Townes stresses faith in science

Science and religion are compatible, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Charles Townes said Monday to a crowd of a few hundred at Rudder Theater.

He said scientists and theologians are constantly arguing over issues they do not realize are actually closely related.

"Science does use faith. It's used so much we don't even think about it. We have faith that the laws of science are constant, the universe is reliable and that tomorrow is going to be the same as today," he said.

Townes and Dr. Francis Crick, who both spoke Monday, are the co-recipients of the inaugural Trotter Prize, awarded annually to scientists who have made contributions in information science, physical science or engineering. The prize was established in memory of former dean of the graduate school at Texas A&M, Dr. Ide P. Trotter, and is sponsored by the College of Science and the College of Engineering.

Dr. Jack Lunsford, Distinguished Chemistry Professor, said, "Townes and Crick were chosen for this prize because they are the best two scientists alive today and we thought you'd agree."

Townes is most famous for inventing the laser, for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964. His address, titled "The Convergence of Science and Religion," raised questions concerning faith, creation, free will and other hotly debated topics among scientists and theologians.

"Science is an effort to understand how the universe works, while religion is an effort to understand the meaning and purpose behind the universe," Townes said.

Crick delivered his address, "The Astonishing Hypothesis," via videotape. He received the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1962 for his discovery of the structure of DNA.

The basic idea of Crick's hypothesis is that the human mind is only neurons and there is no personal life before conception or after death.

"You, your joys, sorrows and ambitions are in fact no more than nerve cells," Crick said.

Crick said his hypothesis will be considered radical, especially among Christians who believe in a soul and an afterlife.

"Humans have a basic need for explanation of the world and themselves, and religion provides this," he said. "Most people find science removed from their daily lives and difficult to understand."

Townes is currently researching astrophysics at the University of California-Berkeley, and Crick is at the Salk Institute working on the visual system of mammals and neurobiology.