Overview

Meaningful or meaningless?Purposeful or pointless?When we look at nature, whether at our living earth or into deepest space, what do we find?In stark contrast to contemporary claims that the world is meaningless, Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt reveal a cosmos charged with both meaning and purpose. Their journey begins with Shakespeare and ranges through Euclid's geometry, the fine-tuning of the laws of physics, the periodic table of the elements, the artistry of ordinary substances like carbon and water, the intricacy of biological organisms, and the irreducible drama of scientific exploration itself.Along the way, Wiker and Witt fashion a robust argument from evidence in nature, one that rests neither on religious presuppositions nor on a simplistic view of nature as the best of all possible worlds. In their exploration of the cosmos, Wiker and Witt find all the challenges and surprises, all of the mystery and elegance one expects from a work of genius.

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9780830827992

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Reviews

"""A Meaningful World cleverly integrates the intricacy found in literary classics with the aesthetic beauty of scientific discovery and the unreasonable ability of the human mind to comprehend meaning in both. In this interesting book, we discover that meaning is inherent in nature at every level."" --Gerald Schroeder, author of Genesis and the Big Bang, The Science of God and The Hidden Face of God ""A Meaningful World is a wise and witty romp through the fallacies of reductionism. It is illustrated by charming examples that show how literature and science both teach us that we live in a world full of meaning, not the spiritually dead world in which the materialists would confine us."" --Phillip Johnson, author of Reason in the Balance ""A Meaningful World is astounding, breathtaking! This is a book about both the beauty of science and the beauty of creation, a book I wish I had as an undergraduate taking science courses. Wiker and Witt draw us beyond design to the sheer grandeur, elegance and deep intelligibility of nature, all of which bespeak a creative Genius. It will help overcome the residual fear of science that plagues all too many devout believers, and instill a sense of childlike wonder at the splendor of our world. A Meaningful World admirably answers the call of Pope Benedict XVI to see the glory of God's wisdom, the Divine Logos, permeating creation. I can't wait to get this into the hands of my own teenagers, and even my college grads."" --Scott Hahn, Ph.D., professor of theology and Scripture, Franciscan University, and president, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology ""A Meaningful World is simply the best book I've seen on the purposeful design of nature. In sparkling prose Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt teach us how to recognize genius, first in Shakespeare's plays and then in nature. From principles of geometry to details of the periodic table, the authors portray the depth, elegance, clarity and pure cleverness of a universe designed to nurture the intelligent life that one day would discover that design. A Meaningful World recovers lost purpose not only for science, but for all scholarly disciplines."" --Michael J. Behe, author of Darwin's Black Box ""A Meaningful World offers a compelling rebuttal to modern materialism and its reductionistic view of nature. The professional critics of intelligent design didn't see this book coming, and are unlikely to have a ready response to its argument."" --Touchstone, July-August 2007 ""A good book for the math or science lover."" --David Mills, The Pittsburgh Catholic, December 2009 ""Drawing on the works of Shakespeare, Euclid, Lavoisier and others, A Meaningful World draws parallels between the genius of these men and the genius evident in nature. I am not exaggerating much to say that A Meaningful World is in the same class as the works of human genius its authors describe. It displays rare depth and breadth. Scientists should read this book to regain their justification for doing science, and poets should read it to regain a ground for the meaning of their texts."" --Guillermo Gonzalez, assistant professor of astronomy, Iowa State University, and coauthor of The Privileged Planet ""I have been reticent to affirm the value of the cosmological argument from design, but no longer. Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt have convinced me that from literature to mathematics, physics to biology, the very phenomena of the world breathe intelligence. A Meaningful World is a masterful argument, a tour de force, framed with brilliance and wit. Here is a convincing case for a universe charged not only with meaning, but with the glory of God."" --James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door and Why Good Arguments Often Fail ""In a world where materialism fails and where intelligent design is evident, how should we think about ourselves in the grand scheme of things? A Meaningful World masterfully answers this question, ramping up the cultural revolution begun by Phillip Johnson in the 1990s."" --William A. Dembski, author of The Design Revolution ""It is fully as gratifying to hear from teachers and writers who know science and literature as well as theology and who use their energy to assign God his rightful place."" --Steve Van Der Weele, Calvin Theological Journal, November 2008 ""Several outstanding books argue for Intelligent Design. However, A Meaningful World explores newer ground. In this book the authors widen the focus to the meaning and genius that are evident all around us."" --Lay Witness, Fall 2007 ""Wiker and Witt submit: 'A poison has entered human culture. It's the assumption that science has proven that the universe is without purpose, without meaning.' This is the primary popular assumption the authors tackle in A Meaningful World."" --Terry Scambray"

