Religion and Science: History, Method, Dialogue

by Richardson,W. Mark

• ISBN13: 9780415916660
• ISBN10: 0415916666
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-07-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Following a century of scientific revolutions including the formation of relativity, quantum, and chaos theories, the picture we hold of our world no longer resembles that of even recent generations. How has this radically new outlook on the world affected the profound religious quest of humankind? Has the vastly different scientific picture established a new level of dialogue between scientists and theologians? Has the revolution in science impacted the goal or mission of contemporary theology? As the interdisciplinary study of science and religion has been gaining momentum in recent years,Religion and Sciencetakes the pulse of pertinent current research, emphasizing its historical, methodological, and constructive dimensions. Part one examines the interaction between science and religion in several periods since the European Enlightenment. Part two is a two round debate over similarities and differences between the methods of science and religious studies--including theology. Partthree is a unique presentation of six lively and diverse case studies exemplifying the dialogue between important theories in the natural sciences and key religious topics.

Table of Contents

Foreword
General Introduction
History
Introduction	p. 2
Science and Theology in the Enlightenment	p. 7
Dispelling Some Myths about the Split between Theology and Science in the Nineteenth Century	p. 29
The Quest for Harmony: An Interpretation of Contemporary Theology and Science	p. 41
Science, Religion, and the Future	p. 61
Method
Introduction	p. 84
Theology and Science: Listening to Each Other	p. 95
Postmodern Apologetics, or Why Theologians Must Pay Attention to Science	p. 105
Mathematics, Empirical Science, and Religion	p. 121
Rationality and Christian Self-Conceptions	p. 131
Entitled Christian Belief	p. 145
On the Nature of Theology	p. 151
Is Holistic Justification Enough?	p. 161
Dialogue
Introduction	p. 170
Key Developments in Physics Challenging Philosophy and Theology	p. 183
T = O: Is it Theologically Significant?	p. 201
Deterministic Chaos and Quantum Chaology	p. 227
Chaos Theory and Divine Action	p. 243
Complementarity	p. 255
Barth, Bohr, and Dialectic	p. 271
Quantum Complementarity and Christological Dialectic	p. 291
Information Theory, Biology, and Christology	p. 301
The Incarnation of the Informing Self-Expressive Word of God	p. 321
The Molecular Biology of Transcending the Gene	p. 343
The Theology of Human Agency and the Neurobiology of Learning	p. 351
Morality, Religion, and Human Evolution	p. 375
Theological Perspectives on Morality and Human Evolution	p. 401
Reflections on the Dialogue	p. 425
Appendix A: Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 429
Appendix B: Contributors	p. 441
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