Can science prove the existence of God? (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]

“It’s so easy to become a grumbler, someone who condemns and carps at everything on principle and sees an ulterior motive behind it.” -Eric Metaxas

If we find out that we truly are alone in the Universe, whether there’s no other life, intelligent life, or spacefaring life, there’s no doubt that makes us special. But does that make us divinely chosen? Or, even more to the point, does that mean that the Universe was designed to give rise to human beings; with us in mind as the end goal? That isn’t necessarily a question we can know the answer to, but it’s something we can approach with science.

Kepler 186f is one of a great many candidates for a very Earth-like planet. Image credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech.

In particular, we can ask three separate questions:

1. What are, scientifically, the conditions that we need for life to arise?
2. How rare or common are these conditions elsewhere in the Universe?
3. And finally, if we don’t find life in the places and under the conditions where we expect it, can that prove the existence of God?

Reaching, broadcasting and listening for the evidence of others has so far returned an empty, lonely result. Image credit: Victor Bobbett.

The questions themselves are interesting, but what science has to say about all of them might be the most interesting thing of all.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2kaCt25