Barbour: Polkinghorne's Critical Realism
John Polkinghorne advocates critical realism: both science and theology offer genuine insight into reality, not mere human construction. Science and theology are compatible ways of understanding reality.
Real World
Polkinghorne himself exemplifies critical realism: after a career as a Cambridge quantum physicist, he became an Anglican priest, arguing in books like 'Science and Providence' that quarks and God are both real but known through different methods.
Exam Focus
When evaluating Polkinghorne, contrast critical realism explicitly with both naive realism and anti-realism to show conceptual precision.
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