THEO 170 — Theology and the Natural Sciences
Spring 1998, Tues/Thurs, 12:35-1:50 p.m., 43 Cudahy Hall
J. Schaefer, Ph.D., 207 Coughlin Hall, 85508, 87170
Office Hours Tues/Thurs 11-12 & by appointment
Overview
This course has been designed to enable you to become informed about major ways in which
theistic religion and the natural sciences have been perceived in relation to one another
so that you may delineate a working model of the role these two disciplines should play in
the world today. Toward this end, you will critically assess: (1) works by St. Albert,
Kepler and other early scientists with the aim of recognizing their theological
perceptions of their scientific endeavors; (2) texts by and about Galileo and Darwin to
discern why theologians and scientists clashed; (3) various models for understanding the
relationship between theology and the natural sciences today; (4) current theories of
astronomy, evolutionary biology, chaos theory, complexity science and ecology as bases for
discerning their theological implications for anthropology, the doctrines of creation and
divine providence and notions of eschatology; and (5) essays by Pope John Paul II on the
role of the Church in our scientific era and on Christianity and evolution.
Goals
Upon completing the course, you should be able to: (1) approach issues regarding
science and religion with some understanding of past interactions, (2) demonstrate
comprehension of key theological and scientific concepts, (3) identify, think critically
about and summarize perspectives expressed in assigned readings by theologians,
philosophers and scientists, (4) evaluate some basic models for relating theology and
natural sciences, and (5) specify a preferred working model of the science-religion
relationship and apply your model to a scientific topic.
Required Texts
John Haught, Science and Religion (1995)
James E. Huchingson, ed., Religion and the Natural Sciences (1993)
Handouts and Readings on Library Reserve
Recommended Texts
Henry Margenau and Roy Abraham Varghese, eds., Cosmos, Bios, Theos (1992)
Ian Barbour, Religion in an Age of Science (1991)
Bases for Evaluation
Your final grade will be based on participation in small group and full class
discussions, written synopses of assigned readings, and occasional unannounced quizzes
(15%), a five-page research paper specifying a preferred working model for relating
science and theology, explaining why the model was chosen, and applying that model to a
scientific topic of your choice (25%), the first cumulative exam (25%), and a
comprehensive final exam (35%).
Academic Honesty Policy
Each student is expected to represent his or her own efforts in all assignments and
examinations. Penalties for academic dishonesty will be rigorously administered as
explained in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
Class Attendance Policy
Because presence in class is crucial to student understanding of assigned and presented
materials and essential for small-group activities centering around ways of relating
theology and the natural sciences, attendance is mandatory. After four absences, your
final letter grade will be lowered by one-half per absence. Up to 10 minutes tardiness
will count for one-third absence from class, and over 10 minutes tardiness will count as
one class absence.
Schedule of Class Sessions
Introduction and Historical Overview of the Science-Religion Relationship
1.14 -- Overview of course/syllabus; beginning of lecture series on the complex
history of the relationship between science and theistic religion focusing on the biblical
to medieval periods; review graphics depicting the biblical, Ptolemaic and
medieval-Aristotelian world views; examine a selection from St. Albert’s De
Animalibus.
1.16 -- Continuation of historical overview concentrating on the Copernican revolution to Galileo’s confrontation with the Church; review Kepler's preface to Mysterium Cosmographicum and graphics depicting the Copernican and Keplerian world views.
1.21 -- Discuss Galileo’s "Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina" and one of Newton's letters to Dr. Bentley.
1.23 -- Completion of historical overview of the religion-science relationship; discuss Darwin’s conclusions in On the Origin of Species and Huxley’s defense; review Draper’s preface to History of the Conflict between Religion and Science (1898) and White’s introduction to A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology (1929); lecture on a critique of their thesis by Lindberg and Numbers; slide program depicting our contemporary world view.
Is Religion Opposed to Science?
1.28 -- Introductory lecture on various typologies proffered for describing ways of
relating the natural sciences and theology; discuss Gilkey's "Theories in Science and
Religion" (61-65), Küng's "On the Relationship of Theology to Science"
(57-59), and Popper's "Falsification" (142-46) in Huchingson's anthology.
1.30 -- Discuss Schmidt's "The Function of Language in Science and Religion" (79-86) and MacCormack's "Metaphor in Science and Religion" (88-96) in Huchingson's anthology.
2.4 -- Discuss Pope John Paul II's 1988 message to the Director of the Vatican Observatory in Physics, Philosophy and Theology; students' voluntary sharing of their denomination's stance on the relationship between religion and science.
2.6 -- Discusss Barbour’s "Surveying the Possibilities" (6-30) in Huchingson’s Religion and the Natural Sciences and compare Barbour’s typology with Haught’s in "Is Religion Opposed to Science?" in Science and Religion (9-26).
2.11 -- Groupwork on above readings and Haught's "Is Religion Opposed to Science" in Science and Religion (9-26); directions on studying for exam.
