About God, the World and People by Toni Bickl

The only relatives of Bettina, a rich, Roman Catholic widow, are her two nephews, Peter, a mathematician and particle physicist, and George, a bookkeeper and taxation consultant. The parents of Peter and George died in an avalanche accident. Bettina’s neighbors are Dr. Chang Lam, a retired physician and his wife Dora. They have an attractive granddaughter, Gertrud. Bettina and Dr. Lam’s houseguests are: Dr. Philchrist, a professor of philosophy, and Father Stengel, their local priest.

As the plot evolves, these main characters of the play are involved in various interesting discussions. Peter is asked to explain the latest research results in cosmology and the origin of life on earth, while Dr. Lam talks about evolution and genetics. Meanwhile, Father Stengel emphasizes God’s creative influence in the world, while Dr. Philchrist, who takes the Bible seriously but not literally because he finds it too mythological, accepts all scientific results and tries to fit his own belief in God into this worldview.

In the play, Nietzsche’s idea of the eternal recurrence of the same events and whether his concept of an “over-man” is meant to be an evolutionary improvement of mankind are debated. Dr. Philchrist and Father Stengel discuss the free will, infinity and the concept of time, as well as their different views of God’s influence in the expanding universe. Peter and Gertrude, who become good friends, contemplate the concept of the selfish genes, Jesus and the difference between the human and animal species. It comes as a great surprise when Peter, without explaining his reason, makes drastic changes in his life. It could be that Peter’s decision was influenced by what happened to his brother, George; but no one knows.

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation (December 1, 2008)
• ISBN-13: 978-1436368667

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