Creative Tension: Essays On Science & Religion

by Michael Heller

The voice of a renowned professor of philosophy in Poland, who is also a Roman Catholic priest, is introduced to the United States in this collection of his provocative essays on the interplay of science and religion. Michael Heller progressively outlines systematic steps that might lead to a peaceful coexistence of these traditionally separate fields of study. Some essays have their roots in the author's work in physics and cosmology, while others present his theories on the language of God, creation, and transcendence, inspired by his work in the applications of so-called noncommutative geometry, an emerging field of study.The book is organized into four sections, each preceded by a brief introduction explaining the order of the essays and their internal logic.
Part one deals with methodology, evaluates the theological interpretation of scientific theories, and proposes a program for a "theology of science." Part two looks at the interaction of science and religion from a historical perspective. Topics include the evolution of ideas connected with the place of man in the Universe and the evolution of matter, among others. Part three concentrates on the "creation and science" quandary, including the big bang theory and the role of probability and chance in science, well as their impact on theological questions. Part four looks for vestiges of transcendence in contemporary science.
Creative Tension joins the Templeton library of resources contributing to the growing global dialogue on science and religion.

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Michał Kazimierz Heller is a professor of philosophy at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków, Poland, and an adjunct member of the Vatican Observatory staff.

He also serves as a lecturer in the philosophy of science and logic at the Theological Institute in Tarnów.

Dr. Heller was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1959. He was awarded the Templeton Prize in March, 2008.

Reviews

[Rod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of several modern books which seek to relate the
spiritual world with the physical world by means of the developments
of modern mathematics and science. Several parallels are listed
between quantum physics and the spiritual world. Also a number
of findings from differential geometry find analogy in the spiritual
world.
Suggest reading also John Polkinghorne's ("One World") whose main theme is that there is only one world (existing
in its spiritual and physical components) and therefore we must
seek to reconcile apparent inconsistencies between the two
worlds.