2.13 -- Cumulative Exam
Does Evolution Rule out God's Existence?
2.18 -- Instructions on working models; lecture introducing topic; discuss Barbour's
"Theological Issues in Evolution" (256-63) in Huchingson's anthology.
2.20 -- Discuss Gish's "Evolution: A Philosophy, Not a Science" (265-72), review preface to Morris' The Remarkable Birth of Planet Earth, discuss Asimov's "The Threat of Creationism" (275-83) in Huchingson's anthology; view a segment of the video "God, Darwin and the Dinosaurs."
2.25 -- Discuss Teilhard's "Some Reflections on Progress" (285-96) and Burhoe's "Attributes of God in an Evolutionary Universe" (298-306) in Huchingson's anthology; review Pope John Paul II’s 1996 statement on Christianity and evolution.
2.27 -- Development by groups of the ways of relating science and theology on the subject question using above readings, lectures and Haught's "Does Evolution Rule Out God's Existence?" in Science and Religion (47-71); reflection on the doctrine of God’s providence.
SPRING BREAK
Is Human Life Reducible to Chemistry?
3.11 -- Intro lecture drawing on Haught’s "Is Human Life Only Chemistry?"
(337-41) in Huchingson’s anthology; presentation by MU microbiologist Dr. James
Courtright on the DNA/chemical makeup of animate beings; follow-up discussion re:
possible implications for theology.
3.13 -- Discuss Ruse and Wilson's "The Evolution of Ethics" (308-11){, Singer's "Ethics and Sociobiology" (313-28),} and Peacock's "God and the Selfish Genes" (329-34) in Huchingson's anthology.
3.18 -- Groupwork on the subject question from above readings, lectures and Haught's "Is Life Reducible to Chemistry?" in Science and Religion (72-99); reflection on the doctrine of free will.
Was the Universe "Created"?
3.20 -- Intro lecture on various notions pertaining to the creation of the universe;
comparison of Genesis 1 and 2; lecture by MU physics professor Dr. Kenneth Mendelson
on scientific observations and theories pertaining to the expanding universe, "Big
Bang," "Black Hole" and "Big Crunch"; identification of possible
theological implications for the doctrine of creation.
3.25 -- Discuss Lackey's "The Big Bang and the Cosmological Argument" (190-95), Jastrow's "God and the Astronomers" (196-97), Geisler and Anderson's "Origin Science" (199-203), and Russell's "Cosmology and Theology" (205-7) in Huchingson's anthology.
4.1-- Groups develop cases for answering the subject question from above readings, lectures and Haught's "Was the Universe Created?" in Science and Religion (100-19); reflection on the doctrine of creation when informed by contemporary science.
Is Earth Our "Home"?
4.3 -- Intro lecture on theological anthropology emphasizing the relationship of the human
being to the more-than-human world; presentation by MU ecologist Dr. James Maki on
the makeup and functioning of ecosystems; review of Aldo Leopold's concept of the
"community" in The Sand County Almanac, and the definition of
"ecosystem" in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
4.8 -- Discuss Wald's "Life and Mind in the Universe" (214-19), Feinberg and Shapiro's "A Puddlian Fable" (220-21), and Dyson's "A Growing God" (209-12).
4.10 -- Groups prepare positions on the subject question building on above readings, lectures and Haught's "Do We Belong Here?" in Science and Religion (120-41); reflection on theological anthropology centering on living virtuously as integral parts of Earth’s ecosystems.
Does the Universe Have a Purpose?
4.15 -- Working model proposals due; intro lecture to topic; presentation on chaos and
complexity by MU math professor Dr. Stephen Merrill; identify theological
implications incorporating points made by Haught in "Why is there Complexity in
Nature?" in Science and Religion (142-61).
4.17 -- Discuss Dillard's "All Nature is Touch and Go" (231-33) and Polkinghorne's "More to the World Than Meets the Eye" (235-45); drama student’s reading of Swimme's "A Cosmic Story" (110-19) in Huchingson’s anthology.
4.22 -- Working models due; preparation of group positions on the above question from the lectures, readings and Haught's "Does the Universe Have a Purpose?" in Science and Religion (162-82); reflection on eschatology and God’s omnipotence informed by contemporary science.
Does Science Rule Out a Personal God?
4.24 -- Intro lecture on God as "person" in the Judćo-Christian tradition;
discuss notions of a "personal God" in Einstein's "Science and
Religion" (148-51), Tillich's "Science and Religion" (153-56), and Bube's
"The Failure of the God-of-the-Gaps" (131-40) in Huchingson's anthology.
4.29 -- Class discussion of the four positions on the subject question from above readings and Haught's "Does Science Rule Out a Personal God?" in Science and Religion (27-46); reflection on the doctrine of the Trinity in light of contemporary science.
5.1 -- Conclusions and directions for final exam.
FINAL EXAMINATION -- Thursday, May 8, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.