William G. Pollard
Encyclopedia
William Grosvenor Pollard (1911–1989) was a physicist
and an Episcopal priest
. He started his career as a professor of physics in 1936 at University of Tennessee
. In 1946 he championed the organization of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies (ORINS). He was its executive director until 1974. He was ordained as a priest in 1954. He authored and co-authored a significant amount of material in the areas of Christianity
and Science and Religion found in books, book chapters, and journal articles. He was sometimes referred to as the "atomic deacon."
. His father, Arthur L. Pollard, a mining engineer and bacteriologist, moved the family to Knoxville, Tennessee
when Pollard was twelve. Pollard had been raised in the Episcopal faith, but in high-school ventured into the Unitarian Church
. After three years, he also gave that up. After marriage in 1932, he again began to attend Episcopal services. He received an A.B. from University of Tennessee
in 1932; an M.A. and Ph.D. from Rice University
in 1934 and 1935, respectively. His thesis was entitled "On the Theory of Beta-Ray Type of Radio-active Disintegration." In 1936 he joined the University of Tennessee
as a faculty member, becoming a full professor in 1943.
. He did research on a gaseous diffusion
extraction method of U-235
from common uranium
. He initially worked at Columbia University
's Pupin Physics Laboratories
.
, December 17, 1952. His four sons, then aged 10 to 17, served as acolytes. Numerous scientists and employees from Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies attended along with several reporters and photographers.
involves God
acting through quantum indeterminacy
. His position is thought to be similar to that of Karl Heim
, J.J. Thomson, Arthur Compton
, George Thomson
, E. T. Whittaker
, and Eric Mascall.
that has led to further ideas about religion and chaos theory
. Chapter 5 of Divine Action and Modern Science
(Cambridge University Press
, 2002) is divided into three sections: "Pre-Pollard quantum SDA", "William Pollard", and "Post-Pollard quantum SDA".
(1955), Pollard was one of eight distinguished speakers giving talks on The Christian Idea of Education. According to acting New York Times reporter Edward N. West, a Canon of New York Cathedral St. John the Divine and author of Mediations on the Gospel of St. John, "the speakers were as distinguished as authentic Christianity produces." Other speakers included Princeton University
historian and Presbyterian layman E. Harris Harbison
, Cry, The Beloved Country
author and Anglican layman Alan Paton
, Professor of Liturgics
and Episcopal
priest Massey H. Shepherd
, Roman Catholic priest John Courtney Murray
, Roman Catholic layman and then professor emeritus of Princeton University
Jacques Maritain
, Russian Orthodox priest and then Harvard University
professor Georges Florovsky
, and Protestant theologian
Reinhold Niebuhr
. According to Canon West, "These contributors are so excellent, the thinking on so high a level, that any intelligent reader will be excited. The Christian position has never been better stated." Pollard and Edmund Fuller
co-edited the results of this seminary, which were published as The Christian idea of education: papers and discussions (Yale University Press
, 1958).
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and an Episcopal priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
. He started his career as a professor of physics in 1936 at University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. In 1946 he championed the organization of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies (ORINS). He was its executive director until 1974. He was ordained as a priest in 1954. He authored and co-authored a significant amount of material in the areas of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and Science and Religion found in books, book chapters, and journal articles. He was sometimes referred to as the "atomic deacon."
Life
He was born in Batavia, NYBatavia (city), New York
Batavia is a city in Genesee County, Western New York, USA, located near the middle of Genesee County, entirely within the Town of Batavia. Its population as of the 2000 census was 16,256...
. His father, Arthur L. Pollard, a mining engineer and bacteriologist, moved the family to Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
when Pollard was twelve. Pollard had been raised in the Episcopal faith, but in high-school ventured into the Unitarian Church
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
. After three years, he also gave that up. After marriage in 1932, he again began to attend Episcopal services. He received an A.B. from University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in 1932; an M.A. and Ph.D. from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
in 1934 and 1935, respectively. His thesis was entitled "On the Theory of Beta-Ray Type of Radio-active Disintegration." In 1936 he joined the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
as a faculty member, becoming a full professor in 1943.
