How Does Wonder Factor into Science?
Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
“Wonder:
2 : the quality of exciting amazed admiration
3 a : rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience”
Science is for people who wonder. It is for the insatiably curious and the awestruck. Science isn’t about answering questions in order to take the joy and mystery out of them; it’s about answering questions to increase our appreciation for the incredible mechanisms of the universe.
As a Christian, I am especially thankful for the wonder of science, because it points to the even greater wonder at the creator of science (and everything else). Because I believe that God is behind creation, and telling His story in it, I have more reason than most to be thankful for the beauty of nature and the thrill of exploring this incredible universe.
God of Wonder
God loves wonder and He invented this feeling in us.
“O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.”
Psalm 104:24 ESV
He made this universe to reflect His glory and He is delighted when we delight in it. We’re meant to look at it with awe, and in reaction turn and worship its maker, similar to how we praise Shakespeare for his plays and Mozart for his music. Unfortunately, our bent hearts too often make an idol of creation, but that is not what God intended, and we’re settling for less when we do that.
Carl Sagan
“But nature is always more subtle, more intricate, more elegant than what we are able to imagine.”
Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan was an astronomer who proved that wonder is something we can experience even when we can’t explain it. To Sagan, we are insignificant specks of dust in a vast and empty cosmos, and our feelings of awe and gratitude are nothing more than bursts of electrical energy in our brains - in short, wonder is a kind of illusion, a trick that nature plays on us for some evolutionary purpose.
And yet, even a materialist like Sagan couldn’t help but take wonder seriously and marvel as he considered the majesty of the universe. He couldn’t explain it, but he couldn’t get over the sense that our feelings of wonder are connected to something real. As a Christian, I believe he’s right about the reality of wonder, and I believe I have a good explanation for it. And I’m thankful for men like Sagan who point us to wonder despite themselves.
Jurassic Park
“Jurassic Park is the greatest science story ever told.”
The book and movie Jurassic Park changed my life and gave me a deep appreciation for wonder at the natural world. As I’ve written elsewhere, Jurassic Park is an incredible modern-day parable about the wonder and danger of nature, and how we should respect it and not arrogantly try to control it. Michael Crichton came up with a fantastic story, and Steven Spielberg did a nearly perfect job of bringing it to life; it’s a story that lit up the imaginations of young scientists like me.
Jurassic Park is an excellent example of how stories can induce us to wonder and help us process our place in the greater story of creation. As a Christian, I believe the best story, for life and for science, is the Gospel story. It teaches us that God is the creator and King of all, and He has appointed us as His representatives on Earth, to explore and humbly care for all that He has made. Stories are powerful and important, and the best stories point us back to the Great Story, even if they don’t do so explicitly.
Documentaries
I love well-made nature documentaries like Planet Earth, National Geographic, and Disney Nature. These incredible films show us that we live on an amazing planet in an amazing universe.
It’s easy to think of nature as the buggy, dangerous, wild places where humans are not typically welcome, and civilization as our home. But these documentaries show that even in the places where it’s not safe for us, there is beauty and wonder and even a kind of magic, as life teems on our little planet and the seasons and cycles of nature march on through the ages. People who have the gift for telling the stories of nature are doing important work, and glorifying the creator – whether they know it or not.
Wonder and Gratitude
“The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has no one to thank.”
-G.K. Chesterton
Anyone can feel awe and wonder at things from the complexity of unseen atoms to the splendor of galaxies billions of miles across and away. While often dangerous, scary, freaky, or gross, this really is a wonder-full universe. But Christians have a special advantage when it comes to experiencing those feelings - when we are made breathless because of a sunrise, or overcome with emotion at seeing a newborn baby, or sit in silent smallness beneath a sky full of stars, we have someone to thank. And not just an impersonal force, but our creator, our Savior, and our friend.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 ESV). This universe was no accident. It’s the loving creation of the master artist, an expression of His love and power. He has broken through into the creation Himself, becoming a part of the things He has made and experiencing it from the inside. And He will come again to make all things new, restoring us to glory and the creation with us.
Whenever we wonder at the creation, the person who made it is at our sides and in our hearts, and we can thank Him and tell Him what a good job He does. I am grateful for the privilege of gratitude.
Conclusion
A sense of wonder is a gift from God, and Christians should take the time to marvel at the glories of life in the universe God made. When we wonder, we can glorify God and we’re spurred to thankfulness for all that He’s made, all that He’s done, and all that He is.
“For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”
Psalm 92:4 ESV