The G.O.D. Experiments

February 13, 2006
Schwartz, a University of Arizona professor of psychology and neurology, believes passionately that 21st-century science provides clues to G.O.D.—the "Guiding, Organizing, Designing" process animating the universe. With the fervor of an evangelist, he draws on quantum physics, psychology, mathematics and evolutionary biology to convert unbelievers to the idea that this G.O.D. exists. He underwent his own conversion after testing the claims of a man who said that his dreams could foretell the future. In a kind of double-blind 10-day experiment, Schwartz found that the man's dreams accurately described locations, randomly selected, for them to visit each day. Schwartz became convinced that nothing happens by chance and that some kind of organizing and guiding process must exist. Order rather than chance is the exception to the rule in the universe, says Schwartz, because all objects are interrelated. Many, both scientists and not, will have trouble accepting Schwartz's sophomoric and overly determined experiments—you can't have sand paintings without a designer, but that doesn't prove that the universe has a designer—but others no doubt will find Schwartz's blend of pop spirituality and pop science satisfying explanations of intelligent design. 5 b&w illus.