Science and Religion in Early America: Cotton Mather's Christian Philosopher

1987 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winton U. Solberg
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Theory ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Early America ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Human Thought ◽  
Academy Of Sciences

Science and religion both constitute vital dimensions of experience, but people differ in their views on proper relations between the two. In modern times, when science increasingly dominates the outlook of society, many regard science and religion as incompatible and strive to maintain them in watertight compartments. In 1972, for example, the National Academy of Sciences, responding to a demand that creationism be given equal time with the theory of evolution in biology classrooms and textbooks, adopted a resolution stating that “religion and science are … separate and mutually exclusive realms of human thought whose presentation in the same context leads to misunderstanding of both scientific theory and religious belief.” The battle over creationism continues, with the National Academy of Sciences and orthodox religious groups both insisting on the incompatibility of the two spheres.

Social Evolution versus Sudden Change

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ehrenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Darwinian Evolution ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Academy Of Sciences

In an address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, meeting at the Vatican on October 22, 1996, Pope John Paul II accepted the theory of evolution, thus bringing to an official end, for the Catholic Church, the most bitter and most persistent of all debates between science and religion. “New knowledge,” John Paul said, “has lead to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis.” He qualified his statement somewhat by pointing out that there are many readings of evolution, “materialist, reductionist, and [his preference] spiritualist interpretations.” Still, we must not quibble; the Pope has endorsed slow evolutionary change, Darwinian evolution, as the likely way that nature modifies all living creatures, including all human beings. Fashioning us in the image of God, the Pope appears to believe, took a very, very long time. The dust has not yet settled on the great evolution war, nor will it settle soon. A few intelligent scientists are still not convinced that evolutionary theory explains the species richness of our planet and the amazing adaptations, such as eyes, wings, and social behavior, of its in-habitants. There also remain powerful religious orthodoxies that show no sign of giving up the fight for creationist theology. A second war about evolution is now being waged, an invisible, un-publicized struggle between a different set of protagonists; it is a war whose outcome will affect our lives and civilization more directly than the original controversy ever did. The new protagonists are not science and traditional religion; instead, they are the corporate apostles of the religion of progress versus those surviving groups and individuals committed to slow social evolution as a way of life. To understand this other struggle, it is necessary to look at evolution in a broad context that transcends biology. Not just a way of explaining how the camel got her hump or how the elephant got his trunk, the idea of evolution can also be applied to the writing of a play that “evolves” in the mind of the playwright or the “evolution” of treaties, banking systems, and anything else that changes over time in a non random direction.

Science, Scientism, and Evolution

2020 ◽  
pp. 125-138
Author(s):  
Michael L. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Scientific Theory ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Philosophical Naturalism ◽  
General Audience ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
The World ◽  
Evolutionary Science

This chapter discusses some themes to which Lewis returned often because they reflect philosophical errors that are still influential in culture—science and scientism, evolution and evolutionism. Under the facade of science, even the science of evolution, philosophical naturalism, materialism, and reductionism serve as the paragons of knowledge and often guide social policy. Thus, “scientism” and “evolutionism” are labels for the combination of naturalism and science in general and evolutionary science in particular. Lewis defines science as seeking natural causes for natural effects, which, when successful, formulates laws of the physical operation of nature. Such an intellectual enterprise is neutral with respect to religious and theological positions and is hardly strong evidence for naturalism and empiricism. Lewis identifies the conflict as occurring, not between science and religion (or theism), but between naturalism and theism as philosophical worldviews. As a case in point, Lewis sees no conflict between the scientific theory of evolution and its increasing confirmation by empirical evidence, but he does see a conflict between evolution as interpreted by philosophical naturalism—with ideas that humanity is not of special worth, that there is no God who is ultimately responsible for the existence of the world, and so on. An item of particular interest is the Lewis–Van Osdall correspondence (recently discovered, never before published) regarding what advice Lewis would offer on Van Osdall’s contemplated book aimed at presenting science to a general audience, especially a Christian audience.

Who Wrote What When: The Bible, Science and Criticism

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-315
Author(s):  
Geert Lernout
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
John William Draper ◽  
Century Science

According to the traditional (or ‘whig’) interpretation of history, sometime in the seventeenth century science was born in the form that we know today, in a new spirit that can best be summed up by the motto of the Royal Society: nullius in verba, take nobody's word for it. In the next few centuries this new critical way of looking at reality was instrumental in the creation of a coherent view of the world, and of that world's history, which was found to be increasingly at odds with traditional claims, most famously in the case of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. By the end of the nineteenth century, the divide between science and religion was described by means of words such as ‘conflict’ and ‘warfare,’ the terms used by John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White in the titles of their respective books: History of the Conflict between Religion and Science (1874) and History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1896).

scholarly journals Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus: Achievements and Prospects

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-446
Author(s):  
V. V. Danilovich ◽  
V. L. Lakiza
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Scientific Organization ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Contemporary History ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Archaeological Heritage ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
History Of ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
The Middle Ages