"""It is fully as gratifying to hear from teachers and writers who know science and literature as well as theology and who use their energy to assign God his rightful place."" -- Steve Van Der Weele, Calvin Theological Journal, November 2008 ""A good book for the math or science lover."" -- David Mills, The Pittsburgh Catholic, December 2009 ""Several outstanding books argue for Intelligent Design. However, A Meaningful World explores newer ground. In this book the authors widen the focus to the meaning and genius that are evident all around us."" -- Lay Witness, Fall 2007 ""A Meaningful World offers a compelling rebuttal to modern materialism and its reductionistic view of nature. The professional critics of intelligent design didn?t see this book coming, and are unlikely to have a ready response to its argument."" -- Touchstone, July-August 2007 ""Wiker and Witt submit: 'A poison has entered human culture. It's the assumption that science has proven that the universe is without purpose, without meaning.' This is the primary popular assumption the authors tackle in A Meaningful World."" -- Terry Scambray ""A Meaningful World is astounding, breathtaking! This is a book about both the beauty of science and the beauty of creation, a book I wish I had as an undergraduate taking science courses. Wiker and Witt draw us beyond design to the sheer grandeur, elegance and deep intelligibility of nature, all of which bespeak a creative Genius. It will help overcome the residual fear of science that plagues all too many devout believers, and instill a sense of childlike wonder at the splendor of our world. A Meaningful World admirably answers the call of Pope Benedict XVI to see the glory of God's wisdom, the Divine Logos, permeating creation. I can't wait to get this into the hands of my own teenagers, and even my college grads."" -- Scott Hahn, Ph.D., professor of theology and Scripture, Franciscan University, and president, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology ""Drawing on the works of Shakespeare, Euclid, Lavoisier and others, A Meaningful World draws parallels between the genius of these men and the genius evident in nature. I am not exaggerating much to say that A Meaningful World is in the same class as the works of human genius its authors describe. It displays rare depth and breadth. Scientists should read this book to regain their justification for doing science, and poets should read it to regain a ground for the meaning of their texts."" -- Guillermo Gonzalez, assistant professor of astronomy, Iowa State University, and coauthor of The Privileged Planet ""In a world where materialism fails and where intelligent design is evident, how should we think about ourselves in the grand scheme of things? A Meaningful World masterfully answers this question, ramping up the cultural revolution begun by Phillip Johnson in the 1990s."" -- William A. Dembski, author of The Design Revolution ""A Meaningful World is a wise and witty romp through the fallacies of reductionism. It is illustrated by charming examples that show how literature and science both teach us that we live in a world full of meaning, not the spiritually dead world in which the materialists would confine us."" -- Phillip Johnson, author of Reason in the Balance ""A Meaningful World is simply the best book I've seen on the purposeful design of nature. In sparkling prose Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt teach us how to recognize genius, first in Shakespeare's plays and then in nature. From principles of geometry to details of the periodic table, the authors portray the depth, elegance, clarity and pure cleverness of a universe designed to nurture the intelligent life that one day would discover that design. A Meaningful World recovers lost purpose not only for science, but for all scholarly disciplines."" -- Michael J. Behe, author of Darwin's Black Box ""I have been reticent to affirm the value of the cosmological argument from design, but no longer. Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt have convinced me that from literature to mathematics, physics to biology, the very phenomena of the world breathe intelligence. A Meaningful World is a masterful argument, a tour de force, framed with brilliance and wit. Here is a convincing case for a universe charged not only with meaning, but with the glory of God."" -- James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door and Why Good Arguments Often Fail ""A Meaningful World cleverly integrates the intricacy found in literary classics with the aesthetic beauty of scientific discovery and the unreasonable ability of the human mind to comprehend meaning in both. In this interesting book, we discover that meaning is inherent in nature at every level."" -- Gerald Schroeder, author of Genesis and the Big Bang, The Science of God and The Hidden Face of God"

""It is fully as gratifying to hear from teachers and writers who know science and literature as well as theology and who use their energy to assign God his rightful place."" -- Steve Van Der Weele, Calvin Theological Journal, November 2008 ""It is fully as gratifying to hear from teachers and writers who know science and literature as well as theology and who use their energy to assign God his rightful place."" -- Steve Van Der Weele, Calvin Theological Journal, November 2008 ""A good book for the math or science lover."" -- David Mills, The Pittsburgh Catholic, December 2009 ""A good book for the math or science lover."" -- David Mills, The Pittsburgh Catholic, December 2009 ""Several outstanding books argue for Intelligent Design. However, A Meaningful World explores newer ground. In this book the authors widen the focus to the meaning and genius that are evident all around us."" -- Lay Witness, Fall 2007 ""Several outstanding books argue for Intelligent Design. However, A Meaningful World explores newer ground. In this book the authors widen the focus to the meaning and genius that are evident all around us."" -- Lay Witness, Fall 2007 ""A Meaningful World offers a compelling rebuttal to modern materialism and its reductionistic view of nature. The professional critics of intelligent design didn?t see this book coming, and are unlikely to have a ready response to its argument."" -- Touchstone, July-August 2007 ""A Meaningful World offers a compelling rebuttal to modern materialism and its reductionistic view of nature. The professional critics of intelligent design didn?t see this book coming, and are unlikely to have a ready response to its argument."" -- Touchstone, July-August 2007 ""Wiker and Witt submit: 'A poison has entered human culture. It's the assumption that science has proven that the universe is without purpose, without meaning.' This is the primary popular assumption the authors tackle in A Meaningful World."" -- Terry Scambray ""Wiker and Witt submit: 'A poison has entered human culture. It's the assumption that science has proven that the universe is without purpose, without meaning.' This is the primary popular assumption the authors tackle in A Meaningful World."" -- Terry Scambray ""A Meaningful World is astounding, breathtaking! This is a book about both the beauty of science and the beauty of creation, a book I wish I had as an undergraduate taking science courses. Wiker and Witt draw us beyond design to the sheer grandeur, elegance and deep intelligibility of nature, all of which bespeak a creative Genius. It will help overcome the residual fear of science that plagues all too many devout believers, and instill a sense of childlike wonder at the splendor of our world. A Meaningful World admirably answers the call of Pope Benedict XVI to see the glory of God's wisdom, the Divine Logos, permeating creation. I can't wait to get this into the hands of my own teenagers, and even my college grads."" -- Scott Hahn, Ph.D., professor of theology and Scripture, Franciscan University, and president, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology ""A Meaningful World is astounding, breathtaking! This is a book about both the beauty of science and the beauty of creation, a book I wish I had as an undergraduate taking science courses. Wiker and Witt draw us beyond design to the sheer grandeur, elegance and deep intelligibility of nature, all of which bespeak a creative Genius. It will help overcome the residual fear of science that plagues all too many devout believers, and instill a sense of childlike wonder at the splendor of our world. A Meaningful World admirably answers the call of Pope Benedict XVI to see the glory of God's wisdom, the Divine Logos, permeating creation. I can't wait to get this into the hands of my own teenagers, and even my college grads."" -- Scott Hahn, Ph.D., professor of theology and Scripture, Franciscan University, and president, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology ""Drawing on the works of Shakespeare, Euclid, Lavoisier and others, A Meaningful World draws parallels between the genius of these men and the genius evident in nature. I am not exaggerating much to say that A Meaningful World is in the same class as the works of human genius its authors describe. It displays rare depth and breadth. Scientists should read this book to regain their justification for doing science, and poets should read it to regain a ground for the meaning of their texts."" -- Guillermo Gonzalez, assistant professor of astronomy, Iowa State University, and coauthor of The Privileged Planet ""Drawing on the works of Shakespeare, Euclid, Lavoisier and others, A Meaningful World draws parallels between the genius of these men and the genius evident in nature. I am not exaggerating much to say that A Meaningful World is in the same class as the works of human genius its authors describe. It displays rare depth and breadth. Scientists should read this book to regain their justification for doing science, and poets should read it to regain a ground for the meaning of their texts."" -- Guillermo Gonzalez, assistant professor of astronomy, Iowa State University, and coauthor of The Privileged Planet ""In a world where materialism fails and where intelligent design is evident, how should we think about ourselves in the grand scheme of things? A Meaningful World masterfully answers this question, ramping up the cultural revolution begun by Phillip Johnson in the 1990s."" -- William A. Dembski, author of The Design Revolution ""In a world where materialism fails and where intelligent design is evident, how should we think about ourselves in the grand scheme of things? A Meaningful World masterfully answers this question, ramping up the cultural revolution begun by Phillip Johnson in the 1990s."" -- William A. Dembski, author of The Design Revolution ""A Meaningful World is a wise and witty romp through the fallacies of reductionism. It is illustrated by charming examples that show how literature and science both teach us that we live in a world full of meaning, not the spiritually dead world in which the materialists would confine us."" -- Phillip Johnson, author of Reason in the Balance ""A Meaningful World is a wise and witty romp through the fallacies of reductionism. It is illustrated by charming examples that show how literature and science both teach us that we live in a world full of meaning, not the spiritually dead world in which the materialists would confine us."" -- Phillip Johnson, author of Reason in the Balance ""A Meaningful World is simply the best book I've seen on the purposeful design of nature. In sparkling prose Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt teach us how to recognize genius, first in Shakespeare's plays and then in nature. From principles of geometry to details of the periodic table, the authors portray the depth, elegance, clarity and pure cleverness of a universe designed to nurture the intelligent life that one day would discover that design. A Meaningful World recovers lost purpose not only for science, but for all scholarly disciplines."" -- Michael J. Behe, author of Darwin's Black Box ""A Meaningful World is simply the best book I've seen on the purposeful design of nature. In sparkling prose Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt teach us how to recognize genius, first in Shakespeare's plays and then in nature. From principles of geometry to details of the periodic table, the authors portray the depth, elegance, clarity and pure cleverness of a universe designed to nurture the intelligent life that one day would discover that design. A Meaningful World recovers lost purpose not only for science, but for all scholarly disciplines."" -- Michael J. Behe, author of Darwin's Black Box ""I have been reticent to affirm the value of the cosmological argument from design, but no longer. Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt have convinced me that from literature to mathematics, physics to biology, the very phenomena of the world breathe intelligence. A Meaningful World is a masterful argument, a tour de force, framed with brilliance and wit. Here is a convincing case for a universe charged not only with meaning, but with the glory of God."" -- James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door and Why Good Arguments Often Fail ""A Meaningful World cleverly integrates the intricacy found in literary classics with the aesthetic beauty of scientific discovery and the unreasonable ability of the human mind to comprehend meaning in both. In this interesting book, we discover that meaning is inherent in nature at every level."" -- Gerald Schroeder, author of Genesis and the Big Bang, The Science of God and The Hidden Face of God

