LAST year I agreed to write a short essay for an advertisement featuring the question: “Does the universe have a purpose?” It was to appear in major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Economist and New Scientist. I was asked to express my views in my own words, so I wasn’t worried that they would be distorted to support an ulterior agenda. I considered the ad a useful outlet for communicating how I believe science can inform this question.
I was naive. The ad, which was sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation – an organisation that…
