1st Edition
The Multiverse and Participatory Metaphysics A Theological Exploration
This book offers a new theological approach to the multiverse hypothesis. With a distinctive methodology, it shows that participatory metaphysics from ancient and medieval sources represents a fertile theological ground on which to grapple with contemporary ideas of the multiverse.
There are three key thinkers and themes discussed in the book: Plato and cosmic multiplicity, Aquinas and cosmic diversity, and Nicholas of Cusa and cosmic infinity. Their insights are brought into interaction with a diverse range of contemporary theological, philosophical, and scientific figures to demonstrate that a participatory account of the relationship between God and creation leads to a greater continuity between theology and the multiverse proposal in modern cosmology. This is in contrast to existing work on the subject, which often assumes that the two are in conflict.
By offering a fresh way to engage theologically with multiverse theory, this book will be a unique resource for any scholar of Religion and Science, Theology, Metaphysics, and Cosmology.
1. Introducing the Multiverse and Participatory Metaphysics; 2. Plato on Multiplicity; 3.Aquinas on Diversity; 4. Nicholas of Cusa on Infinity; 5. Concluding Reflections
Biography
Jamie Boulding is a Research Fellow in Theology and Science at Samford University. He completed his PhD in Theology and Science at the University of Cambridge.
"The self-stated aim of The Multiverse and Participatory Metaphysics is to provide the first systematic theological engagement with the metaphysical ideas arising from the multiverse hypothesis. In other words, to explore the extent to which the multiverse hypothesis can be subsumed within the theistic worldview. On this point, he succeeds. This book recognises the profoundly metaphysical nature of the multiverse hypothesis and asks whether, and to what extent, these metaphysical ideas can be theologically fruitful. The theological framework within which Boulding explores the multiverse hypothesis is that of participatory metaphysics, especially as it appears in the work of Plato, Thomas Aquinas, and Nicholas of Cusa."
- Emily Qureshi-Hurst, Pembroke College, University of Oxford
