Willem B. Drees
Creation: From Nothing Until Now

Part I.
Metanexus: Views 2001.12.17 2435 words

"Humans have told each other stories for thousands of years. At campfires
and in courts and temples, humans told stories about the origin of their
world, of the hunting grounds of their tribe, of women and men, of the
discovery of wheat and of fire, of the sun and the moon. Creation stories
expressed how humans understood themselves in relation to their
environment," observes Dutch theologian Willem Drees.

Yes, it is human nature (and perhaps even the very nature of what is so
particularly human) to tell stories, to create myths, and to thereby achieve
some kind of understanding of all that is going on around us. But, as Drees
points out:

"Such ancient myths are sometimes compared to science, as if the issue were
factual correctness, say about a worldwide flood or about creation in seven
days. When creation stories are judged in this way, they fail. When solely
seen as factual claims, these narratives of a distant past are ready for the
dustbin, or perhaps for a museum of cultural history. 'That is how people in
the past thought about these things, but now we know better.'"

But do we really know better? Or are we simply reflecting the natural
arrogance of a younger, and thus somehow smarter, generation? We ought never
forget that phlogiston was once a trendy, hip, and obvious explanation. But,
like many other incorrect scientific hypotheses phlogiston, just like a
certain kind of ether, has gone the way of all flesh. But not so, the
creation myths. And why might this be? Prof. Drees observes that "creation
stories can be appreciated as expressions of what moved people, what excited
them, hurt them, made them feel grateful. In that sense, they go beyond the
limitations of their own worldview. We can recognize them and identify with
them, since we face similar challenges. Wonder about existence, awareness of
dependence upon forces that are beyond our control, a sense of
responsibility: these are themes that can and should be articulated as well
in the language of our time."

And it is Prof. Drees' intention to attempt such an articulation via both
poetry and prose in his book Creation: From Nothing Until Now (Paperback or
Library Binding, 128pp; ISBN: 0415256534; Routledge; December 2001). And we
will be serializing excerpts from that text all this week here on Metanexus.
About his book, Prof. Drees states that it is "not only an expression of
confidence in the natural history of our universe, but also a quest for
faith in the context of the natural history of our Universe'. How can we
hold on to a humane sense of meaning, how can we articulate religious
convictions in the context of what we know about our world 'from nothing
until now'?"

So, read on to find out about what we really know and what it just might
mean given all that has happened "from nothing until now".

Willem B. Drees is professor of philosophy of religion and ethics at Leiden
University, the Netherlands. He has an advanced degree in theoretical
physics (Utrecht, 1977) and doctorates in theology (Groningen, 1989) and
philosophy (Amsterdam, 1994). For many years, he has been initiating and
co-ordinating science and religion programmes at the Vrije Universiteit,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He also held the Nicolette Bruining Chair for
Philosophy of Nature and of Technology from a liberal-protestant perspective
at Twente University from 1995 until september 2001. He has been the editor
of ESSSAT News and an active member of the Council of ESSSAT, the European
Society for the Study of Science And Theology <www.esssat.org>, and chaired
the Star Island conference of IRAS <www.iras.org> on 'Human meaning in a
technological culture' in the Summer of 2001. He is the author of a variety
of books and articles in Dutch, German and English, including Religion,
Science and Naturalism (Cambridge UP, 1996) and Beyond the Big Bang: Quantum
Cosmologies and God (Open Court, 1990).

Stacey E. Ake

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Subject: Creation: From Nothing Until Now, Part 1
From: Willem B. Drees
Email: <drees001@xs4all.nl>

INTRODUCTION

Science

There is a great story to be told: the development of our world from the
very first beginning up to our time, a history 'from nothing until now'.
Through the sciences we have learned a lot about the natural history of our
Universe. Though our knowledge is neither complete nor final, some
conclusions have been established beyond reasonable doubt. Hence, we have to
take such scientific insights into account when we articulate and explicate
our convictions. What does it mean for our view of humans, of human habits
and culture, to know that we have come to be what we are via a long
evolutionary process? What does it mean for our view of the Earth when we
become aware that our planet is like a speck of dust in a huge universe - a
universe that apparently once started small itself? This book is an
expression of 'faith in the natural history of the Universe', of confidence
in our current view of the natural history of the Universe - the history of
stars and of life on Earth.

