Book Reviews
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Comments on the relationship of science & religion
On the Relationship of Science and Religion
While public perception is that a preponderance of scientists are atheists, the facts are otherwise. Dr. Eyring is far from alone in thinking that there is a spiritual dimension to reality and that a belief in God does not preclude the highest form of scientific thought.
Students of science — and otherwise — are entitled to know as part of their learning process that such great names as Eddington, Shrodinger, Jeans, Heisenberg, Hawking, Penrose, and Hoyle share this view, as did the great Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, the induction coil, micro-wave energy, and neon and fluorescent light. And to these names we must add the somewhat less familiar, but equally important name of Princeton University Professor Henry Eyring, developer of the mathematics which explains the otherwise mysterious quantum mechanics which dominates contemporary scientific thinking. Eyring was awarded every top prize in physics and chemistry with the exception of the Nobel Prize. He was nominated for the Nobel several times without success, many think because the Nobel jury prefers to award the prize to simple, straightforward discoveries in preference to more complex mathematical processes few can follow and even fewer comprehend. But Eyring’s work has provided explanations for hundreds of otherwise contradictory physical processes involving quantum mechanics.
Nor is it just scientists and mathematicians who have wondered at the inherent intelligence which evidently underlies existence: musicians like Chopin and Beethoven repeatedly said that their greatest compositions came into their minds in virtually completed form. Indeed, Beethoven had to hurry home from his walks along the Neckar River in order to write down the music he heard in his mind before he forgot it. All expressed the view that their greatest ideas arrived ready-made from some superior source. No “superstition”, let alone “religion”, in mentioning these facts to aspiring students of science. The thinking of these greats deserves to be taught more seriously than in a Sunday School class.
D. B. Timmins, PhD, Harvard
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Reflections of a Scientist
I walked through the doors of the Henry Eyring chemistry building many times as a student at the University of Utah. I learned inorganic chemistry from Ted Eyring. Organic chemistry was also fascinating. Science became more than just memorizing laws and equations, but rather a way to learn the mysteries of the Universe. I have been humbled by it. As I struggled in my personal life, science became an anchor for me. I happened to read “Reflections of a Scientist” at a point in my life when I doubted the importance or relevance of faith. Looking back, I recognize the important role Dr. Eyring played in my decision not to ignore certain truths because of certain unknowns. I have found greater understanding and deeper love for the universe because of such books as “Reflections of a Scientist” and “Mormon Scientist”
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Fusing Faith & Science
Henry Eyring fused science and religion. He never felt that his faith and profession were at odds. On the contrary, he felt that science enhanced his faith, and vice versa. I was not only impressed with Dr. Eyring’s profession of faith and science, but I was amazed at his level of active involvement in each of them. He led Mormon congregations and scientific organizations, gave faith-promoting talks and wrote ground-breaking scientific papers.
The organization of the book is refreshing for a biography. As the author says in the Introduction, “Rather than proceeding chronologically through his life, we’ll look first at the things he accomplished (his Legacy), then at the family experiences that shaped him (Heritage), and then at the unusual way he thought (Paradoxes). We will close with a section called Testament, in which Henry bears witness to those things of greatest importance.”
This book not only gives insight into the life and mind of a world-renonwned scientist, but proves that a person does not have to choose science or religion — both “disciplines” can be embraced.
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