Yes, the Universe Is on Our Side

Abstract

Lonergan’s question is for all of us, including religious believers. The process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead renders the yes plausible, allowing us to understand the universe as more than dead matter and blind forces. There is no possibility of a final proof in answering Lonergan’s question, but there is knowledge. Kronman is not only the culmination of the no, he is the commencement of the yes. Accepting mortality engenders all human possibilities, including tenderness. The universe is emergent and creative. In its processes, the universe moves in the direction of life, complexity, intelligence, and morality. The stability and universality of the laws of nature support a friendly universe. The Earth maintains conditions for life. Quantum physics demonstrates our connection to matter. History is not circular but directional. Human life is purposeful. None of this is accidental.