The Skeptic and Saint Thomas
The modern reader, aware of the scientific sophistication of our age, can easily dismiss the thought of Saint Thomas. The medicine of his time is crude. His understanding of biology is overly simplistic. His account of physics seems too philosophical. And yet, his arguments and principles remain. That perennial wisdom, the true treasure Thomas wanted to pass on to his students, is precisely what we lose if we refuse to engage with his thought. But, if we do think with Thomas, we may find that his arguments have a surprising relevance. With him as our teacher, we will find guidance for the intellectual work of any age.
Reading Genesis
An example of Thomas’s wisdom may be found in his treatment on the stars. In the first part of the Summa Theologiae, after treating God himself, Thomas directs his students to the study of creatures in relation to God. He gives an account of the wonderful world which proceeds freely from God by the act of creation. Thomas takes the first chapter of Genesis as his scaffold, and in his reading of the fourth day, turns to the stars—those lights that fill the firmament.
When the creation account in Genesis speaks of the production of the stars, a unique element is added. After the typical “let there be” formula, God says, “Let them mark the seasons, the days and the years, and serve as lights in the dome of the sky, to illumine the earth” (Gen 1:14). Thomas, always a close reader of Scripture, asks if the cause assigned to the “production of the lights is reasonable” (ST I, q. 70, a. 2). Thomas knows that there is an underlying reason in Scripture for this addition—but what is that reason? Why point out that the stars mark the time and light the earth?
Thomas proceeds logically. In a previous question (ST I, q. 65, a. 2), he had already enumerated the reasons for why any corporeal creature is created. They are 1) for its own operation, 2) for the sake of other creatures, 3) for the ordering of the whole universe, and 4) for the glory of God. All of these are true in the case of any creature, and all could be rightly said of the stars. The stars were made to shine, they help us mark the months, they add to the beauty of the cosmos, and ultimately they give glory to God. Scripture could have rightly stated any of these four reasons. So then why only draw out the usefulness of stars to mankind? Thomas explains: “Of these reasons only that which points out the usefulness of these things to man is touched upon by Moses [the traditional author of Genesis] in order to withdraw his people from idolatry” (ST I, q. 70, a. 2).
Idolatry?
Idolatry at this stage of Thomas’s argument almost appears as a non sequitur. We could just as easily imagine Thomas saying that the Scriptures tell us the stars are useful so people are withdrawn from excessive kite-flying! By now, the skeptical reader of Thomas has checked out several times over. Too much God, too much Scripture, too little data. To top all of this off, a warning against idolatry. This sin is near the bottom of our modern list of concerns. But, idolatry is no peccadillo. To mistake a creature for God means that the observer’s view of fundamental reality is skewed. Though modern man scoffs, he must still be wary of idols if he wants to know the world in truth.
The truth is that man’s nature has not changed over the centuries. Pagans in past ages were tempted to worship natural forces or powers they viewed as above them—like rushing rivers, vast oceans, or the sun. Beauty calls forth a response from man. He recognizes his insignificance before the vast ocean or the giant mountain. And, as many pre-Christians were, he is tempted to call these forces “gods,” to offer sacrifice to them, to please them so they would help. While we may think ourselves beyond idolatry in our enlightened age, we commit the same sin. We have only grown more subtle.
In Our Time
Modern physics has enabled us more than ever before to see the foundations of the material world. No more Atlas upon whose shoulders the earth rests—scientists now identify four fundamental forces, from which proceed all the dynamics of the universe. These are measurable and observable. By using technology like that at CERN, scientists recreate the conditions that existed only moments after the big bang. By formulating theories and identifying particles, the scientist can draw nearer to the laws that account for what makes corporeal reality to be. As the laws become more universal and more foundational, here the great error of idolatry again rears its head: we are tempted to blur the line between Creator and creation, Lawgiver and law.
We are tempted to look at fundamental forces and elementary particles—mighty in their causative power—and call these the makers of heaven and earth. Why are the laws the way they are? The theoretical physicist may respond, “Chance—we live in the one universe where there is a happy balance” (the logic behind multiverse theory). Who has caused the laws? “No one, they simply are.” Thomas, much earlier in the Prima Pars, points out that we have a name for such uncaused and absolute realities: “And this we call God” (ST I, q. 2, a. 3).
Turning to Thomas for his response—matter is contingent. It need not be. On a philosophical basis, some absolute cause, outside the sphere of contingent order which accounts for that order, is necessary. If you seek for a theoretical framework that comprehends the whole universe, you must name what that absolute being is. Some modern physicists are inclined to say that absolute being is the quantum vacuum’s zero-point energy—from which a particle and anti-particle can spontaneously spring. The truth is that even the very potential for such a vacuum to exist relies on an act of creation. It does not account for itself.
God the Teacher
The finer points of metaphysics are not easy to grasp. Where a fall is easy, God teaches and guides. He wants to help us recognize that the forces of our world, even those as dazzling as the stars of the sky, are mere creatures. So, in Genesis, God tells us that the stars are useful. We are not tempted to worship things which can be turned to our own purposes. No one in his right mind is tempted to worship his refrigerator. He knows that it has a specific, human-directed purpose—and so he knows it was made. In the same way, Scripture speaks of the stars and heavenly lights as useful. Their turning can be used for a specific, human-directed purpose—and so we know they were made. Through their regular rotations and seasonal paths, we can be taught “to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps 90:12). We can become good stewards over the world, both recognizing the beauty and purpose of corporeal reality. We can both admire and also use the stars and smallest particles. This is to have right reason about the created world.
Right Sight in the World
There are several examples to draw on from the discoveries of modern science. For one, the vibrations of the caesium-133 atom, unknowable to men for millennia, now keep atomic clocks on near-perfect time. As another example, Einstein developed his world-famous theory of special relativity in 1905 to describe the bending of space-time. Now his work keeps our GPS satellites operating accurately so we can swiftly get to Chick-fil-a. As a final example, Max Planck, one of the fathers of quantum mechanics, formulated quantum theory after the German government commissioned him to find a way to make lightbulbs more efficient. As fascinating as scientific findings are, they can be turned to our petty purposes.
Despite our scientific prowess, to have a right view of creation, we still need to know that we are only a part of that creation. If we are tempted to think of ourselves as the true gods, we must recognize that we are just as dependent on God for being as even the lowliest sub-atomic particle. As useful as all the world is, all of it was created for one final purpose—God. It is he alone who is not an object of use in any way. Instead, we enjoy him, and bask in his light and beauty. As Augustine says, “The true objects of enjoyment, then, are the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (De Doctrina Christiana, I.V). With modern science, we plumb the depths of the beautiful and useful material world—and it has turned out to be very convenient for us. When we plumb the depths of God, following the Spirit sent by the Son, we find final purpose. God is the one thing that all others are for. When we look to God, we look to the Cause, Upholder, Artist, and Scientist behind creation in all its splendor. “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases” (Ps 115:2–3).
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