Science and Spirituality : Making Room for Faith in the Age of Science

Michael Ruse offers a new analysis of the often troubled relationship between science and religion. Arguing against both extremes - in one corner, the New Atheists; in the other, the Creationists and their offspring the Intelligent Designers - he asserts that science is the highest source of human inquiry. Yet, by its very nature and its deep reliance on metaphor, science restricts itself and is unable to answer basic, significant questions about the meaning of the universe and humankind's place within it: why is there something rather than nothing? What is the meaning of it all? Ruse shows that one can legitimately be a skeptic about these questions, and yet why it is open for a Christian, or member of any faith, to offer answers. Scientists, he concludes, should be proud of their achievements but modest about their scope. Christians should be confident of their mission but respectful of the successes of science.

In Science and Spirituality: Making Room for Faith in the Age of Science, Michael Ruse offers a new analysis of the often troubled relationship between science and religion. Arguing against both extremes—in one corner, the New Atheists; in the other, the Creationists and their offspring the Intelligent Designers—he asserts that science is undoubtedly the highest and most fruitful source of human inquiry. Yet, by its very nature and its deep reliance on metaphor, science restricts itself and is unable to answer basic, significant, and potent questions about the meaning of the universe and humankind's place within it: Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the ultimate source and foundation of morality? What is the nature of consciousness? What is the meaning of it all? Ruse shows that one can legitimately be a skeptic about all of these questions, and yet why it is open for a Christian, or member of any faith, to offer answers. Scientists, he concludes, should be proud of their achievements but modest about their scope. Christians should be confident of their mission but respectful of the successes of science.

Publishers Weekly

From the title, this appears to be an invitation to integrate knowledge with faith. Ruse, a professor at Florida State Univ. is a skeptic who believes that the "central core claims of Christianity by their very nature go beyond the reach of science." He takes the reader through a thorough labyrinth of philosophers from Plato, John Henry Newman, and Reinhold Niebuhr in an attempt to show humans as a product of the environment. The world is a machine and Ruse, an expert on Darwinian evolution, sees humans as machines who learn to adapt through evolution and experiences. Where science and spirituality share common bonds is in human morality. Ruse's view of Christianity makes it easy to dismiss miracles, life after death, mysteries of faith and even the theory of the soul by using science. He makes room for spirituality but is dismissive of faith. With its long block quotations and diagrams, this book is more suited for the college classroom than a general reader.
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HALF-TITLE DEDICATION TITLE COPYRIGHT CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION ONE: THE WORLD AS AN ORGANISM GREEK SCIENCE IN ANTIQUITY METAPHOR THE ORGANIC METAPHOR: PLATO THE ORGANIC METAPHOR: ARISTOTLE TWO: THE WORLD AS A MACHINE PLATO, ARISTOTLE, AND PLATO AGAIN COPERNICUS TYCHO, KEPLER, AND GALILEO DESCARTES AND NEWTON THE MACHINE METAPHOR FINAL CAUSES? RECOGNIZING METAPHOR THREE: ORGANISMS AS MACHINES SENSES OF MECHANISM FROM MECHANISM TO VITALISM KANT ON ORGANISMS GETTING MECHANISM BACK EVOLUTION KINDS OF MECHANISM DAWKINS REDUX FOUR: THINKING MACHINES THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY DAVID HUME IMMANUEL KANT CHARLES DARWIN EVOLUTIONISTS AFTER DARWIN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY COGNITIVE SCIENCE FIVE: UNASKED QUESTIONS, UNSOLVED PROBLEMS ORIGINS A MEANINGLESS QUESTION? MATHEMATICAL PLATONISM AGAINST LEIBNIZ MORALITY MINDS PURPOSE FOUR LIMITS – MORE OR LESS? SIX: ORGANICISM NATURPHILOSOPHEN LATER DEVELOPMENTS EMERGENCE GAIA AND ECOFEMINISM UNASKED QUESTIONS? ORGANICISM SUMMED UP BIOLOGICAL LIMITS TO KNOWLEDGE? SEVEN: GOD FAITH NECESSARY BEING GOD’S PROPERTIES THE PROBLEM OF EVIL OMNISCIENCE AND HUMAN FREEDOM MIRACLES MOVING ON EIGHT: MORALITY, SOULS, ETERNITY, MYSTERY MORALITY SOULS AND SCIENCE ESCHATOLOGY MYSTERY CONCLUSION CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX In Science and Making Room for Faith in the Age of Science, