Religion and the Challenges of Science
Published on 28. August 2007
Book
Hardback
242 pages
978-0-7546-5715-6 (ISBN)
Description
Does science pose a challenge to religion and religious belief? This question has been a matter of long-standing debate - and it continues to concern not only scholars in philosophy, theology, and the sciences, but also those involved in public educational policy. This volume provides background to the current 'science and religion' debate, yet focuses as well on themes where recent discussion of the relation between science and religion has been particularly concentrated. The first theme deals with the history of the interrelation of science and religion. The second and third themes deal with the implications of recent work in cosmology, biology and so-called intelligent design for religion and religious belief. The fourth theme is concerned with 'conceptual issues' underlying, or implied, in the current debates, such as: Are scientific naturalism and religion compatible? Are science and religion bodies of knowledge or practices or both? Do religion and science offer conflicting truth claims? By illuminating contemporary discussion in the science-religion debate and by outlining the options available in describing the relation between the two, this volume will be of interest to scholars and to members of the educated public alike.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7546-5715-6 (9780754657156)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
William Sweet is Director, Centre for Philosophy, Theology, and Cultural Traditions St Francis Xavier University Canada. He is also President of the Canadian Philosophical Association. Richard Feist is Dean of Philosophy at Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Content
Contents: Introduction: rethinking relations between science and religion, William Sweet. Part I History and Contexts in Biology and Evolutionary Theory:'The declaration of students of the natural and physical sciences', revisited: youth, science and religion in mid-Victorian Britain, Hannah Gay; Theological insights from Charles Darwin, Denis O. Lamoureux; A model of interaction between science and theology based on the scientific papers of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Lodovico Galleni and Marie Claire Groessens-van Dyke; Biology and a theology of evolution, Arthur Peacocke. Part II Physics, Philosophy, and Fine Tuning: Creation, metaphysics, and cosmology, Lawrence Dewan; Cosmological theories and the question of the existence of a creator, John L. Bell; Whitehead, God, and relativity, Richard Feist; Design inferences, fine-tuning, and the prior probability of divine intelligent agency: what the fine-tining argument shows, Kenneth Einar Himma. Part III Naturalism and the Non-Natural: On scientific explanations of mystical experience of God, Jerome Gellman; The human genome revolution, society, and religion, Job Kozhamthadam; Partner of the sciences or object of study? Theology and religion in relation to the natural and social sciences, Willem B. Drees; Beyond naturalism: scientific creativity and theological knowledge, Paul Allen. Part IV Conceptual Issues: Can science provide evidence for metaphysics?, Leslie Armour; Science and religious belief: some conceptual issues, William Sweet; Index.