A good book for the math or science lover. --David Mills, The Pittsburgh Catholic, December 2009 It is fully as gratifying to hear from teachers and writers who know science and literature as well as theology and who use their energy to assign God his rightful place. --Steve Van Der Weele, Calvin Theological Journal, November 2008

Wiker and Witt submit: 'A poison has entered human culture. It's the assumption that science has proven that the universe is without purpose, without meaning.' This is the primary popular assumption the authors tackle in A Meaningful World. --Terry Scambray

"""A Meaningful World offers a compelling rebuttal to modern materialism and its reductionistic view of nature. The professional critics of intelligent design didn't see this book coming, and are unlikely to have a ready response to its argument."" --Touchstone, July-August 2007 ""A good book for the math or science lover."" --David Mills, The Pittsburgh Catholic, December 2009 ""It is fully as gratifying to hear from teachers and writers who know science and literature as well as theology and who use their energy to assign God his rightful place."" --Steve Van Der Weele, Calvin Theological Journal, November 2008 ""Several outstanding books argue for Intelligent Design. However, A Meaningful World explores newer ground. In this book the authors widen the focus to the meaning and genius that are evident all around us."" --Lay Witness, Fall 2007 ""Wiker and Witt submit: 'A poison has entered human culture. It's the assumption that science has proven that the universe is without purpose, without meaning.' This is the primary popular assumption the authors tackle in A Meaningful World."" --Terry Scambray"

Author Information

Jonathan Witt (Ph.D., University of Kansas) is senior fellow and writer in residence at Discovery Institute in Seattle, Washington. He was formerly associate professor at Lubbock Christian University. He has published articles in Touchstone, Literature Theology, Windover, Princeton Theological Review and Philosophia Christi. Benjamin Wiker (Ph.D., Vanderbilt) is lecturer in theology and science at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. He is also a senior fellow of Discovery Institute in Seattle, Washington. His work has appeared in such publications as Crisis, First Things, National Catholic Register and the New Oxford Review. He is the author of Moral Darwinism.

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