volume III Development:
Introduction
In this section of the site we attempt to develop systematic
exposition of the ideas driving this work.
We begin with the method of exposing and testing theological
ideas, From this point of view, the principal fault with the Roman
Catholic Church is its claim to infallibility:
We
teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed: that the Roman
Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in
discharge of the office of Pastor and Doctor of all Christians, by
virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority he defines a doctrine
regarding faith or morals to be held by the Universal Church, by the
divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, is possessed of
the infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed that His
Church should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding faith or
morals: and that therefore such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are
irreformable of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church.
But if any one - which may God avert - presume to contradict this
our definition: let him be anathema. Manning, page 240
This definition is circular. If the Church is infallible, then it has infallibly defined itself to be infallible; if not, the cited definition contradicts reality. The Church poses as the puppet of an invisible deity, thus attempting to divest itself of responsibility for its actions. Inter Insigniores: On the question of admission of women to the ministerial priesthood
The Catholic Church is a fundamentalist religion, by which we mean that it denies the possibility of change in its beliefs. This idea is expressed in the doxology: As it was in the beginning, both now, and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.' Doxology - Wikipedia
Science is formally open to revision, although well established ideas may die pretty hard. It is a public enterprise, responsible to those who fund it and those who rely on the information it publishes. Popper
When one is operating scientifically one observes a situation, uses experience and imagination to explain the observations and then
looks again with this explanations in mind to see if it really fits the new more enlightened observations. This cycle is believed to continue forever. We cannot imagine an end to science, when everything is known, because of the huge amount of detail in the Universe and and the continued creation of new details. Fortun & Bernstein Muddling Through
The product of scientific imagination is a model, a story (told perhaps with some mathematical symbols) to explain what we see. The ancients explained what happens as the work of invisible gods, and that idea
remains with us. We cannot see the wave functions of quantum mechanics, they are simply a symbolic model that fits the phenomena so well that many believe it is on the right track. Homer,
Genesis, Quantum mechanics - Wikipedia
Our story begins here by trying to imagine the limits so imagination. Our model, like quantum mechanics, is built on the work of Georg Cantor, who discovered transfinite numbers. The result is an informal mathematical model, a universal transfinite network which serves to link all the events of the world as communications between semi-autonomous agents. This paradigm embraces atoms, nations, galaxies, in fact everything that we can observe in the Universe. Georg Cantor - Wikipedia, Mathematics - Wikipedia
We model the Universe with a transfinite computer network. This nework is the subject of cybernetics, the study of communication and control. After we have seen that the network model provide a useful interpretation of modern physics we turn to biology, which introduces very complex systems. This application serve to expand and test the model. Cybernetics - Wikipedia
The final step on this road is theology, the traditional theory of everything. Here we postulate a formal explanation for the creativity of the Universe by identifying it with the classical God and interpreting the structure of the Universe, including ourselves, as fixed points in the divine dynamics. Fixed point (mathematics) - Wikipedia
This completes the looking and thinking phase of the cycle. Now we
turn to action, dealing first with love, which we define formally as truthful communication. The ancients tell us that God is both truth and love. Since we assume here that the Universe is divine, it can be understood as truth and love. We explore this idea by applying the mathematical theory of communication to culture, religion, politics, economics design and work. The theological purpose of this work is to develop a formalism that shows us how to see god everywhere.
All this is, of course, a stab in the dark, but my hope is that I
have found a starting point for a scientific theology. Since the world is
one, this will be a universal theology. Whether I have found something real and
valuable is for you to judge.
[revised 5 August 2015]
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Copyright:
You may copy this material freely provided only that you quote fairly and provide a link (or reference) to your source.
Further reading
Books
Click on the "Amazon" link below each book entry to see details of a book (and possibly buy it!)
Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica (translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province), Tabor Publishing 1981 'Brother Thomas raised new problems in his teaching, invented a new method, used new systems of proof. To hear him teach a new doctrine, with new arguments, one could not doubt that God, by the irradiation of this new light and by the novelty of this inspiration, gave him the power to teach, by the spoken and written word, new opinions and new knowledge.' (William of Tocco, T's first biographer)
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Ashby, W Ross, An Introduction to Cybernetics, Methuen 1964 'This book is intended to provide [an introduction to cybernetics]. It starts from common-place and well understood concepts, and proceeds step by step to show how these concepts can be made exact, and how they can be developed until they lead into such subjects as feedback, stability, regulation, ultrastability, information, coding, noise and other cybernetic topics'
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Darwin, Charles, and Greg Suriano (editor), The Origin of Species, Gramercy 1998 Introduction: 'In considering the Origin of Species, it is quite conceivable that a naturalist, reflecting on the mutual affinities of organic beings, on their embryological relations, their geographical distribution, geological succession, and other such facts, might come to the conclusion that each species has not been independently created, but has descended, like varieties, from other species.'
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Davis, Martin, Computability and Unsolvability, Dover 1982 Preface: 'This book is an introduction to the theory of computability and non-computability ususally referred to as the theory of recursive functions. The subject is concerned with the existence of purely mechanical procedures for solving problems. . . . The existence of absolutely unsolvable problems and the Goedel incompleteness theorem are among the results in the theory of computability that have philosophical significance.'
