John Polkinghorne Quotes

A collection of quotes by John Polkinghorne.

John Polkinghorne is a prominent figure in the fields of physics and theology. Born in 1930 in England, he initially pursued a career in theoretical physics. After completing his education at the University of Cambridge, where he earned a Ph.D. in quantum field theory, Polkinghorne worked as a professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge for several decades.

In 1979, Polkinghorne made a significant career change when he decided to study for ordination in the Anglican Church. Ordained as a priest in 1982, he became deeply interested in the intersection of science and theology. Polkinghorne has been recognized for his efforts to reconcile these seemingly disparate disciplines, highlighting their shared quest for understanding and exploring how they can inform one another.

Polkinghorne's work has had a profound impact on the dialogue between science and religion. He has authored numerous books that delve into topics such as the nature of reality, the relationship between science and faith, and the theological implications of quantum physics. His writings demonstrate a meticulous understanding of both disciplines and offer a unique perspective on the compatibility of science and religion. Polkinghorne's work has earned him widespread respect and recognition as an influential figure in the field of science and theology.

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Epistemology models ontology.

Epistemology models ontology.

John Polkinghorne

Religion Science

Science cannot tell theology how to construct a doctrine of

Science cannot tell theology how to construct a doctrine of creation, but you can't construct a doctrine of creation without taking account of the age of the universe and the evolutionary character of cosmic history.

John Polkinghorne

Those theologians who are beginning to take the doctrine of

Those theologians who are beginning to take the doctrine of creation very seriously should pay some attention to science's story.

John Polkinghorne

I'm a very passionate believer in the unity of knowledge. Th

I'm a very passionate believer in the unity of knowledge. There is one world of reality - one world of our experience that we're seeking to describe.

John Polkinghorne

I also think we need to maintain distinctions - the doctrine

I also think we need to maintain distinctions - the doctrine of creation is different from a scientific cosmology, and we should resist the temptation, which sometimes scientists give in to, to try to assimilate the concepts of theology to the concepts of science.

John Polkinghorne

If the experience of science teaches anything, it's that the

If the experience of science teaches anything, it's that the world is very strange and surprising. The many revolutions in science have certainly shown that.

John Polkinghorne

Bottom up thinkers try to start from experience and move fro

Bottom up thinkers try to start from experience and move from experience to understanding. They don't start with certain general principles they think beforehand are likely to be true they just hope to find out what reality is like.

John Polkinghorne

Of course, nobody would deny the importance of human beings

Of course, nobody would deny the importance of human beings for theological thinking, but the time span of history that theologians think about is a few thousand years of human culture rather than the fifteen billion years of the history of the universe.

John Polkinghorne

Of course, Einstein was a very great scientist indeed, and I

Of course, Einstein was a very great scientist indeed, and I have enormous respect for him, and great admiration for the discoveries he made. But he was very committed to a view of the objectivity of the physical world.

John Polkinghorne

I very much enjoyed my career in science. I didn't leave sci

I very much enjoyed my career in science. I didn't leave science because I was disillusioned, but felt I'd done my bit for it after about twenty-five years.

John Polkinghorne

People, and especially theologians, should try to familiariz

People, and especially theologians, should try to familiarize themselves with scientific ideas. Of course, science is technical in many respects, but there are some very good books that try to set out some of the conceptual structure of science.

John Polkinghorne