Exploring Reality

Exploring Reality

"Exploring Reality: The Intertwining of Science & Religion" is a book by John Polkinghorne which offers a "progress report" on his "search for truth. All my life I have been trying to explore reality. That exploration includes science, but it also necessarily takes me beyond it. The process of investigation has a spiral character, as tackling the issues draws the explorer inwards towards a deeper engagement with the multidimensional character of reality" ["Exploring Reality" pp(ix-x)]

Publication Information

The book is published by SPCK in the UK and by Yale University Press in the USA, in 2005. ISBN 0-300-11014-6

ynopsis

In 1. Reality Polkinghorne explains "how natural the task of exploring reality is for someone whose intellectual formation has been in the sciences"(p xi) and asserts his belief in Critical realism against Postmodernism.

2. The Causal Nexus of the World suggests that "scientifically our knowledge is still pretty patchy, excellent within certain well-defined domains but often unable to make satisfactory connections between different domains. The problematic of the relationship of Quantum physics to Classical physics provides an instructive example" and also that "matters of causality ... are not finally settled by science alone. Ultimate conclusions have to rest on the foundation of a metaphysical decision."(p xii)

In 3. Human Nature he notes that Charles Kingsley and Frederick Temple welcomed Charles Darwin's insights, which also implied a level of continuity between humans and other animals. However he notes that humans abilities in language, science and rationality are very different from those of animals. [pp 41-43] . He says "the fact that we share 98.4% of our DNA with chimpanzees shows the fallacy of genetic reductionism, rather than proving that we are only apes who are slightly different. After all I share 99.9% of my DNA with J. S. Bach, but that fact carries no implication of a close correspondence between our musical abilities"(p45). He suggests that "while natural selection has been an important factor in the development of life on Earth, it is by no means obvious that it is the only type of process involved" and that "the attempt to force classical Darwinian thinking into the role of an explanatory principle of almost universal scope has proved singularly unconvincing as it seeks to inflate an assembly of half-truths into a theory of everything" [ "op. cit.. pp50-51. He mentions in particular Darwin's Dangerous Idea] . He believes that Evolutionary epistemology is also based on a half-truth. Being able to make sense of everyday experience is a vital asset, yet when Newton discovered universal gravity, something happened that went far beyond anything needed for survival and that rational feats like proving Fermat's Last Theorem go far beyond anything susceptible to Darwinian explanation. [ "op. cit." p51-53]

Reviews and Comment

Notes and References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Reality Obsessed — is a Canadian half hour documentary television series produced by Peace Point Entertainment Group that airs on TVtropolis. In each episode, host Murtz Jaffer attempts to demystify the underpinning of Reality Television by trying to recreate… …   Wikipedia

  • Reality distortion field — is a term coined by Bud Tribble at Apple Inc. in 1981, to describe company co founder Steve Jobs charisma and its effects on the developers working on the Mac project. [ Hertzfeld, Andy [http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh… …   Wikipedia

  • Alternate reality game — This article is about the genre. For the specific 1980s series, see Alternate Reality (computer game). An alternate reality game (ARG) is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game… …   Wikipedia

  • History of alternate reality games — Alternate reality games are a modern genre of games involving various media to tell stories, often accompanied with puzzles. Most of these games are either independently run, used as a corporate model, or used as a viral campaign by a company.… …   Wikipedia

  • Urban Exploring — Urban Explorer vor einem Regenwassereinlauf in Saint Paul Urban Exploration bzw. Stadterkundung ist die private Erforschung von Einrichtungen des städtischen Raums. Oftmals handelt es sich dabei um das Erkunden alter Industrieruinen, aber auch… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Urban exploring — Urban Explorer vor einem Regenwassereinlauf in Saint Paul Urban Exploration bzw. Stadterkundung ist die private Erforschung von Einrichtungen des städtischen Raums. Oftmals handelt es sich dabei um das Erkunden alter Industrieruinen, aber auch… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Polkinghorne — Infobox Scientist name = John Polkinghorne box width = 300px |300px image width = 300px caption = Rev Dr John Polkinghorne, KBE FRS birth date = birth date and age|1930|10|16 birth place = Weston super Mare, England death date = death place =… …   Wikipedia

  • John Charlton Polkinghorne — John Polkinghorne John Charlton Polkinghorne (* 16. Oktober 1930 in Weston super Mare) ist ein englischer theoretischer Teilchenphysiker und Theologe. Polkinghorne ging nahe Cambridge zur Schule und studierte an der Universität Cambridge, wo er… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Polkinghorne — Sir John Charlton Polkinghorne, KBE, (* 16. Oktober 1930 in Weston super Mare) ist ein englischer theoretischer Teilchenphysiker und Theologe. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Polkinghorne — John Polkinghorne John Charlton Polkinghorne (* 16. Oktober 1930 in Weston super Mare) ist ein englischer theoretischer Teilchenphysiker und Theologe. Polkinghorne ging nahe Cambridge zur Schule und studierte an der Universität Cambridge, wo er… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”