Collins is a scientific big shot (head of the Human Genome Project) and is famous for also being very religious.

I’m not. I am in awe of the incredible wonders of this planet, not to mention the wonders of the universe. I am awed even watching my 20-month-old granddaughter learn new skills and new words, but I have no idea what CAUSED all those wonders to come into being.

In the copy of Mationsl Geographic that I just opened, Collins is quoted thusly:

“At the most fundament level, it’s a miracle that there’s a universe at all.”

I agree! 

He continues:

“It’s a miracle that it [the universe] has order, fine-tuning that allows the possibility of complexity, and laws that follow precise mathematical formulas.”

Perhaps miracle isn’t the word I would use, but it is indeed amazing that the universe has those properties. Why is it that neutrons and electrons have the properties that the do, and hydrogen and oxygen and all the rest behave the way they do? I have no idea. Physicists and chemists and biologists can describe those properties, and explain why more complex phenomena occur as a result of the fundamental properties, but we have no frigging idea what caused the Big Bang or why atoms and subatomic particles behave the way they do. Its a mystery that I think we will never discover. But Collins continues:

“Contemplating this, an open-minded observer is almost forced to conclude that there must be a ‘mind’ behind all this.”

Here I disagree. I haveno idea what caused the universe to occur starting 14.7 billion years ago, but for a “mind” of some sort to be In charge of setting the values of all those physical constants raises even more questions. And provides even fewer explanations. For example, one might ask: ok, where did this “mind” come from? Why did it set the mass of a neutrino at such and such? Can this “mind” change its mind if it gets bored? If yes, what happens? If not, why not?

He concludes that “to me that qualifies as amiracle, a profound truth that lies outside of scientific explanation.”

Here I might agree. I doubt we will ever discover a cause for the Big Bang or why the various physical properties of the universe are what they are and are uniform in all places and for all time. (Or why dark energy may be an exception)

It does not force me to conclude there is a “mind@ controlling all that. No particular evidence would leave me to conclude that the human sky deities and inventions called Zeus, Legba, Thor, Cronis, Allah, Atman, or YHVH are responsible for any of those mysteries.

Two major accomplishments tonight:

1. David C finally Aluminized his mirror in our vacuum chamber. Long story with mishaps that included pyrolized Sharpie marks on a previous quick and dirty aluminizationsfor attempt, and a Varian high-vacuum gauge that got stuck for a while. But he was persistent and diligent and forgiving as well.

2. Rich K appears to have finished parabolizing his 10″ f/7 mirror, which he had started about 20 years ago under the guidance of my predecessor, Jerry Schnall. If my Foucault knife-edge measurements are correct then it’s 1/15 lambda which is great.