Manhattan Project
In 1944 under the cover of Columbia University's Special Alloys and Metals Laboratory, he was asked to join the Manhattan ProjectManhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. He did research on a gaseous diffusion
Gaseous diffusion
Gaseous diffusion is a technology used to produce enriched uranium by forcing gaseous uranium hexafluoride through semi-permeable membranes. This produces a slight separation between the molecules containing uranium-235 and uranium-238 . By use of a large cascade of many stages, high separations...
extraction method of U-235
Uranium-235
- References :* .* DOE Fundamentals handbook: Nuclear Physics and Reactor theory , .* A piece of U-235 the size of a grain of rice can produce energy equal to that contained in three tons of coal or fourteen barrels of oil. -External links:* * * one of the earliest articles on U-235 for the...
from common uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
. He initially worked at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Pupin Physics Laboratories
Pupin Hall
Pupin Physics Laboratories, also known as Pupin Hall is home to the physics and astronomy departments of the Columbia University in New York City and a National Historic Landmark...
.
Ordination
He was ordained on Ember WednesdayEmber days
In the liturgical calendar of the Western Christian churches, Ember days are four separate sets of three days within the same week — specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday — roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that were formerly set aside for fasting and prayer...
, December 17, 1952. His four sons, then aged 10 to 17, served as acolytes. Numerous scientists and employees from Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies attended along with several reporters and photographers.
Position on the relation of religion and science
Pollard's position on the relation of religion and scienceRelationship between religion and science
The relationship between religion and science has been a focus of the demarcation problem. Somewhat related is the claim that science and religion may pursue knowledge using different methodologies. Whereas the scientific method basically relies on reason and empiricism, religion also seeks to...
involves God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
acting through quantum indeterminacy
Quantum indeterminacy
Quantum indeterminacy is the apparent necessary incompleteness in the description of a physical system, that has become one of the characteristics of the standard description of quantum physics...
. His position is thought to be similar to that of Karl Heim
Karl Heim
Karl Heim was a professor of dogmatics at Münster and Tübingen. One of his students was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He retired in 1939. His idea of God controlling quantum events that do and would seem otherwise random has been seen as the precursor to much of the current studies on divine action...
, J.J. Thomson, Arthur Compton
Arthur Compton
Arthur Holly Compton was an American physicist and Nobel laureate in physics for his discovery of the Compton effect. He served as Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1945 to 1953.-Early years:...
, George Thomson
George Paget Thomson
Sir George Paget Thomson, FRS was an English physicist and Nobel laureate in physics recognised for his discovery with Clinton Davisson of the wave properties of the electron by electron diffraction.-Biography:...
, E. T. Whittaker
E. T. Whittaker
Edmund Taylor Whittaker FRS FRSE was an English mathematician who contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of special functions. He had a particular interest in numerical analysis, but also worked on celestial mechanics and the history of physics...
, and Eric Mascall.
Continuing influence
The book The Frontiers of Science & Faith: Examining Questions from the Big Bang to the End of the Universe (2002) credits Pollard in making important contributions to a significant train of thought on religion and quantum indeterminacyQuantum indeterminacy
Quantum indeterminacy is the apparent necessary incompleteness in the description of a physical system, that has become one of the characteristics of the standard description of quantum physics...
that has led to further ideas about religion and chaos theory
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
. Chapter 5 of Divine Action and Modern Science
Divine Action and Modern Science
Divine Action and Modern Science is a book written by Nicholas Saunders. It looks at Near Eastern biblical and modern theological approaches to the idea of divine action, covering such questions as how divine action occurs, what its effects are, the relationship between divine and finite causation...
(Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 2002) is divided into three sections: "Pre-Pollard quantum SDA", "William Pollard", and "Post-Pollard quantum SDA".
Fiftieth anniversary of Kent School
At an ecumenical seminary held in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Kent SchoolKent School
Kent School is a private, co-educational college preparatory school in Kent, Connecticut, USA. The Reverend Frederick Herbert Sill, Order of the Holy Cross, established the school in 1906 and it retains its affiliation with the Episcopal Church of the United States.Students at Kent come from more...
(1955), Pollard was one of eight distinguished speakers giving talks on The Christian Idea of Education. According to acting New York Times reporter Edward N. West, a Canon of New York Cathedral St. John the Divine and author of Mediations on the Gospel of St. John, "the speakers were as distinguished as authentic Christianity produces." Other speakers included Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
historian and Presbyterian layman E. Harris Harbison
E. Harris Harbison
Elmore Harris Harbison was the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History at Princeton University. He was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania in 1907. He joined Princeton as a faculty member in 1933. He became a trustee of the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1951.-References:...
, Cry, The Beloved Country
Cry, The Beloved Country
Cry, the Beloved Country is a novel by South African author Alan Paton. It was first published in New York City in 1948 by Charles Scribner's Sons and in London by Jonathan Cape; noted American publisher Bennett Cerf remarked at that year's meeting of the American Booksellers Association that there...
author and Anglican layman Alan Paton
Alan Paton
Alan Stewart Paton was a South African author and anti-apartheid activist.-Family:Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province , the son of a minor civil servant. After attending Maritzburg College, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Natal in his hometown, followed...
