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Polkinghorne assisted fellow Nobel laureate Murry Gell-Mann in the discovery of quarks, the building blocks of protons and neutrons. One of his specialties included theories of subatomic particles and this discovery further explained how protons and neutrons are charged by type, by how much, and their individual masses.
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Polkinghorne co-wrote his first book, The Analytic S-Matrix. The S-matrix, or scattering matrix, is a collection of predictions of all possible outcomes in an experiment. This book highlights some key objectives: “(a) the superposition principle of quantum mechanics; (b) the requirements of special relativity; (c) the conservation of probability; (d) the short-range character of the forces; (e) causality and the existence of macroscopic time” (Eden et al. 3).
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Polkinghorne helped Arthur Peacocke find the Society of Ordained Scientists. This group combined the intellectual aspects of science with the framework around worship and prayer.
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Sir Polkinghorne was knighted by her majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his prominent work towards science, religion, learning, and medical ethics.
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Polkinghorne founded the International Society for Science and Religion. This group promotes education in science and religion through a multi-faith context.
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Polkinghorne received the prestigious Templeton Prize. The purpose of the prize is to honor the recipient for their extraordinary work towards expanding the vision for human purpose and spiritual realities. These realities include: love, creativity, purpose, infinity, intelligence, thanksgiving, and prayer.
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In this interesting video clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wSH_Se5_Go), Polkinghorne talks about time as a “block universe” and how even God may not know about the future.
