Astrophysics and Creation: Perceiving the Universe Through Science and Participation

I explore how the notion of divine creation could be made understandable in a worldview dominated by empirical science. The crucial question concerns the empirical basis of belief in creation. Astronomical observations have changed our worldview in an exemplary manner. I show by an example from imag...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:  
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Nebentitel:Reflective pieces
1. VerfasserIn: Benz, Arnold 1945- (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Verfügbarkeit prüfen: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Lade...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Veröffentlicht: Wiley-Blackwell [2017]
In: Zygon
Jahr: 2017, Band: 52, Heft: 1, Seiten: 186-195
normierte Schlagwort(-folgen):B Astrophysik / Schöpfung
RelBib Classification:AB Religionsphilosophie; Religionskritik; Atheismus
NBD Schöpfungslehre
weitere Schlagwörter:B participatory perceptions
B Divine Action
B Divine Creation
B Embodied Cognition
B Physicalism
B Universe
B Astronomy
Online Zugang: Volltext (doi)
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:I explore how the notion of divine creation could be made understandable in a worldview dominated by empirical science. The crucial question concerns the empirical basis of belief in creation. Astronomical observations have changed our worldview in an exemplary manner. I show by an example from imaginative literature that human beings can perceive stars by means other than astronomical observation. This alternative mode may be described as “participatory perception,” in which a human experiences the world not by objectifying separation as in science, but by personal involvement. I relate such perceptions to “embodied cognitive science,” a topical interdisciplinary field of research in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. Embodied cognitions initiate processes that can convey personal experiences of the stars. Such cognitions may involve religious apprehensions and give rise to sophisticated values. It is argued that the knowledge available through astrophysics and interpretation of the universe as divine creation represent two different ways of perceiving the same reality and should thus be seen as mutually complementary.
ISSN:1467-9744
Enthält:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/zygo.12320