Augustine Pamplany CST
Joseph Hooton Taylor (1941-) is the Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1993. Taylor is an American scientist who obtained PhD I astronomy from Harvard University. He has been a professor of physics at the University of Massachusetts since 1986.
Taylor was awarded the Nobel Prize, together with Hulse, for his findings regarding the binary pulsars. His researches also contributed to the advancement of the big bang theory. After his PhD, conducted researches and telescopic observations at National Radio Astronomy in Virginia. His researches along with Hulse led to the discovery of the first binary pulsar in 1974. Binary pulsars are neutron stars whose spin-up rate is accelerated by receiving mass from the companion star. His observations and calculations also confirmed the existence of gravitational radiation.
His reflections on the relationship is captured in his most famous statement: “A scientific discovery is also a religious discovery. There is no conflict between science and religion. Our knowledge of God is made larger with every discovery we make about the world.” Taylor’s remark that every scientific discovery is also a religious discovery makes sense as the major scientific breakthroughs today are loaded with deep philosophical and religious overtones. This is an endorsement that miraculous works of Go can be understood with the help of science.
He belongs to the Quakers, a group of Christians who believe that there could be direct communication with the Spirit of God. When he was interviewed about his religious belief, he replied, “My wife and I spend time with our faith group; it’s a way for us to make connections with our philosophical views on life, why we are on the Earth, and what we can do for others. … By contemplation and deep inward looking one can effectively commune with this Spirit and to learn things about oneself and about the way one should conduct oneself on Earth. … We believe that there is something of God in every person and therefore human life is sacrosanct and one needs to look for the depth of spiritual presence in others, even in others with whom you disagree.”
Thus, in Taylor we have a unique blend of rigorous scientific research coupled with deep religious and ethical consciousness. Taylor can be exemplar in the present day academic trend of interdisciplinary researches.
