Hawking, Einstein and Spinoza

Stephen Hawking (pictured here on the left, next to his sister Mary in 1948) wrote, in "A Brief History of Time", that "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason, for then we should know the mind of God." I read that book, and although I do not profess to understand everything in it, I could follow his logic in relation to physics, as it encompassed the philospohies of Spinoza, which were later embraced by Albert Einstein.

Mr. Hawking, arguably the most intelligent person on the planet, and who is greatly admired by myself, as well as countless other millions of persons, has now stated that there is no God. He has written, in his new book,"The Grand Design," that the big bang was the event which created "something out of nothing." (I have not read the book yet - this is a quote from the news on my web page) and that "a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant."

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist."

"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

Now, I am in no position to argue the finer points with Mr. Hawking, being humble enough to know my own limitations. But to me it seems to be a disconnect in reason not to see that the belief in something created "out of nothing" is flawed.

A basic principle of physics, and nature, and as argued by Mr. Hawking himself in the opening quote to this article, is that everything is connected in some fashion.In essence he states that to find the truth is to know the mind of God. It's all a big circle, with a beginning and perhaps, even more importantly, an ending.

In explaining his latest, and perhaps ultimate, triumph, Mr. Hawking should look to himself for the proof of the forgoing conjecture on my part. The saddest thing is to find what you have been looking for all the while, and then upon discovering it, losing sight of what it really is.

I believe in the science of Mr. Hawking's latest claim. It was an inevitable conclusion, borne of physics. But I also believe that he has missed the point of his own studies. Einstein, with his belief in Spinoza and the theory of Causal Determinism, set the stage for Mr. Hawking. It is also one of my beliefs, based upon my own life experiences. Change one thing and you change many other things, all of which are connected.

It is sad to see Mr. Hawking's departure from this course, which clearly shows, by his own earlier writings, an ordered universe, with a beginning other than "something created from nothing." I just cannot accept that.

"Rain Gods" by James Lee Burke

I don't read much fiction; outside of classical fiction, which always has a deeper meaning than the story being told on the surface. Like "Moby Dick", classical fiction can be read on several different levels. Most contemporary fiction lacks that depth. So, I generally confine myself to non-fiction. But when James Lee Burke writes fiction it is always a current and accurate assessment of what is really going on in the world. He just changes the names.

If you have never read any of Mr. Burkes previous novels, this one is a good place to begin.To establish his bona-fides, think of Alec Baldwind with Teri Hatcher and Mary Stuart Masterston in "Heavens's Prisoners", the book and film which have both been reviewed here. Writing with an almost lyrical cadence, and with an insight into the personal demons that dog us all, Mr. Burke creates characters who are so vividly real they actually feel menacing. In "Rain Gods", the author draws you into the seamy world of drug smuggling and the forced sex trade. Nothing is what it seems and all real motives are obscurred.

His previous works have largely concentrated on New Orleans and former Detective Dave Robicheaux, his struggles with alcholol, women and his own inner demons. In this book he takes on the new character of Texas Lawman Hackberry Holland, who, along with Deputy Pam Tibbs, find themselves in the middle of a Russian syndicate running Chinese prostitutes across the border while smuggling heroin in their stomachs. When the ballons in their bodies begin to burst the girls are all systematically killed by a man known as the Preacher.

All of the characters in this book will be recognizable to you if you have spent any time at all on the seamier side of things. And if not, you will be fascinated by what really goes on out there. From the evil doings of the Preacher, to the innocence of Vikki and her ne'er do well boyfriend Pete, a confused and wounded Iraqi veteran, these characters are as real as you can write them. His Deputy, Pam, is as sensitive as she is tough when it comes to protecting the Sheriff. Mr. Burke is a potent and skillfull writer with a talent for creating characters that cannot be dismissed or ignored.

With one witness to the crime, and a whole lot of people double crossing one another, this book will keep you reading, and guessing, right up until the end. One of the most engaging qualities of Mr. Burkes' writing is his deep insights into the human soul. Take this paragraph, all by itself, out of context from the book;

"He had learned long ago as a Navy Corpsmen that Morpheus did not bestow his gifts easily or cheaply. The sleep that most people yearned for rarely came this side of the grave, except perhaps to the very innocent or to those willing to mortgage tomorrow for tonight. Tying off a vein, watching the blood rise inside a hypodermic needle, staining a mint-bruised mug of crushed ice with four fingers of Jack Daniel's were all guaranteed to work. But the cost meant taking up residence in a county no reasonable person ever wanted to enter."

You can't write like without having been there. This book reads like a film. It's simply that fluid. And along the way Mr. Burke always manages to drop in some history and psychology along with a mind bending adventure that is often very close to the stories behind today's headlines. This is another triumph for James Lee Burke and the reader.