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| Denzinger, Henricus, and Adolphus Schoenmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, Definitionum et Declarationum de Rebus Fidei et Morum, Herder 1963 Introduction: 'Dubium non est quin praeter s. Scripturam cuique theologo summe desiderandus sit etiam liber manualis quo contineantur edicta Magisterii ecclesiastici eaque saltem maioris momenti, et quo ope variorim indicum quaerenti aperiantur eorum materiae.' (3)
'There is no doubt that in addition to holy Scripture, every theologian also needs a handbook which contains at least the more important edicts of the Magisterium of the Church, indexed in a way which makes them easy to find.'back |
Ford, David, The Modern Theologians : An Introduction to Christian Theology in the Twentieth Century, Blackwell 1997 Preface: 'The main aim of this volume is to introduce the theology of most leading twentieth-century Christian theologians and movements in theology. . . . The contributors are mostly based in Europe of North America and come from a wide range of institutions, denominational backgrounds, and countries. Most are themselves constructively engaged in modern theology, and their purpose has been to produce a scholarly account of their subject and also carry further the theological dialogue in each case.'
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Fortun, Mike, and Herbert J Bernstein, Muddling Through: Pursuing Science and Truths in the Twenty-First Century, Counterpoint 1998 Amazon editorial review:
'Does science discover truths or create them? Does dioxin cause cancer or not? Is corporate-sponsored research valid or not? Although these questions reflect the way we're used to thinking, maybe they're not the best way to approach science and its place in our culture. Physicist Herbert J. Bernstein and science historian Mike Fortun, both of the Institute for Science and Interdisciplinary Studies (ISIS), suggest a third way of seeing, beyond taking one side or another, in Muddling Through: Pursuing Science and Truths in the 21st Century. While they deal with weighty issues and encourage us to completely rethink our beliefs about science and truth, they do so with such grace and humor that we follow with ease discussions of toxic-waste disposal, the Human Genome Project, and retooling our language to better fit the way science is actually done.'
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Hallett, Michael, Cantorian set theory and limitation of size, Oxford UP 1984 Jacket: 'This book will be of use to a wide audience, from beginning students of set theory (who can gain from it a sense of how the subject reached its present form), to mathematical set theorists (who will find an expert guide to the early literature), and for anyone concerned with the philosophy of mathematics (who will be interested by the extensive and perceptive discussion of the set concept).' Daniel Isaacson.
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Homer, and Bernard King (introduction) Robert Fagles (translator), The Iliad, Penguin Classic 1998 Amazon From Library Journal
'Why another Iliad? Just as Homer's work existed most fully in its performance, so the Homeric texts call periodically for new translations. With this in mind, Fagles offers a new verse rendering of the Iliad. Maneuvering between the literal and the literary, he tries with varying degrees of success to suggest the vigor and manner of the original while producing readable poetry in English. Thus, he avoids the anachronizing of Robert Fitzgerald's translation, while being more literal than Richard Lattimore's. Fagles's efforts are accompanied by a long and penetrating introduction by Bernard Knox, coupled with detailed glossary and textual notes.'
- T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong State Coll., Savannah, Ga.
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Lonergan, Bernard J F, and Robert M. Doran, Frederick E. Crowe (eds), Verbum : Word and Idea in Aquinas (Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan volume 2)
, University of Toronto Press 1997 Jacket: 'Verbum is a product of Lonergan's eleven years of study of the thought of Thomas Aquinas. The work is considered by many to be a breakthrough in the history of Lonergan's theology ... . Here he interprets aspects in the writing of Aquinas relevant to trinitarian theory and, as in most of Lonergan's work, one of the principal aims is to assist the reader in the search to understand the workings of the human mind.'
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Lonergan, Bernard J F, Insight : A Study of Human Understanding (Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan : Volume 3), University of Toronto Press 1992 '... Bernard Lonergan's masterwork. Its aim is nothing less than insight into insight itself, an understanding of understanding'
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| Manning, Henry Edward, The Vatican Council and its Definitions: A Pastoral Letter to the Clergy, Excelsior Catholic Publishing House 1905 Latin original of quoted passage: '... docemus et divinitus revelatum dogma esse definimus; Romanum Pontificem, cum ex Cathedra loquitur, id est, cum omnium Christianorum Pastoris et Doctoris munere fungens, pro suprema sua Apostolica auctoritate, doctrinam de fide vel moribus ab universa Ecclesia tenendam definit, per assistentiam divinam, ipsi in beato Petro promissam, ea infallibilitate pollere, qua divinus Redemptor Ecclesiam suam in definienda docrtina de fide vel moribus instructam esse voluit; ideoque eiusmodi Romani Pontificis definitiones ex sese, non autum ex consensu Ecclesia irreformabiles esse.
