Michał Kazimierz Heller (born 12 March 1936 in

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Tarn� ...

) is a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

professor of philosophy at the

Pontifical University of John Paul II The Pontifical University of John Paul II ( pl, Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie) is an academic institution located in Kraków, Poland, that offers graduate degrees in theology, philosophy, and church history. It derived from the ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, Poland, and an adjunct member of the

Vatican Observatory The Vatican Observatory () is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. Originally based in the Roman College of Rome, the Observatory is now headquartered in Castel Gandolfo, Italy and operates a telescope at ...

staff. He also serves as a lecturer in the

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ult ...

and

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...

at the Theological Institute in Tarnów. A

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest belonging to the

Diocese of Tarnów In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

, Heller was ordained in 1959. In 2008 he received the

Templeton Prize The Templeton Prize is an annual award granted to a living person, in the estimation of the judges, "whose exemplary achievements advance Sir John Templeton's philanthropic vision: harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest quest ...

for his works in the field of philosophy.

Career

Michał Heller attended

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Mościce, graduated from the Catholic University of Lublin, where he earned a master's degree in philosophy in 1965 and a Ph.D. in

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

in 1966. After beginning his teaching career at

, he joined the faculty of the Pontifical Academy of Theology in 1972 and was appointed to a full professorship in 1985. He has been a visiting professor at the

Catholic University of Louvain The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and a visiting scientist at Belgium's

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...

, the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...

, Ruhr University in Germany,

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

, and the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

among others. His current research is concerned with the singularity problem in

general relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics ...

and the use of

noncommutative geometry Noncommutative geometry (NCG) is a branch of mathematics concerned with a geometric approach to noncommutative algebras, and with the construction of ''spaces'' that are locally presented by noncommutative algebras of functions (possibly in some g ...

in seeking the unification of

and

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistr ...

into quantum gravity. His model gives new perspectives on

quantum entanglement Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon that occurs when a group of particles are generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the group cannot be described independently of the state of ...

and the

EPR paradox EPR may refer to: Science and technology * EPR (nuclear reactor), European Pressurised-Water Reactor * EPR paradox (Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox), in physics * Earth potential rise, in electrical engineering * East Pacific Rise, a mid-oc ...

.Abner Shimony, “Bell's theorem”, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
/ref>

Awards

Templeton Prize

In March 2008, Heller was awarded the $1.6 million (£820,000)

for his extensive philosophical and scientific probing of "big questions". His works have sought to reconcile the "known scientific world with the unknowable dimensions of God".Million-Dollar Prize Given to Cosmologist Priest
/ref> On receiving the Templeton Prize, Heller said: Heller used the prize money to establish the Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies – an institute named after

Nicholas Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated ...

aimed at research and popularisation of science and philosophy. Heller himself is the director of the Center, as well as the program director of Copernicus Festival.

Other distinctions

Honorary degrees from: *

AGH University of Science and Technology AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, (abbreviated as ''AGH UST'') is a public university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1913, its inauguration took place in 1919. The university focuses on innovative technologies, its research p ...

(1996) * Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (2009) * University of Life Sciences in Poznań (2010) *

Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology ( pl, Politechnika Warszawska, lit=Varsovian Polytechnic) is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professor ...

(2012) * Jagiellonian University (2012) * University of Life Sciences in Lublin (2014) * University of Silesia in Katowice (2015) *

(2016) *

Rzeszów University of Technology Rzeszów University of Technology, also known as Rzeszów Polytechnic ( pl, Politechnika Rzeszowska im. Ignacego Łukasiewicza, PRz) or Ignacy Łukasiewicz University of Technology, is a state-run institution of higher education in Rzeszów, Pola ...

(2018) Other distinctions: *

Cross of Merit (Poland) The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was aw ...

(2006) *

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

(2009) *

Order of the White Eagle (Poland) The Order of the White Eagle ( pl, Order Orła Białego) is Poland's highest order awarded to both civilians and the military for their merits. It was officially instituted on 1 November 1705 by Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Electo ...

(2014)

Memberships

Polish Academy of Learning The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences or Polish Academy of Learning ( pl, Polska Akademia Umiejętności), headquartered in Kraków and founded in 1872, is one of two institutions in contemporary Poland having the nature of an academy of scie ...

