The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust

THE ROAD TO WISDOM: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust by Francis S. Collins. Little, Brown and Company, 2024. 288 pages. Hardcover; $27.00. ISBN: 9780316576307. *Even though Francis Collins has a PhD in physical chemistry from Yale University, an MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was the director of the Human Genome Project, and served as the director of the National Institutes of Health for 12 years under three presidents, to anyone who knows him, he is just "Francis." Approachable and humble, Collins is an active member of the American Scientific Affiliation. *While serving in these influential roles, Collins made time to speak and write widely. His 2006 book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief received widespread acclaim and thrust him into the public as a foremost spokesperson for the compatibility of Christian faith and science. It also coincided with his founding of the BioLogos Foundation in 2007. His winsome personality and understated intellect disarm critics and engage listeners and readers. But the COVID-19 pandemic challenged and tested Collins in new ways, beyond the resistance he had met previously as a leading scientist and Christian believer. This elevated Collins's concern about the need for wisdom in these unique times. The Road to Wisdom is his response and guidance for how to live as a thoughtful Christian in today's contentious world. *In this book, Collins develops an argument that political discourse in the USA has become divisive and has abandoned wisdom. In his estimation, the road to wisdom requires four goods: truth, science, faith, and trust. One might add other goods to these, but Collins makes a good case for how important these four are. *First, Collins makes the case that scientific and spiritual truth are available to all who are willing to pursue it humbly and earnestly. To illustrate this, he uses the metaphor of a spider web of truth to illustrate varying degrees of confidence. The strongest and most tightly woven threads in a spider web are at the center and lessen in strength as they widen and move outward. Similarly, we hold different levels of truth with different levels of confidence. The spider web moves from necessary truth in the center (2+2=4), then outward to firmly established facts (the earth is round), uncertainty (dark matter), and finally to opinion (dogs make better pets than cats). This typology of levels of certainty in what we consider true is a helpful framework for guiding discussions on complex topics. This section brought to light for me the different views Christians have about the role of extra-biblical information in determining truth. Collins has opened an important topic that invites further exploration. *Second, Collins defends science as a time-tested and powerful method for separating truth from falsehood. He expresses significant dismay at the level of distrust in science that has emerged in the USA in recent years, given the degree to which science benefits every person's life every day. Collins gives examples of mistakes scientists, including himself, have made, but he maintains that the peer-review process of the scientific community is able to guide the work of science appropriately. This chapter becomes quite personal, as Collins defends his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while acknowledging his own errors. As an epidemiologist who was active in mitigation measures during the pandemic, I shared Collins's angst about how things unfolded. Critics might find him to be somewhat defensive; I found his argument compelling. *Third, Collins makes the case that faith is necessary for wisdom. Faith can illuminate vital transcendent truths. In this chapter, Collins freshens up views he has previously developed in his other books: The Language of God (2006); The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine (2010); Belief: Readings on the Reason for Faith (2010); and, with coauthor Karl W. Giberson, The Language of Science and Faith: Straight Answers to Genuine Questions (2011). From the section beginning with "What do atheists think of all this?" to the end of the chapter, Collins considers issues such as doubt, uncertainty, and the opportunity for a renewal of confidence in the veracity of authentic Christian faith. He is cautiously hopeful that a renewal of Christian faith is possible. *Finally, Collins explains that trust must be earned. This is done by showing others that you recognize the preeminence of truth, while humbly acknowledging your own limitations. Collins describes the four elements that he believes create trust: integrity, competence, humility, and aligned values. Some readers might find Collins to be defensive of the actions taken by himself and Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic, but I found his explanation to be persuasive. Beyond COVID-19, other examples of how science has successfully answered scientific questions, and thus built trust in the scientific method, are particularly helpful in this book. *One question that remains vexing is how to handle disagreements based on fundamentally different views of how we know what we know. Collins's noble goal is that if we respect each other, and listen, we can lessen the acrimony and build understanding. But some people are holding tightly to dangerous views that are built on non-truths--e.g., that the risks of some vaccines outweigh their benefits, or that climate change is a hoax. This book is a good start to address the problem of deeply held disagreements, but there is much work to be done. *The Road to Wisdom will appeal to most readers of this journal. It is written at a level that does not need advanced knowledge of science or theology. I studied this book in a small group; this approach enhanced its value and increased comprehension. Incidentally, the high-quality illustrations included in the book were created by Collins's granddaughter. This book is another excellent contribution by Francis Collins, and it comes at a very important time. *Reviewed by Mark A. Strand, professor, School of Pharmacy, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108.