Ian Barbour

Ian Barbour is a physicist, theologian and winner of the 1999 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. Barbour's many books and articles have compared methods of inquiry in science-and-religion and have explored the theological implications of the Big Bang thoery, quantum physics, evolutionary biology and genetics. His books include Issues in Science and Religion — published in 1965 and widely regarded as one of the most influential books in the field of science-and-religion — and Religion in an Age of Science. Barbour has also written and lectured extensively about ethical issues arising from the technological applications of science. Barbour emphasizes the importance of models in both physics and religion: Just as we use both wave and particle models of the electron for different situations, so too must we view God as both a personal and impersonal God to fit different situations. Barbour is an emeritus professor at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.