Saturday, May 23, 2009

Exploring Reality The Intertwining of Science and Religion by John Polkinghorne

The book pivots around the realization that randomness and disorder are essential for change and development. This is not solely from quantum physics, but was always present in classical physics as well, as has been demonstrated through chaos theory in recent decades. Armed with this and with clearer understandings of the nature of knowledge Dr Polkinghorne travels through "The Causal Nexus of the World," "Human Nature, the Evolutionary Context," "The Historical Jesus," "Divine Reality," "The Nature of Time," and so on. He claims, and demonstrates, that theology deserves to be considered a research field just as much as chemistry.

Some paragraphs of his seemed to echo things I've said before, even to things like calling most of evolutionary sociology "Just So Stories" (w/ apologies to Kipling, for I enjoy his stories). Quite a bit of the philosophy he discusses I am aware of--but not as familiar with as he is.

Explanations of complex subjects like the nature of causation isn't going to be perfectly lucid to someone who hasn't contemplated the matter before, but it is worth paying attention to them, and going back to rethink things that you don't immediately understand.

I'm not certain if his relics of higher criticism of the Bible are his own or an outreach to the spirit of the age, and we don't see eye to eye on ethical conclusions, but aside from those reservations I recommend the book.

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