Si quis autem huic Nostrae definitioni contradicere, quod Deus avertat, praesumpserit; anathema sit.'back |
| Manning, Henry Edward, The Vatican Council and its Definitions: A Pastoral Letter to the Clergy, Excelsior Catholic Publishing House 1905 English translation of quoted passage: '... docemus et divinitus revelatum dogma esse definimus; Romanum Pontificem, cum ex Cathedra loquitur, id est, cum omnium Christianorum Pastoris et Doctoris munere fungens, pro suprema sua Apostolica auctoritate, doctrinam de fide vel moribus ab universa Ecclesia tenendam definit, per assistentiam divinam, ipsi in beato Petro promissam, ea infallibilitate pollere, qua divinus Redemptor Ecclesiam suam in definienda docrtina de fide vel moribus instructam esse voluit; ideoque eiusmodi Romani Pontificis definitiones ex sese, non autum ex consensu Ecclesia irreformabiles esse.
Si quis autem huic Nostrae definitioni contradicere, quod Deus avertat, praesumpserit; anathema sit.'back |
Miles, Jack, God : A Biography, Vintage Books 1996 Jacket: 'Jack Miles's remarkable work examines the hero of the Old Testament ... from his first appearance as Creator to his last as Ancient of Days. ... We see God torn by conflicting urges. To his own sorrow, he is by turns destructive and creative, vain and modest, subtle and naive, ruthless and tender, lawful and lawless, powerful yet powerless, omniscient and blind.'
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Popper, Karl Raimund, Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge, Routledge and Kegan Paul 1972 Preface: 'The way in which knowledge progresses, and expecially our scientific knowledge, is by unjustified (and unjustifiable) anticipations, by guesses, by tentative solutions to our problems, by conjectures. These conjectures are controlled by criticism; that is, by attempted refutations, which include severely critical tests.' [p viii]
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Popper, Karl Raimund, The Logic of Scientific Discovery, 1992 Jacket: 'A striking picture of the logical character of scientific discovery is presented here ... Science is presented as ... the attempt to find a coherent theory of the world composed of bold conjectures and disciplines by penetrating criticism.'
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Reynolds, Vernon, and Ralph Tanner, The Social Ecology of Religion, Oxford University Press 1995 Jacket: 'No society exists in which religion does not play a significant part in the lives of ordinary people. Yet the functions of the world's diverse religions have never been fully described and analyzed, nor has the impact of adherence to those religions on the health and survival of the populations that practice them. . . . this extraordinary text reveals how religions in all parts of the world meet the needs of ordinary people and frequently play an important part in helping them to manage their affairs.'
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Wiener, Norbert, Cybernetics or control and communication in the animal and the machine, MIT Press 1996 The classic founding text of cybernetics.
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Links
| Biblos.com Biblos.com: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages 'Biblos.com is an extension of the Online Parallel Bible Project http://bible.cc' back |
| Cybernetics - Wikipedia Cybernetics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to control theory and systems theory. Both in its origins and in its evolution in the second-half of the 20th century, cybernetics is equally applicable to physical and social (that is, language-based) systems.' back |
| Doxology - Wikipedia Doxology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'A doxology (from the Greek δόξα [doxa] "glory" + -λογία [-logia], "saying")[1] is a short hymn of praises to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives from a similar practice in the Jewish synagogue,[2] where some version of the Kaddish serves to terminate each section of the service. . . . Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.. . . As it was in the beginning, both now, and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.' back |
| Fixed point (mathematics) - Wikipedia Fixed point (mathematics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'In mathematics, a fixed point (sometimes shortened to fixpoint) of a function is a point that is mapped to itself by the function. That is to say, x is a fixed point of the function f if and only if f(x) = x' back |
| Genesis The Book of Genesis 'Genesis is the first book of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), the first section of the Jewish and the Christian Scriptures. Its title in English, “Genesis,” comes from the Greek of Gn 2:4, literally, “the book of the generation (genesis) of the heavens and earth.” Its title in the Jewish Scriptures is the opening Hebrew word, Bereshit, “in the beginning.”' back |
| Georg Cantor - Wikipedia Georg Cantor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor (March 3 [O.S. February 19] 1845[1] – January 6, 1918) was a German mathematician, born in Russia. He is best known as the creator of set theory, which has become a fundamental theory in mathematics. Cantor established the importance of one-to-one correspondence between sets, defined infinite and well-ordered sets, and proved that the real numbers are "more numerous" than the natural numbers. In fact, Cantor's theorem implies the existence of an "infinity of infinities". He defined the cardinal and ordinal numbers and their arithmetic. Cantor's work is of great philosophical interest, a fact of which he was well aware' back |
| Mathematics - Wikipedia Mathematics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'Mathematics is the abstract study of topics such as quantity (numbers), structure, space, and change. There is a range of views among mathematicians and philosophers as to the exact scope and definition of mathematics.' back |
| Paul VI: Franjo Cardinal Seper Inter Insigniores: On the question of admission of women to the ministerial priesthood '. . . in execution of a mandate received from the Holy Father and echoing the declaration which he himself made in his letter of 30 November 1975, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith judges it necessary to recall that the Church, in fidelity to the example of the Lord, does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination.' back |
| Quantum mechanics - Wikipedia Quantum mechanics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a theory of physics providing a mathematical description of the interaction of matter and energy.' back |
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