1. Polkinghorne on God & cosmology ~ slide 1 John Polkinghorne on cosmology & God 4 John Polkinghorne. Quarks, Chaos, and Christianity. Fortress Books, 1996. Chapter 2. 4 If there is a God, one would expect some clues. Polkinghorne proposes that there are clues. –Foundational events & persons –The character of the world The design argument was immensely popular in the 18th & 19th centuries. –Darwin threw a monkey wrench into the argument.

2. Polkinghorne on God & cosmology ~ slide 2 John Polkinghorne on cosmology & God –The old design arguments tended to be God-of-the-gaps arguments. –There are good & bad God-of-the-gaps arguments. »Bad -- attempting to explain a particular physical phenomena »Good -- attempting to explain the whole

3. Polkinghorne on God & cosmology ~ slide 3 John Polkinghorne on cosmology & God Polkinghorne’s proposal for good gaps arguments –1. Why does mathematics fit the world? The world seems to be shot through with mind. –2. The anthropic principle »The universe is very fine-tuned »This demands an explanation

4. Polkinghorne on God & cosmology ~ slide 4 John Polkinghorne on cosmology & God »Are two plausible explanations for this fine-tuning »(1) Many universes »(2) A Creator willed it that way »Both explanations are plausible. Polkinghorne syas he prefers the theistic answer for other reasons.