Religion and Science

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Science, it seems to me, has an obligation to take phenomena seriously and to attempt a balanced explanation of their causes and their place in the larger scheme of things. Religion, like morality, is a phenomenon to be studied and, if possible, explained. Religion is NOT simply to be identified with belief in God - it is far more complex than that. Why it persists, in the face of huge intellectual difficulties with many of its claims, is a fascinating subject worthy of serious philosophical and scientific scrutiny.

 

For more information about the Access series of books for Religious Studies at A level, click here.

 

 

 

 

Written for students taking A level examination is Religious Studies, Religion and Science gives an overview of the issues that separate these two aspects of life, unpicks the key arguments and sets them in an historical context.

 

While the wonders of the universe are being probed at CERN (as in this photos), religion seeks ways in which that sense of wonder can be directed and expressed. 

This is a debate that can so easily become polarised between a narrow scientism and a literalist view of religion; hopefully, this book will present you with an attempt at careful, rational balance.

 

 

  

Contents:

Introduction

    The Interface of religion and science

    Ways of seeing

    Relevance

    Change and commitment

1. From the Greeks to the Medieval World

    Pre-socratic theories

    Plato

    Aristotle

    Shaping the Medieval World

    Religion and the Rise of Science

2. The Rise of Science

    Evidence and sense experience

    The Scientific method

    Copernicus and Galileo

    Francis Bacon

    Newton

    Practical Science

    Mathematics and Statistics

    Certainty and authority

    The end of religion?

3. The Origin of the Universe

    The dimensions of the universe

    The Big Bang Theory

    Creationist Views

    Creatio ex nihilo

    God: 'Being Itself' or external agent?

    The Anthropic Principle

4. Evolution and Design

    Purpose and direction

    Providence

    Geology

    Darwin and Natural Selection

    DNA

    The Design Argument

    Intelligent Design

    Social Darwinism

5. Freedom and Determinism

    An Historical Perspective

    Leibniz - God's chosen world

    Kant - determined but free

    A romantic challenge?

    Haeckel and Monod - a naturalistic view

    A quantum view

    Playing dice?

6. Miracles

    Historical Background

    Hume on evidence and miracles

    Reasonably miraculous?

    Redefining the miraculous

    Miracles and the arguments for the existence of God

7. Scientific explanations of Religion

    Anthropological explanations

    Sociological explanations

    Psychological explanations

    Biological explanations

8. Modern Physics and the Nature of Reality

    Relativity

    Quantum mechanics

    Mystical and religious perspectives

9. What is a human being?

    Human origins

    A human machine?

    Minds, brains and artificial intelligence

    Surviving death?

10. Technology and Ethics

    Experiments

    Technology without limits?

    Why benefits?

    Instant information

    Intellectual property

 

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A comment from the author...

 

 

 

"So much has happened in the religion and science debate over the last ten years. Sadly, the most widely publicised is the on-going battle between the fundamentalist extremes, with those who defend a naive and literalist interpretation of Genesis, waged against some scientists (including Dawkins, who really should know better) who refuse to take a measured or scientific view of religion, who who tend to move in the direction of scientism - the 19th century view that science offers the only way to describe reality.

Hopefully, this book will restore the rightful position of the middle ground, recognising that religion is an interesting phenomenon for science to examine, but also exploring and celebrating the proper (and inspiring!) place of scientific knowledge in a balanced and humane view of the world."

Mel Thompson

 

 

 

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