HistoricalWitnessFromScientists
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Historical Witness from Scientists-4 历代科学家的见证-4 Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and “自從造天地以來、 神 的永能和神性是明明可知的、雖是眼不能見、但藉 著所造之物、就可以曉得、叫人無可推諉．” Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Pastor Chui: I am indebted to David Coppedge’s book “The World’s Greatest Creation Scientists from Y1K to Y2K” 我要感谢大卫科珀奇的书“1000年至2000年的世界上 最伟大的创造论科学家” http://ChristCenterGospel.org 4/13/2015 ckchui1@yahoo.com 1 Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 Blaise Pascal was home-schooled. And although his father did not feel mathematics was a proper subject till age 15, young Blaise took interest at 12, and when his father relented, math became his best subject – one of many best subjects. Pascal went on to excel at just about everything he tried: physics, hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, mathematics, statistics, invention, logic, debate, philosophy, and prose. We speak of “pascals” of pressure, Pascal’s Principle, and a computer language named Pascal. Computer scientists remember the Pascaline, an early mechanical calculator he invented, and mathematicians speak of Pascal’s triangle. Literary historians call Pascal the Father of French Prose, and theologians debate Pascal’s Wager while evangelists use it to reason with sinners about the gospel. Few, however, know much about the personal life of this scientific and mathematical genius. He knew pain, he knew conflict, and he knew Jesus Christ with a depth and sensitivity few experience. And he accomplished all his discoveries without reaching his 40th birthday. Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 帕斯卡是在家接受教育，虽然他的父亲没有感到数学是适 当，直到15岁，年轻的布莱斯在12岁发生兴趣，当他的父 亲让步，数学成了他最好的一科-许多最好的科目之一。 帕斯卡擅长一切努力：物理学，流体静力学，流体力学， 数学，统计，发明，逻辑，辩论，哲学，散文，我们的 “帕斯卡”的压力，帕斯卡的原则，计算机名为语言发言 帕斯卡。计算机科学家记得Pascaline，早期的机械计算器， 他发明的，和数学家谈论帕斯卡的三角形。文学史家呼叫 帕斯卡是法国散文之父，和神学家的辩论帕斯卡的赌注， 而传福音的使用有关的罪人的原因。然而很少人了解的这 一科学和数学天才的个人生活。他知道痛，他知道冲突， 他经验耶稣基督的深度和灵敏度。他完成了他的所有发现 没有达到他的40岁生日。 Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 Blaise Pascal was the youngest of three children, the only boy. His mother died when he was three years old. His father, Etienne, a tax collector, took to schooling the children himself. At age 19, Blaise started working on a mechanical calculator to help his father with his work. The Pascaline was the second such invention (the first, by Schickard, was 18 years prior). Pascal’s invention consisted of toothed wheels which engaged each other in such a way that rotating the first 10 steps would increment the next by one, and so on. Nevertheless, it was a clever piece of work for a young man who went on to greater things. Pascal grew in reputation as a mathematician so that in his prime he corresponded with other notable scientists and philosophers: Fermat, Descartes, Christopher Wren, Leibniz, Huygens, and others. He worked on conic sections, projective geometry, probability, binomial coefficients, cycloids, and many other puzzles of the day, sometimes challenging his famous colleagues with difficult problems which he, of course, solved on his own. Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 布莱斯帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 帕斯卡是三个孩子最小的一个。他的母亲去世时他才 三岁。他的父亲，艾蒂安，一个税吏，教自己的孩子。 年仅19岁的布莱斯机发明械计算器帮助父亲的工作。 该Pascaline是第二次这样的发明（第一次，由 Schickard，是18年以前）。帕斯卡的发明，其中从事 每个这样的方式与其他的齿轮由转动的前10个步骤将 递增逐个下，等等。然而，这年轻人是去作出更大的 聪明的作品。帕斯卡增长美誉的数学家，以便在他的 全盛时期，他与其他著名科学家和哲学家对应：费马， 笛卡尔，克里斯托弗雷恩，莱布尼茨，惠更斯。他对 圆锥曲线，投影几何，概率，二项式系数，摆线和其 他许多难题，有时挑战性的难题，与他著名的同事， 当然，自己已经解决。 Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 In physics, Pascal also excelled in both theory and experiment. At age 30, he had completed a Treatise on the Equilibrium of Liquids, the first systematic theory of hydrostatics. In it he formulated his famous law of pressure, that states that the pressure is uniform in all directions on all surfaces at a given depth. This principle is foundational to many applications today: submarines, scuba gear, and a host of pneumatic devices. By applying the principle, Pascal invented the syringe and the hydraulic press. Blaise Pascal’s perceptive mind enabled him to explain the rising liquid in a barometer not as “nature abhorring a vacuum,” but as the pressure of the air outside on the liquid reservoir. Observing that barometric pressure dropped with altitude, he reasoned that a vacuum existed above the atmosphere. James Kiefer writes, “In presenting his results, he taunts his enemies the Jesuits with getting their methods backward, accusing them of relying on ancient authority (Aristotle) in physics, while ignoring ancient authority (the Scriptures and the Fathers, especially Augustine) in religion.” Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 布莱斯帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 在物理学中，帕斯卡在理论和实验出色。30岁，他已 完成了液体平衡，第一次流体静力学系统的理论著作。 他在文中提出了他著名的压力定律，各压力均匀的所 有表面上各个方向一定深度, 这一原则的基石今天有 许多应用：潜艇，潜水装备，以及气动设备的主机通 过应用的原则，帕斯卡发明了注射器和液压机, 帕斯 卡的洞察力使他解释作为一个晴雨表上升液体不是 “自然憎恶真空”，但外面的空气对液体的压力。观 测的大气压力的随高度下降，他的理由是，一个以上 的大气存在真空。詹姆斯基弗写道，“在介绍他的研 究结果，他嘲笑他的敌人获取方法落后，指责物理学 （亚里士多德)，而忽略了古代在宗教权威（圣经与教 亲，尤其是奥古斯丁）。” Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 Pascal’s controversies with the Jesuits had begun in his early twenties. Two brothers from a religious movement, while caring for Pascal’s father, had a profound influence on Blaise. He took great interest in a movement called Jansenism that was a kind of “back to the Bible” movement within Catholicism, that stressed salvation was the free gift of God by grace through faith. Pascal became one of their chief apologists, and in writing his Provincial Letters, also showed himself to be an exceptional logician and writer. His wit, irony, perception, knowledge, and a logic honed by mathematics, made his writing sparkle with enthusiasm and force. Kiefer writes, “He taught his countrymen how to write work that could be read with pleasure.” And indeed it can! We encourage our readers to find out by sampling his work. Pascal is a good source of pithy quotes, proverbs, witty sayings, and thoughtful paragraphs. In his thirties, he was apparently working on an “Apology [Defense] of the Christian Religion,” but, unfortunately, at his death there was only found a stack of unorganized papers that was published as Pensées (Thoughts). Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 布莱斯帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 20岁已经开始与耶稣会士的争论。从一个宗教运动两弟 兄，照顾帕斯卡的父亲，对布莱斯了深刻的影响。他参 与了所谓的詹森主义运动的极大兴趣的是在天主教“种 回圣经”运动，强调救恩是神所赐的恩典信心。帕斯卡 尔成为他们的主要支持者之一，在写他的信函，也表明 自己是一个特殊的逻辑学家和作家。他的机智，反讽感， 知识，磨练和数学逻辑，以使他的创作饱满的热情和力 量。基弗写道，“他教他的同胞如何编写作品，可以愉 快地阅读。”而事实上，它可以！我们鼓励我们的读者 取样他的作品。帕斯卡尔是一个精辟的作者，谚语，格 言机智，周到段的良好来源。三十多岁，他作“基督教 护教学 ，”但不幸的，在他去世的时候，才发现是无组 织的一摞为 Pensées（想法）发表的论文。 Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 Nevertheless, enough was written to give believers and unbelievers alike a great deal of food for thought: on the nature of man, sin, suffering, unbelief, philosophy, false religion, Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, heaven and hell, and much more. Much has been made of “Pascal’s Wager,” a philosophical challenge usually unfairly oversimplified as follows: If you choose Christianity and it is false, you lose nothing. If you reject Christianity and it is true, you lose everything. Skeptics (and many Christians) feel this is a weak argument to become a Christian. It is, but it is not what Pascal meant. James Kiefer explains that the Wager is an educated choice, not a flip of the coin. Having decided that the evidence for Christianity is strong, and having decided that union with Christ is a worthy goal in life, it is the best bet to train for it like an athlete would train for the highest prize, even though the athlete cannot be sure he will win or the contest will even occur. Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 然而，他写给信徒和非信徒都一个很大的深思：在人的 本性，罪恶，苦难，不信，哲学，虚伪的宗教，耶稣， 圣经，天堂与地狱，等等。很多人已写出的“帕斯卡赌 注” 是一个哲学的挑战，通常不公平地简化为如下：如 果您选择基督教是假的话，你没有失去什么，如果你拒 绝了基督教，然而这是真的，你失去了一切! 怀疑论者 和很多基督徒觉得这是一个薄弱的论据成为基督徒。这 不是帕斯卡的意思。詹姆斯基弗解释说，这个赌注是一 个受过教育的选择，而不是一个硬币的反面。决定对基 督教的证据充分，和决定与基督联盟是一个在生活中有 价值的目标，这是最好的选择，像一个运动员训练将有 最高奖，尽管运动员不能知道他一定会赢得比赛。 Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 Kiefer says, “Obviously, if Christ is an illusion, then nothing will move me closer to Him, and it does not matter what I do. But if He is not an illusion, then obviously seeking to love Him, trust Him, and obey Him is more likely to get me into a right relation with Him than the opposite strategy. And so it will be the one I take.” Understanding this, the Wager is not a blind hope that I’ll find myself on the right side after I die; it is a positive choice that will order my life and give me peace, joy, and purpose in the present. To avoid misrepresenting Pascal’s Wager, we encourage readers to read the argument in his own inimitable words in the Pensées. When used properly, it’s still a powerful argument for accepting Christ. Pascal’s last writings are all the more poignant when we remember he wrote much of them while suffering intensely. A contemporary wrote, “He lived most of his adult life in great pain. He had always been in delicate health, suffering even in his youth from migraine ...” Pascal died at age 39 in intense pain from stomach cancer. After his death, a servant found a surprise in the lining of Pascal’s coat. Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 基弗说，“很显然，如果基督是一种幻想，什么都不会使 我更接近他，无论我做什么。但是如果他是不是幻觉，显 然寻求爱他，信任他，听从他, 跟他到一个正确的战略关 系。因此，这是我寻求的。”理解这一点，这个赌注是不 是一个盲目的，我死后我会找到正确的一边 ，这是一个 积极的选择，这将令我的生活，让我在目前的平安，欢乐 和宗旨，以避免误传帕斯卡的赌注，我们鼓励读者阅读 Pensées 的独特的字眼 。它仍然是一个接受基督有力的论 证。帕斯卡的最后著作，我们记得他写在痛苦激烈的时候。 一个当代写道：“他的成年生活在巨大的痛苦。他一直是 身体虚弱，他的青年痛苦偏头痛...“帕斯卡逝世，享年39 岁在剧烈的疼痛胃癌。去世后，一个仆人发现在帕斯卡的 外套衬惊喜。 Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 At age 31, Pascal had a spiritual experience that was so overpowering, he wrote it down so that he would never forget it. Somehow, after a sweet hour of prayer or worship service – he never mentioned what it was to anyone – he felt so close to God, so overjoyed with His grace and salvation, so convinced of the urgency of trusting Him, that he took hasty notes of his feelings and sewed them into the lining of his coat, to be near his heart forever. Here are those words. Consider the brilliant scientist and mathematician, the logical thinker and debater, the inventor and writer and genius that got this close to the heart of God: Memorial In the year of grace, 1654, On Monday, 23rd of November, Feast of St Clement, Pope and Martyr, and others in the Martyrology, Vigil of St Chrysogonus, Martyr, and others, From about half past ten in the evening until about half past twelve, Fire! God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, (Ex 3:6; Mt 22:32) not of the philosophers and scholars. Blaise Pascal 1623 – 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 31岁，帕斯卡尔有一个强大属灵经验，他写了下来，使他 永远不会忘记, 经过祈祷或崇拜甜蜜的时候，他从来没有 告诉任何人 -他觉得十分接近神，十分喜悦神的恩典和救 恩，紧迫信任神，他使他的感情写 下 ，缝入他的外套里, 永远接近他的心。以下是这些话。 这辉煌的科学家和数 学家，思想家和逻辑家，发明家和作家，这天才用他的心 来接近神： 纪念: 在恩典年1654，11月23日，圣宴克莱门特，教皇和 烈士，以及其他在烈士，圣黄金口 ，烈士守夜，和其他 人，从大约十时半，直到晚上十二时三十分， 着火啦！ 亚伯拉罕的上帝，以撒，雅各的上帝，（出3:6; 太 22:32） 不是哲学家和学者。 Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace. God of Jesus Christ. “Thy God and my God.” (Jn 20:17) Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except God. He is to be found only in the ways taught in the Gospel. Greatness of the Human Soul. “Righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee, but I have known Thee.” (Jn 17:25) Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy. I have separated myself from Him. “They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters.” (Jr 2:13) “My God, wilt Thou leave me?” (Mt 27:46) Let me not be separated from Him eternally. “This is the eternal life, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and the one whom Thou hast sent, Jesus Christ.” (Jn 17:3) Jesus Christ. Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 确信。确信。感觉喜悦。和平。上帝耶稣. “見我 的 神、也是你們的 神”（约20:17）对世界和一 切健忘，除了上帝。他只可在福音的方法找到。 伟大的魂。 ”世人未曾認識你、我卻認識你”（约 17:25）喜悦，欢乐，喜悦，泪水，我自己离弃上 帝， “就是離棄我這活水的泉源” （ 耶 2:13） “我的 神，我的 神，你為甚麼離棄我？” （太27:46）让我永永远远不离开上帝， “認識你 獨一的真 神、並且認識你所差來的耶穌基督、這 就是永生。” （约17:3）的耶稣基督。 Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 Jesus Christ I have separated myself from Him: I have fled from Him, denied Him, crucified Him. Let me never be separated from Him. We keep hold of Him only by the ways taught in the Gospel. Renunciation, total and sweet. Total submission to Jesus Christ and to my director. Eternally in joy for a day’s training on earth. “I will not forget thy words.” (Ps 119:16) Amen. Blaise Pascal took the wager, and won. Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662 帕斯卡 1623年至1662年 耶稣基督 我已经离开他自己 说：我从逃跑拒绝他，钉他在十字架上。 