, Professor of Liturgics
Liturgics
Liturgics is the academic discipline dedicated to the study of liturgy. Liturgics scholars typically specialize in a single approach drawn from another scholarly field. The most common sub-disciplines are: history or church history, theology, and anthropology...
and Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
priest Massey H. Shepherd
Massey H. Shepherd
The Reverend Doctor Massey Hamilton Shepherd, jr was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church in 1941. He was born in Wilmington, NC the son of Alice Louise Gladstone Melville and Massey Hamilton Shepherd, sr. He had an older sister...
, Roman Catholic priest John Courtney Murray
John Courtney Murray
John Courtney Murray, , was an American Jesuit priest and theologian, who was especially known for his efforts to reconcile Catholicism and religious pluralism, particularly focusing on the relationship between religious freedom and the institutions of a democratically structured modern...
, Roman Catholic layman and then professor emeritus of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
Jacques Maritain
Jacques Maritain
Jacques Maritain was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive St. Thomas Aquinas for modern times and is a prominent drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
, Russian Orthodox priest and then Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
professor Georges Florovsky
Georges Florovsky
Georges Vasilievich Florovsky was an Eastern Orthodox priest, theologian, historian and ecumenist. He was born in the Russian Empire, but spent his working life in Paris and New York...
, and Protestant theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
Reinhold Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr
Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian and commentator on public affairs. Starting as a leftist minister in the 1920s indebted to theological liberalism, he shifted to the new Neo-Orthodox theology in the 1930s, explaining how the sin of pride created evil in the world...
. According to Canon West, "These contributors are so excellent, the thinking on so high a level, that any intelligent reader will be excited. The Christian position has never been better stated." Pollard and Edmund Fuller
Edmund Fuller
Edmund Fuller was a historian, literary critic, and master at Kent School. He was also involved in the some of the 1950s and 1960s science and religion scholarship, bringing him into contact with William G. Pollard...
co-edited the results of this seminary, which were published as The Christian idea of education: papers and discussions (Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
, 1958).
Published works
- "The Significance of Complementarity for the Life Sciences American Journal of Physics", American Journal of PhysicsAmerican Journal of PhysicsThe American Journal of Physics is a monthly, peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. The editor is Jan Tobochnik of Kalamazoo College.-Aims and scope:...
, May 1952, Volume 20, Issue 5, pp. 281–288 - The Christian idea of education: papers and discussions, co-edited with Edmund FullerEdmund FullerEdmund Fuller was a historian, literary critic, and master at Kent School. He was also involved in the some of the 1950s and 1960s science and religion scholarship, bringing him into contact with William G. Pollard...
(1958), Yale University PressYale University PressYale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
Dr. Pollard, the Chairman, added: "The purpose of this seminar is to examine and identifiy in a fundamental fashion the peculiar characteristics of the educational processes and objectives which constitute the Christian idea of education. The emphasis will not be on religious perspectives in teaching, nor on the problems of the Christian teacher, but will rather be concerned with education in its entirety from a Christian viewpoint.
- Schools and Scholarship: The Christian Idea of Education: Part 2, co-edited with Edmund Fuller (1962), Yale University PressYale University PressYale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
The formal addresses by the university professors are, by and large, re-enactments of the ritual of Loving One's Subject. They are eloquent pleas, on behalf of this, that or the other discipline, for a greater share in the students' time. Most of the real moments of constructive excitement come in the discussions. ...There are two startling exceptions to the generalization about the contribution of the university people. These exceptions are the scientists. The most exquisite statement of what the process of education should be is not to be found amid the majestic vivacity of the humanists but in the conversational, almost casual speech by Edward Teller
Edward TellerEdward Teller was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb," even though he did not care for the title. Teller made numerous contributions to nuclear and molecular physics, spectroscopy , and surface physics...
, the physicist. The most acute and moving theology is contributed by the Executive DirectorExecutive directorExecutive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies, the Rev. William G. Pollard. Their utterances explain why it has been, of all things, the dramatic demands of science on the high-school curricula that have, after thirty-five years of stagnation, at last produced the beginnings of a new humanism in American education.- The Hebrew Iliad : the history of the rise of Israel under Saul and David : written during the reign of Solomon probably by the priest Ahimaaz, co-authored with Robert Henry Pfeiffer, HarperHarper (publisher)Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins.-History:James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishing business J. & J. Harper in 1817. Their two brothers, Joseph Wesley Harper and Fletcher Harper, joined them...
