Sentience all the Way Down?
John Pohl's Theology of the Microbe and the Philosophy of Whitehead
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Mathematics and Emotion: Whitehead’s Categories of Existence and Interdisciplinary Studies
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God and Panentheism: The Universe as God's Body
What might it mean to look at ourselves and the world in light of our companionship, indeed our kinship, with microscopic creatures inside our guts? What might it mean to imagine that they, like us, prehend their worlds? That they, like us, have experiences? That they, like us, are part of the body of God? That they, like us, are lured by divine love? That they, like us, seek Beauty and partake a larger Beauty, beyond us, by which even God, the living whole of the universe, is lured?
John F. Pohl offers insights into these questions in The Theology of the Microbe: An Intersection of Divinity and the Microbial Life within Us, published by SacraSage Press in September 2024. The book’s thesis is straightforward:
"The human microbiome serves as a model and metaphor for the prehensive, panentheistic, panexperiential, and love-based creative aspects of God as described by process theology and open and relational theology, while also providing mathematical and mechanistic properties with both objective and subjective qualities to help define these creative aspects of God." John F. Pohl
Pohl, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah and a pediatric gastroenterologist, has long been interested in the intersection of science and religion. He brings this expertise, along with theological training from Northwind Theological Seminary, to this unique work. His medical research can be found on PubMed and Google Scholar, while his theological writings appear in God and Nature magazine, Biologos.org, and other outlets.
For readers unfamiliar with microbiology, the human biome consists of the microorganisms—bacteria, viruses, fungi, and archaea—that live on and inside the human body. Pohl’s book explores these microorganisms in the context of the larger ecosystem, particularly focusing on how the biomes within humans evolve and affect human life.
Pohl’s key objective is to connect the science of biomes with theological perspectives rooted in open and relational (process) theologies. He argues that an open and relational view of God can enhance our understanding of the divine by seeing God as operating within what he calls the "SO-Monad"—a vast network of 'points' in space-time where God, the "uber-statistician" of the universe, plays a central role. S stands for subjective and O stands for objective: Pohl's aim is to show connections between these two side of life without conflating the two:
“Studying the microbiome can serve as a model for how objective and subjective aspects of life work together in harmony as an expression of the SO-Monad. This represents only a tiny microcosm of the larger effort needed to understand the greater reality encompassing God, creativity, and the universe. This work, thankfully, will never end, as humans thrive on curiosity and awe."
According to Pohl, God acts as a cosmic lure within this SO-Monad, influencing every level of existence and drawing the universe—still unfinished—into "eternal creativity." Pohl further suggests that divine activity, as understood in open and relational theology, is fundamentally about love. This love is not deterministic but acts as a lure, drawing all entities, including humans and microorganisms, into greater creativity. He writes:
“God loves every entity, including every microorganism and every human, never determining their existence or experience, but continually luring them forward into creativity."
This poetic passage raises questions about how deeply this divine lure applies to individual microorganisms. Does Pohl mean that God’s love extends to each microorganism as an individual microbe, or merely to groups of microorganisms? This query opens further discussion about the value of individuality, both for humans and microorganisms, within Pohl's theology. Are individuals valued for their own sakes, as ends in themselves and seats of sentience, or primarily (merely) as instruments to a larger a creative whole?
For Christians, divine love generally includes both intrinsic and instrumental value, at least when it comes to humans. In an appendix, Pohl connects this broader theological concern with the healing ministry of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. He challenges readers to link the eternal creativity of the divine lure with loving-kindness toward particulars, including individuals—and possibly microorganisms.
The book is organized into five chapters, plus an appendix. The chapters are titled:
What might it mean to look at ourselves and the world in light of our companionship, indeed our kinship, with microscopic creatures inside our guts? What might it mean to imagine that they, like us, prehend their worlds? That they, like us, have experiences? That they, like us, are part of the body of God? That they, like us, are lured by divine love? That they, like us, seek Beauty and partake a larger Beauty, beyond us, by which even God, the living whole of the universe, is lured?
John F. Pohl offers insights into these questions in The Theology of the Microbe: An Intersection of Divinity and the Microbial Life within Us, published by SacraSage Press in September 2024. The book’s thesis is straightforward:
"The human microbiome serves as a model and metaphor for the prehensive, panentheistic, panexperiential, and love-based creative aspects of God as described by process theology and open and relational theology, while also providing mathematical and mechanistic properties with both objective and subjective qualities to help define these creative aspects of God." John F. Pohl
Pohl, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah and a pediatric gastroenterologist, has long been interested in the intersection of science and religion. He brings this expertise, along with theological training from Northwind Theological Seminary, to this unique work. His medical research can be found on PubMed and Google Scholar, while his theological writings appear in God and Nature magazine, Biologos.org, and other outlets.
For readers unfamiliar with microbiology, the human biome consists of the microorganisms—bacteria, viruses, fungi, and archaea—that live on and inside the human body. Pohl’s book explores these microorganisms in the context of the larger ecosystem, particularly focusing on how the biomes within humans evolve and affect human life.