让我永远不能离开他。我们一直抓住他在福音教 的方法。放弃，总又甜。 交给耶稣基督和我的主 。 一个永恒欢乐在地球上 的训练一天 。 “我要在你的律例中自樂．我不忘記 你的話。” （诗119:16）阿门。 帕斯卡了赌注，赢了。 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Robert Boyle not only can be considered a pillar of modern science – and one of its most eminent practitioners – but he also left the world a profound legacy of rich literature explaining the Christian foundation for science. The title of one of his many books was The Christian Virtuoso (i.e., Bible-believing scientist), and to historians, he was one of the best examples. Boyle’s life and adventures make for a good story, but let’s consider first some of the impacts he made on the practice of science: (1) An emphasis on experiment instead of reason. (2) Publication of experimental results. (3) Popularization of scientific discoveries. (4) Collaboration of scientists in professional societies. (5) Mathematical formulations of laws. (6) Putting all claims about nature, no matter the reputation of the authority, to the test of experiment. Of course, no one works in a vacuum (no pun intended, as we will see); Boyle was not the only one to advance these ideals. He was influenced by Bacon, Galileo and Kepler before him, and there were contemporaries who also practiced one or more of these principles. Robert Boyle 博伊尔 1627 – 1691 1627-1691 博伊尔不但可以被认为是现代科学的支柱-和最杰出科学 家的之一-。他也留下了丰富的文学世界遗产深刻阐述了 科学基督教的基础，对他的许多书是在一个标题基督教的 演奏家（即信仰圣经的科学家），并历史学家，他是最好 的例子之一。 博伊尔的生活，做一个好的故事，但是让我们首先考虑的 影响，他对科学的实践取得了一些影响：（1）重点在实 验。 （2）出版的实验结果。 （3）科学发现的大众 化。 （4）在专业协会的科学家合作。 （5） 数学公式定 律。（6）把自然界的一切事情，与实验的验证。 当然，没有人的作品在真空;博伊尔不是唯一一个实现这 些理想，他是由培根，伽利略和开普勒在他的影响，并有 同时代的人也练一个或多个这些原则。 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 But among his peers, Boyle was an eminent leader in all of them. He took the initiative where others stuck to old habits, and he led by example. He is the considered the father of chemistry and a law was named in his honor. The world’s first and oldest professional scientific society with the longest record of continuous publication is due largely to Robert Boyle and the colleagues he attracted with his energy, drive, and enthusiasm for science. That enthusiasm came directly out of his Christian faith. To Boyle, love of God came first, and everything else second. Science was a means to a higher end: loving God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and mind. Despite being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the privileged son of a rich and prestigious landowner and friend of the king, Robert Boyle would know before long the meaning of hardship. As the 14th of 15 children in the family of the great Earl of Cork in Ireland, young Robyn had no lack of any material thing. Yet his wise father knew the values of self-discipline, education and hard work, and ensured his children were not idle but given the best training for honorable life. Robert Boyle 博伊尔 1627 – 1691 1627-1691 但在他的同龄人，博伊尔是一位杰出的领导人。他主动在 别人坚持旧的习惯，他以身作则。他是化学的父亲，他的 名字是一化学定律 。世界上第一个，并连续出版时间最 长的纪录最古老的专业科学的社会是由于罗伯特博伊尔和 他的同事，与他能量，动力和热情吸引了科学。这种热情 直接从他的基督教信仰来的。博伊尔，爱神第一，其他第 二, 一切科学是向更高目标：与所有的人的心，灵魂，力 量和精神爱上帝。 尽管是一个在他的嘴里银匙出生，丰富和著名地主，国王 的朋友的儿子，罗伯特波义耳知道忧患的意思。由于15名 儿童中的第14家大伯爵在爱尔兰的科克，年轻的罗宾并没 有任何物质的东西缺乏。然而，他的聪明的父亲知道自律， 教育和勤奋工作的价值观，并确保他的孩子们也不闲着， 获得一生中最好的培训。 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Robyn himself was sent for his first five years to be raised by a peasant family rather than live in his father’s rich estate. Sadly, many of the children grew up to be profligate and wild, but not Robyn or his older sister Katherine. In the schools of the time, Aristotle still held sway over almost every field of natural knowledge. Education consisted largely of memorizing what authorities had said. Some schools actually prohibited original thinking. If Aristotle said a vacuum cannot exist, then that was that; memorize it and regurgitate it on the test. But early in his education, Robyn learned to question the opinions of mere men. He was introduced by a teacher to the new “experimental method” of learning. Young Boyle also had a bright mind that asked questions, that was unsatisfied by rote answers from experts. He wanted to know how the authorities knew what they claimed, and why it was necessary to follow them. After all, who had been their authorities? Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 罗宾被送往一个农民家庭，而不是丰富生活。可 悲的是，许多孩子长大后挥霍和野生，但罗宾或 他的姐姐凯瑟琳不是。 在学校，亚里士多德强悍 了几乎所有的自然知识领域, 教育主要是背当局说， 一些学校实际上禁止原有的思维，如果亚里士多 德说，真空不能存在，在测试吐出来 。但在他的 早期教育，罗宾学会了提问人的意见。一个老师 介绍他学习了新的“试验方法”。年轻博伊尔是一 个聪明的问问题，不满意死记硬背答案。他想知 道当局如何知道他们声称，为什么有必要跟着他 们。毕竟，谁是他们的权威？ Robert Boyle 1627 1691 At age 17 Boyle’s life took a dramatic turn. Though certainly not a spoiled rich child, he was suddenly transferred to the school of hard knocks. While on an extended, all-expense-paid educational tour of Europe with his brother Frank and a tutor, war broke out in Ireland. Oblivious to the crisis at home, Robert visited leading scientists. He almost got to see Galileo, missing the opportunity by a few months due to the great astronomer’s death. Paris, Rome, the great centers of learning had been on their itinerary when the word reached them from their desperate father that the war had hit home. King Charles, occupied with other conflicts, had been unable to aid the Irish landowners against the popular uprising, and the Earl of Cork had to spend every resource to protect his estate. In dire straits, his father wrote to the sons that no more money could be forthcoming. To the boys’ tutor, he wrote, “For with inward grief of soul I write this truth unto you that I am no longer able to supply them beyond this last payment. But if they serve God and be careful and discreet in their carriage [i.e., lifestyle], God will bless them and provide for them as hitherto He has done for me.” Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 博伊尔在17岁发生了戏剧性的转变。不是一个被宠坏的有钱 的孩子，他与他的哥哥弗兰克和导师突然转移到另一学校， 全费支付在欧洲教育之旅， 当时, 战争在爱尔兰爆发。不经 意家中的危机，罗伯特参观了著名科学家。他几乎去看看伽 利略的机会， 但这伟大的天文学家几个月前逝世。巴黎， 罗马，学习的重要中心已一直在他们的行程时，消息从他们 绝望的父亲传到他们，战争已经击中了要害。国王查尔斯， 与其他被占领的冲突，已经无法帮助人民起义反对爱尔兰地 主，和科克伯爵不得不花的每资源，以保护他的遗产。处在 水深火热之中，他的父亲写信给儿子，没有更多的钱可即将 到来。孩子们的导师，他写道：“对于外来悲伤的灵魂我写 这个真理告诉你们，我不再能够支付出他们最后付款。但如 果他们事奉神，要小心，在他们的马车[即，生活方式]，谨 慎的上帝会保佑他们，为他们提供迄今为止他为我所做的。” Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Frank rushed back home to help, but Robyn had been too ill to be of military assistance, and remained back in Geneva with the tutor. It was no use. Lewis, a brother, died in battle. Lord Barrymore, the Great Earl’s favorite son-in-law, died in battle; and the grief-stricken father died the day the truce was signed – not only had the rebels destroyed his property and foundries, scattered his family and stolen all his possessions, but as part of the peace treaty, the king sacrificed all the Earl’s land to the rebels. Now orphaned, Robyn stayed two years in Geneva with the tutor, until he could no longer bear burdening his host. Selling the last remaining valuables, he boarded a ship for London. He was 17 years old. Tiner describes the setting: “Robyn had begun his travels from this city. When he left he’d enjoyed every possible advantage. His future seemed secure. He could look forward to wealth, an estate in the country, and perhaps a family with Lady Ann Howard as his wife. Now, five years later, Robyn walked the streets of London penniless and alone.” Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 弗兰克赶回家里帮忙，但罗宾已经因为重病而军事援助， 并保持与导师早在日内瓦。这是没有用的。刘易斯，兄弟， 死于战斗。主巴里摩尔，大伯爵的最爱儿子死在战场上; 伤心欲绝的父亲的停战协定签字之日死亡-叛乱分子不仅 摧毁了财产和代工厂，分散他的家人和盗他所有财产，国 王牺牲所有伯爵的土地, 作为和平条约的一部分。现在成 为孤儿，罗宾与导师在日内瓦住了两年，直到他再也无法 承受负担他的主人。销售最后剩下的贵重物品，他登上伦 敦的船。他当时 17岁, 蒂纳写 ：“罗宾从这个城市开始 了他的旅行, 当他离开他很喜欢, 他未来的一切是很安全， 他似乎可以期待的财富，在该国房地产，也许霍华德与拉 迪奥恩家庭作为他的妻子。现在，5年后，罗宾走到伦敦 街头身无分文，孤独。” Robert Boyle 1627 1691 A famous gospel preacher once said, “The test of a man’s character is what it takes to stop him.” Young Robert Boyle’s character now faced the acid test. Coming from such a large family, he did have siblings. Robert moved in with his sister Katherine, 13 years older, who was a widow after surviving a very unhappy arranged marriage to a churlish alcoholic named Viscount Ranelagh (fortunately for her, he died young). Katherine and Robert were alike in that they both loved learning and were not rebellious like many of the other Boyle children. It would take years for Robert to regain control of his share of his father’s assets, and he considered his situation unworthy of the marriage that had been arranged for him. Nevertheless, with Lady Ranelagh’s help and some remaining properties, he was not destitute. Another productive influence she provided him were her social contacts. Katherine had many friends who were scientists and intellectuals. A group of Oxford scholars under John Wilkins had formed a loosely-knit science club they dubbed the “Invisible College,” because it had no formal organization or meeting place. Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 一位著名的福音传教士曾经说过，“一个人的性格测试是 如何才能阻止他。”年轻的罗伯特波义耳的性格现在面临 着严峻的考验。从这样一个大家庭来了，他确实有兄弟姐 妹。罗伯特搬来与他姐姐凯瑟琳，13岁以上的，是非常不 满包办婚姻到一个粗暴的酒鬼名为子爵拉尼拉格寡妇（她 幸运的是，他英年早逝）。凯瑟琳和罗伯特是一样的，因 为它们都喜欢学习，并没有叛逆像其他博伊尔许多儿子 。 这将需要许多年的罗伯特恢复他对他父亲的资产，他认为 他不值得为他安排的婚姻。然而，与夫人拉尼拉格的帮助 和一些剩余物业，他不是赤贫。另一项的影响，她为他提 供了社会交往。凯瑟琳有很多朋友是科学家和知识分子。 甲根据约翰牛津学者威尔金斯集团已形成了一个科学俱乐 部，他们被称为“无形学院”，因为它没有正式的组织或 会议场所。 Robert Boyle 1627 1691 Though a mere teenager to these intellectuals, Robert impressed them with his aptitude and knowledge. His mind continued to flourish within this non-traditional university program. Politically, it was a tense time; these were the days leading up to the Cromwell revolution, when Parliament and King Charles were at odds and tensions ran high. Boyle took refuge in a family manor in Dorset and kept a low profile. He devoted himself to his three loves: reading, writing, and dabbling in science. During this period some profound works came from his pen on theology and personal Christian living, including Style of the Scriptures, Occasional Reflections, Ethics, and Some Motives and Incentives to the Love of God. Katherine distributed copies of some of these to her friends. As a result, Robert’s reputation as a writer began to grow. Robert recalled how at age 13 he had learned the fear of God. Awakened by a thunderstorm, the reality of God’s judgment flowed into his mind. He realized right then that he was not ready to face his Maker. He knew his good works were not enough: he needed salvation, and cried out to God for forgiveness. Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 虽然只是十几岁，罗伯特与他这些知识分子留下深刻的印 象。他的心继续在这个非传统大学课程蓬勃发展。 政治上，这是一场紧张的时间，这些日子是克伦威尔领导 的革命，当议会和国王查尔斯有了矛盾和紧张局势高涨, 博伊尔参加了在多塞特家族庄园的避难所，一直保持低调， 他献身他的三个喜欢：阅读，写作，以及科学, 在此期间 涉足一些深刻的作品，他的笔和个人对基督教神学，包括 经文风格，偶尔思考，伦理，动机和激励爱神。凯瑟琳发 行了其中的一些副本给她的朋友。罗伯特作为一个作家的 声誉却开始增加。罗伯特回忆说，13岁，他学会了对上帝 的敬畏。一个雷雨惊醒，上帝的判断现实流淌到了他心中， 然后他意识到，他还没有准备好面对上帝, 他知道他的作 品是不够的, 他需要拯救，大声请求神的宽恕。 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 He kept his promise to live as a true Christian, not just going to church and being “good,” but sincerely trusting in the gift of God through Jesus Christ and following Him as his Lord and Savior. Now at Stalbridge Manor, the young man was writing about how to see God’s providence in all things. During this period of his 20's, Boyle read voraciously and also tried scientific experiments, inspired by Galileo’s writings and his contacts from the Invisible College. Bad experiences with doctor’s medicines (carelessly prescribed without standards or quality control in those days) also motivated him to learn chemistry; Robert was frail in health much of his life and took great interest in finding effective medicines as well as avoiding bad ones. After ten years at Stalbridge, at age 27 he was invited to come to Oxford, the leading intellectual center in England in those times. This move launched his scientific career. Now with greater insight and maturity from his reading and experiments, Boyle was again in touch with the Invisible College, made up of doctors, scientists and theologians who for the most part were devout Christians. Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 他信守自己的承诺，作为一个真正的基督徒，不仅仅是去 了教堂，是“好”，真诚地相信，在神通过耶稣基督，为 他的主和救主。现在，在斯塔尔布里奇庄园，年轻的他撰 写有关如何看到所有神的保佑的事。在他的这个20年代期 间，博伊尔阅读，也尝试科学实验，伽利略的著作的启发， 接触无形学院。与医生的药品不良经验（不小心没有标准 或在那些日子里质量控制规定的）也激励他学习化学。罗 伯特的生活变得虚弱，并有极大的兴趣找到有效的药物， 和避免坏的药，以及在斯塔尔布里奇十年后，在27岁的他 应邀来到牛津，英格兰领先的智力中心。 此举开始了他的科学生涯。现在他有大的洞察力和他的阅 读和实验成熟，博伊尔再次与无形学院, 由许多医生，科 学家和神学家, 大部分是虔诚的基督教徒。 