I’ve recently had a book published by Wipf and Stock. The title is Physics, Information, and Meaning: How Nature Creates Complexity, Purpose, and Values. The book consists of 442 pages including a bibliography and an index. You can learn more about it by visiting the publisher’s website.
My bachelor’s degree is a B.S. in chemistry (1972). But, after college, I came to the Iliff School of Theology in Denver to undertake an M.Div. (1975) and a Th. D. (1981). In seminary and graduate school, I learned about the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and became convinced that the conflicts that are often presumed to exist between science and religion can be resolved when his worldview is adopted. That is a central idea in the book. However, the book does not dwell on Whitehead’s thought. It’s main theme is that purposes and values arise spontaneously in nature and that the world itself should therefore be viewed as sacred—that is, as a gift from God.
Here are the chapter titles: (1) Introduction; (2) What’s the Matter with Matter? (3) Information about Information; (4) Special Relativity: Experiments and Principles; (5) Special Relativity: Philosophical Implications; (6) Quantum Mechanics: Experiments; (7) Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Principles; (8) New Physics, and a New View of Nature; (9) Physics and Purposes; (10) Process Philosophies and Nature: Heraclitus, Bergson, and James; (11) Process Philosophy and Nature: Whitehead; (12) Nature, Organism, and Wholeness; (13) Experience, Symbols, and Creativity; (14) Science, Facts, and Values; (15) The Problem of God; (16) The Glory of God.
The ideas about God in the final two chapters in some ways resemble what is called “process theology,” but with significant differences.
If it turns out that a small group might be interested enough to read the book, I would be willing to coordinate a discussion about its ideas, which I think are important not only as a philosophy of nature but as a naturalistic approach to faith and to the idea of God. The book, available in hard cover or Kindle edition, can be purchased directly through the publisher (via this link), and you can also purchase it on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble.
Best wishes to all,
Rev. David Connor, Wheat Ridge UCC
revdconner@gmail.com
