Quantum Physics and Theology

Author: J. C. Polkinghorne
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780300121155
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Book Description
Despite the differences of their subject matter, science and theology have a cousinly relationship, John Polkinghorne contends in his latest thought-provoking book. From his unique perspective as both theoretical physicist and Anglican priest, Polkinghorne considers aspects of quantum physics and theology and demonstrates that the two truth-seeking enterprises are engaged in analogous rational techniques of inquiry. His exploration of the deep connections between science and theology shows with new clarity a common kinship in the search for truth. The author identifies and explores key similarities in quantum physics and Christology. Among the many parallels he identifies are patterns of historical development in quantum physics and in Christology; wrestling with perplexities such as quantum interpretation and the problem of evil; and the drive for an overarching view in the Grand Unified Theories of physics and in Trinitarian theology. Both theology and science are propelled by a desire to understand the world through experienced reality, and Polkinghorne explains that their viewpoints are by no means mutually exclusive.

Quantum Theology

Author: Diarmuid Ó Murchú
Publisher: Crossroad
ISBN: 9780824516307
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description
From black holes to holograms, from relativity theory to the discovery of quarks, an original exposition of quantum theory tht unravels profound theological questions

The Entangled Trinity

Author: Ernest L. Simmons
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
ISBN: 0800697863
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 217

Book Description
The Doctrine of the Trinity is an exercise in wonder. It is drawn from the wonder of our own existence and the diverse experiences of the divine encountered by the early Christian community. From the earliest days of Christianity, theologians of the church have drawn upon the most sophisticated language and understandings of their time in an attempt to clarify and express that faith. In this volume, Ernest Simmons ssks what the current scientific understanding of the natural world might contribute to our reflection upon the relationship of God and the world in a Triune fashion.

Quantum Mechanics

Author: Robert J. Russell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Book Description
Quantum Mechanics, a collection of fifteen essays, explores the creative interaction among quantum physics, philosophy, and theology. This fine collection presents the results of the fifth international research conference co-sponsored by the Vatican Observatory, Rome, and the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Berkeley. The overarching goal of these conferences is to support the engagement of constructive theology with the natural sciences and to investigate the philosophical and theological elements in ongoing theoretical research in the natural sciences. In the first section of this collection, contributors examine scientific and historical context. Section two features essays covering a wide range of philosophical interpretations of quantum mechanics. The final set of essays explores the theological implications of quantum theory. Abner Shimony, Raymond Y. Chiao, Michael Berry, Ernan McMullin, William R. Stoeger, S.J., James T. Cushing, Jeremy Butterfield, Michael Redhead, Chris Clarke, John Polkinghorne, Michael Heller, Philip Clayton, Thomas F. Tracy, George F.R. Ellis, and Robert John Russell all contributed essays to this volume.

Quantum Leap

Author: Dean Nelson
Publisher: Monarch Books
ISBN: 0857211285
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Book Description
Quantum Leap uses key events in the life of Polkinghorne to introduce the central ideas that make science and religion such a fascinating field of investigation. Sir John Polkinghorne is a British particle physicist who, after 25 years of research and discovery in academia, resigned his post to become an Anglican priest and theologian. He was a professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge University, and was elected to the Royal Society in 1974. As a physicist he participated in the research that led to the discovery of the quark, the smallest known particle. This cheerful biography-cum-appraisal of his life and work uses Polkinghorne's story to approach some of the most important questions: a scientist's view of God; why we pray, and what we expect; does the universe have a point?; moral and scientific laws; what happens next?

Beyond These Horizons

Author: John Breck
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781937019945
Category : Biblical cosmology
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Book Description
"From the electron microscope to the Hubble space telescope, modern technological advances have broadened our horizons - macroscopic and microscopic - beyond anything imaginable prior to the 1930s. One of the most important discoveries of the past few decades is the fact that everything, beginning with subatomic particles and including star systems and conscious human life, emerges from an underlying, transcendent Reality that brings all things from nonexistence into being through a continuous act of creation. All things are essentially interconnected in an entangled unity, which obliges us to view the world as a great hologram in which every aspect contains information of the Whole. This book raises the question of the relationship between that Reality and the Christian understanding of God. Written in the form of a simple novel, it begins by offering an overview, in lay terms, of quantum theory as it has developed since the early twentieth century. Gradually it lays the groundwork for an exploration of the relationship between quantum mechanics and certain key aspects of traditional Christian teaching. Its aim is to make clear that our usual conception of God and the world, in the words of the English theologian J.B. Phillips, is far 'too small.' With the help of insights drawn from quantum theory, we can now see that Creation is more intricate, more interconnected and more beautiful than our forebears could ever have imagined."--Publisher.