Robert Boyle 1627 1691 Robert was excited about the prospects of the “new learning” and “experimental philosophy” inspired by the works of Francis Bacon and Galileo. Committed to the principle that science should be used not just for pride of knowing but for the good of mankind, the College promoted experimentation on a variety of subjects: chemistry, physics, and medicine. During his six years of informal association with the Invisible College at Oxford, Boyle was largely self-taught. He did not earn a degree or professorship. Soon, however, he would be the most eminent scientist in Britain. Robert Boyle was a self-starter. He did not need a graduate adviser to point the way. Eager to discover the natural laws the Creator had devised, and with financial resources sufficiently restored, Robert built a laboratory, equipped it, and hired assistants. His most capable assistant was a young man named Robert Hooke. What Hooke lacked in social skills he made up for engineering acumen (the prototype nerd); the master would tell him what he needed, and Hooke would invent it. Boyle had heard about interesting preliminary experiments with vacuum pumps. Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 罗伯特对弗朗西斯培根和伽利略的“新学”与”实验哲学” 的作品鼓舞的前景感到兴奋。致力于科学的原则，不应当 只是认识的骄傲，而是为了人类好，使用学院促进了关于 各种实验：化学，物理，医学等, 在他六年与牛津无形学 院非正式协会，博伊尔是自学成才的, 他没有获得学位或 教授, 不久，他将是英国最杰出的科学家。波义耳是自启 动。他不需要一个研究生顾问的方式。急于发现造物主制 订了自然规律，充分恢复和财政资源，建立了一个实验室, 罗伯特，装备它，并聘请助理。他最得力的助手是一个年 轻的男子名叫罗伯特胡克, 胡克缺乏社交技巧，他提出的 工程敏锐（原型书呆子）。老师会告诉他，他需要什么， 胡克会发明它, 博伊尔听说过的有趣真空泵的初步试验。 Robert Boyle 1627 1691 Otto von Guericke had demonstrated by 1650 the ability to pump the air out of a wine barrel, and then a copper globe, but the devices were clumsy and difficult to operate, requiring the efforts of two strong men. Boyle was intrigued by the idea of creating a vacuum. Aristotle had claimed “Nature abhors a vacuum”; Descartes, many Jesuits and most others never thought to question that dogma. To Boyle, this was a chance to show the superiority of the experimental philosophy, so he asked Hooke to help him make a better air pump. What followed was groundbreaking science, methods that set standards for empirical work that survive to this day. Hooke’s ingenuity provided Boyle with an easily-operated air pump with a glass receiver, into which the duo inserted a variety of items that could be easily observed as the air was pumped out. They put a ticking clock in and noticed the sound drop to silence as air was removed. They observed that sound, but not light, was affected by the vacuum. They watched a candle go out. Each observation was meticulously recorded, but beyond the mere collection of facts, Boyle had the insight to interpret the results and formulate hypotheses that could be tested. Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 1650年奥托冯格里克已经证明了，葡萄酒桶泵的空气出来， 然后一铜球，但这些设备都笨拙，难以操作，需要两个壮 汉的努力。博伊尔的想法很感兴趣的创造一个真空, 亚里士 多德曾声称“自然厌恶真空。”。笛卡尔，许多耶稣会士， 其余的大多数从来没有想过要询问该教条, 博伊尔，这是一 个机会，表明了该实验哲学的优势，所以他要求胡克帮助 他做出一个更好的空气泵。随之而来的是开创性的科学实 证方法，为工作标准，活到这一天。胡克的聪明才智提供 了一个带有玻璃接收器，将其二人插入一个可容易地在空 中观察到的各种物品容易操作的空气泵, 波伊尔抽出。便将 滴答作响的时钟，发现声音下降到沉默如空气被删除。他 们指出，声音， 不是光,是经真空的影响。他们看着蜡烛熄 灭。每次观测经过精心录制的，但超出了单纯的收集事实， 博伊尔有洞察力的结果和解释制定可测试的假说。 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 A suite of cleverly-contrived experiments provided Boyle and Hooke with many exciting results, some that contradicted common sense, and many that contradicted Aristotle. Then, Boyle set two other important precedents: he published his results in lively English, leading to the tradition of popularizing science, and he carefully described his apparatus so that others could try to reproduce the experiments, leading to the principle of repeatability. He was even brutally honest about failures and errors, feeling these were necessary parts of the learning process. All this was almost unheard of in the practice of science. His first paper in 1660,New Experiments Physico-Mechanical Touching the Spring of the Air, and its Effects, created no small stir. Some critics thought it unwise to question the great master Aristotle. Others thought science should be published only in Latin. Most, however, read his work with great eagerness. Boyle, in effect, showed that science belonged to every man, and that it had very practical effects. It led to principles that could be tested and repeated by anyone (though few could hope to exceed the precision and thoroughness of his experiments). Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 博伊尔和胡克提供了巧妙的实验有许多令人兴奋的结果， 一些违反常识，许多违反亚里士多德。然后， 博伊尔有 两个重要的先例：他发表了他生动的英语结果，导致了普 及科学的传统，他仔细描述了他的设备，以便其他人可以 尝试重现实验，导致重复性原则。甚至敢说真话关于失败 和错误，这些都是在学习过程中必要的部分。这一切几乎 是闻所未闻的科学实践。他在1660年的第一篇论文，新实 验物理机械触摸空气弹簧和其效果，创造了不小的轰动。 一些评论家认为质疑亚里士多德大师是不明智的。其他人 则认为科学只应在拉丁出版。但是，大多数非常渴望读到 他的作品 。博伊尔，科学发现属于每一个人，而且它有 非常实际的效果。它导致任何人可重复测试（虽然很少人 会希望超过了他的实验精度和彻底性）。 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Marie Boas Hall, writing for Scientific American (1967), judged one of Boyle’s most novel creations the idea that one could prove a scientific theory by experiment – an idea we take for granted today, but nearly the reverse of the Aristotelian/deductive approach to science of his time. Boyle and Hooke’s lab teamwork led to many discoveries. Air, he proved, acted much like a spring; it acted like a “mechanical” substance (i.e., one subject to laws, not spirits or essences). Air contained ingredients essential to life and combustion. Advancing the earlier work of Torricelli, they showed air had weight and pressure. They experimented with colors, optics, and chemical analysis, including the first crude litmus test for acids and bases. By testing combinations of substances, Boyle deduced that complex chemicals could be classified into simpler elements (but not the Aristotelian view of elements such as earth, air, fire and water, of which everything was supposed to contain proportions). In his best-known experiment, he poured mercury into a Jshaped tube and observed the size of the air column trapped as he added more fluid. Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 玛丽博厄斯厅，写作科学美国人（1967）判断，博伊尔的最新颖的 作品之一，这个想法，一个可以证明通过实验的科学理论- 一个想 法，我们现在视为理所当然的，但几乎亚里士多德/演绎的措施去扭 转作者：他的时代。 博伊尔和胡克的实验室团队，导致许多发现空气，他证明了，就像 一个弹簧行事。。它像一个“机械的”物质（即一个主题的法律， 而不是精神或本质）担任空气中的成分必不可少的生活和燃烧。托 里切利推进的前期工作，他们表现出了空气的重量和压力。他们尝 试用不同的颜色，光学，化学分析，包括第一个氨基酸和物质的组 合，通过测试基地。原油试金石，博伊尔推断，复杂的化学品可分 为简单的元素（但不包括如地球，空气，火和水，这一切都应该包 含的元素比例亚里士多德的观点）分类。在他最著名的实验，他倒 进了J型管的汞并观察了，因为他增加了更多被困流体的空气柱的大 小。 