
       the assumption that time scale is the same (all kinetic constants were
       the same 20 billions years ago). If it is wrong, our understanding of
       nature is a wrong one. Now all modern phisics experiments were checked
       for maximum 100 years. We are trying to predict, what happened
       20,000,000,000 years ago. If I would make an experiment for 300 nsec and
       then will predict what will happen in a minute I will not be able to
       publish an article. And it is said in the Torah that there were changes
       in world after Creation. So our experiments *are* unreliable according
       to the Torah. Lets wait 20 more billions years, than (if nothing will
       change) our predictions will be more reliable!

                                  Cordilly

                               Victor Abkevich
  
  
> 
> All these situations allow us technical types (I'm a Mechanical Engineering
> Senior) to avoid trying to reconcile Science and G-d.  We just invoke Occam's
> [sp?] Razor and go on our merry way practicing science and practicing religion.
> 
> --
>  Howard B. Levene              |    "I'll call you the next time I pass
>    You'd think I'd use someone |         through your star system."
>       else's opinions?         |          -- Commander Wil Riker, ST:TNG
>  hlevene@eniac.seas.upenn.edu  |  Data is a Mechanical Engineer, too.