N ov 2 00 6 Remarks on the relation between physics and faith

It is a quite common view among people, that are not aware of the developments in modern physics, that it is part of human nature to substitute religious faith in places where there is no knowledge. Therefore, an increase in knowledge would lead to a decrease in the necessity of faith. Further, it is argued that, ideally speaking, a full knowledge of the laws of nature would make obsolete any sort of religious faith and would ultimately allow a complete control of nature by man. Since referring to nature, such views must be founded in the natural sciences of which physics is the most fundamental. Therefore, the question whether such views are compatible with the