ON JULY 4, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) published results suggesting it had found the elusive ‘Higgs-boson’ particle which is thought to explain the physical mass of objects in the universe. The findings were obtained by means of subatomic experiments carried on at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland.
A few days after that remarkable discovery, I received a letter from one of you, dear readers, which I believe raises an important issue which I think is important to discuss in this month’s editorial.
The reader states, “I have just come across a report about the Higgs-boson, saying that the physicists had announced something concerning their research of the particle. I know it’s commonly called the ‘God Particle’ because it gives matter its mass, at least that’s what the theory says. Does this pose any difficulties for us Christians or does it rather provide scientific ‘proof’ of the existence of God?”
First of all, let’s clarify something. The name ‘God Particle’ was invented as a joke by the Nobel Prize winning physicist Leon Lederman. The term was basically the provocative title for a book he was writing on particle physics a few years ago. Lederman had stated that if there was a particle that could explain all the little things we wanted to explain, it would be a gift from God. So the expression ‘God Particle’ was simply a metaphor which had nothing to do with theology. In fact, the name ‘God Particle’ actually annoys many scientists because the proof of the existence or non-existence of God does not lie within the remit of science.
The existence of God cannot be demonstrated scientifically, but is something we must believe in. This great and fundamental truth had already been intuited many centuries ago by St. Augustine, one of the most important early Christian writers. He wrote, “Si comprehendis non est Deus” – “If you think you understand God, that is not God!” Quite simply, God is always beyond our comprehension.
The recent discovery at CERN is certainly of great scientific value, even though it must be pointed out that we are not actually dealing with a ‘discovery’ as such. This is because Peter Higgs, along with two other teams of physicists had already theorised the mechanism that suggested the existence of this particle way back in 1964. That which he had posited has now been verified thanks to the CERN scientists in Geneva. Their efforts are part of humanity’s great and noble striving to fathom the mysteries of universe, and to use its powers for the benefit of human beings. Their findings have unveiled another enigma that has hitherto baffled us, and will probably open new horizons in science and technology.
This discovery should also remind us that science, itself, cannot address all those issues that interest us as human beings. There are, in fact, deep-burning questions within the heart of every man, woman and child that do not involve the unravelling of the mechanisms governing life and creation, but rather deal with the meaning of life.
To strive to understand how the world works is a basic human need, but to give meaning and significance to life is an even more fundamental human need. Why do we love? Why do pain, suffering and death exist? The scientist will never be able to answer these questions, especially when his or her loved ones are directly involved.
I am certainly no scientist, and I find physics to be especially confusing, but I am sure this new discovery represents a significant breakthrough in science. Despite its importance, however, we should never forget that it has nothing to do with either theology or faith; nor does it address those questions that concern us as human beings with a heart. Those types of questions involve issues which require us to speak about God, otherwise the answers we would get would be increasingly divorced from the truth and reality and, as a consequence, our lives would become more and more meaningless and empty.
Updated on October 06 2016