God and the Scientist: Exploring the Work of John Polkinghorne (Routledge Science and Religion Series)

This Book Presents A Celebration, Survey And Critique Of The Theological Work Of Arguably The Most Important And Most Widely-read Contributor To The Modern Dialogue Between Science And Theology: John Polkinghorne. Including A Major Survey By Polkinghorne Himself Of His Life's Work In Theology, This Book Draws Together Contributors From Among The Most Important Voices In The Science-theology Dialogue Today To Focus On Key Aspects Of Polkinghorne's Work, With Polkinghorne Providing Responses. Anybody Exploring Contemporary Aspects Of The Science-religion Debate Will Find This Book Invaluable. -- Publisher's Description. Reflections Of A Bottom-up Thinker / John Polkinghorne -- John Polkinghorne On Three Scientist-theologians / Ian G. Barbour -- Is Informational Causality Primary Causality? : A Study Of An Aspect Of John Polkinghorne's Account Of Divine Action / Terry J. Wright -- Polkinghorne On Mathematics And Chaos Theory / Nicholas Saunders -- Queen Physics : How Much Of The Globe Is Painted Red? / Nancy Cartwright And Eric Martin -- God And Time : A New Flowing Time Interpretation Of Special Relativity And Its Importance For Theology / Robert John Russell -- Cosmic If-statements / Daniel W. Darg -- Bishop Berkeley's Castle : John Polkinghorne On The Soul / Keith Ward -- Theology And Scientific Cosmology / Fraser Watts -- Christian Hope In Dialogue With Natural Science : John Polkinghorne's Incorporation Of Bottom-up Thinking Into Eschatology / Junghyung Kim -- Subtle And Supple : John Polkinghorne's Engagement With Reality / Pat Bennett -- On Revising Natural Theology : John Polkinghorne And The False Modesty Of Liberal Theology / Russell Re Manning -- John Polkinghorne's Kenotic Theology Of Creation And Its Implications For A Theory Of Human Creativity / James M. Watkins -- Science-and-theology From The Standpoint Of Divine Kenosis / Philip Clayton -- Processes Of Discovery In Science And Theology : Bottom-up Approach, Critical Realism And Interdisciplinary Inspiration / Michael Welker -- Some Responses / John Polkinghorne. Edited By Fraser Watts, Christopher C. Knight. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

What is the 'posthuman'? Is becoming posthuman inevitable-something which will happen to us, or something we will do to ourselves? Why do some long for it, while others fearfully reject it? These questions underscore the fact that the posthuman is a name for the unknown future, and therefore, not a single idea but a jumble of competing visions - some of which may be exciting, some of which may be frightening, and which is which depends on who you are, and what you desire to be.

This book aims to clarify current theological and philosophical dialogue on the posthuman by arguing that theologians must pay attention to which form of the posthuman they are engaging, and to demonstrate that a 'posthuman theology' is not only possible, but desirable, when the vision of the posthuman is one which coincides with a theological vision of the human.

What is the 'posthuman'? Is becoming posthuman inevitable-something which will happen to us, or something we will do to ourselves? Why do some long for it, while others fearfully reject it? These questions underscore the fact that the posthuman is a name for the unknown future, and therefore, not a single idea but a jumble of competing visions - some of which may be exciting, some of which may be frightening, and which is which depends on who you are, and what you desire to be. This book aims to clarify current theological and philosophical dialogue on the posthuman by arguing that theologians must pay attention to which form of the posthuman they are engaging, and to demonstrate that a 'posthuman theology' is not only possible, but desirable, when the vision of the posthuman is one which coincides with a theological vision of the human. The cognitive science of religion is a relatively new academic field in the study of the origins and causes of religious belief and behaviour. The focal point of empirical research is the role of basic human cognitive functions in the formation and transmission of religious beliefs. However, many theologians and religious scholars are concerned that this perspective will reduce and replace explanations based in religious traditions, beliefs, and values. This book attempts to bridge the reductionist divide between science and religion through examination and critique of different aspects of the cognitive science of religion and offers a conciliatory approach that investigates the multiple causal factors involved in the emergence of religion. What Is The 'posthuman'? Is Becoming Posthuman Inevitable - Something That Will Happen To Us, Or Something We Will Do To Ourselves? Why Do Some Long For It, While Others Fearfully Reject It? This Book Aims To Clarify Current Theological And Philosophical Dialogue On The Posthuman By Arguing That Theologians Must Pay Attention To Which Form Of The Posthuman They Are Engaging, And To Demonstrate That A 'posthuman Theology' Is Not Only Possible, But Desirable, When The Vision Of The Posthuman Is One That Coincides With A Theological Vision Of The Human. The standard model and the problem of causal reductionism Counterintuitive religious concepts and emergent cognition Theological incorrectness and the causal relevance of religious beliefs and theological reasoning Evolutionary psychology and the emergence of the symbolic mind Evolution, cognition, and religion : toward a multi-level perspective on the emergence of religious beliefs. The cyborg manifesto The transhumanist manifesto Post-anthropologies Theological anthropologies Constructing a theological post-anthropology Christology and the posthuman.