The secret brain of God

Dan Brown's novel "The DaVinci Code" exploded in the mid-2000s, smack in the middle of the culture wars that motivated me to start this blog. But the first outing of Brown's protagonist Robert Langdon in "Angels and Demons" was set in the heart of the science vs. religion debate.

The novel centered around the centuries' old spat between the Illuminati (in Brown's version, founded by the enlightened scientific minds of the Rennaissance) and the stodgy Catholic church of the era. It was an entertaining read (always one to be chronological, I read it when "DaVinci" was big, but didn't love it so much to really want to read the sequel) -- as were the films.

It's the easy comparison to make given this story about two John Hopkins researchers who believe Michaelangelo painted a subtle, hidden image of the human brain in one of his images of God as depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. (Indeed, the original post at Time's Newsfeed starts with: "Calm down, Dan Brown — it isn’t fodder enough for a new book. But a new study alleges Michelangelo painted a subtle message into his famous fresco.") In fact, the article cites evidence of other such hidden images in the master's work for the church.

Why? From the "Telgraph" article that Time linked to:

By merging an image of God with a human brain, Michelangelo may have been seeking a covert outlet to show off his anatomical knowledge at a time when picking apart cadavers was frowned on by the Roman Catholic Church.

Alternatively, he may have been alluding to the wisdom of the Almighty or – more dangerously - hinting at his growing belief that ordinary Christians had the wit and intelligence to directly commune with God, rather than pray to Him indirectly through the Church.

That was an idea that would have been seen as heresy, particularly as the fresco is situated directly above the chapel altar.

Very mysterious. Here's the comparison image from the "Telegraph." Follow the link above for more photos of the Sistine Chapel panel in question.

Well ... I guess I see it. Maybe. Let me squint ...

This is a fascinating story. To be fair, though, the skeptical part of me can't help but think about the reification principle of Gestault Theory, that basically says our brains perceive shapes and images even when no such image has been drawn.

It's interesting to reflect on how some of the "science and faith" themes from 500 years ago still resonate today.