A Thomistic critical realist reading of beauty in physics as an argument for the existence of God

Abstract

In Thomist metaphysics, beauty is defined as unity, harmony and clarity. In a word, beauty is order. Philosophers have attempted to arrive at a definition of beauty on the basis of physicists’ descriptions of physics; however, physicists’ accounts are not always consistent. Thomist aesthetics, however, adequately accounts for the various understandings of beauty on which physicists insist. Such attributions of beauty to physics as well as the entire practice of physics find themselves in danger if physics is viewed through an instrumentalist lens. Critical realism is necessary in order for such statements about beauty in physics to mean what physicists intend them to mean. Also, if beauty is real and critical realism accounts correctly for beauty and physics, then it can be argued that God exists via the Fourth Way of Thomas Aquinas, which finds evidence for the existence of God in gradations in things. The gradation of perfections such as nobility, goodness and truth implies the existence of some maximum perfection, which is God. It is argued in this thesis that although not mentioned by Aquinas in his corpus, beauty is one of those perfections. This constitutes a new argument for the existence of God on the basis of beauty.

In Thomistese metafisika word skoonheid omskryf as eenheid, harmonie en duidelikheid. Met ander woorde, skoonheid is orde. Filosowe het probeer om skoonheid op grond van fisici se beskrywings van fisika te omskryf, maar fisici se weergawes is nie altyd konsekwent nie. Thomistiese estetika verduidelik die verskillende begrippe van skoonheid waarop fisici aandring egter voldoende. Sulke toeskrywings van skoonheid aan fisika en die praktyk van fisika as geheel verkeer in gevaar as fisika deur 'n instrumentalistiese lens beskou word. Kritiese realisme is nodig om seker te maak dat sulke verklarings oor skoonheid in fisika beteken wat fisici bedoel het hulle moet beteken. Verder, as skoonheid werklik bestaan en kritiese realisme korrek rekening gee van skoonheid en fisika, kan daar aangevoer word dat God via die Vierde Weg van Thomas Aquinas bestaan, wat bewyse vir die bestaan van God in gradasies van dinge vind. Die gradering van volmaakthede soos adelikheid, goedheid en waarheid impliseer die bestaan van die een of ander maksimum volmaaktheid – wat God is. In hierdie proefskrif word daar aangevoer dat alhoewel Aquinas nie daarvan melding maak in sy korpus nie, is skoonheid een van hierdie volmaakthede. Dit is 'n nuwe argument vir die bestaan van God op grond van skoonheid.

Kwisifundo se-Thomist metaphysics, ubuhle buchazwa njengobumbano, ukuzwana nokucacisa. Ngamafuphi nje, ubuhle buwukuhleleka. Izazi zefilosofi zike zazama ukufika encazelweni yobuhle ngesisekelo sezincazelo zezazi ze-fiziksi; nokho-ke, ama-akhawunti ezazi zefiziksi awahlezi ehamba ngendlela eyodwa. I-Thomist aesthetics, nokho-ke, ilandisa ngokwanele ukuqonda okuhlukahlukene kobuhle lapho izazi ze-fiziksi zigcizelela khona. Ukuchazwa okunjalo kobuhle kwi-fiziksi kanye nawowonke umkhuba we-physics kuzithola kusengozini uma i-fiziksi ibhekwa ngelensi yezinsiza. Kudingeka iqiniso elibucayi ukuze lezo zitatimende mayelana nobuhle kuphysics zisho lokho izazi ze-fiziksi ezihlose ukuba zisho. Futhi, uma ubuhle bungokoqobo futhi buyiqiniso elibucayi bulandisa kahle ngobuhle kanye ne-fiziksi, khona-ke kungaphikiswana ngokuthi uNkulunkulu ukhona ngeNdlela yesine ka- Thomas Aquinas, ethola ubufakazi bobukhona bukaNkulunkulu ngokuhlukaniswa kwezinto. Ukwehlukaniswa kwezinga lokuphelela okufana nezikhulu, ubuhle kanye neqiniso kusho ukuba khona kokupheleliswa okukhulu, okunguNkulunkulu. Kuphikiswana ngayo kule thesis ukuthi nakuba kungashiwongo ngu-Aquinas kucorpus yakhe, ubuhle bungenye yalezo zimfanelo. Lokhu kwakha impikiswano entsha yobukhona bukaNkulunkulu ngesisekelo sobuhle.