For decades, Chet Raymo has posted “Science Musings,” with reflections on the natural world and science as a creative activity. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including “When God is Gone, Everything is Holy.” Through these he has provided a broad journey, enhanced by poetry and art, through perceptions that are part of the heart of religious naturalism.
Chet’s blog, “Science Musings,” provides an easy introduction to his work. Along with recent postings, the site includes an archive dating back to 2004 and continues a column that was published weekly in the Boston Globe. A brief collection of archived postings can be seen at this link.
In “The Path,” he examines his own back yard, with a close look at the natural elements, history, and meaning that can be seen in his daily walk to work – through woods and across a field.
“Every pebble and wildflower has a story to tell. The flake of granite in the path was once at the core of towering mountains pushed up across New England when continents collided. The purple loosestrife beside the stream emigrated from Europe in the 1800s . . . I have attended to all of these stories and tried to hear what the landscape has to say.”
In “When God is Gone, Everything is Holy,” he reflects on his personal journey from the Catholic tradition he was raised in to a sense of mystery and wonder grounded in nature. He describes himself as agnostic and urges humility, with willingness to say “I don’t know.”
“I have given up the certainty that I know the Truth. . . . Faith no longer matters to me so much as attention, wonder, celebration, praise.”
Other books include:
Skeptics and True Believers
An Intimate Look at the Night Sky
Climbing Brandon: Science and Faith on Ireland’s Holy Mountain
Walking Zero: Discovering Cosmic Space and Time Along the Prime Meridian
Honey from Stone: A Naturalist’s Search for God
Natural Prayers
Chet is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College (Massachusetts). He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Religious Naturalist Association.