Exam Questions – in pairs

Explain fully, what is meant by the “scientific method”. – 6KU   Scientific method based on evidence and experiment Based on a desire to challenge and evaluate all truth claims. Presupposes that the world is intelligible and orderly Observation, hypothesis, experiment, verification. Basis of scientific method is empirical evidence Use of inductive reasoning Use of deductive reasoning Scientific method affirms no theory can be proven, alternative theories.

In what ways are revelation and the scientific method similar? 4KU   both subjective both have an element of personal commitment to a belief both try to make sense of the universe around us both are fallible both can be modified in light of experience

Physical verification. No absolutes. Explain two ways in which scientific method might be considered more reliable than revelation. 4KU   Empirical. Observable. Not based on faith. Objective. Flexible. Physical verification. No absolutes.  

Try on your own - “The Scientific Method is a more reliable source of knowledge than Christian Revelation” Do you agree? Give four reasons for your answer (A/E 4)

The relationship between Science and Religion Enemies or Allies?

What is a world-view? A world-view is the way in which the structure of the world is understood, based on beliefs and/or science. A world-view often includes ideas about the world’s place in the universe. Science and religion both discuss ideas about how we understand the world, how traditional religious beliefs relate to scientific understanding and how the contributions of philosophers, scientists and believers can contribute to the welfare of humans.

Science and Religion: The Love Affair Religion and science weren’t always at each others throats! It was out of the work of scientists and philosophers that science was born. Until the 16th century philosophers and theologians were the scientists. They asked questions like: How was the world made? What holds the world up? Why does the Moon not fall down?

The two got on so well together because the scientific explanations included reference to God. Things began to change in the 16th century as the way in which we understood God’s place in the universe and His relationship with humans began to change. Science and religion began to drift apart and scientific principles began to be accepted without reference to God.

The Middle Ages – Scientific Knowledge Expands

Introduction Profound change in the European world-view in the late 16th and 17th centuries Primary cause was the Scientific Revolution (1543-present) The most profound change in human history? New intellectual climate differed from medieval & early modern world-view: Rejection of authority – e.g. bible and church - without reason “Best” knowledge was practical Demystification of the universe Scientists of this era differed from predecessors in combining mathematics and experiment – previous just Observation -rejection of authority. Mostly Church authority, several crises contributed to this. -”best” authority was practical. Bacon: “purpose of knowledge was to ease man’s estate” Descartes: purpose of knowledge “to make us, as it were, masters and possessors of nature” Demystification of the universe: e.g., heavenly realm above the moon was no longer of eternal bodies that had no matter or weren’t physical Experiment was different from Observation, which the ancient did.

Introduction Roots – science & technology from: Ancient Egypt – pyramids, mathematics China – movable type, paper, astronomy Islam – medicine, ancient Greek texts, astronomy, mathematics

Scientific Thought in 1500 The Aristotelian/Ptolemaic Universe Geocentric 10 separate, transparent, crystal spheres First 8 held the moon, sun, planets, stars 2 added during Middle Ages Heaven lay beyond the 10th sphere Angels kept the spheres moving Sublunar world Earth, water; fire, air Uniform force moved objects until something stopped it The Church invested greatly in this world-view – man was at the center of the universe, most important part of Creation The Scientific Revolution The Church invested greatly in this world-view: put man in the center of the universe, most important part of God’s creation

The Geocentric (Ptolemaic) Universe                                                                                                    The Geocentric (Ptolemaic) Universe The Geocentric Universe

Why Earth centred? A spinning earth would be expected to fling off everything that was not fixed to it. A cannonball, fired straight up would be expected to fall to the west of firing point as the earth moved (same with birds and clouds.) The sun appeared as if moving. Earth felt stationary If earth moved round surely wind would sweep everything off the earth. Distant stars did not seem to change position

Some people were studying the stars and noticed that they moved Some people were studying the stars and noticed that they moved. Eventually, scientists started discussions that the world was round and went round the sun.

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish monk Observed patterns of star and planet movement On the Revolutions of Celestial Bodies (1543) Heliocentric Called into question the literal truth of the Scriptures Copernicus waited until he was near death to publish his findings Called into question the literal truth of the Scriptures. There are a few passages where God, for example, makes the sun stand still. This implies that the earth is still and the sun moves around it.

The Heliocentric (Copernican) Universe

Galileo (1564 – 1642) then published his own work based on Copernicus and his work was widely read.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) Italian scientist Improved the telescope Made observations that proved the Copernican view of the universe Moon Planets Stars Wrote in the vernacular 1633 – Church forced Galileo to recant; placed under house arrest Among observations: moons of Jupiter, that is that there are planets with their own satellites: this also goes against the conception of perfect crystal spheres.

Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany (1615) Written to address the conflict between the Bible and heliocentric theory Argued that the Bible must be interpreted in light of scientific knowledge Argued for a non-literal interpretation of the Bible Galileo declared the Bible teaches how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go The letter began Galileo’s troubles with the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church confronts Galileo and asks him to back down

Galileo believed in God so why did the Catholic Church declare him a heretic? Why did his books remain banned until the second half of the 20th century? His observations supported a heliocentric universe in which the heavenly bodies weren’t made up of a substance superior to the earth. Sunspot = area of lower temperature.

