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Loading... Science and Religion: A Very Short Introduction (edition 2008)by Thomas Dixon (Author)
Work InformationScience and Religion: A Very Short Introduction by Thomas Dixon
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.   mifras | Dec 14, 2008 | 
 We are told that the conflict between Galileo and the church was not a conflict between science and religion, but then we are told that Galileo’s actions hardened the church’s conservative position and forced the church to declare Copernicanism heretical! There’s got to be something deeply wrong with this conclusion. Indeed, it shows, clearly, I think, that the whole “field” of Science and Religion is misconceived from the start. It is built on the assumption that there are two different sources of knowledge, each with its own legitimate authority, and the task of the “field” of Science and Religion is to come up with some way of harmonising these authorities. But surely the simple truth is that religion has not been able to provide an authoritative source of knowledge, or a method for distinguishing between what is true or false in the religious account of the world. The multiplicity of religions is alone enough to confirm this. But there is something else that is particularly notable about Dixon’s treatment of the trial and condemnation of Galileo, and the lengths he appears to be willing to go in order to exonerate the church. For, there is not one mention of the Index of Prohibited Books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum) in Dixon’s book – not one. Now, surely this is a remarkable oversight in a book that claims to be providing the tools for thinking reasonably about the relationship of religion and science. The Index was established in 1559, a good 74 years before the trial and condemnation of Galileo. And while Dixon says that the Galileo forced the church to declare Copernicanism heretical, Johannes Kepler’s Epitome astronomiae Copernicianae, was on the Index from 1621 to 1835, and Copernicus’ work was already there, placed on the Index in 1611, and it also remained there until 1835. The last edition of the Index was issued in 1948, and the Index was not abolished until 1966. Surely, not to mention a religious institution that lasted for so long, and which prohibited, in its time, most of the greatest works of science and scholarship of the modern period, is a serious lacuna in a study aimed at exploring the relationship between science and religion. The failure betrays a degree of scholarly bias which leads one to wonder how the book got past the Oxford University Press editors, and alone calls into question the basic premise of the book about the existence of an academic “field” of Science and Religion. Belongs to SeriesAwards
From the trial of Galileo through to today's controversy over the teaching of 'Intelligent Design' in schools, there has been a long history of conflict between science and religion. This account explores the key philosophical arguments on both sides of this fascinating and complex debate. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)201.65Religions Religion Religious mythology, general classes of religion, interreligious relations and attitudes, social theology Religions and secular disciplines Religion and scienceLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.68)
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Wikipedia in English (5)
1
The debate between science and religion is never out of the news: emotions run high, fuelled by polemical bestsellers like The God Delusion and, at the other end of the spectrum, high-profile campaigns to teach "Intelligent Design" in schools. Yet there is much more to the debate than the clash of these extremes. As Thomas Dixon shows in this balanced and thought-provoking introduction, a whole range of views, subtle arguments, and fascinating perspectives can be found on this complex and centuries-old subject. He explores the key philosophical questions that underlie the debate, but also highlights the social, political, and ethical contexts that have made the tensions between science and religion such a fraught and interesting topic in the modern world. Dixon emphasizes how the modern conflict between evolution and creationism is quintessentially an American phenomenon, arising from the culture and history of the United States, as exemplified through the ongoing debates about how to interpret the First-Amendment's separation of church and state. Along the way, he examines landmark historical episodes such as the Galileo affair, Charles Darwin's own religious and scientific odyssey, the Scopes "Monkey Trial" in Tennessee in 1925, and the Dover Area School Board case of 2005, and includes perspectives from non-Christian religions and examples from across the physical, biological, and social sciences.
Product Details
144 pages; 20 b/w halftones; 4-1/4 x 6-3/4; ISBN13: 978-0-19-929551-7ISBN10: 0-19-929551-4
About the Author(s)
Thomas Dixon is Lecturer in History at Queen Mary, University of London. A member of the International Society for Science and Religion and an expert on modern intellectual history, he writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement , and has published books about the history of psychology and about Victorian moral philosophy.