see, it's not just american fundie nuts

[rone]

Cambridge University cosmologist and mathematician John Barrow was awarded $1.6-million yesterday to do research into whether God is sitting at the control panel behind the Theory of Everything about the universe.

He won the 2006 Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities, the world's richest individual scholarly research grant.  Its initiator, mutual-fund investor Sir John Templeton, specified that it be worth more than the Nobel Prize (which is worth about $1.5-million) so the media would take it seriously.

Dr. Barrow, 53, author of 17 books and one play (about infinity), believes that monotheistic religious thought about God and creation offers a better explanation than anything else, including most science, of how the universe works.

I can't wait to see the research for this puppy.  I'm sure God's been waiting for the chance to show off his skills.

Comments

[dwenius.livejournal.com]

That's discouraging. I have enjoyed at least two of his science books, and am in the middle of PI in the Sky : Counting, Thinking, and Being (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316082597/102-6108011-8200934?v=glance&n=283155), which is a fascinating historical/archeological analysis of counting systems. None of those books have given any hint of the wingnuttery. Phooey.

[wisn.livejournal.com]

I'm TRYING REALLY HARD to think good thoughts about this. Upsides:

The award funds the research rather than rewards research already done.

The recipient is a decently-accredited scientist who has a history of knowing what he's talking about.

I haven't heard whether the prize money is contingent on the researcher creating an answer which reinforces core Christian beliefs (see the first point). It doesn't sound like it does, although it's pretty obvious he wouldn't have received the award if he wasn't amenable to the possibility.

It's not the equation of money with significance that's bothering me here ('It's more than the Nobel Prize, therefore it's more important! I WIN TEH INTARNETS!') nearly as much as how many of God's Children could've been saved if that money'd gone to, say, malaria research.