What is the essence of life? Human experience can be viewed as a series of choices, purposive activities, and emotional states. Even our most trivial actions are prompted by some goal. Our experience also includes emotions—joy, sadness, pleasure, anxiety, and so on. Even boredom is a type of emotion. But what is the meaning of all this? Those who know anything about science are likely familiar with the idea that reality is based ultimately on particles and physical forces. Modern scientific worldviews seem to offer no explanation for decisions, goals, feelings, and meanings.
This book argues against the materialistic-mechanistic-reductionistic response to science. Physics itself—especially special relativity and quantum mechanics—can be interpreted in ways that support, rather than negate, humanity’s experience of choices, values, and meanings. The process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and others is introduced as a useful tool. However, Whitehead’s thought is presented not as a preexisting philosophy that is imported to the interpretation of science, but as a set of ideas that Whitehead derived from his own knowledge of relativity and quantum theory. The book’s final two chapters offer ideas about religion that are compatible with the worldview that has been described.
eBook - ePub
Physics, Information, and Meaning
How Nature Creates Complexity, Purpose, and Values
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
Trusted by 375,005 students
Access to over 1.5 million titles for a fair monthly price.
Study more efficiently using our study tools.
Information
Topic
Theology & ReligionSubtopic
Philosophical MetaphysicsTable of contents
- Title Page
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1. Introduction
- 2. What’s the Matter with Matter?
- 3. Information About Information
- 4. Special Relativity: Experiments and Principles
- 5. Special Relativity: Philosophical Implications
- 6. Quantum Mechanics: Experiments
- 7. Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Principles
- 8. New Physics and a New View of Nature
- 9. Physics and Purposes
- 10. Process Philosophies and Nature: Heraclitus, Bergson, and James
- 11. Nature and Process Philosophies: Whitehead
- 12. Nature, Organism, and Wholeness
- 13. Experience, Symbols, and Creativity
- 14. Science, Facts, and Values
- 15. The Problem of God
- 16. The Glory of God
- Bibliography
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn how to download books offline
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.5M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1.5 million books across 990+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn about our mission
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more about Read Aloud
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS and Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Yes, you can access Physics, Information, and Meaning by David E. Conner in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Philosophical Metaphysics. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.