This post is in celebration and commemoration of C. S. Lewis on the first, hopefully annual, C. S. Lewis Reading Day. Congratulations to all of the societies, podcasts and YouTubers striving to bring God into the world through the works of C. S. Lewis. May they go "from strength to strength and appear before God in Zion. (Psalms 84:8)"
In keeping with the spirit and goals of the Day, I wanted to share and discuss one of my favorite Lewis quotes. Of course, here on Torah from Narnia, we've already discussed many of my favorite Lewis quotes and analyzed why, as an Orthodox Jew who clearly disagrees with Lewis on major theological issues, I appreciate and value Lewis' insight.
However, this one is different. It comes from the first letter of The Screwtape Letters, and I would like to approach it not primarily as a religious Jew (though I can hardly divorce myself from that perspective) but as a physicist.
First some background...
During my first year at Yeshiva University, I took Physics with Professor Arthur Komar. To our class Prof. Komar was the stereotypical absent-minded, wild-eyed physicist. He had white hair and white beard. He wore the same black pants and a black button-down shirt every day (he later told us he just had lots of the same shirts and pants). He wore a string tie. He couldn't comprehend how we could not understand something. And he gave really hard tests.
With God's help, I managed to do pretty well those first two semesters and the next Fall those of us who survived (and were glutton for punishment) took Prof. Komar again for Modern Physics.
We braced ourselves for more hard work and long nights of studying in line with what we already knew of Professor Komar. But, for the first three of four classes of that semester, he did something utterly unexpected: he told stories. The stories were about attempts throughout the ages to measure the speed of light. He didn't tell these stories to instruct us how to do the experiments or even to prepare us for a test. He just told stories, and we were mesmerized.
I can't say how those classes affected me at the time, probably I and my classmates were just relieved that we weren't immediately pounded with really hard problems in special relativity (though those were soon to come). Looking back, however, I may have internalized something more. Physics, for all its mathematical equations and mask of cold, calculated logic, was a quest, an epic adventure. And, as with any great adventure, there are stories to tell. Stories of triumphs and defeats, stories of loyal friends and sworn enemies, and that sometimes, as in stories, it's not easy to tell which is which.
The reason I bring this up here on C. S. Lewis Reading Day is because in its essence, what Prof. Komar taught me was that there is a place for physicists in Narnia.
To explain how let's turn to my chosen quote for the day:
There have been sad cases among the modern physicists.
Remember that this quote was "penned" by Screwtape, a senior devil, talking to Wormwood his nephew, a junior tempter trying to sway the human he is assigned to towards sin. So, Screwtape's assertion means that there have been modern physicists who have escaped the clutches of Hell. These physicists, despite the best efforts of the tempters, came to recognize God and were on the path to Heaven. I'm not sure who Lewis had in mind, but that's not my focus for the moment. Instead, I would like to thank about how these physicists made their escape.
Actually, Lewis himself provides an answer. Earlier in that same letter Screwtape encouraged his nephew to keep the human he is tempting towards sin away from the sciences. The problem with the real sciences (not the pseudo-science which makes up so much of popular science today), Lewis explains, is that "They will positively encourage him to think about realities he can’t touch and see and who knows what might happen after that!" In other words, it's easy for humans to doubt anything they cannot touch or see, including God. But a physicist is someone who spends much of his time pondering exactly those things (not to mention the non-intuitive concepts of quantum mechanics). At that point, belief in God is not such a great leap.
I think that's a good argument. But if I were Screwtape (especially today), I would argue a bit differently. To explain, let me go back to my own thoughts on religion and science.
Ever since I started showing interest in physics people, especially fellow traditional Jews, have raised the questions of science contradicting Judaism. Most of these questions relate to Genesis and the creation story. How can one believe in both the Biblical account of Creation and that of the modern physicist? Of course, there have been numerous books written trying to harmonize these two perspectives with varying degrees of success.
Honestly, though, the question never bothered me, not even a little. Because from my perspective, both religion and science are attempting to determine truth and, not surprisingly, they do not always agree. Frankly, it's hard to imagine why anyone would think that they would agree. The great Sages had plenty of arguments in their attempts to find the truths of the laws and theology of Judaism. Great physicists have argued in their attempts to determine scientific truth. So why should the two disciplines always agree?
But, you know what? Generally, we figure things out. No Orthodox Jew disputes the rabbinic prohibition against eating chicken and milk together, or prohibiting the use of microphones on Shabbat, though these were both bitterly argued in the past. Similarly, physicists have accepted the Big Bang and the existence of Black Holes, though these too were in the past points of contention. The Big Bang can even be thought of as harmonizing science and religion as it posits a point in which the universe came into being (a time zero as it were). And, someday, we'll resolve all of the "contradictions" between science and religion as long as we seek to know truth: "For all find what they truly seek" (Aslan to Emeth at the end of The Last Battle).
This shared goal of science and religion, seeking truth be it through God's word or God's creations, are why the tempters of today must keep science away from their "patients." For in a world of "multiple truths," science, real science, must teach otherwise. There is only one truth though we may not yet have achieved it fully and we may disagree where we are on that journey.
In my humble opinion, the above perspective, harmonizing science and religion, creates an opening for scientists in the world of religion. An opening which, frankly, I think most scientists until relatively recently always took as a given.
Still, merely permission to believe does not take us to Narnia. To call Narnia home requires prizing, not just intellect, but passion, imagination, and adventure. In other words, appreciating stories. The Deist tells no story: God created the world, and the rest is up to humans. Those of Judeo-Christian heritage and belief tell stories.
Why the need for stories? Why does the bible tell so many stories as opposed to just being a code of law?
I think there are a couple of approaches one can take to this question and I'll suggest one here. Laws tell us what to do in a given circumstance. Stories tell us what circumstances we should put ourselves into. For example, one can rightly ask what to do if they do not live close by to a synagogue or church, but stories would discourage us from living in such a place and thus avoid the whole question.
The biblical stories and accompanying midrashic interpretations, and the Narnian stories and similar works, are meant to shape our minds and souls so that we will intuitively feel into what situations we should place ourselves and which ones not.
In the modern world, there is a vision of a genius, physicist working for years, alone, to one day emerge having achieved an amazing discovery, a true eureka moment.
It probably happens every once in a while, I guess, but it's rare.
What really happens is much more social. Scientists try different things (theoretical or experimental). They talk to colleagues, they argue, they join forces and try something new. Maybe what they're trying doesn't work and they'll follow a new lead. Or maybe a collaboration doesn't go as hoped, and they'll work with someone else instead. Scientists put themselves into situations where they can maximize success but sometimes it's quite an adventure to get there. They thus write and tell stories, like the stories that Prof. Komar told me.
And it is for this reason physicists also have a place in Narnia. And it is for this reason "there have been sad cases among the modern physicists." It is true that physicists by nature must think of (sometimes non-intuitive) concepts they cannot touch or see. It is additionally true that physicists must respect truth as an ideal and moral value. And it is especially true that physicists tell stories opening their eyes to imagination and adventure.
And once someone starts to tell stories and value stories, they might get a glimpse of The Great Storyteller writing the ultimate story.
Welcome to Torah from Narnia
No comments:
Post a Comment