Co-Founder of String Theory and Physicist, Michio Kaku believes in God, if not that God

Co-founder of string field theory and physicist Michio Kaku made waves last year — or at least seemed to — when it was reported that he’d proven the existence of God. The Geophilosophical Association of Anthropological and Cultural Studies quoted Kaku as saying, "I have concluded that we are in a world made by rules created by an intelligence. To me, it is clear that we exist in a plan which is governed by rules that were created, shaped by a universal intelligence and not by chance."

Reacting to that public comment, Kaku said: "That’s one of the drawbacks of being in a public sphere: Sometimes you get quoted incorrectly. My own point of view is that you can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God."

"Science is based on what is testable, reproducible, and falsifiable," Kaku says. "That’s called 'science.' However, there are certain things that are not testable, not reproducible, and not falsifiable. And that would include the existence of God." He's noted that discerning whether you live in a Matrix-style construct or not would be another such 'non-falsifiable' problem.

Part of the problem, of course, is that "God" has different meanings to different people, and in discussing It/Him/Her, there’s apt to be confusion. And yet believers continue to ask scientists this question, perhaps seeking scientific confirmation for their faith. They want to know if Kaku’s an atheist, but when we can’t agree on what God is, “atheist” has even less meaning.

In any event, when asked about God, Kaku is likely to quote Einstein’s suggestion that there are two types of god: “One god is a personal god, the god that you pray to, the god that smites the Philistines, the god that walks on water. That’s the first god. But there’s another god, and that’s the god of Spinoza. That’s the god of beauty, harmony, simplicity.”

It’s that second “God” to which Kaku is drawn. He tells innovation tech today that the universe could have been random, but that instead “Our universe is rich; it is beautiful, elegant.”

He’s stuck by what he sees as its exquisite simplicity, pointing out that all of the laws of physics could fit on a single sheet of paper, and, “In fact, what I do for a living is to try to get that sheet of paper and summarize it into an equation one inch long.” He asserts that with his string field theory, he had that one-inch explanation of everything, but that with new developments in membrane theory, he needs a little more room. For now.

Still, Kaku says, this will happen. Physics is the opposite of most other fields of study, he says: With every new advance it gets simpler, and in that lies his sense of wonder. “So, that’s the God of Einstein. The God of beauty, [the idea] that says that the universe is simpler the more we study it.”

"When scientists use the word God, they usually mean the God of Order. For example, one of the most important revelations in Einstein’s early childhood took place when he read his first books on science. He immediately realized that most of what he had been taught about religion could not possibly be true. Throughout his career, however, he clung to the belief that a mysterious, divine Order existed in the universe."

That other kind of God clearly has less appeal for Kaku, as it generally does for physicists and other scientists, including Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who says that believers he talks to tell him that God is all-powerful and good, but when he looks at ”all the ways Earth wants to kill us,” he just doesn’t see how both could be true.

So when Kaku asserts that the goal of string field theory is to “read the mind of God,” it’s important to remember he’s talking about Einstein’s God of Order. To “read the mind of God” would be to find that (one-inch) equation that explains everything in the cosmos. Bearing in mind the continual game of leapfrog going on between math and physics, and that the latest leap is physics' string theory, which requires a new type of math, Kaku mischievously suggests that the ultimate solution to the schism between physicists and mathematicians could be that God is a mathematician. And, he says, the mind of God — the explanation of Order — may turn out to be string field theory’s “cosmic music,” the resonating of strings through 11-dimensional hyperspace.

Thats some little dance he’s doing there.

Yes, it is a dance.

He is expressing belief in God within the constraints of disciplined science.

I am impressed that he is honest in his letting the data tell him its truth.

Perhaps his mind, approach and integrity here are closer to the childlike standard we all are to have?

At least he hasn’t chased Wisdom away, but instead he honors her by publicly sharing what she has shown him.

“My own point of view is that you can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God.”

Back in the 1980's, Douglas Hofstadter wrote "Godel Escher Bach, the Eternal Golden Braid". Hofstadter had taken over the math column from Martin Gardner in Scientific American.

The book was a math book about artificial intelligence. It won the "book of the year" award from Scientific American when it was published. A person pretty much had to have a college math degree to plow through it. It involved complex math theorems, deep recursive theory, and language and grammars from a math viewpoint.

This book was certainly NOT Christian or God centered. Hofstadter had brought in eastern philosophy when he could. However, early in the book he came to the conclusion that 20th century math theorems seemed to indicate that "Truth was a higher concept than provability". [This got a highlight in my copy.]

He even drew a zenn diagram to show that any theorem which could prove a significant portion of math theory would ultimately lead to amibiguities. Therefore, no system of math could "prove", or disprove, everything.

The statement reminded me that Jesus never attempted to "prove" that He was the Son of God. He just stated: "I am the way, the truth, and the light. No man cometh to the Father but by me."

Interesting article, but I had to spit out the parts in which the author makes suppositions about what Kaku thinks or believes. If we remove those, and just read Kaku’s quotes, it clearly shows that he believes there is a God. If he has not yet discovered THE God, God Almighty...give him time. God will reveal Himself to those who seek for Him, and if I can, myself, make an assumption about Kaku, he is not far from the truth. Give him time; a man as brilliant as Kaku, who is willing to believe that their MIGHT be a God, and continues to investigate, WILL find Him. It is AWESOME to read accounts of such scientists, who do become believers.

If nature trying to kill us were a bad thing we would be destined to live forever. As spirit we can in fact live forever by being united with the Spirit of God that permeates existence.
As a created life our span is short and brutal. It is the enigma of all life that wishes to be eternal. We wish to be as Gods.
Consciousness, sense of self and place, is the universal reality increasingly acknowledged by science that leads inexorably to the knowledge of God. As scientists reach the peak of the mountain they find an ancient colliquy of theologians well advanced in the very conversation that has so recently engaged the scientific world.

Third generation Japanese American and not a leftist puke like most of the TV scientists. Great books and lectures, good mind and honest as to what he does not know.

The leftists claim him with no equivocation. I think you must be wrong.

"In the past, Kaku has been known for his left-wing politics, hosting a radio show entitled Explorations on New York lefty radio station WBAI, rebroadcast on other Pacifica stations such as KPFA in Berkeley."
"He does, however, envision a utopian future where science has made a better life for all. His acknowledgement of science, especially in terms of global warming, put him in the liberal camp."

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