More Blogging at ETS/EPS

Well, here are my last few thoughts from ETS/EPS.

Why Did God Create Such a Big Universe?
Jay Richards of the Acton Insitute tackles this question. He mentions Carl Sagan, who says that if we're the only life in the universe, it seems like an awful waste of space. This argument, while at first glance seems to make sense, really is based on a false assumption. If you were in the desert with a friend, and you saw him washing his SUV with a hose that was constantly running, you would say, "What a waste of water!" But why is it a waste? Because water is scarce. If you has an infinite supply of water, it would be impossible to waste any. The universe is the same way -- space cannot be wasted because there is no scarcity. (The illustration is my own, but similar to one that Richards used.)

Richards goes on to explain that possible reason for the size of the universe is that God knew it would provide us with important scientific information about the age of the universe. Only by observing light from distant stars and galaxies are we able to determine that the universe is billions of years old.

A Great Time
Overall, I had a great time. I saw some old friends, had some amazing conversations, heard some first-rate scholarship, and visited Valley Forge. Maybe I'll post on Valley Forge later.