Ep154: Faith and Science - Dr Jonathan Lunine, Shinzen Young, & Chelsey Fasano
Dr Jonathan Lunine, distinguished American planetary scientist and physicist, joins the ongoing discussion with Shinzen Young and Chelsey Fasano.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Dr Lunine is the David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences and Chair of the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University. Dr Lunine has published over 380 research papers and is at the forefront of research into planet formation, evolution, and habitability.
Dr Lunine’s work includes the Cassini mission to Saturn, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Juno Mission to Jupiter. Dr Lunine is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has participated in and chaired advisory and strategic planning committees for the Academy and for NASA.
In this episode, the group question the compatibility of faith and science, explore the writings of St Thomas Aquinas and the radical theology of T.S Eliot, and consider the controversial theories of Sir Roger Penrose.
Dr Lunine also discusses his research into life on other planets, reveals the possibility of cyanide-based life, and speculates about the role of God in the universe of the Big Bang.
Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
01:23 - Faith and Reason
04:42 - How big is life?
07:57 - Physics & God
08:57 - Buddhist exceptionalism
09:33 - Are science and faith compatible?
13:59 - The Society of Catholic Scientists
15:17 - Georges Lemaître and the Big Bang
16:03 - Dr Lunine’s search for life on other planets and moons
17:36 - Titan’s methane seas and hydrogen bonding mechanisms
20:03 - Cyanide-based life and information molecules
28:52 - Future missions to Titan
30:57 - Definition of a habitable zone
33:20 - Detecting water on extra-solar planets
37:04 - How big is life and where is information stored?
43:55 - Is life on Earth the ultimate pinnacle of self-organisation?
45:42 - Meta-life and Sir Roger Penrose
48:04 - The radical theology of T.S Eliot
50:24 - Aquinas on diversity as an expression of order
52:14 - Time and timelessness
55:44 - God as the Infinite and eternal foundation of all reality
56:46 - Chaos and Dr Sanguinetti
Previous episodes in this series:
To find out more about Dr Lunine, visit:
To find out more about Shinzen, visit:
To find out more about Chelsey, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James