Overview
Most of us believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is ""God's will"",""karma"", or ""fate,"" we want to believe that nothing in the world, especially disasters and tragedies, is a random, meaningless event. But now, as never before, confident scientific assertions that the world embodies a profound contingency are challenging theological claims that God acts providentially in the world. The random and meandering path of evolution is widely used as an argument that God did not create life.Abraham's Dice explores the interplay between chance and providence in the monotheistic religious traditions, looking at how their interaction has been conceptualized as our understanding of the workings of nature has changed. This lively historical conversation has generated intense ongoing theological debates, and provocative responses from science: what are we to make of the history of our universe, where chance and law have played out in complex ways? Or the evolution of life, where random mutations have challenged attempts to find purpose within evolution and convinced many that human beings are but a ""glorious accident""? The enduring belief that everything happens for a reason is examined through a conversation with major scholars, among them holders of prestigious chairs at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and the University of Basel, as well as several Gifford lecturers, and two Templeton prize winners. Organized historically, Abraham's Dice provides a wide-ranging scientific, theological, and biblical foundation to address the question of providence and divine action in a world shot through with contingency.
Full Product Details
Author: Karl W. Giberson (Professor of Writing, Science & Religion, Professor of Writing, Science & Religion, Stonehill College)
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 24.40cm
, Height: 2.90cm
, Length: 16.70cm
Weight: 0.652kg
ISBN: 9780190277154
ISBN 10: 0190277157
Pages: 374
Publication Date: 16 June 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
Reading this well-ordered collection of scholarly essays on providence and chance has enhanced my appreciation of the universe's beauty and the mystery of divine action. I recommend it not only to readers interested in the relationship of science to religion, but also to anyone interested in the question of God and the meaning of creation. -John F. Haught, author of Resting on the Future: Catholic Theology for an Unfinished Universe (2015)
Author Information
Karl Giberson teaches science & religion at Stonehill College and is a leading voice in the creation/evolution controversy. He is the author of ten books, including Saving Darwin: How to be a Christian and Believe in Evolution, a Washington Post ""Best Book of 2008"" and Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians Have Used the Bible's First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World. He lives in Hingham, Massachusetts and on the web at www.karlgiberson.com.
