Victor Stenger lectures on his book 'God: A Failed Hypothesis'
Published June 6, 2007
This summer, Victor Stenger, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Hawaii and author of numerous books and scholarly articles, planned a cross-country trip with his wife, a retired American History teacher, to visit historical sites of note.
Between stops at museums and landmarks, Stenger plans to give a series of lectures on why science disproves the existence of God.
Stenger, a well-known atheist and skeptic of intelligent design and creation sciences, will embark on a lecture tour to discuss the points from his latest book, "God: A Failed Hypothesis," the first of his works and the first of any works released by his publisher, Prometheus Books, to reach The New York Times bestseller list.
On the way to observe the historic Civil War battlegrounds of Springfield, Stenger made his first stop Monday in Columbia and spoke to a capacity audience at Daniel Boone Regional Library.
MU student Andrew Lampert said he was interested in the material Stenger presented but was unsure about the lecture itself.
"He may be a fantastic writer and a fantastic physicist, but I don't think he was quite ready to give a speech in public," Lampert said.
Others at the lecture, despite differing backgrounds in science education and religious viewpoints, praised Stenger's efforts.
Rocket Kirchner, a Columbia citizen and a self-decried Christian, said he appreciated listening to viewpoints that differed from his own.
"As a Christian, I appreciate the opposition," Kirchner said. "He did a really good job. He presented it in a civil dialogue. He didn't have the pressure of a university staring down his throat saying 'You can't do this.'"
MU graduate student Michael Ferro said the lecture provided him with arguments he could discuss with his peers.
"I think there's a lot of people out there that aren't even aware that there is an opposing viewpoint to the God hypothesis," Ferro said. "I think that it's important for some people who have found problems with the particular beliefs they were taught as children."
Stenger said the atmosphere at the lecture was civil and he particularly enjoyed the question-and-answer session he had with the audience following his talk. He said the only member of the audience that presented arguments to him was MU medicine professor John Marshall.
Marshall, a proponent of the intelligent design theory, said he was surprised at the civil atmosphere at the lecture.
"I come from a totally different perspective," Marshall said. "I think he's trying to use science to disprove God. I'm going to argue that's not something science is going to be able to prove."
Despite their different viewpoints, the way Stenger and Marshall both developed their views about the origins of the universe seemed to parallel.
Stenger, raised in a Catholic household, formed his atheist beliefs well into his career.
"I didn't become an activist against religion until my later years, because I was beginning to object to some of the misuse of science by religion," Stenger said.
Marshall said he came from a more agnostic background and also developed his assertions on the topic later in his research.
"Over the last decade or so, looking at the evidence for Darwinism and against it, I concluded that I disagreed with it," Marshall said. "I think intelligent design fits the evidence and the science better to me."
Although Stenger and Marshall did not share viewpoints, Marshall purchased a copy of Stenger's book at the end of the lecture
"I'm open for someone to show me that science can prove to me there isn't a God," Marshall said.