John Polkinghorne

John Charlton Polkinghorne, KBE, (born 16 October 1930 in Weston -super- Mare ) is an English theoretical particle physicist and theologian.

Life

Polkinghorne went to school near Cambridge and studied at Cambridge University, where he became in 1954 a Fellow of Trinity College, and in 1955 received his doctorate. In the same year he went on a scholarship at Caltech in Pasadena. In 1956 he was a lecturer in mathematical physics in Edinburgh, from 1958 professor of Applied Mathematics at Cambridge. Since 1964, Reader and since 1968 Professor of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge, he was elected in 1974 a Fellow of the Royal Society. As early as 1975 he was Licensed Reader of the Diocese of Ely. After resigning his professorship in 1979 and a theological training at Westcott House, Cambridge, he was ordained in 1982 as a priest of the Anglican Church. He then made a successful career in the Anglican Church. He is since 1994 Theologician Canon of the Cathedral of Liverpool since 1996 and Six Preacher of Canterbury Cathedral.

1986 and 1989 he was a Fellow, Dean and Chaplain of Trinity Hall College, Cambridge. He became a member of the Commission and at the same dogmas 1988/9 Chairman of a committee on research on embryos ( Polkinghorne Report) and from 2000 a member of the Human Genetics Commission of the UK government in 1989. He is also a member of the Ethics Committee of the British Medical Association. 1990 to 2000 he was a member of the General Synod of the Anglican Church. In 1997 he was knighted (KBE ). He is known in numerous publications for dialogue between science and theology. For his efforts the link between theology and science in 2002 he was awarded the highly doped Templeton Prize.

As a physicist, worked Polkinghorne mainly of theoretical models for high-energy scattering processes that led from the late 1960s and in the 1970s to confirmations of the quark model and quantum chromodynamics. He has also published two textbooks, one of which is a standard work for those in the 1960s, very popular S-matrix theory.

As a theologian with a physical background impressed him especially the formal mathematical beauty of quantum mechanics and relativity theory, in particular - in the words of Eugene Wigner - inexplicable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences ( Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences). He sees this as the work of a higher grading power. Another indication he sees in the specific conditions that must be met in order at all can arise intelligent life in the universe ( the anthropic principle).

Quotes

" Belief in God, which is compliant with the Western religious tradition, implies the findings: background patterns and structures of the universe is the plan of a divine creator behind the unfolding history of the universe is the will of a divine creator There is One who our. . is worthy of worship and our obedience. There is One to whom we may trust as a result of our constant hope. "

" Physics has discovered that the world is more subtle, softer and more interesting than the physicists of the 18th century thought. It is not difficult to believe that the biology will make in a reasonable time, a similar discovery. "

"The world of physics has proven to be mechanistically as less than many had assumed in the wake of the deterministic discoveries of Newtonian physics first., The world is more sophisticated and subtle than it suggests the comparison of the universe with a clockwork. , If physics teaches us anything, then surely this means that the reality is surprising., you compels us to think about processes that we have, the nature of us did not come across them, we never could have imagined. "

" Laws of nature awaken questions, which are scientifically not to answer: Why is us the natural world as understandable why are their laws so finely coordinated that a fruitful history can unfold Why is science possible, why does the universe as a? particular shape? "

"Religion without science is limited, it fails to be completely open to the reality of science without religion is incomplete. . It is not possible for her to achieve the deepest possible understanding"

Works

Physics:

  • Richard Eden, Peter Landshoff, David Olive The Analytic S- Matrix, Cambridge University Press, 1966, 2002
  • Models of High Energy Processes, Cambridge University Press, 1980

Physics, popular:

  • The particle play, Freeman, San Francisco 1979 ( High Energy Physics )
  • The quantum world, Princeton Science Library, 1984, 1986
  • Quantum theory - an introduction, Stuttgart 2006, English Quantum theory - a very short introduction Oxford 2002
  • Post to Rochester Roundabout - the story of High Energy Physics 1989

Theology, SPCK is the Society for promo ting christian knowledge:

  • Quantum physics and theology - an unexpected kinship SPCK 2007
  • Science and Creation - the search for understanding 2006
  • Exploring reality -the inertwining of Science and Religion, Yale, SPCK 2005
  • Science and the Trinity - a christian encounter with reality, Yale 2004
  • The god of hope and the end of the world, SPCK 2002
  • Edited ( with Robert Russell and others) Quantum Mechanics, Scientific Perspectives series of Divine Action vol.5, 2002, Vatican Observatory
  • Believe with Michael Welker on the living God, Gütersloh publishing house 2005, ISBN 3-579-05187-3 (English Faith in the living god - a dialogue SPCK 2001)
  • Edited The work of love - creation as kenosis SPCK 2001
  • Faith, science and understanding Yale 2000
  • Michael Welker ed. The End of the World and the Ends of God - Science and Theology on Eschatology, Trinity 2000
  • Traffic in truth - exchanges in between science and theology Canterbury Press 2000
  • God is the Current valid, image science, December 1999
  • Theology and science, Gütersloh publishing house 2001, ISBN 3-579-05180-6 (English Edition Science and Theology SPCK 1998)
  • Believe in God in an age of science, Gütersloh 2000, English Belief in god in at age of science, Yale 1998
  • Beyond science -the resist human context cambridge 1996, Cantor 1998
  • Searching for truth - Lenten meditations on Science and Faith, SPCK 1997
  • Knowledge and understanding - themes in the study of science and theology, SPCK
  • Scientists as Theologicians - a comparison of the writings of Ian Barbour, Arthur Peacocke and John Polkinghorne, SPCK, 1996
  • Quarks, Chaos and Christianity - questions to science and religion, Triangle 1994, 2006 ( introduction to his thinking)
  • Science and Christian Belief. SPCK 1994 ( Gifford Lectures )
  • Reason and reality. SPCK 1991
  • Science and providence God's interaction with the world. SPCK, 1989, 2005 ( Oxford Lectures )
  • Science and creation - the search for understanding. SPCK, 1988, 2006 ( Lectures in Dundee)
  • One world -interaction of science and theology. SPCK, 1986, 2007
  • The way the world is - a christian perspective of a scientist. Triangle 1983 1992
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