A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature, By Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt
A Meaningful World
Paperback
  • Length: 257 pages
  • Dimensions: 6 × 9 in
  • Published: July 12, 2006
  • Imprint: IVP Academic
  • ISBN: 9780830827992

Meaningful or meaningless?Purposeful or pointless?When we look at nature, whether at our living earth or into deepest space, what do we find?In stark contrast to contemporary claims that the world is meaningless, Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt reveal a cosmos charged with both meaning and purpose. Their journey begins with Shakespeare and ranges through Euclid's geometry, the fine-tuning of the laws of physics, the periodic table of the elements, the artistry of ordinary substances like carbon and water, the intricacy of biological organisms, and the irreducible drama of scientific exploration itself.Along the way, Wiker and Witt fashion a robust argument from evidence in nature, one that rests neither on religious presuppositions noron a simplistic view of nature as the best of all possible worlds. In their exploration of the cosmos, Wiker and Witt find all the challenges and surprises, all of the mystery and elegance one expects from a work of genius.

"A Meaningful World is simply the best book I've seen on the purposeful design of nature. In sparkling prose Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt teach us how to recognize genius, first in Shakespeare's plays and then in nature. From principles of geometry to details of the periodic table, the authors portray the depth, elegance, clarity and pure cleverness of a universe designed to nurture the intelligent life that one day would discover that design. A Meaningful World recovers lost purpose not only for science, but for all scholarly disciplines."Michael J. Behe, author of Darwin's Black Box
"Drawing on the works of Shakespeare, Euclid, Lavoisier and others, A Meaningful World draws parallels between the genius of these men and the genius evident in nature. I am not exaggerating much to say that A Meaningful World isin the same class as the works of human genius its authors describe. It displays rare depth and breadth. Scientists should read this book to regain their justification for doing science, and poets should read it to regain a ground for the meaning of their texts."Guillermo Gonzalez, assistant professor of astronomy, Iowa State University, and coauthor of The Privileged Planet
"A Meaningful World is astounding, breathtaking! This is a book about both the beauty of science and the beauty of creation, a book I wish I had as an undergraduate taking science courses. Wiker and Witt draw us beyond design to the sheergrandeur, elegance and deep intelligibility of nature, all of which bespeak a creative Genius. It will help overcome the residual fear of science that plagues all too many devout believers, and instill a sense of childlike wonder at the splendor ofour world. A Meaningful World admirably answers the call of Pope Benedict XVI to see the glory of God's wisdom, the Divine Logos, permeating creation. I can't wait to get this into the hands of my own teenagers, and even my college grads."Scott Hahn, Ph.D., professor of theology and Scripture, Franciscan University, and president, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology
"In a world where materialism fails and where intelligent design is evident, how should we think about ourselves in the grand scheme of things? A Meaningful World masterfully answers this question, ramping up the cultural revolution begun by Phillip Johnson in the 1990s."William A. Dembski, author of The Design Revolution
"A Meaningful World is a wise and witty romp through the fallacies of reductionism. It is illustrated by charming examples that show how literature and science both teach us that we live in a world full of meaning, not the spiritually dead world in which the materialists would confine us."Phillip Johnson, author of Reason in the Balance
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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments
Prologue
1. Meaning-fulness and Meaninglessness
2. Hamlet and the Search for Meaning
3. Shakespeare and the Elements of Genius
4. The Geometry of Genius
5. The Periodic Table: A Masterpiece of Many Authors
6. A Cosmic Home Designed for Discovery
7. The Genius of the Elements
8. The Reemergence of the Living Cell
9. The Restoration of the Living Organism
10. The End of the Matter: A Meaningful World
Index

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Benjamin Wiker

Benjamin Wiker (Ph.D., Vanderbilt) is lecturer in theology and science at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. He is also a senior fellow of Discovery Institute in Seattle, Washington. His work has appeared in such publications as Crisis, First Things, National Catholic Register and the New Oxford Review. He is the author of Moral Darwinism.

Jonathan Witt, PhD, is a senior fellow with Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture and author or coauthor of many books and articles, including two from IVP, A Meaningful World with Benjamin Wiker and Intelligent DesignUncensored with William Dembski.