Thinking God’s Thoughts: Kepler and Cosmic Comprehensibility

Intelligent Design the Future

Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture

Science, Philosophy, Astronomy, Society & Culture, Life Sciences

4 • 993 Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid kicks off a three-episode discussion with Dr. Melissa Cain Travis about her recent book Thinking God's Thoughts: Johannes Kepler and the Miracle of Cosmic Comprehensibility. A fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, Dr. Travis serves as Affiliate Faculty at Colorado Christian University's Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics, where she teaches courses in the history and philosophy of science. In Part 1, learn why Kepler was instrumental in transforming classical astronomy into a true celestial physics. Like others before him, Kepler perceived a remarkable resonance between the rational order of the material world, mathematics, and the human mind. In response, he developed a three-part cosmic harmony of archetype, copy, and image to explain this unity. Travis unpacks his tripartite harmony for us. But that's not all. To give us a richer appreciation for Kepler's work, Travis also traces the intellectual pedigree of Kepler's ideas all the way back to the ancients, from pre-Socratic philosopher Pythagoras through the Early Christian era, the Middle Ages, and on through Kepler's own university years. It's a fascinating journey that shows how long humans have pondered the design of the universe and the uncanny connection between the natural world and the mathematics that lie at the heart of it. Kepler's revolutionary discoveries in natural philosophy and his unique insights into natural theology have inspired generations of scientists and philosophers. As we continue to discover new evidence of design in life and the universe, Travis argues that Kepler's work is as relevant today as ever. This is Part 1 of a 3-part discussion.

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0:00.0	I d the future a podcast about evolution and intelligent design
0:12.3	Greetings I'm your host Andrew McDermott. Today I'm speaking with Dr.
0:16.4	Melissa Kane Travis about her recent book, Thinking God's Thoughts,
0:20.6	Johannes Kepler and the miracle of Cosmic comprehensibility.
0:24.0	Dr. Travis serves as affiliate faculty at Colorado Christian University's Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics, where she teaches courses in the history and philosophy
0:36.0	of science.
0:37.5	She earned a PhD in humanities with a philosophy concentration from Faulkner University's Great Books Program.
0:45.0	A fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, she currently serves as
0:49.1	an instructor at discoveryU.org, where she offers adult education courses on science and Christianity.
0:57.0	Melissa, welcome to the show.
0:59.0	Hi, thank you. I'm excited to talk about my favorite things with you today.
1:04.0	Absolutely and I've really enjoyed getting into your book.
1:07.0	It's a wonderful contribution you've put together.
1:10.0	Oh, thank you so much. It was a joy of a project. All the best tears and joys wrapped up into one.
1:18.6	I bet. Well, today is the first of three conversations I thought we'd have unpacking your book
1:24.3	Thinking God's thoughts. So let's just jump right in. First can you briefly tell us who
1:30.0	Johannes Kepler is and what inspired you to write a whole book on his ideas.
1:34.7	Sure I think most people are familiar with the name Johannes Kepler at least as an
1:40.6	important figure of the scientific revolution. And then we have the Kepler
1:46.2	namesake in space technology and things of that sort. So the name Kepler rings a bell for most people.
1:55.0	But what many don't realize is just how important he was in Western intellectual history,
2:01.0	in the history of science in particular.
	...

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