Divine Action and Modern Science [Paperback]

Nicholas Saunders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 23, 2002

Considering the relationship between the natural sciences and the concept of God acting in the world, this study examines the Biblical motivations for asserting a continuing belief in divine action. It is a radical critique of current attempts to reconcile special divine action with quantum theory, chaos theory and quantum chaos. The book concludes that a satisfactory account of how God might act in a manner that agrees with modern science is still lacking.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an important book. Without presupposing technical training in physics, it introduces the reader to enough of the scientific details that he or she can evaluate claims to special divine action in light of science. Saunders, who understands both the physical theories and the theological literature, manages to bring the discussion to a new level. His argument has already provoked controversy in the field; the book's appearance is certain to extend it." --Philip Clayton, Harvard University

"...a well-informed and important study..." Religious Studies Review

"In this reflective and well-researched book by scholar-scientist Saunders, readers will find the essence of current controversies on divine actions, both special and general, illuminated by the writings of scientifically inclined theologians and theologically inclined scientists. Recommended." Choice

Book Description

Divine Action and Modern Science considers the relationship between the natural sciences and the concept of God acting in the world. It examines the Biblical motivations for asserting a continuing notion of divine action and identifies several different theological approaches to the problem. The book offers a radical critique of current attempts to reconcile special divine action with quantum theory, chaos theory and quantum chaos. It concludes that we are still far from a satisfactory account of how God might act in a manner that is consonant with modern science.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; First Edition edition (December 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521524164
• ISBN-13: 978-0521524162
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,676,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good analysis of scientific theology, January 31, 2003

By 

Manuel Alfonseca (Madrid Spain) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Divine Action and Modern Science (Hardcover)

In the last decades, different theological theories have tried to give an explanation of God's action in terms of modern scientific advances. In particular, quantum mechanics and chaos theory are two physical tools preferred for this objective, the first because of the ontological determinism subjacent to some of its interpretations, the second as it entails an epistemological impossibility of making long-range predictions. We must remember, however, that scientific theories are always provisional, and using them for theological explanations means a certain risk.

Most of the theories discussed in this book have to do with a certain type of divine action. SDA (Special Divine Action) applies to concrete actions of God to change the cosmos, and may be divided into "interventionist" (miracles) or "non-interventionist" (providence). The latter may also be subdivided in "compatibilist" (indistinguishable from coincidence) and "incompatibilist" (where God causes independent causal chains). Finally, this last type may be "continuous" or "discontinuous." The book looks in depth at theological theories that try to explain non-interventionist compatibilist continuous special divine action using quantum mechanics and chaos theory.

Two chapters show inconsistencies in present theories, or point out errors of interpretation in the physical basis they use. The conclusion is pessimistic: in the state of the art, we don't have a valid theological theory that explains this type of divine action. Only Peacocke's holistic explanation escapes somewhat. However, the future possibility of a new theory is not excluded. Explanations of quantum mechanics alternative to the orthodox Copenhagen version are still appearing.

This book's analysis of theories based upon quantum mechanics and chaos theory is complete and scientifically impeccable. However, since it looks at a single type of SDA, others are not considered. There are a few loose ends in the analysis that would allow a discontinuous explanation of SDA, or one that makes use of randomness. Perhaps theologians don't like the latter because they are too influenced by the famous Einstein phrase ("God doesn't play dice"). In "The laws of nature" (1945), C.S. Lewis proposes another explanation for the efficacy of prayer: God could trim the initial conditions of the universe to take into account future prayers of human beings. This compatibilist explanation of SDA is not considered in Saunder's book.

In summary: "Divine Action and Modern Science" is useful, because it describes a set of recent theological theories that make use of scientific advances, but contain inconsistencies and weaknesses. Remember, however, that this book only addresses non-interventionist compatibilist continuous special divine action. Other possible forms and interpretations are out of its field of study.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very important!!, November 3, 2003

By 

T. A. Smedes (Nijmegen, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Divine Action and Modern Science (Paperback)

Without doubt this is one of the most important books on divine action of recent years. Except for some theologians within more evangelical circles, the amount of studies explicitly addressing theological, philosophical, and scientific issues of divine action is small. Moreover, many classic studies on the subject (such as Keith Ward's "Divine Action," Michael Langford's "Providence," and Vernon White's "The Fall of a Sparrow") have been out of print for years now and are very hard to come by. (Why does nobody protest against that!? Are publishers simply blind to the many opportunities here?) Saunders gives an overview of the most important studies, and shows that the discussion about divine action has many dimensions which are still relatively unexplored and which are in dire need of further clarification. Moreover, he makes it clear that if one takes divine action in a realist sense (i.e. that God's action has real causal effects in the world), one cannot ignore the many scientific issues involved. Miracles, laws of nature, determinism, quantum mechanics, chaos theory (Polkinghorne) and top-down causation (Peacocke) -- Saunders manages to make the crucial scientific and theological issues concerning these concepts quite clear.

The book is highly readable and does not presuppose too much knowledge of science or theology on the part of the reader (though if one has some background knowledge of science and/or theology this will aid in making the context of many discussions more lucid). While I am not totally convinced that Saunders' approach does full justice to the theological intricacies involved, and while I am critical of the fact that he simply skips many methodological issues -- I will elaborate on these points more fully in a review which in due time will appear in the online journal for Philosophy of Religion: Ars Disputandi, see <www.arsdisputandi.org> -- I believe that anyone interested in the issues surrounding the concept of divine action must not ignore this book. Though it is always tricky to make predictions, I am convinced that Saunders' valuable book will remain a standard work for issues surrounding divine action for a long time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars useful for college students, April 1, 2003

By 

Sarah Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Divine Action and Modern Science (Paperback)

I found this book really useful - I am currently studing religion and science and this book contains the best discussion of the divine action issue that I have been able to find. Excellent.