What, if anything, does recent work on emergence in the sciences, in the philosophy of mind, and in theology have to do with the thought of Michael Polanyi? The connection could, of course, be purely external and ad hoc: perhaps the coming few minutes will be one of those polite but pointless academic exercises where…
It is important that we define what we mean by “the new universe” before we try to study its theological implications. The essential elements of the new universe may be emphasized by comparing the view of A.R. Wallace at the turn of the century with the Space Telescope’s Hubble Deep Field at its end. The…
Nikos Kazantzakis in Report to Greco describes the process of evolution as the result of a divine creative activity. He personifies this activity as a “Cry.”1 Blowing through heaven and earth, and in our hearts and the heart of every living thing, is a gigantic breath—a great Cry—which we call God. Plant life wished to…
“We are now, admittedly, the masters of the Earth and the world, but our very mastery seems to escape our mastery. We have all things in hand, but we do not control our actions. Everything happens as though our powers escape our powers. Our consequences outstrip our deliberate intentions. So, it no longer depends on…
Science Fact or Science Fiction A great crooner, if not exactly a great scholar, named Frank Sinatra once sang that he had the whole world upon a string. And as we all know song lyrics can sometimes paint a rather accurate picture of real life, while at other times they venture into altogether imaginative and…
Statement by John D. BarrowAt The Templeton Prize News Conference, March 15, 2006 A little over a year ago I was in a great church – the Basilica of St Mark in Venice. Its predecessor was raised in the year 832 to house the mortal remains of St Mark the Evangelist which had supposedly been…
I would like to share with you one physicist’s understanding of the religious thought of one of the most creative minds involved in the early 20 th century science and religion dialogue. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a geologist and paleontologist who was also a Jesuit priest, lived during a very fertile, one could almost say…
Part IScience and religion are two major long-term themes of human thought-indeed two dominating aspects of human culture, each making major contributions to how we live and think. At issue here is the way we understand ultimate reality and humanity: the very nature of existence. This plays a crucial role in how we see ourselves…
The Laser Has Become an Indispensable Technology for Living, Discovering, Flourishing In 1954 Charles Hard Townes, James Gordon and Herbert Zeiger successfully isolated excited ammonia molecules, thereby producing the capability for amplifying electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. The result of their success was the production of the world’s first “maser,” a concept for which…
Introduction The historical interaction of science and religion in the West can be seen as tension between faith and rationality, with the rise of science steadily driving out irrationality and replacing it with the clear light of reason. Part of the change was the replacement of emotionally based faith by evidentially based proof, leading to…