Real issue for the church was, Who interprets the Bible Real issue for the church was, Who interprets the Bible? The Church wanted to and if they allowed the scientists to it would mean a danger to the literal interpretation of the Bible.

The Catholic Church couldn't accept the idea that the Earth (God's creation) wasn't the centre of the universe. Wouldn’t that imply that the world wasn’t the pinnacle of God’s creation? As they turned to the Bible, they found verses that seemed to support this idea

Psalm 93:1 “The Lord reigns.....The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.”

Ecclesiastes 1:5 “The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.”

In 1998 after an investigation set up by Pope John Paul ll the Roman Catholic Church eventually admitted it had been wrong about Galileo We kind of got it wrong. Sorry

"Galileo, perhaps more than any other single person, was responsible for the birth of modern science." Steven Hawking

Significance of the Scientific Revolution Contributions of these scientists made the universe comprehensible for the first time The individual became much more important; collective authority was not the source of wisdom…individual intellect was After the Revolution, God was viewed by many as either a remote “master mechanic”, or his existence began to be doubted Began long perceived “adversarial” relationship between science and religion The Revolution laid the foundation for the Enlightenment of the 18th century…

The Enlightenment Intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries…a product of the Scientific Revolution Key principles of the Enlightenment: Belief in human reason Belief in the scientific method Progress, or “easing man’s estate” Enlightenment ideals often came into conflict with religion Blossomed in 18th century France Philosophers and philosophes the latter were a group of writers, like Voltaire, who tried to popularize the ideas of the Enlightenment as opposed to the scientists and thinkers that came up with theories and discoveries, like Descartes and Galileo. Public vs. “the people” audience for the philosophes was really a small educated group, there was no real wide-spread enlightenment yet. Thinkers often spoke in the name of “the people” nonetheless.

René Descartes (1596-1650) French mathematician and philosopher A transitional figure between the medieval past and modern science A rationalist – Appealed to reason Promoter of deductive reasoning, predicting particular results from general principles Mathematician: invented the Cartesian Coordinate system and analytic geometry, among other things. Promoter of deductive reasoning. Wanted science to be like Euclid: deductions from self-evident starting points.

Discourse on Method (1637) Descartes wished to develop a method that could be used to yield scientific truth Argued that abstract reasoning and math were a more reliable path to truth; our senses could deceive us Cogito ergo sum (“I think, therefore I am”) Cogito ergo sum was one of Descartes’ “axioms”, that is, certain and self-evident truths that other truths could then be deduced from using a deductive method.

Perceived Issues God exists Science is right and religion is wrong Religion is right and science is wrong There is no God The only way to better our lives is through the application of scientific discoveries Meaning in life comes from human independence and endeavour Religion is a dangerous superstition which we should have grown out of by now. God exists The only way to improve our lives is through faith in God Meaning in life comes from faith and living in a way that is pleasing to God Science is a dangerous endeavour which makes US think we are God’s

Well said. Keep the faith in spite of the church! Interestingly, both Copernicus and Galileo never gave up their faith (even though they disagreed with the Church)‏ The Church sometimes get it wrong. Just a bunch of ‘God’s little helpers’ doing a bad job Well said. Keep the faith in spite of the church!

Some of the best scientists we have known are actually people of faith...

Isaac Newton Ah, gravity!

Einstein “I want to know how God created this world..... I want to know his thoughts. The rest are details.”

"Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."

Science = How Religion = Why

But, they both have fundamentalists in their ranks who are convinced that they need to remain arch enemies......

But, they both have fundamentalists in their ranks who are convinced that they need to remain arch enemies...... Fundamentalism: strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles

Richard Dawkins “Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.” Believer in scientism

Bishop Ussher (17thC)‏ “The world began in 4004 BC. I know because I did the sums from the Bible. I am right and you are all wrong. Got it?” Christian fundamentalist

However, there are similarities in the two approaches....

Similarities Both Science and Religion use symbols and analogies

Similarities Both Science and Religion use symbols and analogies ...for example

God is like....

Atoms are like Planets

Similarities Both religion and science make assumptions, so neither is objective

There are of course key differences between the two as well....

The Differences There are of course key differences between the two as well. For example... Science is based on observation and experiment Religion is based on faith

The Differences Christianity is holistic. It gives answers and meaning Science can give answers, but not meaning

Science: How? Religion: Why? The Differences Science is a method, Religion is commitment Science: How? Religion: Why?

Science Challenges Religion Copernicus and Galileo

Science Challenges Religion 6 day creation Vs Evolution

Science Challenges Religion Made in God's Image Vs Dominant earth species through natural selection

Science Challenges Religion As modern science develops, more ethical dilemma are raised for Christians to answer. For example: - Should we keep people in PVS alive? What about abortion? What about organ donations? Is stem cell research ok?

Science Challenges Religion The Theory of Evolution

The Atheist View Science and religion are opposites and cannot exist side by side! Prof Richard Dawkins

Rev Dr John Polkinghorne The Compatible View Science and Religion complement each other and provide us with different ways of making sense of the world we live in. Rev Dr John Polkinghorne