Creation Ex Nihilo: Thoughts on Science, Divine Providence, Free Will, and Faith in the Perspective of My Own ExperiencesCreation Ex Nihilo is about science and faith, the secular view on the one hand, and the Jewish-religious view on the other. Professor Benjamin Fain, the renowned physicist and Soviet refusenik, here adds his contribution to the literature showing that there is no contradiction between science and Judaism. In a scholarly yet readable philosophical meditation, Fain addresses the mind and soul; science, its character and cognizance; the evolution of life and divine providence; and God s omnipotence and omniscience versus humans freedom of will. Fain demonstrates how the human self with its soul, desires, and emotions is linked to the infinite divine mind. In this world of interplay between divine providence and free will, there is a place for human creativity; new things, including science, are created ex nihilo. This book demonstrates conclusively that not only do science and Judaism not collide, they complement each other in helping us to comprehend the world we live in. |
Contents
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15 | |
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7 A Jewish Approach The World Open to God | 33 |
8 Summary | 36 |
Evolution Law of Nature or Divine Providence? | 112 |
10 A Conversation between an Atheist A and a Believer B | 115 |
History | 119 |
2 There Is No LawBased Regularity in History | 121 |
3 The Influence of the Level of Human Knowledge on Historical Developments | 123 |
4 Divine Injunction and Human Morality ? | 128 |
5 Why Jews? | 132 |
6 Science and Jewish Civilization | 134 |
Science | 40 |
2 The Principle of Induction | 42 |
3 Godels Theorem | 45 |
4 Immanuel Kants Solution to the Problem of Induction | 47 |
5 Karl Poppers Solution to the Problem of Induction | 50 |
6 Mans Ability to Reveal Natures Laws | 53 |
7 Scientific Cognition in the Real WorldA Jewish View | 56 |
8 Solomon Maimon and His Philosophy | 63 |
Science Divine Revelation | 69 |
Science and Faith | 80 |
Evolution of Life | 85 |
2 The Basic Mechanism of Natural Selection | 88 |
3 The Molecular Basis of Life Processes | 90 |
A Proteins | 91 |
B DNA the genetic code | 93 |
C RNA the translation of the genetic code | 95 |
4 DNA RNA Proteins Cells Organism | 96 |
Can We Prove the Theory of Evolution? | 100 |
6 Compatibility with Divine Providence | 103 |
7 Does a Law of Evolution Exist? | 105 |
8 Creative Emerging Evolution | 107 |
7 Evil Is the Antithesis of Judaism | 136 |
8 Human HistoryProvidence and Freedom of Will | 140 |
9 Jewish Philosophers on Everything is foreseen yet freedom of choice is given | 146 |
B Maimonides Approach to the Problem of Freedom of Choice versus Divine Knowledge | 147 |
C Other Jewish Philosophers | 149 |
A Different Approach to the Paradox of Everything is foreseen yet freedom of choice is given | 155 |
B Two Types of Development Material and Spiritual | 157 |
C Knowledge of the Future | 158 |
D The Future Is Not Explicitly Concealed in the Past | 161 |
E Everything Is Foreseen | 163 |
14 | 168 |
G Summary | 169 |
Conclusion | 171 |
B Science | 173 |
C Evolution | 174 |
D History | 175 |
2 The Self and the Quest for Meaning | 176 |
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