Centuries of scientific discovery has done much to corroborate religion. Polkinghome's view was supported by nuclear physicist Peter E. Hodgson of Oxford University and five other conference speakers who are noted experts in varied scientific fields revolving around cosmology, the study of the universe and its origins.
Cosmology is a hot topic in scientific circles today.
It's a special section in the June 2001 issue of Astronomy magazine, and it was the cover article in the January 2001 issue of Scientific American, with a shorter article also in the March 2001 issue. Ancient Greece made an important start in the development of modern science, Hodgson said, noting that Greek thinkers showed how to ask the right questions. Aristotle died in 322 B.C. Muslims, as their culture flourished from the 7th to 9th centuries, developed a high level of civilization and made advances in astronomy and medicine, but the impetus was not continued, Hodgson said. The Chinese, despite their 5,000-year history, were locked into a rigid system of memorized learning that took decades to master and was rigorously controlled, thus stifling intellectual endeavor, Hodgson continued. English physicist and mathematician Sir Issac Newton , born 1642, who studied Kepler's work and who also believed his work brought honor to God.