Chaos theory and divine action
By Mark Vernon on Wednesday, July 14 2010, 10:11 - Science - Permalink
A first piece on the God and Physics, John Polkinghorne conference is up at the Guardian's Cif belief. A taster:
It's with that recognition that there is a possibility of giving an account of divine action within nature, which is compatible with science. It relies neither upon a God who intervenes outside the usual play of nature, nor seeks low-level causal gaps. Rather, God's action could be viewed as analogous to top-down, emergent causation – particularly when it implies signs of purpose or intentionality.
An obvious – though obviously contentious example – could be the relationship between mind and the neural components of the brain. To put it simply, if neurons affect our consciousness from the bottom-up, mind might be said to do so from the top-down. That'd be one way of understanding human agency. Divine agency could be described by analogical extension.











Comments
It seems to me that Polkinghorne, in positing divine agency as working in the universe in a systematic manner, opens an interesting door... Following your neuron vs mind metaphor, the mind is not directly aware of the neurons, neither are the neurons aware of the mind... but of course, theists believe both that humans are aware of God and that God is aware of humans in an individual manner. Perhaps this could be addressed by extending your metaphor one step further: mind vs society... The individual mind is aware of society, and society is aware of the individual minds that comprise it. If this analogical extension is used, does not a pantheistic (or panentheistic) view of God follow?
Just an idle thought. :)
I don't know why people are so keen to put God to work . Our conceptions of what it is to be Divine are so feeble and confined by our own limitations that to be postulating Divine agency almost amounts to impertinence .
Regards .
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