Paradoxology: Spirituality in a Quantum Universe
Miriam Therese Winter. Orbis Books, 2009. 192 pages.
Reviewed by by Kerra Becker English
In a pre-Copernican world, when it was believed that the earth was the center of the universe, our spirituality drew from the seasons and observations about the natural world to help us understand who we are. Then when Newtonian physics taught us that the world operated predictably and mechanically, according to natural laws, our religion similarly became certain that there must be laws that govern our relationships with each other and structure institutions that are the building blocks of societies. Now that the understanding of our physical reality has shifted again with our understanding of reality at the quantum level, our spirituality will change and adapt to include this worldview as well. Citing Teilhard de Chardin’s comment about the changes in perception he was experiencing, Winter remarks: “divinity and energy are inexplicably entwined.” Would he have said that in the same way in a much earlier time? Probably not.