Pontifical Academy of Sciences The Pontifical Academy of Sciences ( it, Pontificia accademia delle scienze, la, Pontificia Academia Scientiarum) is a Academy of sciences, scientific academy of the Vatican City, established in 1936 by Pope Pius XI. Its aim is to promote the ...

European Physical Society The European Physical Society (EPS) is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote physics and physicists in Europe through methods such as physics outreach. Formally established in 1968, its membership includes the national physical so ...

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation The International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation (ISGRG) is a learned society established in 1971 with the goal to promote research on general relativity (GR) and gravitation. To that end, it encourages communication between relativi ...

International Society for the Study of Time The International Society for the Study of Time (ISST) is an interdisciplinary organization of professional scientists, humanists, and artists. Established by Julius Thomas Fraser, J. T. Fraser in 1966, society members study and explore the multipl ...

International Society for Science and Religion The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is a learned society established in 2001 for the purpose of the promotion of education through the support of inter-disciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion c ...

*''The Science of Space-Time'', with Derek Jeffrey Raine, Pachart Publishing House, Tucson 1981, *''Encountering the Universe'', Pachart Publishing House, Tucson 1982, *''Questions to the Universe – Ten Lectures on the Foundations of Physics and Cosmology'', Pachart Publishing House, Tucson 1986, *''Theoretical Foundations of Cosmology – Introduction to the Global Structure of Space-Time'',

World Scientific World Scientific Publishing is an academic publisher of scientific, technical, and medical books and journals headquartered in Singapore. The company was founded in 1981. It publishes about 600 books annually, along with 135 journals in various ...

, Singapore–London 1992, *''Lemaître, Big Bang and the Quantum Universe'', Pachart, Tucson 1996, *''Some Mathematical Physics for Philosophers'', Pontifical Council for Culture,

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, Vatican City–Rome 2005, *''Ultimate explanations of the universe'', transl. by Teresa Bałuk-Ulewiczowa, Springer, 2009,

Books – Philosophy and Theology

*''The World and the Word – Between Science and Religion'', Pachart Publishing House, Tucson 1986, *''The New Physics and a New Theology'', transl. by G. V. Coyne, T.M. Sierotowicz, Vatican Observatory Publications 1996, *''Creative Tension. Essays on Science & Religion'', Templeton Foundation Press, Philadelphia–London 2003, *''A Comprehensible Universe. The Interplay of Science and Theology'', with George Coyne, Springer, New York 2008, , *''The Sense of Life and the Sense of the Universe'', Copernicus Center Press, Cracow 2010, *''Philosophy in Science: An Historical Introduction'', Springer, 2011, *''Philosophy of Chance. A cosmic fugue with a prelude and a coda'', Copernicus Center Press, Cracow 2012,

Articles

*''The Origins of Time'', in: ''The Study of Time IV'', ed. by J.T. Fraser, N. Lawrence, D. Park, Springer Verlag, New York–Heidelberg–Berlin 1981, pp. 90–93, *''Algebraic Self-Duality as the "Ultimate Explanation"'', ''

Foundations of Science ''Foundations of Science'' is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal focussing on methodological and philosophical topics concerning the structure and the growth of science. It is the official journal of the Association for Foundati ...

'', 9, 2004, pp. 369–385

References

External links

Michał Heller's homepage

An article by Stanislaw Wszołek about Heller's life and philosophy

THE FAR-FUTURE UNIVERSE
Eschatology From A Cosmic Perspective" : Heller was a participant in this conference held November 7–9, 2000 in Rome, Italy

Biography at Britannica Online
*

* ttps://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13454-qa-2008-templeton-prize-winner.html New Scientist interview {{DEFAULTSORT:Heller, Michael 1936 births People from Tarnów Cosmologists Polish relativity theorists Quantum gravity physicists Historians of physics Polish male writers Polish Roman Catholic theologians Polish Roman Catholic priests Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences Catholic University of America faculty University of Arizona faculty Catholic clergy scientists Academics of the University of Leicester Living people Catholic philosophers Philosophers of physics Templeton Prize laureates Theistic evolutionists 21st-century Polish philosophers 20th-century Polish philosophers