Abstract
It Keeps me Seeking is a book which it is very hard to categorise. A collaboration between two Oxford physicists (Andrew Briggs and Andrew Steane) and a Princeton Philosopher (Hans Halvorson), it ranges widely, with stopping-off points in topics as diverse as materials science, the contrast between classical and quantum physics, personal identity, ancient near Eastern creation myths, the responses of mediaeval scholastic philosophers to Aristotle, and biblical hermeneutics. There are lengthier discussions of recent ‘anthropic’ arguments from design, and of the nature of miracles. All this material is related to four themes, stated at the outset as: ‘(1) God is a being to be known, not a hypothesis to be tested. (2) We set a high bar on what constitutes good argument. (3) Uncertainty is OK. (4) We are allowed to open up the window that the natural world offers us’ (p. 3). Throughout the book are scattered personal anecdotes, reflections, and autobiographical fragments offered by each of the three contributors, together with transcriptions of conversations between them.
On the one hand, all this creates the impression of lively interaction between the authors; on the other, it renders the overall structure of the book rather ‘bitty’. Digressions into fields such as Bayesian probability theory and quantum entanglement inevitably involve the use of complex and technical language, but the authors are in general to be congratulated for the relaxed and very readable prose style in which their arguments are presented.
It is not entirely clear at what readership this book is aimed. The authors state that it is not ‘a contribution to academic theology’ (p. 289), and indeed many of the themes explored here have already been well covered in the science-and-religion literature. The book frequently reads like a work of Christian apologetic, a categorisation which is disavowed on p. 2 but also tentatively affirmed on p. 337. Parts of it are very personal; and whilst the reflections and testimonies of the authors will heighten the immediacy and deepen the relevance of this book for some, I am not sure of the extent to which an unsympathetic reader will find such material persuasive.
Among the acknowledgments is one to Brigg’s Church house group, and it is perhaps in discussions in this kind of setting that this book will be found most valuable. However, the general principles around which it is constructed, as enumerated above, deserve a wide circulation, and could helpfully inform more science-and-religion writing. In particular, the rejection of the idea that the existence of God is a pseudo-scientific hypothesis, and the advocacy of a willingness to live with uncertainty that must characterise authentic scientific and theological endeavour alike, offer helpful ways of grounding the peaceable interaction of these two aspects of human experience; and that this is a worthwhile, satisfying and achievable goal is ultimately the important message of this book.