God and Mathematics

Why does mathematics work?

Think about it... Mathematical entities like numbers, sets, and equations are non-physical and abstract. They can’t cause anything. Yet, for some reason, the physical universe operates...mathematically.

As Galileo put it, “The book of nature is written in the language of mathematics.”

“Scientists do not use mathematics merely as a convenient way of organising the data. They believe that mathematical relationships reflect real aspects of the physical world. Science relies on the assumption that we live in an ordered Universe that is subject to precise mathematical laws. Thus, the laws of physics, ... are all expressed as mathematical equations.” - Paul Davies

So, how do we explain the astonishing applicability of math to the physical world?

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Reasonable Faith features the work of philosopher and theologian Dr. William Lane Craig and aims to provide in the public arena an intelligent, articulate, and uncompromising yet gracious Christian perspective on the most important issues concerning the truth of the Christian faith today.

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We welcome your comments in the Reasonable Faith forums:

[MrFossilabgfyth]

God is the greatest mathematician ever!

[chriswhite]

I studied at two Ivy League universities, taught mathematics for 19 years, and have spoken on many campuses in the northeastern US including Yale, Columbia, MIT, Rutgers, RPI, Carnegie Mellon, and NYU. Mathematics is indeed the language through which God designed our universe, and the evidence for that only grows stronger with new discoveries in physics, molecular biology, and other fields. Design is in fact everywhere which is why, as the Pew studies have shown, over 80% of mathematicians believe that there is a God. Life is not a chemical accident!

[rooftopworship]

I just pray He helps me understand math

[thedividinglime]

I use this video as motivation to do my math homework lol, absolutely amazing that God designed all this so beautifully.

[johnmartin]

I used to say to atheists in discussions, that their theory of the Universe and life, demands many miracles!
So, between the two explanations, I preffer the Universe created by God!

[TheAndnor]

Math applies to the physical world because it is designed to describe the physical world.
that was easy

[jmcsquared]

This has to be the worst argument I have ever heard from Craig, and that's saying something. Being a mathematician who studies quantum field theory, I find the part at 3:17 to be especially misguided. If you think imaginary numbers can't have any place in the physical world, you don't know what imaginary numbers actually are. Spoiler, the name is a horrible misnomer. The imagination of nature is far greater than man's. They keep saying that naturalists can't explain it, but I'd rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned (god).

[seyidon]

I cannot believe anyone would still doubt the existence of God after seeing such a perfect design of the universe and the spotless beauty of nature. The infinite genius of God seen in His uncountable creations is just way beyond our understanding. Just one example: Do you know the earth is at a perfect distance from the Sun? If the earth is moved a notch closer or farther, the whole world is doomed. Thus perfect distance was fashioned by God and the system has stood for over 4.5billion years! Yes, it is the command of God. It never fails!

[gordontubbs]

“If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics.” ~ Sir Roger Bacon

[TestifyApologetics]

My 11 and 13 year old sons are big fans of Numberphile and 3blue1brown and have become quite the math nerds. Their response to this was "whoa". I think it encouraged their love of math even more because it's a way for them to tap into God's mind.

[rickvrieling]

The premise of the argument is completely flawed. This is the epitome of the puddle argument. Maths perfectly describes nature because we developed math to describe nature. When we find something in nature that doesn't work with the current understanding we change the maths.

[sweettalkinghippie]

The lack of logic in this video is astonishing.

[Nimish]

It's not a coincidence that maths describes the world. It was designed for that purpose. We made maths to describe the world. Being amazed that it works so perfectly is like being amazed that a ship floats

[donaldnumbskull]

"Because God did it" is not a conclusive, or persuasive, or even plausible argument. You are reasoning towards a forgone conclusion (which may yet be correct) not trying to follow the logic to wherever it leads.

[davekreskowiak]

Uhh... no. The language of math is DEscriptive, not PREscriptive. We use math to create models (descriptions) of the universe around us, and the models we come up with are always being modified to better fit what we see with more and better data.

If you don't know this, you've never taken a real math class in a real school.

[fieryindian]

Usually I don't understand maths, but loved this video.

[Auferstanden]

As a mathematician, I must confess, I've never thought about this before. Excellent argument. I do wonder though wheter mathematics is a contingent (i.e. created) concept, or whether it exists necessarily.

[samueljerobaal]

JESUS IS THE KING OF KINGS! Colossians 1: 16

[KnighteMinistriez]

That was an amazing argument for God. I was trying to use this argument, but I wasn't all that good at wording it correctly. I really like this argument. It is one of my favorite. Thank you for explaining it so well.

[EricHernandez]

Great stuff! You guys continue to continue to make a huge impact with these awesome videos.