Creation stories

Humans have told each other stories for thousands of years. At campfires and
in courts and temples, humans told stories about the origin of their world,
of the hunting grounds of their tribe, of women and men, of the discovery of
wheat and of fire, of the sun and the moon. Creation stories expressed how
humans understood themselves in relation to their environment.

Such ancient myths are sometimes compared to science, as if the issue
were factual correctness, say about a worldwide flood or about creation in
seven days. When creation stories are judged in this way, they fail. When
solely seen as factual claims, these narratives of a distant past are ready
for the dustbin, or perhaps for a museum of cultural history. 'That is how
people in the past thought about these things, but now we know better.'

However, creation stories can be appreciated as expressions of what
moved people, what excited them, hurt them, made them feel grateful. In that
sense, they go beyond the limitations of their own worldview. We can
recognize them and identify with them, since we face similar challenges.
Wonder about existence, awareness of dependence upon forces that are beyond
our control, a sense of responsibility: these are themes that can and should
be articulated as well in the language of our time. In that sense this book
is not only an expression of confidence in the natural history of our
universe, but also a quest for faith in the context of the natural history
of our Universe'. How can we hold on to a humane sense of meaning, how can
we articulate religious convictions in the context of what we know about our
world 'from nothing until now'?

Narrative and justification

This book seeks to offer a justified creation story. It thereby is not just
another popularization of science. We will reflect on our place and task in
the light of the sciences. A first step in this project is the quest for new
images. Poets may be better qualified for this task. Nonetheless I give my
own wording of some aspects of the history of our world, a kind of 'creation
story' - speaking of 'mystery', 'integrity', 'dependence' and
'responsibility' in an interpretation of the history of our world 'from
nothing until now'. With such words, the story goes beyond the realm of
science; it expresses a spirituality, a way of being in the world.

Images can be misleading. We should attempt to speak clearly and
correctly. As I see it, the critical attitude of modern culture is a great
gift. Thus, the larger part of this book is an explication and justification
of this creation story. In the justification I relate to mainstream science
as it has developed over the last few centuries. It is, in my view, not a
good strategy to seek to save 'faith' by constructing a 'science' of one's
own, as is done in fundamentalism (e.g., 'creationism') as well as by
spiritual seekers (e.g., 'holism', astrology, parapsychology). Neither is it
a good strategy to play down science too much. Science is not merely
offering models that allow us to calculate the strength of a bridge. In my
opinion, science is more than an instrument. With the theories and models of
the last two centuries we are able to describe and explain very successfully
large segments of reality. Through the sciences we are finding out about the
way the world is.

We begin at the beginning, and thus consider ultimate questions - about
the origin of our Universe and its lawfulness (scenes 1-3). Then we will
take a closer look at the development of the Universe - the formation of
matter and, on Earth, the emergence of purpose in a process driven by chance
(scenes 4-6). One of the remarkable outcomes of this process, among many,
has been the emergence of humans with their social and intellectual
capacities, with morality and religions, and - a few centuries ago - with
science and critical thinking (scenes 7-9). In three asides, I will consider
the impact of modern developments on our understanding of the nature of
religion, of science, and of reality.

We are the product of a long history, 'from nothing until now', as
considered here. Time does not end with us; we are also producers. We are
creative creatures. And, thanks to the sciences and to our social
organization, we have acquired enormous powers; we can modify our world.
Thus, we need to become responsible beings (scene 10). The epilogue
considers further our creative nature, both our involvement in changing our
world and our freedom to develop new images and ideas about humans, the
world, and God.

