Abstract
A brief account is given of the author's life as a physicist and then a priest. The twin foundations of the author's theological endeavors have been a respect for traditional Christian thinking, though not exempting it from revision where this is needed, and a style of argument termed bottom‐up thinking, which seeks to proceed from experience to understanding. The diversity of the world faith traditions is perceived as a major source of perplexity. A revised and modest natural theology and the issue of divine action have been at the top of a science and theology agenda. A defense is sketched in realist terms of the metaphysical strategy of using an ontological interpretation of the unpredictabilities of chaos theory to support a notion of top‐down causality through active information. The success of Christian theology as a resource of total explanation depends on a credible account of eschatological hope. Reference is made to practical experience of ethics in the public square.
Keywords
Nicene Christianity, eschatology, realism, divine action, John Polkinghorne, bottom‐up thinking, dualism, EPR effect, world faiths, natural theology, science and religion, chaos theory
How to Cite
Polkinghorne, J., (2000) “The Life and Works of a Bottom‐Up Thinker”, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 35(4), 955–962. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9744.00325
Rights
© 2024 The Author(s).51
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