Oxford Prof John Lennox: Why mathematics points to God

 
John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University & Michael Ruse, Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University, go head to head in the 4th episode of The Big Conversation.

Filmed in front in front of a live audience in London, they debate science, faith and the evidence for God.

In this excerpt John explains why the fact that mathematics maps onto the world so well points towards God and away from naturalism.
 
The Big Conversation is a unique video series from Unbelievable? featuring world-class thinkers across the Christian and atheist community. Exploring science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human. 
 
 
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The Big Conversation is produced by Premier in partnership with the Templeton Religion Trust
 

[truckerenoch]

Keplers "music of the spheres" theory is still being proven today. If you take the distance of each planet to the sun, both at perihelion and aphelion and find the average distance, it will correlate into a whole number and therefore a music note. He also believed that there was an ultrasonic note that each orb sings as it orbits the sun.

[wishlist]

In a theoretical, uncreated universe two plus two wont equal four? Arranging the four things in a square wont result in there being any right angles or calculable relationships between the relative distances between each of them? Someone has to plan that these things are this way or they wont be?!

[fujiapple]

I'm just here expecting to see witty Atheist comments.

[eugen]

I would love to think it was that way, however when this argument comes up I can't help but think of the survivor bias: the universe is elegant as it is because otherwise it would not be able to exist or at least not long enough for us to come by and notice it, a universe that doesn't have conservation of energy or causal consistency cannot host any life. and another problem is the fact that our idea of elegance and reasonableness comes from the universe and nature themselves, so of course they will seem beautiful and perfect, they define what it means. maybe the universe isn't actually elegant, but absurd and makes no sense, but we wouldn't know anything different to realize it

[raresmircea]

So you need a God to guarantee that putting one apple into a basket and then adding another apple would get you a basket containing two apples?! Is it that without God we might somehow end up with 325, 72 apples in the basket?

[khafreahmose]

I can say mathematics points to anything (X), but that doesn't mean it's true. I have to demonstrate X using evidence not just with logic.

[aquillafleetwood]

Well, the stars point to God as stated in Genesis 1; 14, that the stars shall be for signs!
The direction "north" also points to God, since Psalms 75: 6 says, that exaltation comes from God out of the north!
So, google the Northern Cross, by Aquilla Fleetwood, youtube!
Google, Night Signs by Aquilla Fleetwood, youtube!
Google, Jeff Benner, the North Star and read his comments about this very special star!
Romans 16: 16

[beenaalavudheen]

So he thinks Eugene Wigner was wrong for saying "I dont know why mathematics is this effective in describing the world"? Lol.

[Daz]

The arguments of John Lennox basically boil down to those of special pleading, arguments from incredulity and appeals to emotion.

[mljh]

Absurd. Humans came up with mathematics and we use mathematical frameworks to model what we observe in reality. So of course mathematics works. There is no logical pathway from "mathematics works" to "there must therefore be a god".

Lennox is just making a circular argument by first assuming that god has a mathematical mind and that he created us with similar minds, therefore when we invented mathematics it all points back to this god.

[Whatsisface]

What nonsense from Lennox. 1+1=2 is an absolute, it's not contingent on anything. That includes a God.

[sqlblindman]

Lennox is such a joke. His understanding of logic and reason is, at times, infantile.
Why would we "expect" mathematics to be effective if his God exists?