Religion or Science?
Since the Renaissance, there has been a vocal debate between religion and science. Galileo was imprisoned and sanctioned because of his views of the universe, the sun, and the way planets moved. As science progressed, this debate became even more heated. However, in the late 20th century, there has also been a mitigating discussion about the way that religion and science can actual coexist as explanations of the universe. In fact, as physicists look into the wondrous world of smaller and smaller particles, they find that the laws we through governed the universe do not really fit in with the abstract dimensions of time, space, quarks, and the study of the basic attributes of matter and the universe (Schroeder, 2010, p.xi ). On some level, the debate between science and religion is based on the notion of reason (the scientific method) versus faith. Reason implies what can be empirically proven, faith what we must take upon faith without proof. However, explaining the diversity of life, the complexity of something as simple as weather, or photosynthesis, or even the nature of matter, often boggles the mind and bodes for at the very least, a causality, a "blind watchmaker" of sorts, or even the idea of something greater than our understanding when we deal with issues of grand causality (Dawkins, 1996).
One of the seminal issues in the debate between evolution and creationism is the idea of evolution. As humans, we have a seminal interest in understanding the process of creation, as well as a specific organization of the universe -- not just as a theory, but also as a profession of life (Schroeder,, p. 91). Evolution, however, remains one of the basic templates to understand the biology of an organism or ecological unit. It is the change in inherited traits of a population through a process called natural selection in which only the strongest traits are appropriately adapted to the environment, thus those traits from parents who live longer and are healthier are passed down to future generations. Evolution is the product of two opposing forces: variation in traits and mutation (Futuyma, 2005). Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace almost concurrently developed this theory in the early to mid-19th century. Even though Darwin could not explain all the scientific details of the process, but to beat Wallace to publication released On the Origin of Species in 1858. This literally polarized the world within a few months after its release, many seeking to utilize the basic theory within a number of other academic disciplines.
The term "scientific creationism" or "intelligent design theory" is a relatively recent term for an old ideology. As soon as Darwin's Origin was published it became the focus of attacks from the religious right, who asserted the Bible was literal. The apex of this movement came in the early part of the 20th century where a number of states, mostly Southern "Bible Belt" states, passed laws making it illegal to teach evolution. After the infamous "Scopes" trial, most states left the laws on the books, but did not aggressively enforce them. However, after the 1959 Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, in which evolution was predominately featured, some conservatives began to liken the teaching of evolution with communism. One Tennessee legislator, in fact, commented, "Any persons or groups who assist in any way to undermine faith in the teachings of the Bible are working in harmony with communism (Dykeman, 1971).
At the very heart of the argument, though, is the idea of truth and the way humans perceive truth and science. One cannot simply apply the definition of truth just because an authority says it is truth -- since the Dawn of Man, truth has been ambiguous. The word "truth" differs greatly from a word like "apple" that has an immediate visual connotation, and is easily and unequivocally defined. "Truth," however, is an intangible and equivocal concept with inanimate and ineffable traits. So in order for one to define truth, one must first incontrovertibly accept that truth is not limited to one simple definition. Due to its ambiguity, truth has a versatility to it that can be applied in various scenarios rendering its meanings to be relative to context. Truth is a concept comprised of two fundamental facets; the universal truth, and the individual truth. Truth, then, is the only "current" possibility of view that is logically or empirically uncontested with absolute certainly -- something that, of course, does not exist since objectivity is an illusion in and of itself. The idea of the ambiguity of truth is quite relevant when analyzing the contemporary debate...
However, the point of mergence between the two theories has been given a name for itself and it is known as the Overlap Thesis. Overall, the natural law theory of law is used to refer to the analysis of legal systems and philosophical issues of law. Among those who sought that natural law has no valid grounds is Leo Strauss who was convinced that it has to be refused on
Darwinism has had a major effect on how people view the creation accounts of Genesis, believing the creation tales to be completely erroneous and based on nothing but myth and myth alone. Darwinism has planted the seed of the idea that humans are merely a by-product of chance. They are accidental and contingent parts of creation -- not the lords of the universe as the Bible would lead us
In fact the aims of theosophy when it was founded was to "form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity without distinction of race, creed, or color," and also "to promote the study of Aryan and other Eastern literature, religions, and sciences," and also "to investigate the hidden mysteries of nature." (Prothero 197). New Human Potential Movement members have written books but none have penned a book that
Religion and Society Religion is defined as an organized collection of belief systems, views about the universe, or cultural systems that humans use to relate spiritual and moral values to their lives. Many religions have symbols, traditions, and histories that explain the origin of life, the way the universe works, and the moral, ethical and legal ways to organize human life (De Vries, ed., 2008). While the exact origin of religion
Science and Religion Does science discredit religion? In general we have the sense that, historically speaking, it does -- but only because so much of the historical conflict between science and religion has hinged upon the way in which scientific advances have disproved factual claims that were advanced by religion, or (as Worrall phrases it) where religion is "directly inconsistent with well-accredited scientific theories…the erstwhile religious claim…must, from a rational point-of-view,
Science and Religion Seek the Same Thing Science is the study of how the human race comprehends the world around them, while religion is what they apply to translate their study on the never-ending belief. There is a radical distinction between the two because the human beings use science to explain their relationship with God, while they use science to correlate with their surroundings. According to the Muslims and Christians, creation
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