Philosophy The Second Coming Relations Between Science

Philosophy The Second Coming (Relations Between Science And Religion) Essay, Research Paper

The Second Coming

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world

W. B. Yeats

Etching a grotesque rendition of civilizations cyclical unfolding, W. B. Yeats poem The Second Coming alludes to a future where the controls that bind humanity together loose their force and a new impulse is required. Likewise amidst strange days, omens of the new millennium, the historically established dominions of both science and religion seem to fall victim to the very corruption of time Yeats was referring to. Thus, as mankind battles forward, neoteric interpretations of antiquated beliefs are imminent; but prior to reforming these social restraints, a considerable measure of thought must be allocated to the associations between science and religion.

Ordinarily, science and religion are assigned to hostile countries where they are disconnected from each other resulting in what initially appears to be battle. Both textbook science and booklet religion, rarely present accurate accounts of themselves, facilitating uninformed versions of reality, and interpretations that gravitate towards misrepresentation and an over generalization of the associations between the two. But this is simply the public conception that is neither the absolute or final word on the matter.

While it seems almost justifiably correct that a subject of conventional scientific and religious education would have an inaccurate notion of the medium between science and religion, it would be negligent to seek no further possibilities. Reasonably, one should now ask if there is in fact any conflict at all between the two Reasonably, one will receive a legion of unusual and unconventional replies as we are delving into strange fruit in squarely strange time. But among these replies s three common lines of argument appear time and again affirming religion into science and vice versa.

The Second Coming

Part I

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Spiking inwards from the outposts, undertaking to find proof of dissent within a country called science and religion , where the two cultures are left to their own devices of autonomy, all is in keeping with the aftermath of a bitter battle. It seems that praetorian renegades and puritanical fakirs have annulled the truth in motions of ignorance and bigotry but no, this is merely the evidence of unfounded militant groups that have occasioned bad reviews across the board. Consequently our first encounter with a native sets the tone for the rest of our quest

Obliged by the humbuggery circumfusing the correlation between science and religion, Margaret Wertheim leads a pertinent recount of what eventuated into typically, misinformed public opinion. Entitled Faith and Reason , Wertheim s documentary, aired lately on PBS underscores and accentuates the impact of historical markers shifting from Darwin s Origin of Species to twentieth century voices from within the Vatican that equate the two together. Arranged into four quarters that confront questions of genetics, cosmology, technology and the future she designates The Origin of Species as a principal decisive factor in the debate. Questioned on her intentions, with respect to the documentary she speaks:

A major impetus in making this film was to show people that the idea that science and religion have been enemies through a long history simply isn t true The second thing I wanted to do in the film was to show people that today there are religious believers who are pro-science that one can be a first rate scientist and still be a person of faith .I wanted to show people of faith that they needed to be involved in helping to guide technology in good ways. Being ignorant is not the way to go In fact 12 centers for the study of religion and science have grown up around the world in the past few years to facilitate the growing dialogue between scientists and theologians.

In addition to these 12 unifying bodies, a commentary by Jane Lampman, also surfaced in The Christian Science Monitor. In her critique the fear, which customarily besets the integration of science and religion, is displaced with a bridge. An advancing platform instituted by a steadily growing community advocating the union of science and religion . Whether Lampman was influenced by the magnitude of assent concerning religion in the last ten years, or whether she was as her article s namesake suggests, In Search of One Reality , it remains to be seen, according to Eric Convey of The Boston Herald that Religion and Science Dovetail. In his section, which affirms Lampmans assertions, Convey quotes two considerable personalities. Owen Gingreich, an astrophysician at the Harvard Smithsonian Center in Cambridge remarks that It does seem to me there s been a great surge of interests in these sorts of things in the last ten years It seems to me that science and religion are the two largest entities in the country and therefor they ought to talk to each other . Comparably, Dr. Francis Collins, chief of the human genome project remarks, I don t believe God is threatened by scientific investigation. On the contrary, I presume that God is gratified by our curiosity. . While both men represent the scientific community, voices from the church are just as incisive as their lab coat counterparts.

But some scientists are now realizing that there is something beyond science. The Pope, presenting the prevailing attitude in the Vatican, seems to say that at inevitably a God of some sort is behind science, but does not determine the structure or the state that such revelations might take. So, presently there seems to be an atmosphere of temperance and reconciliation between science and religion . Taking this line of reasoning further, Ritterbush quoted in The Los Angeles Times states that What religion provides is a way for scientists to approach studies: with awe, reverence and humility In return, science provides us with answers about the best ways to protect the planet. The remainder of the clipping argues that without science, religion leads to broad oversights, thus some may feel as though they should pick a side to defend. For Ritterbush, The bottom line is that We learn a lot by struggling with the paradoxes, though we prefer things to be neater.

