Beyond science : the wider human context

John Polkinghorne has had a distinguished career as a particle physicist and as an author of books exploring themes in science and religion. In Beyond Science Polkinghorne examines the nature of scientific inquiry itself and the human context in which science operates. The book looks at issues of meaning and value, such as scientific competition and subjectivity, as well as more practical aspects of the discipline such as the conference circuit and the nurturing of new research.

Science has been very successful at discovering the structure and history of the physical world. However, there is more to be told of scientific fact that can be gained from impersonal experimental tests. This balanced account, written from the perspective of a physicist and a minister, goes beyond science to consider the human context in which it operates and to pursue a wider understanding of ourselves and our world.