Genesis, Zen and Quantum Physics - A Fresh Look at the Theology and Science of Evolution

Author: Jeff A. Benner
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781602648715
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262

Book Description
Since ancient times man has sought to understand the origins of the universe around him, and his place within it. Such speculations were once the sole purview of religion, but since the Enlightenment, science and rationality have also attempted to explain these mysteries, but from an opposing perspective. Conflict resulted and both sides dug in, clinging to dogmas that precluded any consideration of the other side. "Genesis, Zen and Quantum Physics" enters the fray with a very unique approach. Believing that harmony, rather than conflict, defines the relationship between the Genesis account and modern science; the authors have retranslated the creation story according to the ancient Hebrew pictographic language and in the context of the nomadic culture from which the language and narratives arose. The resulting translation and its accompanying commentary challenge the common understanding of God, science, and the very reason for man's existence. By harmonizing an accurate biblical account with cutting edge scientific understanding, the authors present a mature religious ideal and an appreciation for the understanding of the ancients for modern scientific concepts. This is a book that will redefine your understanding of God, the world around you and your role within it.

Theology and Modern Physics

Author: Professor Peter E Hodgson
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 1409476936
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 495

Book Description
The new discoveries in physics during the twentieth century have stimulated intense debate about their relevance to age-old theological questions. Views range from those holding that modern physics provides a surer road to God than traditional religions, to those who say that physics and theology are incommensurable and so do not relate. At the very least, physics has stimulated renewed theological discussions. In this critical introduction to the science–theology debate, Peter E. Hodgson draws on his experience as a physicist to present the results of modern physics and the theological implications. Written for those with little or no scientific background, Hodgson describes connections between physics, philosophy and theology and then explains Newtonian physics and Victorian physics, the theories of relativity, astronomy and quantum mechanics, and distinguishes the actual results of modern physics from speculations. The connections with theology are explored throughout. The concluding section draws discussions together and makes an important new contribution to the debate.

Belief in God in an Age of Science

Author: John Polkinghorne
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300174101
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Book Description
John Polkinghorne is a major figure in today’s debates over the compatibility of science and religion. Internationally known as both a theoretical physicist and a theologian—the only ordained member of the Royal Society—Polkinghorne brings unique qualifications to his inquiry into the possibilities of believing in God in an age of science. In this thought-provoking book, the author focuses on the collegiality between science and theology, contending that these "intellectual cousins" are both concerned with interpreted experience and with the quest for truth about reality. He argues eloquently that scientific and theological inquiries are parallel. The book begins with a discussion of what belief in God can mean in our times. Polkinghorne explores a new natural theology and emphasizes the importance of moral and aesthetic experience and the human intuition of value and hope. In other chapters, he compares science’s struggle to understand the nature of light with Christian theology’s struggle to understand the nature of Christ. He addresses the question, Does God act in the physical world? And he extends his ideas about the role of chaos theory, surveys the prospects for future dialogue between scientific and theological thinkers, and defends a critical realist understanding of the activities of both disciplines. Polkinghorne concludes with a consideration of the nature of mathematical truths and the links between the complementary realities of physical and mental experience.

The Physics and Philosophy of the Bible

Author: James Frederick Ivey M.D.
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1973607158
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 310

Book Description
Albert Einstein taught that imagination is more important than knowledge, probably having come to this conclusion through a realization that almost all science represents belieffaithas opposed to knowledge. It should come as no surprise, then, that scienceespecially modern physics with its theories of relativity and quantum mechanicshas revolutionized thinking about the likelihood of the existence of God. In The Physics and Philosophy of the Bible, author and physician James Frederick Ivey explains how science, particularly quantum mechanics and relativity, aided by Platos philosophy and the history of Jewish people, can be utilized in order to virtually prove that God exists, that he is unique, and that he is the biblical deity. Ultimately an exploration of Christian philosophy and apologeticsincluding discussions of Christian history, secular retorts, the intersection of science and faith, and the relationship between physics and ultimate truthThe Physics and Philosophy of the Bible demonstrates that apologists are very close to the non-necessity of having to deal with whether God exists or not. From Platos earliest philosophical insights to the most groundbreaking discoveries in contemporary physics, we can find the fingerprints of God that prove He is with us. And. God seeks us just as we seek him, for he desires cognitive individuals with whom he can enjoy mutual love and intimacy.