Augustine Pamplany CST
Derek Barton ((1918–1998) was a British Scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1969. His original researches on the structure of complex molecules won for him the Nobel Prize. His researches made important contributions to organic chemistry. According to the Nobel Committee, he was awarded the prize for his “contributions to the development of the concept of conformation and its application in chemistry.”Barton obtained his Ph.D. in organic chemistryfrom Imperial College, London, in and served as Professor of organic chemistry in Imperial College, Harvard University and the University of Glasgow.
Barton defined the relationship between science and religion in terms of truth. “God is Truth. There is no incompatibility between science and religion. Both are seeking the same truth. Science shows that God exists.” He went a step further in stating that the truth revealed by sciences is a manifestation of God:“The observations and experiments of science are so wonderful that the truth that they establish can surely be accepted as another manifestation of God. God shows himself by allowing man to establish truth.”
He also believed in the diversity of truth and the diverse ways through which God reveals. Hence there is no single standard form of truth. “God is Truth. But does God really have anything to do with man? Certainly I cannot believe that God accepts only one religion, or one sect, as the only group authorized to speak for man. I would believe that God accepts all, even those who pretend not to believe. Morality and religion interact and much beneficial human behavior results from this interaction.”
Barton also believed that given the immensity of the universe, science may not be able to comprehend it fully. Infinity is synonymous with God. “Our universe is infinitely large and infinitely small. It is infinite in time past and in future time. We can never understand infinity. It is the ultimate truth, which is God.” Darton held a very balanced view of the scientific pursuit of truth whereby he acknowledges its limitations on the one hand and on the other admires its effectiveness in understanding the truth. “Certainly,it is remarkable how we have been able to understand so much in our environment. God permits man to make observations and experiments which can be interpreted by logical thinking.”
He had been critical about our naïve understanding of religion, prayer, etc. “So religion is finally about the relationship of the individual and God. Can one speak to God? Prayers to God to advance one’s personal welfare, at the expense of the less righteous, are surely not welcome. Prayers to God to let one discover truth might be acceptable.” It could be recollected that in his sophisticated thinking, he considered the non-believers too are accepted by God.