The article presents the major accomplishments of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in recent years – the leading scientific organization in the field of fundamental and applied research on national and universal history, archaeology and anthropology, including organization and implementation of activities to study and preserve the historical, cultural and archaeological heritage of the country, practical application and popularization.In the year of the 90th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus the Institute incorporates 5 centers: the Center of Archaeology and Ancient History of Belarus (including departments of archaeology of primitive society, archaeology of the Middle Ages and Modern times, the department of preservation and using of archaeological heritage, the department of history of Belarus in the Middle Ages and early Modern times); the Center of Modern and Contemporary History of Belarus (including departments of history of Belarus in modern times, the military history of Belarus, the department of the newest history of Belarus); the Center of History and Anthropology Related Sciences (including departments of genealogy, heraldry and numismatics, the department of source studies and archeography, the departments of historiography and methods of historical research, anthropology); the Center of General History and International Relations; the Center for History of Geopolitics.The Institute has an Archaeological Scientific and Museum Exposition, the Central Scientific Archive of NAS of Belarus (including the only one in the country Fund of archaeological research documents) and the International School of Historical and Archaeological Research.The article focuses on the achievements of scientists in the framework of fulfilling the tasks of the subprogram “History and Culture” of the state research program “Economics and Humanitarian Development of the Belarusian Society” for 2016– 2020, as well as the results that were included in the TOP 10 achievements of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, important publications, scientific and practical events, prospects for the development of scientific research.

Address of the President, Sir Michael Atiyah, O. M., given at the Anniversary Meeting on 30 November 1993

1994 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-133
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Church Of England ◽  
The United States ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
The Church

Science and religion have frequently, over the centuries, been in conflict, particularly in matters of doctrine. Galileo’s conflict with the Church persisted, at least formally, until last year. Another famous episode centred on Darwin’s theory of evolution, and this particular debate continues to flourish in parts of the United States. Even in this country, which prides itself on moderation in all things, there are at times outbursts of anti-scientific polemics based in part on perceived conflict with religion. Fortunately, there are more rational voices which seek to defuse unnecessary confrontation on matters of fundamental belief. But, doctrine aside, I would like to suggest that religion and science have certain things in common and that their established institutions, be they the Church of England or the Royal Society, have analogous roles to play. There may even be issues on which we could work in parallel with broadly similar objectives.

scholarly journals Menningarástøði og hugmyndafrøði - Brotmynd í 4 pørtum um vald og kyn við støði í bókmentaligari viðgerð / The Theory of Evolution and Ideology - A Mosaic in Four Parts on Power and Gender Based on a Reading of Three Literary Texts

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Kirsten Brix
Keyword(s):  
Intelligent Design ◽  
Scientific Theory ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Recent Attempt ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender

<p><strong>Ú</strong><strong>r</strong><strong>t</strong><strong>ak</strong>: Menningarástøðið eftir Charles Darwin elvdi frá fyrsta degi til mótstøðu bæði frá vísindaligari og átrúnaðarligari síðu. Seinni hava rannsóknir innan fyri ymiskar vísindagreinir við nýggjari tøkni prógvað hansara niðurstøður, og menningarástøðið er viðurkent sum vísindaligt ástøði. Men hugmyndafrøðiliga heldur stríðið fram. Tann nýggjasta royndin at útihýsa menningarástøðinum frá undirvísingini í skúlum og øðrum lærustovnum er at fáa tað, sum verður nevnt intelligent design, viðurkent sum vísindaligt ástøði. Greinin viðger við støði í trimum bókmentaligum tekstum ymisk brigdi í tí hugmyndafrøðiliga stríðnum og vísir á, at stríðið ikki snýr seg um vitan og sannleikar, men um tamarhald og vald.</p><p><strong>A</strong><strong>bstract</strong>: From the beginning, Darwin´s theory of evolution led to opposition from science and religion alike. Later, research carried out within different branches of science and using the most advanced technology has proved the validity of his conclusions and the theory of evolution has been established as a scientific theory. However, the ideological battle has far from ended. The most recent attempt to have the theory of evolution excluded from schools and other institutions of learning is having what is called intelligent design established as a scientific theory. Using three literary texts as points of departure, the writer deals with different aspects of this ideological battle and concludes that this is not, indeed, a controversy about knowledge and truth, but about control and power.</p>

scholarly journals HUBUNGAN ANTARA AGAMA DAN ILMU DALAM PANDANGAN AL FARABI

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-46
Author(s):  
Tsuraya Syarif Zain
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Philosophical Perspective ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Strong Principle ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
Is Integration ◽  
Absolute Knowledge ◽  
The Relationship

Are religion and science in contradictory? This question is not easy to answer. In many ways, religion through the teachings of its Holy Scripture is different from the discovery of the sciences, for example the concept of creation is different from Darwin's theory of evolution. Starting from this problem the authors encourages to examine more deeply the relationship between science and religion related to the question of religious position for science and science for religion according to Al Farabi philosophical perspective. According to Al Farabi between Revelation as a source of religion and science are interwoved. So it can be concluded that in Islam there is integration between science and religion. Revelation comes from God, as well as other knowledge derived from the Absolute. Absolute knowledge is able to become a science because it benefits for human life and bring happiness for mankind. Such knowledge should then be deductible to be the principles of law with a strong principle of wisdom and prudence to make it a science

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