The God Problem

November 15, 2015
Scholar Bloom (The Genius of the Beast, 2009) addresses the question whether a god or supernatural power is required in order to explain the vastness, complexity, and creativity of the cosmos. He seeks a naturalistic explanation for the workings of the cosmos in lieu of relying on bearded deities, divine designers, and holy minds in the sky. Indeed, Bloom believes that some of Western science's laws and unquestioned assumptions ineluctably require a divine explanation. This is the god problem of the book's title. So, he proceeds to take his readers through a history of Western science, mathematics, and philosophy, suggesting when and how we got it wrong. While that is no easy task, Bloom engages heady material with enthusiasm, even when his unrelentingly folksy style wears a bit thin. Scientific experts will have to debate the merits of Bloom's views on, say, entropy and sociality and the conclusions he draws. Even assuming he is correct on all counts, a bearded and bathrobed god only becomes unnecessary, not impossible.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)