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Does God Exist?

Jul 16, 2024

Lecture: Does God Exist?

Overview

  • Atheists think there's no reason to believe in God because science explains everything.
  • Science explains the natural world but cannot address the supernatural.
  • God is often described as an all-knowing, omnipresent, omnipotent supernatural mind.

The Relationship Between Math and God

What is Math?

  • Math: Numbers, information, and connections between numbers.
  • Invisible and intangible; exists only in the mind.
  • Math explains both simple and complex phenomena (e.g., counting, planetary motion, atomic behavior).

Origin of Mathematics

  • Two possibilities:

    1. Math is a human invention to explain the natural world (natural origin).
    2. Math pre-exists because it governs the universe (supernatural origin).
  • Argument for supernatural origin:

    • Math contains infinite information and cannot be purely human-made.
    • An infinite number of numbers with unique properties.
    • Pi: Infinite digits that are continuously discovered.
    • Infinite information cannot exist in a finite universe.
    • Math encoded with every possible combination of numbers, letters, books, and particles.
    • Exact copy of the universe encoded in math.

Evidence of a Designer in Math

The Example of the Mandelbrot Set

  • Simple equation resulting in infinitely complex and detailed shapes.
  • Infinite zoom reveals endless new patterns (elephants, seahorses, spirals).
  • Discovered by accident, not invented.
  • Infinite complexity implies a designer.

Conclusion on the Mind Behind Math

  • Common sense suggests a designer for infinite, complex patterns.
  • Math's origin must be a mind: all-knowing, omnipotent, and supernatural.
  • Math in the mind of God fits the description of God.
    • Infinite information and complexity = all-knowing.
    • Mathematical governance of the universe = all-powerful.
    • Beyond the natural world = supernatural.
  • Moral and other truths also seen as existing in the mind of God.

Summary

  • Existence of math and its infinite nature suggest it exists in the mind of God.
  • Galileo: Math as the language with which God wrote the universe.