Week One: Monday/Tuesday
Reading over Christmas:
Tuesday Jan 5
Introduction and reception at the Dunn
Center --Minges, 10 am
Reading
In this class we will start with questions about conflicts raised by students themselves. We will discuss how we have sources, authorities and theories or models in both religion and science. And we will begin by comparing and contrasting our various methods and ways of knowing. In particular we will look at several narratives which define our religious and scientific worlds; in Christianity/Judaism this is Genesis 1-3. We will compare this with the materialist/biological/neo-Darwinian story of origins. To show that theories of origins are variously interpreted in the world's religions we will also examine one or two other non-Western myths of origins.
Questions:
What do you believe about creation/evolution and
have your ideas changed with time, and if so why?
Who or what has most influenced your present
position?
Who or what has caused you to doubt your
position?
How do we understand Genesis today? What
kinds of possible interpretations are possible?
Apart from a literal reading of Genesis, what
other theological conflicts or points of agreement might there be between Genesis and an
evolutionary point of view?
Wednesday Jan 6
Introduction to the science/religion
problem.
Models for the Science/Religion interaction
Reading:
Supplementary Reading
We will discuss Haught's models of conflict, contrast, contact and confirmation as possible ways of looking at the science/religion interface.
Questions: How do you understand the science/religion interface, and where would you put yourself in the hierarchy? Do you think this schema is fair, and does it cover all possible ways of relating science and theology?
Video: The Creation of the
Universe , PBS Video
Thursday Jan 7
Background philosophy of the Nineteenth
Century, history of Biblical interpretation, changes in scientific paradigms and arguments
for the existence of God.
Reading:
Supplementary Reading:
We will discuss further the idea of models and paradigms and the different approaches to language which under gird these theories. In particular the Bible, the source document of the Christian Church has had a long history of varying types of interpretation. Beginning in the nineteenth century other more scientific methods were applied--form criticism, historical criticism, source criticism, etc. These varying interpretations impact enormously on our understanding of Genesis and other Biblical creation material.
There are five possible sources of authority in the Christian Church--tradition, Scripture, Holy Spirit, reason and experience. We will discuss which of these has been most important in different ages and communions of the Church, and how this influences our understanding of science, and its relationship to faith.
The twentieth century has also seen an intense discussion of the nature of language, and huge revolutions in theories of language, use and meaning. We will discuss the meaning of referential and expressivist theories of language and their origins, the failed logical positivist enterprise, and the similar failed attempts to build all mathematics on an axiomatic system. Again we will discuss the relevance of these theories to our understanding of biblical materials and in particular those related to science.
Changes in scientific epistemology and new understandings of how science is done have characterized the twentieth century. We will summarize some of these changes.
Lastly we will look arguments for the existence of God, and in particular at the Design argument which featured so highly during Darwin's time (Paley) and which has been revised in varying forms in recent years.
Questions: How does our view of
authority in the Church influence our acceptance of science? Which authorities prove
to be the most troubling for science? How have philosophical changes altered our
understanding of both theology and science? Do we still do science the way Darwin
thought he was doing it? Can we argue for the existence of God, or is this just a matter
of faith?
If we can make arguments is the design argument
a good one, and what traditionally have been the criticisms of its various forms?
Return to Science and Religion page
Week
Two
Monday/Tuesday
Jan 11/12
Darwin and his age
Reading
Supplementary Reading:
We will discuss the major themes of the Browne biography and the related ideas. Darwin did not dream up his theory in a vacuum. Evolution was "in the air" long before Darwin, but nobody had given an empirical basis for this, and none had given an alternative explanation for origins. This was Darwin's great contribution. Nevertheless he was a reflective and somewhat tormented man. Challenging the major western paradigm, and Christian faith were not his calling. Hence we find enormous ambiguity and ambivalence in Darwin. We will discuss what Darwin really did think about God? What exactly was Darwin's theory of evolution? What sort of a man was he? What changes did this bring about in our thinking? What else was happening which was also a threat to Christian belief--changes in geology, biblical criticism, theology,etc.
Visiting Lecturer (Tuesday): Dr. Eric Kosal
Questions: In what way was Darwin's
theory a new theory and in which ways was it really a re-stating of much older
ideas? What kinds of preparation did Darwin have for his voyage? Which parts of
Victorian society was Darwin most critical of, and which did he accept unthinkingly? What
theories was Darwin entertaining on his Beagle voyage, and how did this influence his
"seeing?" What made Darwin's theory of evolution different from previous
theories, and what made the difference in how it was accepted? Did Darwin start off
believing in God, and to what extent did he think his own theories undermined faith?
Which arguments for faith and which authorities did he see himself as undermining
most? What criticisms of evolution did Darwin proffer, and are they still valid
today? What are some key observations which changed the way Darwin was thinking? How did
Mendel's genetics change evolutionary theory?
How did his observations change the way we think
of ourselves as humans and as animals?
Return to Science and Religion page
Wednesday
Jan 13
After Darwin, Darwin's religious
autobiography, Social Darwinism, sociobiology
Supplementary Reading:
The reaction to Darwinism began immediately with the celebrated debate at Oxford between Thomas Huxley and Bishop Wilberforce. Darwin also continued to reflect upon his own religious position.
Questions: What criticisms of
Darwin did Wilberforce and others like him introduce? Do you think these criticisms
warrant placing the theory on hold, or do you think they are just minor problems?
