danbrown.angels&demons-第14部分

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　Vittoria　sighed　and　surveyed　the　room　for　a　few　moments。　She　shrugged。　〃Everything　looks　as　my　father　always　leaves　it。　Ordered　chaos。〃
　Langdon　sensed　Kohler　weighing　his　options；　as　if　wondering　how　far　to　push　Vittoria　。　。　。　how　much　to　tell　her。　Apparently　he　decided　to　leave　it　for　the　moment。　Moving　his　wheelchair　toward　the　center　of　the　room；　he　surveyed　the　mysterious　cluster　of　seemingly　empty　canisters。　
　〃Secrets；〃　Kohler　finally　said；　〃are　a　luxury　we　can　no　longer　afford。〃
　Vittoria　nodded　in　acquiescence；　looking　suddenly　emotional；　as　if　being　here　brought　with　it　a　torrent　of　memories。
　Give　her　a　minute；　Langdon　thought。
　As　though　preparing　for　what　she　was　about　to　reveal；　Vittoria　closed　her　eyes　and　breathed。　Then　she　breathed　again。　And　again。　And　again　。　。　。　
　Langdon　watched　her；　suddenly　concerned。　Is　she　okay？　He　glanced　at　Kohler；　who　appeared　unfazed；　apparently　having　seen　this　ritual　before。　Ten　seconds　passed　before　Vittoria　opened　her　eyes。
　Langdon　could　not　believe　the　metamorphosis。　Vittoria　Vetra　had　been　transformed。　Her　full　lips　were　lax；　her　shoulders　down；　and　her　eyes　soft　and　assenting。　It　was　as　though　she　had　realigned　every　muscle　in　her　body　to　accept　the　situation。　The　resentful　fire　and　personal　anguish　had　been　quelled　somehow　beneath　a　deeper；　watery　cool。　
　〃Where　to　begin　。　。　。〃　she　said；　her　accent　unruffled。
　〃At　the　beginning；〃　Kohler　said。　〃Tell　us　about　your　father's　experiment。〃
　〃Rectifying　science　with　religion　has　been　my　father's　life　dream；〃　Vittoria　said。　〃He　hoped　to　prove　that　science　and　religion　are　two　totally　patible　fields…two　different　approaches　to　finding　the　same　truth。〃　She　paused　as　if　unable　to　believe　what　she　was　about　to　say。　〃And　recently　。　。　。　he　conceived　of　a　way　to　do　that。〃
　Kohler　said　nothing。
　〃He　devised　an　experiment；　one　he　hoped　would　settle　one　of　the　most　bitter　conflicts　in　the　history　of　science　and　religion。〃
　Langdon　wondered　which　conflict　she　could　mean。　There　were　so　many。
　〃Creationism；〃　Vittoria　declared。　〃The　battle　over　how　the　universe　came　to　be。〃
　Oh；　Langdon　thought。　THE　debate。　
　〃The　Bible；　of　course；　states　that　God　created　the　universe；〃　she　explained。　〃God　said；　'Let　there　be　light；'　and　everything　we　see　appeared　out　of　a　vast　emptiness。　Unfortunately；　one　of　the　fundamental　laws　of　physics　states　that　matter　cannot　be　created　out　of　nothing。〃
　Langdon　had　read　about　this　stalemate。　The　idea　that　God　allegedly　created　〃something　from　nothing〃　was　totally　contrary　to　accepted　laws　of　modern　physics　and　therefore；　scientists　claimed；　Genesis　was　scientifically　absurd。
　〃Mr。　Langdon；〃　Vittoria　said；　turning；　〃I　assume　you　are　familiar　with　the　Big　Bang　Theory？〃
　Langdon　shrugged。　〃More　or　less。〃　The　Big　Bang；　he　knew；　was　the　scientifically　accepted　model　for　the　creation　of　the　universe。　He　didn't　really　understand　it；　but　according　to　the　theory；　a　single　point　of　intensely　focused　energy　erupted　in　a　cataclysmic　explosion；　expanding　outward　to　form　the　universe。　Or　something　like　that。
　Vittoria　continued。　〃When　the　Catholic　Church　first　proposed　the　Big　Bang　Theory　in　1927；　the…〃
　〃I'm　sorry？〃　Langdon　interrupted；　before　he　could　stop　himself。　〃You　say　the　Big　Bang　was　a　Catholic　idea？〃
　Vittoria　looked　surprised　by　his　question　〃Of　course。　Proposed　by　a　Catholic　monk；　Georges　Lemaоtre　in　1927。〃
　〃But；　I　thought　。　。　。〃　he　hesitated。　〃Wasn't　the　Big　Bang　proposed　by　Harvard　astronomer　Edwin　Hubble？〃
　Kohler　glowered。　〃Again；　American　scientific　arrogance。　Hubble　published　in　1929；　two　years　after　Lemaоtre。〃
　Langdon　scowled。　It's　called　the　Hubble　Telescope；　sir…I've　never　heard　of　any　Lemaоtre　Telescope！　
　〃Mr。　Kohler　is　right；〃　Vittoria　said；　〃the　idea　belonged　to　Lemaоtre。　Hubble　only　confirmed　it　by　gathering　the　hard　evidence　that　proved　the　Big　Bang　was　scientifically　probable。〃
　〃Oh；〃　Langdon　said；　wondering　if　the　Hubble…fanatics　in　the　Harvard　Astronomy　Department　ever　mentioned　Lemaоtre　in　their　lectures。
