Self-Organizing Systems and Divine Action.

Self-organizing systems abound in the world. These include interstellar systems, environmental systems on Earth, biological systems including sentience-bearing ones (bodies), and sociocultural systems, which include religious systems. All self-organizing systems attempt to maintain equilibrium, whic...

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Publicado en:Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science Vol. 60; no. 3; pp. 736 - 755
Autor principal: Nikkel, David H.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Open Library of Humanities Sep2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Sep2025
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        atl: Self-Organizing Systems and Divine Action.
      aug:
        au: Nikkel, David H.
        affil: Professor of Religion, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, NC, USA
      su:
        Self-organizing systems
        Equilibrium
        Sociocultural factors
        Scientific knowledge
        Cognitive consistency
        Religious orthodoxy
        Supernatural
      sug:
        subj:
          Self-organizing systems
          Equilibrium
          Sociocultural factors
          Scientific knowledge
          Cognitive consistency
          Religious orthodoxy
          Supernatural
      ab: Self-organizing systems abound in the world. These include interstellar systems, environmental systems on Earth, biological systems including sentience-bearing ones (bodies), and sociocultural systems, which include religious systems. All self-organizing systems attempt to maintain equilibrium, which in the case of sociocultural systems always involves some contestation. However, when changing conditions cause significant disequilibrium, such systems strive to regain equilibrium. While modern scientific knowledge offers some resonances with the classical world religions, it has nevertheless caused significant disequilibrium in these systems. Classical religions face substantial disequilibrium insofar as they feature supernatural or divine intentional agency that supersedes, interferes with, or manipulates natural processes to cause particular outcomes. For scientific knowledge and the worldviews strongly influenced by modern science provide no evidence for such agency or causation. This article draws upon two historical cases of classical religions facing and overcoming disequilibrium. It next covers attempts by scholars of the religion and science dialogue to reconcile divine particular causation with scientific knowledge and judges them a failure. It then details affordances offered by classical religions sans divine particular causation. Finally, it explores a model for reinterpreting the divine.
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    language: English
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