Pohl’s key objective is to connect the science of biomes with theological perspectives rooted in open and relational (process) theologies. He argues that an open and relational view of God can enhance our understanding of the divine by seeing God as operating within what he calls the "SO-Monad"—a vast network of 'points' in space-time where God, the "uber-statistician" of the universe, plays a central role. S stands for subjective and O stands for objective: Pohl's aim is to show connections between these two side of life without conflating the two:
“Studying the microbiome can serve as a model for how objective and subjective aspects of life work together in harmony as an expression of the SO-Monad. This represents only a tiny microcosm of the larger effort needed to understand the greater reality encompassing God, creativity, and the universe. This work, thankfully, will never end, as humans thrive on curiosity and awe."
According to Pohl, God acts as a cosmic lure within this SO-Monad, influencing every level of existence and drawing the universe—still unfinished—into "eternal creativity." Pohl further suggests that divine activity, as understood in open and relational theology, is fundamentally about love. This love is not deterministic but acts as a lure, drawing all entities, including humans and microorganisms, into greater creativity. He writes:
“God loves every entity, including every microorganism and every human, never determining their existence or experience, but continually luring them forward into creativity."
This poetic passage raises questions about how deeply this divine lure applies to individual microorganisms. Does Pohl mean that God’s love extends to each microorganism as an individual microbe, or merely to groups of microorganisms? This query opens further discussion about the value of individuality, both for humans and microorganisms, within Pohl's theology. Are individuals valued for their own sakes, as ends in themselves and seats of sentience, or primarily (merely) as instruments to a larger a creative whole?
For Christians, divine love generally includes both intrinsic and instrumental value, at least when it comes to humans. In an appendix, Pohl connects this broader theological concern with the healing ministry of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. He challenges readers to link the eternal creativity of the divine lure with loving-kindness toward particulars, including individuals—and possibly microorganisms.
The book is organized into five chapters, plus an appendix. The chapters are titled:
- "A Call to Metaphysics to Benefit Religion and Science"
- "Microorganisms and the Biome"
- "The Microbiome and the Human Condition"
- "A Theology of the Microbiome"
- "Reconciling Subjectivity and Objectivity in Nature and God"
Pohl and Whitehead: Six Ideas
Pohl’s The Theology of the Microbe invites us to rethink the relationship between science and theology, particularly through the lens of process thought. He encourages readers to see God as dynamically involved in the unfolding of life, with love as both the lure toward novelty and the empathetic presence that accompanies us in every moment. This vision challenges traditional views of a distant, immutable God and instead posits a divine presence that evolves in concert with creation. In Pohl’s work, even the smallest, seemingly insignificant forms of life, such as microbes, are recognized as integral parts of the divine dance. By way of a conclusion, I offer six ideas from Whitehead's philosophy that might help further advance Pohl’s thesis, offering new avenues for reflection on how process thought can deepen our understanding of life at both the macroscopic and microscopic levels.
The Realm of Pure Potentialities and Subjective Forms
Whitehead posits that reality is not limited to what is merely actual. There exists a realm of pure potentialities that encompasses possibilities beyond the present state of affairs. This realm is divided into two kinds: one related to objective spatio-temporal relations, governing the physical world, and another related to subjective forms, which include emotions, intentions, and purposes. Both are equally real in Whitehead’s view. By building upon this idea, Pohl’s thesis could explore how these potentialities, especially subjective ones, shape not only the physical unfolding of the world but also the internal, emotional, and purposive dimensions of living beings—and perhaps all beings, even microbes.
In this light, microbes are not merely passive entities responding to environmental conditions but are instead influenced by the realm of possibilities that includes emotional and purposive aspects. This opens up fascinating questions about the subjective experiences of even the smallest organisms. Might microbes, like all forms of life, participate in a process of becoming, shaped by divine lures toward novelty and new forms of relationality? Here, Whitehead’s idea of potentiality enriches Pohl’s thesis by adding a dimension of creativity and intentionality to microbial life, as well as to life in general.
The SO-Monad and the Extensive Continuum
Pohl’s concept of the SO-Monad might be likened to Whitehead’s idea of the extensive continuum—a boundless, interconnected space-time continuum that serves as the backdrop for the universe's unfolding. Just as the extensive continuum provides the spatial and temporal framework for events in Whitehead’s metaphysics, the SO-Monad could be seen as a similarly fundamental structure, offering a cohesive field within which life and experience emerge and evolve.
The SO-Monad, in this comparison, is not merely a container for life but context for all that happens. This framework helps us understand life’s interconnectedness at both micro and macro levels, reflecting Whitehead’s notion that all entities are interrelated within a larger field of existence. This continuity between entities, from microbes to humans, could lead to further insights into how life unfolds across scales and how divine presence is experienced in all layers of being. By likening the SO-Monad to the extensive continuum, Pohl can show how even the most minute life forms are enveloped in a cosmic process of becoming, guided by divine love and presence.
Microorganisms as Societies of Harmonized Entities
Whitehead understands organisms (his examples in Process and Reality are jellyfish and worms) as societies of harmonized cells, each contributing to a larger, coordinated whole. Microorganisms, from this perspective, could be seen not just as simple life forms but as societies of harmonized cells, operating with some degree of coordination and, perhaps, sentience. This opens up the possibility of understanding microorganisms as possessing intrinsic unity and some form of consciousness, however basic, which could add depth to Pohl’s exploration of life at microscopic levels.
