Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: an alien walks into a Toronto museum and says, "Excuse me. I would like to see a paleontologist." That’s just what happens in Calculating God (Tor Books, $23.95 hardcover).The spider-like Forhilnor have been observing Earth for several years, but they don’t want to invade or even meet the president. They’re just scientists doing an unusual research project.
That’s a bit of a shock, for both the mass media and Dr. Thomas Jericho, the paleontologist who volunteers to help his extraterrestrial opposite number study the museum’s collection of fossils. Jericho’s in for another shock, though -- his eight-legged counterpart Hollus wants to prove that God has engineered the evolution of three intelligent species.
The Fornilhor have discovered a coincidence of history among themselves, humans and another alien race known as the Wreed. All three species have been shaped by five cataclysmic "extinction events" occurring 440 million, 365 million, 225 million, 210 million and 65 million years ago.
Certainty, not faith
The discovery sets the stage for a series of debates between Jericho -- the classic "doubting Thomas" -- and the holistic Hollus. A traditional scientific atheist, Jericho can’t accept the idea of God as a prime mover and manipulator of the universe, but Hollus claims to have scientific proof that God exists.
Sawyer builds Hollus’ proofs from the thoughts and comments of a variety of religious scientists. The central argument is that the universe is too expertly engineered for God not to exist -- the quantum forces and fundamental physical laws of the universe are so finely balanced that it’s impossible to attribute them to random chance.
Jericho can’t accept this argument. But as the debates progress, he begins to question whether he’s rejecting it based on logic or because of his own anger at how his life has turned out.
It’s this psychological exploration that gives the book power. Philosophical debate in fiction gets dull quickly, but Sawyer has become adept at mixing his thought experiments with character stories.
The combination hasn’t always worked -- the leaden "false memory syndrome" plot of Sawyer's Factoring Humanity dragged down some fascinating discussions of mathematics and interstellar communication -- but succeeds brilliantly here. Jericho’s spiritual crisis adds pathos to an otherwise abstract debate.
It also helps that Sawyer isn’t afraid to provide definitive answers. The plot doesn’t trail off in a cloud of "maybe" – the question of God’s existence is answered, and proves vitally important to the future of the human race.
The discovery sets the stage for a series of debates between Jericho -- the classic "doubting Thomas" -- and the holistic Hollus. A traditional scientific atheist, Jericho can’t accept the idea of God as a prime mover and manipulator of the universe, but Hollus claims to have scientific proof that God exists.
Sawyer builds Hollus’ proofs from the thoughts and comments of a variety of religious scientists. The central argument is that the universe is too expertly engineered for God not to exist -- the quantum forces and fundamental physical laws of the universe are so finely balanced that it’s impossible to attribute them to random chance.
Jericho can’t accept this argument. But as the debates progress, he begins to question whether he’s rejecting it based on logic or because of his own anger at how his life has turned out.
It’s this psychological exploration that gives the book power. Philosophical debate in fiction gets dull quickly, but Sawyer has become adept at mixing his thought experiments with character stories.
The combination hasn’t always worked -- the leaden "false memory syndrome" plot of Sawyer's Factoring Humanity dragged down some fascinating discussions of mathematics and interstellar communication -- but succeeds brilliantly here. Jericho’s spiritual crisis adds pathos to an otherwise abstract debate.
It also helps that Sawyer isn’t afraid to provide definitive answers. The plot doesn’t trail off in a cloud of "maybe" – the question of God’s existence is answered, and proves vitally important to the future of the human race.
Getting there is most of the fun
So, does the math work? Has Sawyer provided a definitive scientific answer to the existence of God?
Probably not. Sawyer cheats a little with his aliens, who are a few decades more advanced than we are, having discovered a "fifth force" that precludes the existence of parallel universes.
Much of their argument depends on this non-existence of parallel universes -- given an infinite number of possible universes, the tiniest probability of a randomly generated universe that can lead to life becomes a certainty.
The Fornilhors also present a theory of God's origins that is both innovative and incomplete. It requires that something exist before God, but fails to explain how that something came into existence.
Sawyer adds at least one thought worth keeping to an ancient debate. His aliens don’t see "God" as omnipotent and omniscient, instead understanding that the creator or prime mover doesn't need to be unlimited.
This concept of a limited God is much easier for a scientific mind to accept. It eliminates the problems of evil and suffering that tie most religions in logical knots -- the universe is imperfect simply because God is too.
Calculating God probably won’t change anybody’s religion. It’s "just" fiction, and Sawyer seems more interested in conducting a thought experiment than actually proving the existence of God. But it’s likely to shake up the beliefs of all but the most determined atheists.
So, does the math work? Has Sawyer provided a definitive scientific answer to the existence of God?
Probably not. Sawyer cheats a little with his aliens, who are a few decades more advanced than we are, having discovered a "fifth force" that precludes the existence of parallel universes.
Much of their argument depends on this non-existence of parallel universes -- given an infinite number of possible universes, the tiniest probability of a randomly generated universe that can lead to life becomes a certainty.
The Fornilhors also present a theory of God's origins that is both innovative and incomplete. It requires that something exist before God, but fails to explain how that something came into existence.
Sawyer adds at least one thought worth keeping to an ancient debate. His aliens don’t see "God" as omnipotent and omniscient, instead understanding that the creator or prime mover doesn't need to be unlimited.
This concept of a limited God is much easier for a scientific mind to accept. It eliminates the problems of evil and suffering that tie most religions in logical knots -- the universe is imperfect simply because God is too.
Calculating God probably won’t change anybody’s religion. It’s "just" fiction, and Sawyer seems more interested in conducting a thought experiment than actually proving the existence of God. But it’s likely to shake up the beliefs of all but the most determined atheists.
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