What are the advantages and disadvantages
of the transfer of Darwinian theory to the social sphere? Did evolution change predominant
thinking, or merely give it a different emphasis? How
did our understanding of ourselves as humans change under the influence of social
Darwinism, and Spencer's idea of the "survival of the fittest."
Return to Science and Religion page
Week two:
Thursday, Jan 14
The Fundamentalist Reaction, the conflict
model, Creation Science
Reading
Supplementary Reading
Facing what appeared to be a choice between Scripture and science the fundamentalist movement threw its resources behind a concerted effort to disprove evolution; by producing literature which showed its inconsistencies; in legal battles, the most notable of which is the Scopes Trial immortalized as the movie Inherit the Wind, and by describing and building an alternative world view. This produced an equally severe reaction of ostracism from the scientific world at large, which nevertheless continued to advocate scientific hegemony over religious world views.
Questions: Was the fundamentalist
reaction justified? What kinds of arguments did they raise, and how have these arguments
changed over the years? Why do you think the creation science movement is stronger
in the U.S. than it is in other countries?
In what ways does Inherit the Wind
reflect accurately the historical picture, and in which ways is it quite wrong? Do you
think it matters that this movies has been very popular and is often shown for educational
purposes? Do you think this helps or hinders the dialogue between science and religion?
Video: Inherit the Wind
Return to Science and Religion page
WEEK THREE
--Contemporary Developments
Tuesday Jan 19
Contemporary Developments--from conflict to
contact
Rediscovering the Design Argument
Reading:
Supplementary Reading:
We will discuss two critics of the old neo-Darwinian evolutionary model. The first introduces the idea of "irreducible complexity" and a re-phrasing of the design argument. This is a very controversial argument now, but design arguments have always been extremely controversial. Richard Dawkins is a scathing critic of all design arguments, claiming they are using a new form of God-of-the Gaps theology. We will look at his criticisms as well as less critical reflections on these ideas.
Questions: Do you think these critics
of neo-Darwinian theory are creationists, or just wanting to modify evolution and its
applications? Are these arguments new, and do you agree with them? What are
the major objections to the new design arguments?
Return to Science and Religion page
Wednesday 20
The Contemporary Dialogue continued --new
concepts from biology and physics
Reading:
Supplementary Reading:
Rapid changes in both science and philosophical thinking in the last 10 to 20 years have opened up new avenues for mutuality and rapprochement between science and religion. On the one hand new thinking has emerged in science and related fields (and will be discussed in this session): in paleontology the possibility of sudden emergence as opposed to slow gradual change; in genetics evidence of mutation rates changing in different circumstances; and in philosophy of science concepts like emergence, de-coupling, and top-down causality are a break from the old deterministic paradigm. These, along with ideas like the "anthropic principle," discussed below, and Behe's "irreducible complexity" have evolved a more holistic, less deterministic non-Darwinian theory of evolution, although this new paradigm is highly controversial in the scientific world itself. On the other hand theology is responding now to a rapidly changing philosophical paradigm, and allowing a more holistic, less polarized approach to world and culture; conversations about Divine action in the world, for example are now commonplace and intersect directly with scientific concerns. We will examine how these changes at the very least make God a lot less redundant than previous scientific models, and at most are suggestive of creative design and care.
Questions: How have changes in biology and evolutionary theory helped to change our evolutionary paradigm, and in which ways does this make dialogue with religion more accessible?
What is the anthropic principle and how does
it help us see God in the world. Do you agree or disagree with using the anthropic
principle to argue for religion?
Video: The Questions Is Part I
Return to Science and Religion Page
Thursday, Jan 21
The contemporary dialogue--theological
considerations
A new view of matter/ Remaining areas
of tension
Reading:
Supplementary Reading
One of the consequences of the new dialogue between science and religion is that the physical world is no longer regarded as a dead physical machine-like stuff (even from a biological point of view, though the new physics also changes our view of matter). There is more mystery and more depth to matter within a postmodern framework. Matter is capable of carrying consciousness, whether combined with dualistic (soul and spirit) notions or not. In this context we will discuss the difference between materialism and "holistic materialism," or "nonreductive physicalism. "But if science and religion have moved closer there nevertheless remain areas of contention and tension. The evolutionary vision does opens up questions as to why God would do things this way. And the lingering concept of blind chance in the evolutionary process is hard to reconcile with the theological understanding of humans at the pinnacle of creation, capable not just of consciousness but of bearing divinity. And the problem of divine and human freedom, although mitigated to some extent by the new biology and the new physics is still an area of urgent theological inquiry.
Video: The Evolving Soul
Return to Science and Religion Page
Monday Jan 25
Persons and Nature
Reading
Supplementary Reading:
Visiting Speaker: Ms Candy Madrid
We are in the midst of a profound revolution in thought which touches all areas of life and inquiry, and we would expect this revolution to change also our notions of personhood and the relationship between ourselves and the natural world. In these last sessions we will examine further theological/scientific understandings of personhood and theological/ecological understandings of dominion and conservation. Relevant also is a discussion of the extent to which Genesis has been used to justify the stripping of the earth's vitality and resources for human ends, and what Scriptural resources and understandings might critique this trend. We will end where we began with a sampling of the Biblical wisdom literature and with myths from other religions which portray a more coherent and unified view of ecology.
Questions: Is Christianity (and
Judaism and other monotheisms) responsible for the ecological crisis? Are there
resources within the tradition which can set us on a better track? What can we learn
from other traditions in this area? Should we eat meat?
Return to Science and Religion Page
Tuesday/Wednesday Jan 26/27
Student Reports from topics on the Papers Page