　〃When　Lemaоtre　first　proposed　the　Big　Bang　Theory；〃　Vittoria　continued；　〃scientists　claimed　it　was　utterly　ridiculous。　Matter；　science　said；　could　not　be　created　out　of　nothing。　So；　when　Hubble　shocked　the　world　by　scientifically　proving　the　Big　Bang　was　accurate；　the　church　claimed　victory；　heralding　this　as　proof　that　the　Bible　was　scientifically　accurate。　The　divine　truth。〃
　Langdon　nodded；　focusing　intently　now。
　〃Of　course　scientists　did　not　appreciate　having　their　discoveries　used　by　the　church　to　promote　religion；　so　they　immediately　mathematicized　the　Big　Bang　Theory；　removed　all　religious　overtones；　and　claimed　it　as　their　own。　Unfortunately　for　science；　however；　their　equations；　even　today；　have　one　serious　deficiency　that　the　church　likes　to　point　out。〃
　Kohler　grunted。　〃The　singularity。〃　He　spoke　the　word　as　if　it　were　the　bane　of　his　existence。
　〃Yes；　the　singularity；〃　Vittoria　said。　〃The　exact　moment　of　creation。　Time　zero。〃　She　looked　at　Langdon。　〃Even　today；　science　cannot　grasp　the　initial　moment　of　creation。　Our　equations　explain　the　early　universe　quite　effectively；　but　as　we　move　back　in　time；　approaching　time　zero；　suddenly　our　mathematics　disintegrates；　and　everything　bees　meaningless。〃
　〃Correct；〃　Kohler　said；　his　voice　edgy；　〃and　the　church　holds　up　this　deficiency　as　proof　of　God's　miraculous　involvement。　e　to　your　point。〃
　Vittoria's　expression　became　distant。　〃My　point　is　that　my　father　had　always　believed　in　God's　involvement　in　the　Big　Bang。　Even　though　science　was　unable　to　prehend　the　divine　moment　of　creation；　he　believed　someday　it　would。〃　She　motioned　sadly　to　a　laser…printed　memo　tacked　over　her　father's　work　area。　〃My　dad　used　to　wave　that　in　my　face　every　time　I　had　doubts。〃
　Langdon　read　the　message：
　
　SCIENCE　AND　RELIGION　ARE　NOT　AT　ODDS。　SCIENCE　IS　SIMPLY　TOO　YOUNG　TO　UNDERSTAND。
　〃My　dad　wanted　to　bring　science　to　a　higher　level；〃　Vittoria　said；　〃where　science　supported　the　concept　of　God。〃　She　ran　a　hand　through　her　long　hair；　looking　melancholy。　〃He　set　out　to　do　something　no　scientist　had　ever　thought　to　do。　Something　that　no　one　has　ever　had　the　technology　to　do。〃　She　paused；　as　though　uncertain　how　to　speak　the　next　words。　〃He　designed　an　experiment　to　prove　Genesis　was　possible。〃
　Prove　Genesis？　Langdon　wondered。　Let　there　be　light？　Matter　from　nothing？　
　Kohler's　dead　gaze　bore　across　the　room。　〃I　beg　your　pardon？〃
　〃My　father　created　a　universe　。　。　。　from　nothing　at　all。〃　
　Kohler　snapped　his　head　around。　〃What！〃
　〃Better　said；　he　recreated　the　Big　Bang。〃
　Kohler　looked　ready　to　jump　to　his　feet。
　Langdon　was　officially　lost。　Creating　a　universe？　Recreating　the　Big　Bang？　
　〃It　was　done　on　a　much　smaller　scale；　of　course；〃　Vittoria　said；　talking　faster　now。　〃The　process　was　remarkably　simple。　He　accelerated　two　ultrathin　particle　beams　in　opposite　directions　around　the　accelerator　tube。　The　two　beams　collided　head…on　at　enormous　speeds；　driving　into　one　another　and　pressing　all　their　energy　into　a　single　pinpoint。　He　achieved　extreme　energy　densities。〃　She　started　rattling　off　a　stream　of　units；　and　the　director's　eyes　grew　wider。　
　Langdon　tried　to　keep　up。　So　Leonardo　Vetra　was　simulating　the　pressed　point　of　energy　from　which　the　universe　supposedly　sprang。　
　〃The　result；〃　Vittoria　said；　〃was　nothing　short　of　wondrous。　When　it　is　published；　it　will　shake　the　very　foundation　of　modern　physics。〃　She　spoke　slowly　now；　as　though　savoring　the　immensity　of　her　news。　〃Without　warning；　inside　the　accelerator　tube；　at　this　point　of　highly　focused　energy；　particles　of　matter　began　appearing　out　of　nowhere。〃
　Kohler　made　no　reaction。　He　simply　stared。　
　〃Matter；〃　Vittoria　repeated。　〃Blossoming　out　of　nothing。　An　incredible　display　of　subatomic　fireworks。　A　miniature　universe　springing　to　life。　He　proved　not　only　that　matter　can　be　created　from　nothing；　but　that　the　Big　Bang　and　Genesis　can　be　explained　simply　by　accepting　the　presence　of　an　enormous　source　of　energy。〃
　〃You　mean　God？〃　Kohler　demanded。
　〃God；　Buddha；　The　Force；　Yahweh；　the　singularity；　the　unicity　point…call　it　whatever　you　like…the　result　is　the　same。　Science　and　religion　support　the　same