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 With fastidious measurements, he discovered that doubling the pressure cut the volume in half: P = k/V, a relationship later named Boyle’s Law in his honor. This was on the cutting edge of the concept that there existed “laws of nature” that were discoverable by experiment. Well into his senior years, Boyle continued his experiments, discoveries and publications. His work contributed to the understanding of phosphorus, acids and bases, salts, precipitates and chemical elements. His achievements in chemistry, both practical and theoretical, began to steer it from the mystical and secretive arts of the alchemists, leading many historians to consider him the Father of Chemistry. Notice how Aristotle’s statement “Nature abhors a vacuum” implied a kind of animistic character to the world; Boyle’s approach began to steer science away from a personified nature, and view it as a machine created by God and operating according to laws. Though Boyle was not alone in this approach, he showed originality and creative insight. Marie Hall Boas explains: Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 有了挑剔的测量，他发现加倍的压力减少了一半 的体积为：P =k/V，后来被命名为博伊尔定律，这 “自然法则” 可以经实验发现。 他的晚年，博伊尔继续他的实验，发现和出版。 他的工作促进了明白磷，酸和碱，盐，沉淀物和 化学元素的认识。他的成就在化学，兼具实用和 理论，它从开始引导在炼金术的神秘和神秘的艺 术，导致许多历史学家认为他在分析化学之父, 亚 里士多德的说法，“自然厌恶真空”隐含了万物有 灵的字符。博伊尔的做法开始摆脱一个人格化的 科学。 大自然作为上帝创造一台机器, 博伊尔表现 的原创性和创造性的洞察力, 历史学家玛丽厅博厄 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 The English scientists were much influenced by Descartes’ careful formulation of his mechanical philosophy, toward which they were further predisposed by their adherence to similar ideas of Bacon’s. ... [She describes the influence also of Gassendi and Epicurus.] By the middle 1650’s Boyle had worked out his own version of the mechanical philosophy—the “corpuscular philosophy,” as he called it—in which he drew on both the Cartesian and the atomic views but wholly accepted neither. He believed “those two grand and most Catholic [i.e., universal] principles, matter and motion,” sufficed to explain all the properties of matter as we experience it. As we experience it indicates that Boyle understood the limitations of science. His other writings, additionally, make it clear he believed in the immanence of God, that the Creator is active in his creation. Boyle was not a “mechanist” in the sense of denying the possibility of miracles. He believed only that in the normal workings of Nature, God’s providence operated through uniform mechanical principles accessible to observation. Hall describes Boyle’s disagreements with Descartes, Spinoza, and Huygens who felt that “the ultimate test of a theory was the appeal to reason.” Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691 博伊尔 1627-1691 英国科学家的明显影响，笛卡尔的机械哲学，培根 的仔细制定类似的思想。1650中的博伊尔已经制定 了他的机械论哲学，对自己的“红细胞理念”，他 不完全接受两个笛卡尔和原子的意见。他认为，这 两个伟大，最普遍原则，物质和运动，足以解释所 有的物质属性。由于我们的经验表明，博伊尔理解 它的科学的局限性。他的其他著作，明确表示，他 在上帝的内在相信，造物主在他的创作活动。博伊 尔不是一个“机械师”的意识否认可能创造奇迹。 他认为上帝使大自然的正常运作， 可以通过观察。 霍尔描述了笛卡尔，斯宾诺莎，和惠更斯的分歧， 认为，“一个理论的最终测试是理由。” Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 On the contrary, Boyle believed it was possible to prove a theory by experiment. This was a novel idea, not universally accepted at the time, Hall claims, and she feels it is evidence for “the originality of Boyle’s approach to scientific proof—and to chemistry.” Obviously, the scientific world followed Boyle’s lead. This establishes his importance not only as an experimenter, but as a pioneering philosopher of science. The wealth of his experimental work demonstrates that he walked his talk. Robert Boyle was one of the 12 charter members of a new organization founded in 1662, The Royal Society for the Improving of Natural Knowledge. Its charter was to promote the experimental philosophy for the common good. In clear contradistinction to the Aristotelians, they made their motto Nothing by mere authority; in other words, submit all claims about nature to the test of experiment. The founders and early members were predominantly Christians, especially Puritans. Henry Oldenberg, Boyle’s literary assistant, was secretary. The charter issue of their publication, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society reflects the Christian and humanitarian ideals. Robert Boyle 博伊尔 1627 – 1691 1627-1691 博伊尔认为:以实验证明理论。这是一个新的想法， 而不是普遍的时候，霍尔觉得这是证据“博伊尔 的做法独创性的科学证据和化学。”科学界遵循波 义耳的领先地位。这不仅是建立一个实验者重要 性，是作为一个开创性的科学哲学家。他的试点 工作表明，他走他的谈话。波义耳是12一个新的 组织在1662年创立成员，为提高对自然知识的皇 家学会。其宪章是促进共同利益的实验哲学。在 明确对比的亚里士多德，他们提出自然一切的要 求，在实验测试的创始人和早期成员主要是基督 徒，尤其是清教徒亨利奥尔登贝格，博伊尔的文 学助手，他们出版英国皇家学会哲学反映了基督 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Though Boyle refused the presidency of the Royal Society because of scruples about taking an oath, he was its most influential and esteemed member, especially at the time young Isaac Newton was just becoming a rising star. There had been academies and scientific clubs before, like the Academy of the Lynx to which Galileo belonged, but the Royal Society was the first true formal institution dedicated to experimental science, and its Philosophical Transactions is the longest-running scientific journal in the world. As the number of “fellows” grew and meetings shared the latest experimental demonstrations at Gresham College in London, the fledgling organization became the cheerleader for the scientific revolution. Why is the Royal Society the quintessential naturalist-Darwinist-atheist organization it is today? Surely Boyle, John Wilkins, Henry Oldenberg and the other founders would be appalled to see their journals filled with absurd evolutionary speculations on every subject, propounding atheism as science and ridiculing belief in the Bible and creation, as do most other scientific societies in our post-Darwinist world. What happened? Robert Boyle 博伊尔 1627 – 1691 1627-1691 虽然博伊尔拒绝皇家学会主席，他是最有影响和受人 尊敬的成员，特别是在年轻的时候牛顿，只是成为一 个冉冉升起的明星。曾有过院校和科研俱乐部之前， 像山猫学院，它属于伽利略，但英国皇家学会是第一 个真正的正式机构，致力于实验科学，它的出版是持 续时间最长的世界科学。由于“伙计”数量增长和在 伦敦大学最新实验示范，初出茅庐的组织成为了啦啦 队员的科学革命。为什么今天英国皇家学会是典型的 自然，达尔文主义者，无神论者组织吗？当然博伊尔， 约翰威尔金斯，亨利奥尔登堡和其他创始人会吃惊地 看到今天每个主题充满荒谬的进化猜测，作为科学无 神论和建议嘲笑在圣经和创作信念，大多数其他科学 社团在我们这个后达尔文主义的世界。发生了什么事？ Robert Boyle 1627 1691 In an article in Christian History magazine (issue 76 - November 2002, pp. 39-40), Chris Armstrong argues that the charter members defended religion but laid the groundwork for irreligion through compromise. The Royal Society was a curious blend of Puritan and Anglican, those who put all authority in the Bible and those who valued tradition. They thought they could ignore their religious differences and unite around the new experimental philosophy, because all of them agreed that nature’s “admirable contrivance” and “accurate order and symmetry” glorified the Creator, His power and glory. It does, of course, but this lowestcommon-denominator approach glosses over deeper issues: does the authority of the word of God extend to science? Is fallen man capable of discerning truth apart from the spirit of God? “For both pragmatic and pious reasons,” Armstrong writes, “some members of the Royal Society were influenced by the rationalist approach to religion urged by the Cambridge Platonists. In their public discourse they gravitated toward an essential Christianity that affirmed only the existence of God, the soul’s immortality, and each person’s ethical obligation to others.” Robert Boyle 博伊尔 1627 – 1691 1627-1691 在基督教历史杂志（2002年11月，第39-40页）的文章， 克里斯阿姆斯特朗认为，创始成员捍卫宗教，而是妥 协奠定无神论基础,在英国皇家学会有一种奇特的混合 清教徒和英国圣公会。 有些把圣经有权威和有些重视 传统。他们认为他们可以忽视他们的宗教分歧，团结 在新的实验哲学，因为他们都一致认为，自然界的 “令人钦佩的发明”和“准确秩序和对称”荣耀造物主， 他的权力和荣耀，但掩盖了深层的问题：是否上帝的 话可以延伸到科学, 堕落的人能够雪亮的真理？“对 于务实和虔诚的原因，”阿姆斯特朗写道，“英国皇 家学会的一些成员是由理性的方法促剑桥柏拉图学派 影响。在公开的重要论述，他们对基督教的肯定只有 吸引住上帝存在，灵魂的不朽，每个人的道德义务给 Robert Boyle 1627 1691 That is why their meetings were soon obsessed with microscopic images of fly eyes and plant seeds and euphoria about all the possible benefits of science, but lost its focus on the Creator – till the temple was filled with syncretistic idols, and like Ezekiel describes, the spirit of God, by stages, departed. Why didn’t the deeply religious members see this coming? Sadly, their compromise put them on the defensive. “They faced charges of irreligion themselves,” Armstrong notes, and Hall adds, “they were denounced from the pulpit, and its Fellows came to be touchy about any accusation of godlessness.” “They answered these charges,” Armstrong alleges, “by insisting that the evidences of lawfulness and design in the fabric of things pointed not away from by toward God.” Little did they realize, he argues, that the broadly-shared, lowest common denominator principle of design would become, in the next century, “a substitute for the Christ-centered teachings of the historic church.” There was a God, all would agree, but like Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat, He would slowly vanish till just the grin was left. Robert Boyle 博伊尔 1627 – 1691 1627-1691 这就是为什么他们会很快与苍蝇和植物种子微图 像和对科学的好处兴奋痴迷，但失去了对造物主 的焦点- 直到该庙融充满偶像，就像以西结描述的 上帝渐渐离开了。为什么没有宗教人士看到这一 切？可悲的是，他们的妥协防止他们。“他们面 临着无神论”阿姆斯特朗指出，和霍尔说，“他们 在讲坛上谴责，其研究员没有神指控棘手。”他 们说，“这些指控通过设计走向神。”他们并不知 道，这具广泛共享，最低的共同标准的设计原则 将成为在未来的世纪“一个历史悠久的基督为中 心的教义”代替。有一位神，像刘易斯卡罗尔的柴 郡猫，他会慢慢消失，直到只留下了笑容。 Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 The distant “clockmaker God” of the deist would displace the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because there was no need of that hypothesis. Is history repeating itself? Those in the intelligent design movement, who think Muslims and Jews and Christians and even atheists can rally around the banner of design would do well to study the history of the Royal Society. It’s not that design arguments are unsound or unconvincing; but unless men are brought all the way to the gospel of Christ and their minds are renewed by the Holy Spirit, the demon is not dislodged; he returns with seven more, till the last situation is worse than the first. This parenthesis was necessary before turning to the philosophical works of Robert Boyle. There is no question of his commitment to historic Christianity and the authority of the Bible. Mulfinger writes that he was strictly orthodox in his Christian beliefs, and “was intolerant of preachers who spiritualized or allegorized important truths of the Bible rather than accepting them at face value.” Robert Boyle 博伊尔 1627 – 1691 1627-1691 遥远的“钟表匠神“的自然神论者会取代上帝和父亲，我们的主耶 稣基督，因为没有这个假设的需要。是历史重演？在智能设计运动 的人，谁认为穆斯林和犹太教徒和基督徒甚至无神论者可以团结凝 聚了设计的旗帜将很好地研究了英国皇家学会的历史，并不是说设 计参数不健全或不能令人信服的。但除非男人把所有的方式向基督 和头脑福音的续订圣灵，鬼不脱落，他将返回七一些，直到最后一 种情况是比第一次更糟糕。这括号之前转向罗伯特波义耳必要的哲 学著作。没有对他的承诺，历史的基督教和圣经。Mulfinger的权威 性问题，他写道，他的基督教信仰严格正统，而“谁是不能容忍的 传教士灵化或寓言，而不是接受他们按面值重要的圣经真理。“ jjjkl Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Though he remained within the Anglican church, he was a Puritan at heart, supportive of the nonconformists who had left the state church; he even supported some financially and had many Puritan friends. Boyle studied the Scriptures in the original languages and accepted the Genesis accounts as literal, historical truth. His faith was well reasoned and not traditional, refined in the furnace of dealing with intellectual doubt, as was surely a trial any must face in an intellectual climate. But he knew even as a young man that doubt was a refining fire: “He whose Faith never doubted,” he stated in 1647, “may justly doubt his faith.” That his faith passed the refinement crucible to the point of reasoned commitment was made clear when he said, “I am not a Christian, because it is the religion of my country, and my friends, when I chuse to travel in the beaten road, it is not, because I find it is the road, but because I judge it is the way.” Perhaps in hindsight the Puritan members could have taken stronger steps to steer the Royal Society away from compromise. They did oppose the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, and most of its members were godly men: John Wilkins, the first secretary, was similarly Robert Boyle 1627 1691 Nevertheless, its purpose was to promote experimental science, not theology. The unintended consequence of any institution that seeks to uncover truth apart from a prior commitment to Christian revelation is that it will never be content to stay within the bounds of observable and repeatable phenomena. It will want to explain everything, even First Causes, by natural means. Eventually, it becomes a substitute religion, arrogating to itself the right to explain all that is, was and ever will be. The Royal Society charter, God-fearing as it is, makes the hidden assumption that unregenerate men are perfectly capable of discerning truth, without having a commitment to the One who is the way, the Truth, and the Life. It presumes an incomplete Fall, treating the mind as unaffected. Given those assumptions, human pride resulting from sin will generate a science that refuses to accept its limitations and moral flaws. It gives Satan a handle to turn an honorable thing into a tool of skepticism. The end result is seen in papers published in today’s Philosophical Transactions that seek to explain the evolution of morals and the origin of the universe from nothing. It leads to arrogant Robert