Being as Communion: A Metaphysics of Information(Routledge Science and Religion Series)

For a thing to be real, it must be able to communicate with other things. If this is so, then the problem of being receives a straightforward resolution: to be is to be in communion. So the fundamental science, indeed the science that needs to underwrite all other sciences, is a theory of communication. Within such a theory of communication the proper object of study becomes not isolated particles but the information that passes between entities. In Being as Communion philosopher and mathematician William Dembski provides a non-technical overview of his work on information. Dembski attempts to make good on the promise of John Wheeler, Paul Davies, and others that information is poised to replace matter as the primary stuff of reality. With profound implications for theology and metaphysics, Being as Communion develops a relational ontology that is at once congenial to science and open to teleology in nature. All those interested in the intersections of theology, philosophy and science should read this book.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1 The Challenge of a Material World 2 Free Will: The Power of No 11 3 Information as Ruling Out Possibilities 4 Possible Worlds 5 Matrices of Possibility 6 Measuring Information 7 Information Theory 8 Intelligence vs. Nature? 9 Natural Teleological Laws 10 Getting Matter from Information 11 The Medium and the Message 12 Embodiment and Transposition 13 Energy 14 An Informationally Porous Universe 15 Determinism 16 Contingency and Chance 17 Search 18 Conservation of Information 19 Natural Selection 20 The Creation of Information 21 A World in Communion

About the Author :
A philosopher and mathematician, William A. Dembski is a senior fellow with Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture as well as a research scientist with the Evolutionary Informatics Lab. A cross-disciplinary scholar, he has published widely in the mathematics, engineering, philosophy, and theology literature, and is the author/editor of more than 20 books. Being as Communion ties together two decades of his research on the relation between teleology and information.

Review :
'This is a clear, fresh, stimulating, and provocative book. I enjoyed reading it, and recommend it to anyone who would like to think more deeply about information, evolution and creativity.' Rupert Sheldrake, University of Cambridge, UK 'Being as Communion is a masterpiece. Dembski's treatment of information is deep, rich and staggeringly original, gathering together many different threads from theology, philosophy and science. In an intellectual world that prizes outrageous proposals, Dembski modestly seeks to turn the world upside down by making the case that information is more fundamental than matter or energy. He thereby illuminates the primacy of mind in the cosmos. This book is a fresh and significant threat to materialist imperialism.' Mark Fitzmaurice, General Medical Practitioner, Sydney, Australia 'William Dembski is one of the most original and rigorous thinkers of his generation, and his new book, Being as Communion, pulls together in a satisfying way the many threads in the theory of design and information that he has developed over the last 15 years. Philosophical and theological critics of the "intelligent design" movement need to read this book, since here Dembski definitively smashes the common caricatures and misrepresentations of the movement, including the notion that ID is committed to a metaphysics that is mechanist, dualist, interventionist, or occasionalist. Dembski argues persuasively that information cannot be simply identical with its physical manifestations, and that the concepts of information and teleology are indispensable tools for the contemporary metaphysician.' Robert C. Koons, University of Texas - Austin, USA 'The first Scientific Revolution was the recognition that the book of nature was written in mathematics. The second Scientific Revolution - that the chapter on biology is written in information theory - is taking place in our lifetime. Biology is replete with information, from the genetic code and intricate intracellular nanotechnology to the obvious teleology of evolution. How can we make philosophical and theological sense of biological information? Bill Dembski, a pioneer in Intelligent Design science and a mathematician, philosopher and theologian, is uniquely situated to draw together the metaphysical implications of the information revolution in biology. Dembski succeeds astonishingly well. He asks the salient question: what if the fundamental stuff of the world is not matter but information? This rekindling of Platonic and Aristotelian insight is brilliant and is a desperately needed antidote to materialist tropes that have crippled modern science and philosophy. Dembski's remarkable insight - that information in nature is communion - is metaphysical and theological sagacity of a high order. A magnificent achievement.' Michael Egnor, Stony Brook University Medical Center, USA 'Dembski has become widely known for his quest to elucidate the role of information in our understanding of science and scientific processes. In this book he clarifies and develops some of the major themes of intelligent design, particularly reflecting on the "nature of nature itself". Materialism sees matter as basic: information is merely a form of matter. Dembski argues emphatically that the boot is on the other foot: matter is really a form of information. Building on the ideas of John Wheeler and von Baeyer, this is a tour de force of analytical writing, and another serious wound to the hegemony of materialism in modern science and culture.' Colin Reeves, Emeritus Professor of Operational Research, Coventry University, UK 'If you are someone who is drawn to the latest meme of information, and you are a theist, then Dembski's book is a must read. However, even if you are like me and not so taken with that meme (I find it too skeletal a notion to carry the semantic weight of "communion" in his title), and even if you are not a theist, you are nonetheless likely to find lots in this book to expand your mind.' Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith