Galileo viewed creation as an open book on which to ponder, discover, and learn. His writings indicate he believed there are underlying mathematical principles, unseen to the senses, that could help make sense of the universe in which we live. He wrote, “Philosophy is written in that great book which ever lies before our eyes (I mean the universe) but we cannot understand it if we do not first learn the language and grasp the characters in which it is written” (Mario Livio, Is God a Mathematician, Simon and Schuster, p. 76).
While Galileo believed this underlying language to be mathematics, other great thinkers have glimpsed more to creation than what is seen on the surface. Take Isaiah, a prophet in the Bible: “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (55:12).
I can’t think of better imagery than the mountains and hills breaking forth into singing! Doesn’t this hint at something expressed that is beyond what the physical senses can see? Doesn’t it represent the “great book” of the universe speaking directly to the heart and helping one gain a glimpse into the “nature” of reality?
