Religion and Science

by Barbour, Ian G.

• ISBN13: 9780060609382
• ISBN10: 0060609389
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-07-01
• Publisher: Harperone

Summary

Religion and Science is a definitive contemporary discussion of the many issues surrounding our understanding of God and religious truth and experience in our understanding of God and religious truth and experience in our scientific age. This is a significantly expanded and feshly revised version of Religion in an Age of Science, winner of the American Academy of Religion Award for Excellence and the Templeton Book Award. Ian G. Barbour--the premier scholar in the field--has added three crucial historical chapters on physics and metaphysics in the seventeenth century, nature and God in the eighteenth century, and biology and theology in the nineteenth century. He has also added new sections on developments in nature-centered spirituality, information theory, and chaos and complexity theories.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi	(2)
Introduction	xiii
PART ONE RELIGION AND THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE	3	(74)
1. PHYSICS AND METAPHYSICS IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY	3	(30)
I. THE MEDIEVAL WORLD-DRAMA	4	(5)
1. Methods in Science: Explanation by Purposes	4	(1)
2. Nature as a Created Hierarchy	5	(1)
3. Methods in Theology: Reason and Revelation	6	(1)
4. God as Creator and Redeemer	7	(1)
5. Humanity as Center of the Cosmic Drama	8	(1)
II. GALILEO'S "TWO NEW SCIENCES"	9	(8)
1. Methods in Science: Mathematics and Observation	9	(2)
2. Nature as Particles in Motion	11	(2)
3. Methods in Theology: Scripture, Nature, and the Church	13	(2)
4. God as Author of Nature and Scripture	15	(1)
5. Humanity in the New Cosmology	16	(1)
III. THE NEWTONIAN WORLD-MACHINE	17	(7)
1. Methods in Science: Experiment and Theory	17	(1)
2. Nature as a Law-Abiding Machine	18	(1)
3. Methods in Theology: "Natural Theology"	19	(2)
4. God as Divine Clockmaker	21	(2)
5. Human Nature: Body and Mind	23	(1)
IV. RELIGION AND THE RISE OF SCIENCE: CONFLICT OR HARMONY?	24	(5)
V. SUMMARY	29	(4)
2. NATURE AND GOD IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY	33	(16)
I. THE AGE OF REASON	34	(5)
1. Nature as a Deterministic Mechanism	34	(2)
2. The God of Deism	36	(2)
3. Humanity as Perfectible by Reason	38	(1)
II. THE ROMANTIC REACTION	39	(3)
1. Romanticism in Literature	39	(2)
2. Pietism and Methodism	41	(1)
III. PHILOSOPHICAL RESPONSES	42	(5)
1. Scientific Empiricism and Religious Agnosticism (Hume)	43	(2)
2. Science and Religion as Separate Realms (Kant)	45	(2)
IV. SUMMARY	47	(2)
3. BIOLOGY AND THEOLOGY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY	49	(28)
I. DARWIN AND NATURAL SELECTION	50	(7)
1. Forerunners of Darwin	50	(2)
2. Darwin's Scientific Work	52	(1)
3. Alternative Theories of Evolution	53	(2)
4. Nature as Dynamic Process	55	(2)
II. THEOLOGICAL ISSUES IN EVOLUTION	57	(6)
1. Methods in Theology: The Challenge to Scripture	57	(1)
2. God and Nature: The Challenge to Design	58	(1)
3. Human Nature: The Challenge to the Status of Humanity	59	(2)
4. Evolutionary Ethics and Social Darwinism	61	(2)
III. DIVERGING CURRENTS IN THEOLOGY	63	(9)
1. Traditionalist Responses to Evolution	64	(2)
2. The Modernist Movement	66	(2)
3. The Rise of Liberal Theology	68	(2)
4. Naturalistic Philosophies of Evolution	70	(2)
IV. SUMMARY	72	(5)
PART TWO RELIGION AND THE METHODS OF SCIENCE	77	(88)
4. WAYS OF RELATING SCIENCE AND RELIGION	77	(29)
I. CONFLICT	77	(7)
1. Scientific Materialism	78	(4)
2. Biblical Literalism	82	(2)
II. INDEPENDENCE	84	(6)
1. Contrasting Methods	84	(3)
2. Differing Languages	87	(3)
III. DIALOGUE	90	(8)
1. Presuppositions and Limit Questions	90	(3)
2. Methodological Parallels	93	(2)
3. Nature-centered Spirituality	95	(3)
IV. INTEGRATION	98	(8)
1. Natural Theology	98	(2)
2. Theology of Nature	100	(3)
3. Systematic Synthesis	103	(3)
5. MODELS AND PARADIGMS	106	(31)
I. THE STRUCTURES OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION	106	(9)
1. Theory and Data in Science	106	(4)
2. Belief and Experience in Religion	110	(3)
3. Story and Ritual in Christianity	113	(2)
II. THE ROLE OF MODELS	115	(9)
1. Models in Science	115	(4)
2. Models in Religion	119	(2)