So far, the convictions of both scientists and religiously inclined dignitaries tilt towards an amalgamation of science and religion which is one form of evidence that denies friction between the two. Now, what would indisputably improve relations between the two would be a scientist who is also a theologian or vice versa. But, stock beliefs usher in the conclusion that this is merely an ivory-towered illusion.

Most people seem to feel, if only vaguely, that scientists, by and large, are reasoning folk, and to make proper use of that reasoning a large dollop of logical consistency is needed. Hard-nosed, no nonsense notions about quarks, mitochondria, and chaos theory ought to (so we surmise) go hand in hand with hard-nosed, no nonsense notions about divinity and life eternal. That would be consistent and consistency is the hallmark of a scientififc mind. Or so we conclude. Alas.

This is what Ralph Estling writes in response to the highly debated study featured in Nature magazine on scientists and their beliefs. Estling claims that studies of this sort are important as they prove that scientists are very much like the rest of us in that they compartmentalize . Various theories from either discipline are stored in different areas of the mind where they exist side by side, if not together. What this proposes is that there is an especial agreement in the way most people accept differing views on science and religion that is not conflict but as Estling says The name of the game with scientists, as with non-scientists, is not, never was, consistency, but coexistence The best and wisest among them will admit this . His words support the understanding that what is invariably perceived, as a state of opposition is really a state of coexistence.

The increasing number of channels open to the public regarding the alleged conflict between science and religion, is a symptom of a growing need for some sort of reconciliation between the two. C. Stephen Evans the dean of philosophy at Calvin College believes that What we re really witnessing is perhaps the growth of a new field of study a lot of people are realising that common prejudice that religion and csience are at war is really a gross simplification. There are lot of interesting ways they are compatible .

One man, whose introspections are burgeoning within this synergy, is John Polkinghorne who writes with wisdom secured on both sides of the presumed battle lines. A theoretical physicist and a clergyman, Polkinghorne compares the customary reaction to his duality to the notion of a vegetarian butcher. Not feeling compelled to choose any particular side; Polkinghorne goes on to indicate the idealistic similitudes of what he refers to as intellectual cousins under the skin . Concluding that both are concerned with interpreted facts, where science asks how? and religion asks why?, Polkinghorne is one of many that stand with one foot in either encampment . Polkinghorne has over the last few years, written quite a count of books, one of which was recently reviewed by Edward B. Davis. In the title essay, Polkinghorne states that the belief in God means that there is a mind and a purpose behind the history of the universe and that the One whose veiled presence is intimated in this way is worthy of worship and the ground of hope. Forging friendships between the works of Polkinghorne, and those such as Ian Barbour and William Pollard who fostered the theory that God may be able to function within the uncanny regions of quantum mechanics Davis balances Polkinghorne s views with those of Chet Raymo. Raymo, also having just published a book calls for a creation spirituality . Alluding to, and questioning the very authority of Raymo s sources, Davis concludes by wondering what further parley between the two would lead to. Raymo is quoted as saying in which science as a way of knowing is subsumed by religion, so that the world revealed by science is perceived with an abiding sense of the sacred, celebrated liturgically and lovingly cherished. It seems rather apparent in his treatment of Raymo s text that Davis is partial to the well thought moderation s of Polkinghorne as are a great deal of others.

In fact the large collection of books belonging to the grey areas between science and religion has grown unwaveringly over the last decade. One of this coterie is Carl Sagan s book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a candle in the dark , though Sagan never addresses the issue directly he makes a decided debate for improved public understanding of the nature of two. This ratifies the supposition that most people are mislead to believe that science and religion are in eternal battle, when the truth is actually very different. In an interview following the publication of his work, Sagan told Stephen Budiansky,

What I m concerned about is that the consequences of these attitudes are much more dangerous today than in the past. We have a civilization with immense technological powers. The lives of most of us on Earth are dependent on agricultural technology. The lives of many of us are dependent on medical technology If we were to back off from science and technology, we would in fact be condemning most of the human population of Earth to death.

Believing that science and religion are mutually self supportive, Sagan remonstrates those who hand down knowledge without giving an idea of how such results were acquired, or the encompassing issues that may have shaped such notions to begin with. This leaves us open to the ruins of pseudo science according to Sagan, which he says would sound the same without the necessary supplementary information. He also alludes to the fact that science is a self corrective process, where scientists are biased, but only towards what works better.

The Second Coming

Part II

Surely some revelation is at hand;