The Prophecy of Joel

Concerning the prophecy of Joel that the spirit of the Lord would be poured out upon all flesh, Joseph Fielding Smith said:

There has never been a step taken from that day to this, in discovery or invention, where the Spirit of the Lord (that is, the spirit of which Joel spoke, the Light of Christ, not the Holy Ghost!) was not the prevailing force, resting upon the individual, which caused him to make the discovery or the invention. The world does not understand that but it is perfectly clear to me; nor did the Lord always use those who have faith, nor does he always do so today. He uses such minds as are pliable and can be turned in certain directions to accomplish his work, whether they believe in him or not. (Doctrines of Salvation 1 p.178)

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(Commenting on this passage in his foreword to Evolution and Mormonism, Duane Jeffery writes, "I suppose that Joseph Fielding Smith may not have meant to include Charles Darwin and evolution in this sweeping idealism, though in this particular passage he did not qualify his sentiment at all.")

When we eventually learn of "things as they really were," it will be interesting to find out which scientific advancements were specifically inspired and which were not. My impression of most science is that it is not any more inspired than any other line of work. A detective, for example, probably uses much of the same thought processes as a scientist does.

So why, in all of human history, are we so lucky to have such advancement in the sciences? I don't claim to know the whole answer but I have a couple of thoughts. First, it is interesting to note that advancements in one field of science make advancements in other fields possible. I think most of the sciences owe much to physics and engineering because they have produced equipment and instruments that have allowed exploration of new areas of research. Molecular biology could never have preceded the principles of microscopy, radioactivity, and so forth. Computers have revolutionized the world--including the sciences. So a few foundational advancements can have a broad and lasting effect.

Even more fundamental, I think, are the principles on which this nation was founded and has continued--liberty, economic freedom, commitment to education, etc. (Of course I would also include other countries that share these principles.) These principles have enabled us to live in relative peace and prosperity, which in turn has enabled us to think about greater questions than where the next meal will come from. Furthermore scientific inquiry has been largely free from political domination or religious dogma.

So I see the role of special inspiration in science mostly in the fostering of a climate where scientific research can be carried out, with a few directly inspired foundational ideas from time to time.