3. Personal and Impersonal Models	121	(2)
4. Christian Models	123	(1)
III. THE ROLE OF PARADIGMS	124	(5)
1. Paradigms in Science	125	(2)
2. Paradigms in Religion	127	(2)
3. Paradigms in Christianity	129	(1)
IV. TENTATIVENESS AND COMMITMENT	130	(7)
1. Tradition and Criticism	130	(2)
2. Central and Peripheral Beliefs	132	(2)
3. Revelation, Faith, and Reason	134	(3)
6. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES	137	(28)
I. HISTORY IN SCIENCE AND RELIGION	137	(7)
1. Historical Explanation	137	(4)
2. Story and History in Christianity	141	(3)
II. OBJECTIVITY AND RELATIVISM	144	(7)
1. The Social Construction of Science	144	(2)
2. Third World Critiques	146	(1)
3. Feminist Critiques	147	(4)
III. RELIGIOUS PLURALISM	151	(14)
1. The Interpretation of Religious Experience	151	(3)
2. Between Absolutism and Relativism	154	(3)
3. Conclusions	157	(8)
PART THREE RELIGION AND THE THEORIES OF SCIENCE	165	(88)
7. PHYSICS AND METAPHYSICS	165	(30)
I. QUANTUM THEORY	166	(11)
1. Complementarity	167	(3)
2. Indeterminacy	170	(3)
3. Parts and Wholes	173	(2)
4. Bell's Theorem	175	(2)
II. RELATIVITY	177	(4)
1. Space, Time, and Matter	177	(2)
2. The Status of Time	179	(2)
III. ORDER AND COMPLEXITY	181	(3)
1. Thermodynamics and Order	181	(1)
2. Chaos Theory and Complexity	182	(2)
IV. METAPHYSICAL IMPLICATIONS	184	(11)
1. The Role of Mind	184	(2)
2. Life, Freedom, and God	186	(2)
3. Physics and Eastern Mysticism	188	(3)
4. Conclusions	191	(4)
8. ASTRONOMY AND CREATION	195	(26)
I. THE BIG BANG	195	(4)
1. Theories in Astrophysics	195	(3)
2. Theological Responses	198	(1)
II. CREATION IN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY	199	(5)
1. Historical Ideas of Creation	199	(3)
2. The Interpretation of Genesis Today	202	(2)
III. DESIGN, CHANCE, AND NECESSITY	204	(5)
1. Design: The Anthropic Principle	204	(2)
2. Chance: Many-Worlds Theories	206	(1)
3. Necessity: A Theory of Everything	207	(2)
IV. THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS	209	(12)
1. Intelligibility and Contingency	209	(3)
2. Ex Nihilo and Continuing Creation	212	(2)
3. The Significance of Humanity	214	(2)
4. Eschatology and the Future	216	(5)
9. EVOLUTION AND CONTINUING CREATION	221	(32)
I. EVOLUTIONARY THEORY	221	(9)
1. The Modern Synthesis	221	(2)
2. Current Debates	223	(2)
3. DNA and the Origin of Life	225	(2)
4. DNA, Information, and Systems Theory	227	(3)
II. A HIERARCHY OF LEVELS	230	(7)
1. Three Forms of Reduction	230	(3)
2. Levels, Emergence, and Wholes	233	(2)
3. Sentience and Purposiveness	235	(2)
III. THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS	237	(16)
1. Chance and Design	237	(3)
2. Models of Creation	240	(3)
3. Conflict, Independence, and Dialogue	243	(2)
4. The Integration of Creation and Evolution	245	(8)
PART FOUR PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS	253	(80)
10. HUMAN NATURE	253	(28)
I. BIOLOGY AND HUMAN NATURE	253	(10)
1. Human Origins	253	(2)
2. Sociobiology and Cultural Evolution	255	(3)
3. The Status of Mind	258	(5)
II. RELIGION AND HUMAN NATURE	263	(14)
1. The Evolution of Religion	263	(4)
2. The Biblical View of Human Nature	267	(5)
3. The Role of Christ	272	(5)
III. THE HUMAN FUTURE	277	(4)
1. Science and the Human Future	277	(2)
2. Theology and the Human Future	279	(2)
11. PROCESS THOUGHT	281	(24)
I. SUMMARY: A MULTILEVELED COSMOS	281	(3)
1. Medieval and Newtonian Views	281	(2)
2. The New View of Nature	283	(1)
II. PROCESS PHILOSOPHY	284	(9)
1. An Ecological Metaphysics	284	(3)
2. Diverse Levels of Experience	287	(3)
3. Science and Metaphysics	290	(3)
III. PROCESS THEOLOGY	293	(12)
1. The Role of God	293	(2)
2. God's Action in the World	295	(2)
3. Christian Process Theology	297	(3)
4. The Problem of Evil and Suffering	300	(5)
12. GOD AND NATURE	305	(28)
I. CLASSICAL THEISM	306	(6)
1. The Monarchical Model	306	(3)
2. Primary and Secondary Causes	309	(3)
II. SOME ALTERNATIVES	312	(10)
1. God as Determiner of Indeterminacies	312	(1)
2. God as Communicator of Information	313	(2)
3. God's Self-Limitation	315	(3)
4. God as Agent	318	(2)
5. The World as God's Body	320	(2)
III. PROCESS THEISM	322	(7)
1. God as Creative Participant	322	(3)
2. Problems in Process Theology	325	(4)
IV. CONCLUSIONS	329	(4)
Notes	333	(24)
Glossary	357	(4)
Index of Names	361	(6)
Index of Selected Topics	367