Environments

Humans are social beings. Those who came to hear me lecture on these issues
have stimulated me to express myself more clearly. Among them I count
especially the engineering students of the University of Twente. I am
grateful to the board of the Nicolette Bruining Foundation for entrusting to
me the Nicolette Bruining chair for philosophy of nature and of technology
from a liberal protestant perspective. During the years this book took
shape, I have also been enriched by faculty of the Vrije Universiteit in
Amsterdam, especially by my immediate colleagues at its Bezinningscentrum, a
center dedicated to interdisciplinary reflection on religious and ethical
issues related to the sciences. Furthermore, I have benefited greatly from
conversations with scholars and scientists from around the world.

As this manuscript is sent to the publisher, I am about to become
executive director of ALLEA, the federation of ALL European Academies.
Academies of science and of scholarship in the humanities have always sought
to recognize, promote and support academic quality and professional
integrity. They also serve to communicate responsibly the best available
science to policy makers and to the wider public. Even though the present
book, with its mistakes, idiosyncrasies and biases, is fully my own
responsibility, I hope that it may be an acceptable example of communicating
scientific ideas and their potential significance.

The creation story was originally presented as one of the Andreas Idreos
Lectures in May 1998, and subsequently published by Harris Manchester
College in Oxford. Versions have also been presented at Northwestern College
in Orange City (Iowa), Trinity College (Toronto), the University of Guelph,
a workshop organized by the Ian Ramsey Centre at Oxford, and at Dartmouth
College in Hanover, NH; precursors were published in Dutch and in German.
Elements of the following, especially of the epilogue, were also used in the
Samuel Ferguson Lectures presented in May 1999 at the University of
Manchester.

With gratitude I mention my wife Zwanet and my children, Johannes,
Annelot and Esther. To these children, and to their friends of generations
to come I dedicate this book. May the book inspire them to an open and
responsible engagement with the wisdom that can be found in our religious
heritage and with the knowledge uncovered by the sciences.

A CREATION STORY

There was a time

when there was no time,
when time was not yet.

The time
when there was no time
is a horizon of not knowing
a mist where our questions fade
and no echo returns.
Then,
in the beginning,
perhaps not the beginning,
in the first fraction of a second,
perhaps not the first fraction
of the first second,
our universe began
without us.

After the beginning,
perhaps not the beginning,
after the first fraction of a second,
perhaps not the first fraction
of the first second,
after our universe began,
still without us,
then
the universe was
like seething water
without land and without air,
like a fire
without wood and without cold.
The universe,
as small as it was,
created itself space, matter,
and the cool of the day.
In billions of galaxies
the universe made itself
from dust stars
from stars dust.
Much later,
from dust from stars
from dust
from stars from dust
swirled our Sun
and from leftovers
the Earth, our home.
Thus,
after ten billion years,
there was evening
and there was morning:
the first day.

Life
a modest beginning,
undirected,
a history of failing
and occasionally
a small success.
A molecule
carried information
from generation to generation,
history bred purpose,
by chance.

Poison
became a gift,
oxygen
a protective robe.
Billions of years later
cells merge,
sex and aging,
death and deception.
A rare
slow lungfish
slithered through the grass;
thus came amphibians to pass.
Successful life
a disaster,
gone
another tide.

Yesterday
a few million years ago
the East Side Story:
groups of apes groom,
hunt and call.
Sticks, stones, fire
eating from the tree of knowledge
the tree of good and evil,
power, freedom,
responsibility:
Beasts became us
more was delivered than ordered,
more than we can bear?

Religion
cement of the tribe
response to power
of mountains,
the storm, the sea,
birth and death,
power as large as gods.
Yesterday
ten thousand years ago
Abel was killed by his brother,
we farmers eat ashamed our bread,
the earth cries, forever red?
A new age,
a prophet warns
king and people,
a carpenter tells
'a man
who fell among robbers,
was cared for
by an enemy'.

Look,
measure
and count,
challenge knowledge
and authority!
Enlightenment
way out of immaturity.

In us
our heritage,
matter,
information,
and a box
full of stories.
Between
hope and fear
our neighbors
life
here on Earth,
between
hope and fear
the great project
of thought
and compassion
on a road
of freedom.

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