A friend sent me this YouTube link about how ubiquitous the Fibonacci Sequence is throughout nature, from floral patterns to the human ear to spiral galaxies. They call it God’s Fingerprint. I’m not disputing the claim, but the scientific skeptic in me wants more.
(It should be noted that this video appears to be produced by some Jehovah’s Witnesses, which is interesting.)
It is extremely well documented how many subtle effects there are in the universe, things that play out in unexpected ways that have a high correlation without having a causal relationship. I would be interested in knowing if there was some quantum or subatomic property that somehow, in effect, pre-codes for Fibonacci curvatures. Scientific apologists make a big deal about fine-tuning arguments for God’s existence, and some of them are compelling. Is there a feature of these fundamental physical constants that when arranged properly, provide for this behaviour in manifold environments?
If this is God’s Fingerprint, then, following the logic of the video, we should be expecting to find it in even more places and, in truth, be more surprised where we don’t find it than where we do. Is there a Fibonacci pattern found in neural pathways? In nerve branching? In the curve of the DNA helix? In molecular energy levels? If it is truly universal in its appearance, we should be looking for it and be able to predict behaviours and patterns that can offer new insights on discoveries remaining to be made.
As I watched the video, I wondered about music and art. The Fibonacci ratios are called Golden Ratios and the Greeks discovered it in that form. Where else does it occur in the arts, particularly music? It would seem that if it is God’s Fingerprint, musical scales would reflect it euphonically. As it turns out, one of the subsequent videos dealt with a tonal series, called Solfeggio frequencies. While this video sounds like pure New Age bunk (which is why I don’t link to it), it makes some obscure connection between the Solfeggio notes and the Fibonacci sequence, that I didn’t catch. If the music playing in the background is based on this, it wasn’t particularly euphonic.
Therefore, I throw this post ‘out there’ in the hopes that scholarly input can be offered on the questions I raise.
If we find the sequence in more places than we don’t, it is NOT proof of God, but in the first place an indication of unifying fundamental factors in the universe, and may, in the second place be a signature. (Remember, just because we know how Houdini got out of the straightjacket doesn’t change the fact that Houdini got out of the straightjacket—understanding a mechanism does not negate the concept of agency.) The philosophical naturalists will remain unconvinced, maintaining that it is just a function of the mathematical order of nature, while the theists will maintain that this order in itself is evidence of an intelligence behind or beyond nature. I don’t see it changing many minds, but even so, may offer real insights into future avenues of research and deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all aspects of the cosmos (which by the way, comes from the Greek word for order brought out of disorder).
SDG
Although I think it is very interesting to note the existence of ordering principles in the universe, this reminds me of the "Bible code" stuff that came out several years ago. I would have a hard time calling it a "signature" or a "fingerprint" because, like you said, it is not everywhere.
ReplyDeleteIf something was truly the mark of God's hand in creation, it seems like it should be the basis of EVERYTHING, not just some or most things. However, this might just be part of our human tendency to aspire mechanistic traits to God, while not respecting God's existence as a conscious being.