Boyle 1627 1691 In those first decades, however, the Royal Society was blessed by the virtuous Christian testimony and reasoned faith of Robert Boyle. His integrity was impeccable. Throughout his life, Boyle was humble, gracious, prayerful, and peace-loving. He was conscientious to a fault, even stopping to pause respectfully before mentioning the name of God. He was adamantly intolerant of swearing. Never physically robust, it is remarkable how productive he was. His secret powerhouse was passionate love of God and fascination with creation. Boyle’s pastor described him in these words: “His great thoughts of God, and his contemplation of his works, were to him sources of continual joy, which never could be exhausted.” Apparently this is part of the reason he never married, along with his distaste for the abuse of marriage that was prevalent among men of his day. Instead, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work. Furthermore, he was strong supporter of foreign missions; For years, he financially supported Christian missionaries and Bible translations to the far east, to the Irish (those who had robbed his father’s lands), and to the Indians across the sea in the Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 His zeal for spreading the good news of Jesus Christ was matched by his zeal against atheism. To him, science never rated even a close second to Christian faith in importance. He said, “For I, that had much rather have men not philosophers than not Christians, should be better content to see you ignore the mysteries of nature, than deny the author of it.” (By atheism, Boyle did not mean just philosophical denial of God, which was less common in his day, but the practical atheism that makes even a believer live as if there was no God.) In his will, he established a fund for a series of eight lectures, to be given once a year, for the defense of the historic Christian faith against atheism, and the demonstration of the superior reasonableness of Biblical Christianity against any philosophy or arguments of critics and skeptics. The “Boyle Lectures,” as they came to be known, continued for many years. In his writings, Robert Boyle advanced the study of the relationship between the Christianity and science. His words are well-reasoned, profound and enlightening. He did not fall into the trap of relegating the Bible to matters of morals and faith alone; without qualification, he applied II Tim. 3:16 “All Scripture Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Furthermore, he believed in verbal inspiration, meaning that God’s revelation was contained in the very words, not just the meaning, of the text (the latter view opening the door to unlimited human paraphrasing.) This drove him to study the ancient languages to understand the primitive sense of the original words, especially for passages that, in English translation, presented difficulties. In approaching difficulties, Boyle recognized that the Bible’s purpose was not to provide quantitative scientific descriptions of the natural world like a textbook. Using this interpretive framework, he dealt forthrightly with issues of when to evaluate a passage as poetry or narrative, and when it should be treated as descriptive vs. prescriptive. He followed Calvin’s teaching on accommodation, that the Holy Spirit used language appropriate to the common man, not specialists. The Bible contains easily-understood phrases such as the rising and setting of the sun, using the language of appearance instead of quantitative, technical description. Robert Boyle 1627 1691 Thus, passages that seemed to teach geocentricity could be understood as figures of speech without sacrificing verbal inspiration. As such, Boyle is a good model for today’s Christian virtuosi who desire to advance science without sacrificing Biblical authority. Michael Hunter, a Boyle historian and compiler of his voluminous output, is impressed with the depth and breadth of his thinking on these subjects: Boyle’s major preoccupation was the relationship between God’s power, the created realm, and man’s perception of it, a topic on which he wrote extensively. ... Boyle laid stress on the extent to which God’s omniscience transcended the limited bounds of human reason, taking a position that contrasted with the rather complacent rationalism of contemporary divines .... He also reflected at length on the proper understanding of final causes, and in conjunction with this provided one of the most sophisticated expositions of the design argument in his period. Boyle’s significance for the history of science depends almost as much on the profound views on difficult issues put forward in these philosophical writings as it does on his experimental treatises. Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Hunter goes on to describe the intense hostility Boyle expressed against any “views of nature that he saw as detracting from a proper appreciation of God’s power in his creation.” These included lengthy published arguments against Aristotelianism and the materialism of Thomas Hobbes, “despite his professed disinclination to involve himself in philosophical disputes.” On the positive side, the titles of some of Boyle’s books hint at their rich contents: Some Considerations touching the Usefulness of Experimental Natural Philosophy; Free Enquiry into the Vulgarly Receiv’d Notion of Nature; The Excellency of Theology, Compar’d with Natural Philosophy, Discourse of Things Above Reason, Disquisition about the Final Causes of Natural Things, and especially, The Christian Virtuoso. “In these,” Hunter writes, “Boyle made a profound contribution to an understanding of what he saw as the proper relationship between God and the natural world, and man’s potential for comprehending this.”It is enriching to read Boyle’s own words on the relation of science and Scripture. Robert Boyle 1627 - 1691 Among the wealth of words we could quote in closing, perhaps the most succinct is the best. It states clearly and simply the reason a Christian should be a virtuoso, which in his time meant a lover of knowledge (a synonym for natural philosopher or scientist). It echoes a familiar theme, a motivation stated by many science-loving Christians from the early middle ages on into the 21st century. Boyle encapsulates it in only ten words: “From a knowledge of His work, we shall know Him.”