The idea that microorganisms are more than just simple structures could revolutionize how we understand life itself. If even microorganisms operate as societies, with coordinated activities that contribute to their survival and flourishing, then the theological implications are profound. These life forms, no matter how small, are engaged in a process of relational becoming, influenced by the divine lures toward greater complexity and harmony. Pohl’s thesis could thus embrace a more dynamic view of microbial life, one that acknowledges the depth of existence even at microscopic levels and includes these beings within the process of divine care and creative advance.
God as an Empathic Receptacle for All Experience
Whitehead’s God is not merely a lure for feeling or a guide toward new possibilities but also an empathic receptacle for all experiences, including those of the most minute and humble organisms, like microbes, as well as human beings and animals. This view of God can enrich Pohl’s thesis by emphasizing that all forms of life, regardless of size or complexity, contribute to the ongoing process of the divine experience, making even the smallest creatures integral to the fabric of existence. Indeed, for Whitehead, all entities help compose God's consequent nature. The consequent nature consists of God's empathic feelings of all entities that experience their surroundings, and also of the entities themselves, as part of the divine experience. Microbes, too, help make God "God."
In this way, God’s empathy is all-encompassing, embracing the entire spectrum of life forms and their experiences. The divine presence is not just a distant overseer but a participant in the joys, sorrows, and struggles of every creature, including microbes. This theological insight transforms how we think about life and its relationship to the divine, suggesting that even the smallest, seemingly insignificant beings are part of God’s own experience of the world and indeed, part of God.
God as the Ur-Statistician: Mathematics and Divine Order
Pohl introduces the idea of God as the "Ur-Statistician," the ultimate knower and weaver of probabilities, responsible for the patterns and structures that give order to the universe. This view resonates deeply with Whitehead’s metaphysical framework, which suggests that the universe is structured not by static, predetermined laws, but by fluid possibilities that are actualized moment by moment. In Whitehead’s process philosophy, mathematics serves as a bridge between potentialities and actualities, reflecting the ordered yet dynamic nature of reality.
God, as the Ur-Statistician, works within this realm of potentiality, orchestrating the probabilities and statistical tendencies that shape the cosmos, from the evolution of life forms to the interactions of microbes. This divine role is not about controlling every outcome but guiding the emergence of order out of chaos, ensuring that even randomness is channeled toward creativity. In this way, mathematics becomes a sacred language through which God expresses the harmonies of the universe.
Pohl’s thesis can be enriched by considering how mathematical patterns, such as the Fibonacci sequence or fractals, reflect the deep structure of reality and reveal divine wisdom. God’s statistical presence can be seen in the regularities that underlie seemingly chaotic processes, such as microbial behavior, evolutionary trends, and cosmic events. This understanding affirms that God does not simply intervene in nature from the outside but is present in the very fabric of the universe, working within the probabilities and possibilities that define existence. The idea of God as the Ur-Statistician thus complements Whitehead’s vision of a universe where order and novelty emerge from a deep, mathematical logic that is itself an expression of divine creativity.
Tragic Beauty: Reconciling Suffering and Harmony in the Universe
In Whitehead’s philosophy, the beauty that God seeks is not free from suffering but is often a tragic beauty, one that incorporates pain, loss, and the struggles of existence. This idea underscores that the process of creating beauty in the universe involves reconciling moments of tragedy and sorrow with moments of joy and fulfillment. For Pohl, this concept of beauty could offer a profound understanding of how even the most painful or difficult experiences in life, both for microbes and humans, contribute to the greater harmony and depth of the cosmos.
This tragic beauty invites us to reconsider how we perceive life’s challenges, from the smallest disruptions at the microbial level to the great losses endured by humanity. Instead of viewing suffering as something to be avoided or eradicated, Whitehead’s tragic beauty suggests that it is part of the process of becoming, contributing to the richness of existence. For Pohl, this might lead to a deeper appreciation of the role that struggle plays in the development of life, from the microscopic to the cosmic level, recognizing that even microbes participate in the unfolding of beauty in ways that may be mysterious but are nonetheless significant.
Conclusion: Enriching Pohl’s Thesis with Whitehead’s Process Philosophy
These six ideas from Whitehead’s process philosophy provide valuable frameworks that can help Pohl further develop his thesis, especially by enriching the metaphysical underpinnings of his work. They support the notion that life, from the smallest microorganisms to the largest entities, unfolds within a vast continuum of possibilities, each contributing to a larger cosmic story that includes both harmony and tragedy. At the heart of this exploration is an affirmation of the profound insight in Pohl’s own work: the recognition that even the smallest, seemingly insignificant forms of life are central to the unfolding beauty of the universe. His inquiry into these microcosms and their potential connections to larger metaphysical principles resonates with Whitehead’s own vision, making Pohl’s work an essential and compelling contribution to both science and philosophy. By weaving these ideas together, Pohl and Whitehead offer a shared vision of life that is dynamic, interconnected, and deeply meaningful.