By Desiree McQueen
Dr. William Phillips, winner of the Nobel Prize, presented the topic of 'Science, Faith, and the Nobel Prize' at the forum on Jan. 22.
'I am able to approach this topic from the viewpoint of both a scientist and a man of faith,' Phillips said.
'A scientist life would be dull if I only looked at things from a scientific point of view,' Phillips said.
He said religion and science are 'different not separate; neither enemies nor strangers.'
Phillips said Freeman Dyson said, 'Science and religion look through different windows at the same life.'
One similarity that Dr. Phillips shared was the fact that science tells us that all humans have DNA makeup that is 83 percent the same, while religion tells us that we are all brothers and sisters. Phillips also compared the four pillars of the Methodist religion to the basic principles of science.
Phillips said he believes that in order for life to evolve how it has, the universe has to be as fine tuned as it has been. Phillips called this the Anthropic Principle.
Phillips said that he believes that the beauty, order and simplicity of the universe had to be created by a divine being.
Dr. Phillips took the forum audience through what it would be like to win a Nobel Prize. He showed film clips of attending royal banquets where he sat next to the queen, and interviews with members of the press from around the world.
'People seemed more interested in what my views on science and religion are than my Nobel Prize,' Phillips said.
Students who attended the forum enjoyed Phillips'' perspective.
'It was refreshing to have a person of a different faith come and speak to us,' said Kirsti Hasleton, 19, a sophomore from Sacramento Calif., majoring in history education. 'I liked what Dr. Phillips said about there being no conflict between science and religion being two different things with the same outcome,' said Hasleton.
Hanna Sevey, 19, a sophomore from Riverside, Calif., majoring in English, said, 'Dr. Phillips presented a good point that science and religion can co-exist.'