Abstract

This paper will argue that panentheism fails to avoid ontological dualism, and that the naturalistic assumption being employed in panentheism undermines the idea of God acting in physical reality. Moreover, given panentheism’s lack of success with respect to avoiding dualism, it becomes unclear to what extent panentheism represents a naturalistic approach in the dialogue between science and religion.

Highlights

  • Several thinkers in the science-religion dialogue (SRD) maintain that classical theism is no longer tenable, and that science mediates a view of reality not compatible with the ontology expressed by a traditional or supernaturalistic theism

  • In this paper I will argue that panentheism is unable to avoid ontological dualism

  • Going beyond Reductionism: Finding a Plausible Naturalism The panentheists discussed within this paper claim to subscribe to some form of naturalism: a naturalism that is perceived as being able to avoid the objections invited by reductionism, materialism or eliminativism

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Summary

Introduction

Several thinkers in the science-religion dialogue (SRD) maintain that classical theism is no longer tenable, and that science mediates a view of reality not compatible with the ontology expressed by a traditional or supernaturalistic theism. Emergence theory, according to Peacocke and Clayton, offers a view of divine causality that does not introduce the dualism associated with supernaturalism. In his attempt to avoid deism, Clayton has adopted a dualistic causality, because there will be causes in the world that transcend the limits of natural science, these being ontologically irreducible.

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