This collection of research papers explores the implications of quantum cosmology and the status of the laws of nature for theological and philosophical issues regarding God's action in the world. The main goal is to contribute to constructive theology as it engages current research in the natural sciences, and to investigate the philosophical and theological elements in ongoing theoretical research in the natural sciences.

This book is based on material taught to final-year physics undergraduates as part of the theoretical physics option at Imperial College. After a self-contained introduction to the essential ideas of vector spaces and linear operators, a bridge is built between the concepts and mathematics of classical physics, and the new mathematical framework employed in quantum mechanics. The axioms of nonrelativistic quantum theory are introduced, and shown to lead to a variety of new conceptual problems. Subjects discussed include state-vector reduction, the problem of measurement, quantum entanglement,...

"The result is a book which provides a rapid initiation to the material in question with care and sufficient detail to allow the reader to emerge with a genuine familiarity with the foundations of these subjects".Mathematical Reviews"This book is carefully written, and attention is paid to rigor and relevant details The key notions are discussed with great care and from many points of view, which attenuates the shock of the formalism". Mathematical Reviews

"The result is a book which provides a rapid initiation to the material in question with care and sufficient detail to allow the reader to emerge with a genuine familiarity with the foundations of these subjects".Mathematical Reviews"This book is carefully written, and attention is paid to rigor and relevant details The key notions are discussed with great care and from many points of view, which attenuates the shock of the formalism". Mathematical Reviews

This book was first published in 1982. It consists of selected contributions presented at the Nuffield Quantum Gravity Workshop held at Imperial College, London, in August 1981. The book is divided into three parts which correspond with the three separate themes pursued at the workshop. Part I is concerned with the geometrical and topological aspects of quantum gravity. Part II focuses on supergravity and its application to the Grand Unified Theories of elementary particles. Part III concentrates on the early universe and cosmology. The book, therefore, covers not only supergravity, but the...