(1957) - Chance and providence: God's action in a world governed by scientific law, Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
and Charles Scribner's SonsCharles Scribner's SonsCharles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
, (1958) (full text ) - Physicist and Christian: a dialogue between the communities (1st published 1961; 2nd pub. 1964), Seabury Press (full text )
- Atomic energy and southern science; the impact of the Nation's atomic energy program on the development of science and technology in the South since 1946, Oak Ridge Associated UniversitiesOak Ridge Associated UniversitiesOak Ridge Associated Universities is a consortium of American and British universities headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with an office in Washington, D.C., and staff at several other locations across the country.- History :...
(1966) - Science and faith: twin mysteries, T. Nelson (1970)
- The mystery of matter, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (1970)
- Transcendence and providence : reflections of a physicist and priest, Scottish Academic PressScottish Academic PressScottish Academic Press is an old Scottish publishing company. It is based in Edinburgh on Brandfield Street.-External links:...
(1986), ISBN 0707304865 - Long-range prospects for solar-derived fuels, American ScientistAmerican ScientistAmerican Scientist is the bimonthly science and technology magazine published since 1913 by Sigma Xi. Each issue includes four to five feature articles written by scientists and engineers. These authors review research in all fields of science...
, Vol/Issue: 64:5, 1976 Jan 01 - "The Recovery of Theological Perspective in a Scientific Age" (pp. 22–43) in Religion and the University (1964) Edited by Jaroslav PelikanJaroslav PelikanJaroslav Jan Pelikan was a scholar in the history of Christianity, Christian theology and medieval intellectual history.-Early years:...
, University of Toronto PressUniversity of Toronto PressUniversity of Toronto Press is Canada's leading scholarly publisher and one of the largest university presses in North America. Founded in 1901, UTP has published over 6,500 books, with well over 3,500 of these still in print.... - The Moral Implications of Energy: Its Production, Distribution and Use, By William G Pollard, Frederick S Carney, Thomas J. ReeseThomas J. ReeseThomas J. Reese, SJ, brother of Edward A. Reese, SJ, is an American Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, author, and former editor in chief of America, a weekly Catholic magazine....
, Published by America PressAmerica (magazine)America is a national weekly magazine published by the American Jesuits that contains news and opinion about Catholicism and how it relates to American politics and cultural life....
, 1981, (published as special issue of Catholic Mind October 1981) - "The Faith of a Physicist" in Modern Canterbury Pilgrims: The Story of Twenty-three Converts and why They Chose the Anglican Communion, James Albert Pike, Stephen Neill, Wystan Hugh Auden, New York, Mowbray, London: Morehouse-Gorham, 1956, 317 pages
- The Hebrew Iliad : the history of the rise of Israel under Saul and David : written during the reign of Solomon probably by the priest Ahimaaz, co-authored with Robert Henry Pfeiffer, Harper
- Review of book in Time Magazine: Travelers at Home, Monday, May. 28, 1956
- "Creation by Alternative Histories", Chapter 16 of Science, Faith, and Revelation: An Approach to Christian Philosophy (A festschriftFestschriftIn academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
for Eric Rust), Bob E. Patterson, Eric Charles Rust, Broadman Press, 1979, ISBN 0805418091, 371 pages
- "Creation by Alternative Histories", Chapter 16 of Science, Faith, and Revelation: An Approach to Christian Philosophy (A festschrift
Articles about him
- His biography at the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
- "The Founder of ORAU" at Oak Ridge Associated UniversitiesOak Ridge Associated UniversitiesOak Ridge Associated Universities is a consortium of American and British universities headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with an office in Washington, D.C., and staff at several other locations across the country.- History :...
Website - "Find the Balance", Time magazine article, Monday, August 26, 1957
- "Lessons from Oak Ridge", Time magazine article, Monday, January 7, 1952
- "Atomic Deacon", Time magazine article, Monday, June 18, 1951
- Edward N. West, August 11, 1957, Sunday, Section: The New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, Page 201, 621 words, "At the Heart of Every Age There Must Be an Inspiring Idea" - "A Deacon at Oak Ridge", Daniel Lang, The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, February 6, 1954, p. 37 - Pollard gets mention in Will HerbergWill HerbergWill Herberg was an American Jewish writer, intellectual and scholar. He was known as a social philosopher and sociologist of religion, as well as a Jewish theologian.-Early life:...
's Protestant, Catholic, Jew: An Essay in American Religious Sociology (University of Chicago PressUniversity of Chicago PressThe University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
, 1953).