Abstract
This account of the dynamical theory of chaos leads to a metaphysical picture of a world with an open future, in which the laws of physics are emergent‐downward approximations to a more subtle and supple reality and in which there is downward causation through information input as well as upward causation through energy input. Such a metaphysical picture can accommodate both human and divine agency.
Keywords
A. R. Peacocke, Mandelbrot set, A. N. Whitehead, quantum theory, Donald MacKay, Mitchell Feigenbaum, chaos, God of the gaps, Austin Farrer, emergence, J¨rgen Moltmann, downward causation, process thought, Bernard d'Espagnat, mind and matter, fractals, mechanism, reductionism, antireductionism, determinism
How to Cite
Polkinghorne, J., (2000) “The Nature of Physical Reality”, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 35(4), 927–940. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9744.00323