John Polkinghorne - Immortality and Personal Consciousness?

In memory of John Polkinghorne, 1930-2021, a passionate believer in the unity of knowledge.

Human beings yearn to live forever. But our only hope is some kind of non-physical reality like a personal God, alternative God, or cosmic consciousness. What would be the nature of such immortality? Would we retain our individual sense of self? Or would our drop of personal consciousness be subsumed within a vast ocean of cosmic consciousness? It would make a difference.



The Rev. John Charlton Polkinghorne was an English theoretical physicist, theologian, and writer. He was professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Cambridge, and he resigned his chair to become an ordained Anglican priest.


Closer to Truth presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[cindychristman]

RIP John Polkinghorne, may your hope be everything you want it to be.

[ptgms]

Good luck on your journey John, wherever this may lead too.

[alidasmeh]

Mr. Polkinghorne said: "... I am not sure, wait and see I think the answer...".
He left this world in 2021 March - maybe to another world - to find the answer!
Good luck!

[holgerjrgensen]

We have allways been 'Here and Now',
We All have our very own eternal Consciousness.

[oneworldonehome]

"It is important for you to know, should you ever think that immortality in the physical realm is desirable, you must recognize that such a state would be Hell itself. To be in a beautiful place where you could never be happy would be extremely hellish and you would be held there for a long time because you would keep wanting it, believing in it, hoping for it and trying to make it work. The fact that your physical reality is constantly changing, expanding and evolving and is going through growth and decay gives you hope and promise that your greater purpose and the need of the soul may be fulfilled here. This requires an entirely different theological and philosophical foundation."

A quote from a book by Marshall Vian Summers, entitled *The One God* - Chapter 5: What is Creation? The whole book is free online.

[cps_Zen_Run]

A rational position is to live as your life is finite. Pursue a pathway that brings you happiness and benefits humankind.

[elisabethseeger]

Some things we just can’t know- and we have quite a job just trying to be loving people

[robchristopher]

What a great man, a massive I Q yet so humble and able to articulate what - how he believes an Omnipotent God to be and a future we are all capable of sharing in if we want to ; John is just what this world needed ( R I P ) and people like John helped me _ the cynical old helpless ex Atheist find a path to enlightenment and a better life

[bluelotus]

Being eternal, we are not created. Only the temporary is created... and destroyed.

[ricardom]

Should this version of resurrection be understood as some sort of cloning based on that pattern, for example a "instance" of my pattern but not the "real" me? For example, as in West World?

In other words a version of me will be in heaven but this version the one that is typing died? Would bre great if someone can clarify it

[Dion_Mustard]

When people have Near Death Experiences or Out of Body states they seem to retain their personality whilst "separate" from their physical body. I think whatever separates, namely mind or consciousness, seems to remain intact and memory, thought and awareness continue in some form. I don't think we will ever understand this until it is time to "pass over" so to speak. I hate using the word SOUL as it reeks of religious connotation, but if you study quantum entanglement and quantum physics, it seems plausible that some aspect of us survives brain death.

[dnavas]

we are not only patterns of atoms, we do have a soul which is unique which is why there cannot be 2 of the same you. source: I briefly died of a heart attack, my soul was coming out of my body and God "put me back".

[kuroryudairyu]

Just beautiful words, let's hope

[garshdarnitibelieve]

If there is awareness/consciousness after the body dies I believe it will be a humbling experience... humans will discover they are not the center of the universe...!

[williamsantos]

Religious people only survive on guesswork, conjecture and how it can be. In the end, all we know is that all matter perishes. Our conscience can explain what happens afterward, but only while we are alive. As well as talking about what God is, defining the actions of a God and creating God...

[neffetSnnamremmiZ]

But, Bible says nothing about life after death, but about "resurrection" (after a long sleep) by future mind, that once will have capability to resurrect you, with a non biological body, because you are written in its owns structure and it is then able to read the "book of life", for the reason that you can see and have part in for what you've worked and suffered so hard. With Isaac Newton I would recommend to you: Be careful with hasty judgements or conclusions about future capability of mind! ✌️

[nthdegree]

Fitting conversation as John Pocklinghorne has passed recently

[ASRmann]

The problem is the assumption god is separate from ourselves. Or is a separate individual from ourselves. That is not feasible in my opinion. The higher nature of us all are our unrealised inner selves

[rotorblade]

“God is constrained by the consistency of the divine nature” ?
Doesn’t that mean he is constrained by the laws of nature? So whatever entity exists it always functions following some simple rules that ultimately are not controlled by something else

[ezbody]

Since I rely on medication to function properly in my daily life, will it be my medicated soul that will be resurrected, or should I hoard my medication ahead of the time?