Science and Religion

Rogene A. Buchholz

Description

Science is under attack in this country and belief in conspiracy theories is on the rise, making the quest for truth and how we attain knowledge of the truth all the more important.
Science and religion are two different worldviews that involve different methods of attaining truth, one based on evidence using a scientific method to examine the natural world and the other based on belief in certain religious precepts often involving a supernatural dimension based on a holy book in some cases, and on the authority of religious leaders. This book examines the nature of religion and the role it plays in society along with unresolved problems that have existed for some time. The nature of science is then discussed along with the scientific method and problems with science that have not been resolved. The origins of science and religion are then examined and the relationship of these two worldviews and the relationship of science to the supernatural. Finally, the future of religion is examined along with its ongoing relationship to science. The real battle between science and religion involves the question of who gets to decide the truth about the world we live in and our status as human beings in this world. The answer to that question is not obvious but has enormous implications for human life on a planet that is under stress and may not be able to support human life for much longer as our actions have consequences that are now becoming all too apparent.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 15 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781665576680
• Langue: English

Extrait

SCIENCE AND RELIGION
 
The Quest for Truth
 
 
 
 
 
 
ROGENE A. BUCHHOLZ
 
 
 

 
AuthorHouse™
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© 2022 Rogene A. Buchholz. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse 02/15/2023
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7669-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7668-0 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022922304
 
 
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1The Nature Of Religion
2The Case For Religion
3Problems With Religion
4The Nature Of Science
5The Scientific Method
6Problems With Science
7The Origions Of Science And Religion
8The Relationship Of Science And Religion
9Science And The Supernatural
10The Future Of Religion
Selected Bibliography
Acknowledgements
The relationship between science and religion is something that has interested me for a long time so I thought I would do some research on the topic that eventually led to this book. What is involved in this discussion are two worldviews, the scientific and the religious, and these two worldviews inform the way people think about the world and the behavior they adopt to live within one of these worldviews. These worldviews involve different ways of looking at nature and our place in nature as well as how we should behave with respect to the world and other people. The scientific and religious worldviews involve different choices with regard to many issues that face the society in which people live.
This book was made possible by many people including my wife with whom I have had many conversations over the years about religion and science in general and Christianity in particular along with a pragmatic view of science. These were very enlightening discussions that eventually made me be honest with myself and made me realize that I was a thoroughgoing naturalist that did not believe in any supernatural realm. Everything we experience and know anything about comes from the natural world in which we live and there is nothing beyond like a deity that resides in some other place that deserves to be worshiped or looked to for guidance. Since Christianity is only possible unless one believes in a supernatural realm it was obvious I did not have the kind of faith Christianity requires. But I did not want to call myself an atheist so I consider myself to be just a nonbeliever who became more interested in the relationship of science and religion.
When I retired from teaching I audited courses in philosophy, sociology, and political science at the University of Colorado at Denver which broadened my horizons and introduced me to new ways of thinking. Thus I would like to thank all the instructors and students who I interacted with in these courses that gave me new ideas about many things including religion and introduced me to books and articles that were relevant to this book. So I have kept on reading and thinking about the relationship of science and religion among other things that eventually led to this book about the relationship of science and religion and the implications of this relationship for our knowledge about the world we live in and how we should behave in this world.
Many thanks are due to AuthorHouse, who accepted this book for publication. This is the fourth book I have published with them so I am obviously satisfied with the product they publish. Specifically I would like to thank Mike Collins who was my initial contact at AuthorHouse and Eve Ardell who is the Check-In-Coordinator at AuthorHouse responsible for getting the book published. She has been involved in all my other books published by AuthorHouse and has been a pleasure to work with on all these books. Thanks are due to all the other people at AuthorHouse who will be involved in the publication of this book. Their work on this book is greatly appreciated.
Introduction
Little did I know when I first started writing this book that the topic of science and religion would be so timely. There has been an assault on truth during the last few years in our country that is unprecedented and represents a threat to democracy and the values of Western societies. An article in a newsmagazine written by William Saletan, claimed that during the time of Trump’s presidency, a new era of “ruthless, relentless, denialist propaganda at a scale we used to see only in dictatorships” was ushered into American discourse. Trump persuaded countless Americans that the coronavirus was nothing to fear, that masks were useless, and that the election was stolen, something he continues to maintain to this day and that most Republicans believe is true despite all evidence to the contrary. 1
Saletan states that politics in this country is no longer a fight between the left and the right but is between those who respect evidence and those who do not need evidence. There must be a common standard for judging truth, he goes on to say, and that standard must be evidence, something science has used with spectacular success. 2 Politicians often prefer to deny reality or create their own, he says, but for democracy to continue in existence, we must rely on evidence as the only way to solve our problems and escape paralyzing polarization. 3 This is a most important observation about two different approaches to truth that exist in this society, one which involves evidence and one which is based on mere belief. This is the major issue between science and religion. Religion involves belief in things unseen or the supernatural which is called faith and goes hand in glove with an authoritarian approach, while science involves the use of evidence to support its claims to truth, evidence gained through the scientific method and backed up by a peer review system rather than authoritarianism.
Science and religion are two very different ways of gaining knowledge about the world we live in and both worldviews have a story to tell about the beginning of the universe and in particular our solar system, and how it is all going to end. These worldviews involve different ways of approaching the world and attaining some understanding of how the world works and what place we occupy in this vast universe in which we find ourselves. Both worldviews have metaphysical underpinnings and epistemological approaches that need to be examined in as realistic a fashion as possible so informed choices can be made about where we should commit ourselves as far as truth is concerned and how we are going to live our lives in the reality we choose to live in.
Many people, including scientists themselves, seem to live in both worldviews as they follow scientific principles and the scientific method in their profession as scientists and adopt a religious worldview when they engage in religious practices. They claim a compatibility regarding the relationship between science and religion that others contest, which makes this relationship an interesting question to be examined as scholars have taken different approaches to this relationship. The origins of science and religion are also interesting questions to explore as it helps us to understand the seeming conflict between these two approaches to knowledge in our contemporary world.
This book begins with a discussion of the nature of religion and what it generally entails. It seems that the definitions of religion that I read about all involve some connection with a supernatural power that distinguishes religion from science. This supernatural power is appealed to for certain things that people cannot do for themselves or face challenges that seem beyond their capabilities. A belief in this superpower apparently gives people some degree of comfort in trying circumstances. There are a great variety of religions in the world and in this chapter I approach this variety in two different ways; at a theoretical or abstract level where certain universal features of religion can be identified, and at a more practical level where the major religions of the world are examined as to similarities and differences. The way religion works in practice is also discussed where causal attributions are assigned to a supernatural power in situations that seem to be beyond mere circumstance. And finally, the question of why people believe in religion in examined as religion provides meaning and purpose as well as certainty for many people.
Making a case for religion, the subject of the second chapter, is in many cases a difficult task in a society that is becoming more and more secular in nature. Nonetheless many people believe that religion preserves morality and social harmony, and without religion they would have no morals and sink deeper and deeper into depravity. There would be no meaning and purpose in the world without religion and in a thoroughly secular society there would be a cultural void that poses problems for that society. Religions contain a transcendent vision that can come from nowhere else, it is argued, and cultures are in the service of religion that is a positive force for good in the world. Religion deals w