Religion and science: an introduction
- New Delhi Bloomsbury Academic 2010
- viii, 232 p. Includes bibliographical references and index
Table of contents
1. Introduction Why Are We Interested in Religion and Science? Religion, Science and Secularism Some Models for Relating Religion and Science A Philosophical Approach to Religion and Science
2. Religion and Science in History The Ancient World: Aristotle The Medieval World: St. Augustine and St. Thomas The Protestant Reformation The Galileo Controversy of the Seventeenth Century Galileo and Newton, and the Development of Science Eighteenth-Century Developments The Nineteenth Century: Darwin and Freud
3. Science and Naturalism in the Twentieth Century The Success of Science The Scientific Method, and Objective Knowledge Realism vs. Anti-Realism The Undermining of Truth in the History of Science The Modern Face of Science: Naturalism
4. God and Evolution Evolution and Modern Culture Brief History of Evolution The Theory of Evolution The Evidence for Evolution: Questions and Answers Religious, Philosophical and Moral Implications of Evolution
5. Science and the Human Person A Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of the Human Person The Nature of Consciousness Human Free Will Immortality Artificial Intelligence The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
6. Design in the Universe William Paley's Argument The "Laws of Physics" Argument from Design Design at the Beginning: The Anthropic Argument Intelligent Design Arguments
7. God and the Universe The Universe and the Big Bang Theory God as First Cause The Significance of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics How Does God Act in the World?
8. Science, Religion and Ethics Mapping the Human Genome Stem Cells and Cloning Conclusion: Some Lessons for Scientists and Religious Believers
Notes Guide to Further Reading Index
Religion and Science: An Introduction is a comprehensive textbook for students studying philosophy, theology and philosophy of religion. Topics include the relationship between religion, science and naturalism; the development of the scientific method; evolution and its religious and philosophical implications; the body/​mind relation, and artificial intelligence; life on other plants; the origin and design of the universe; the human genome project and genetic engineering; stem cells and cloning; science and values; and the history of the relationship between science and religion.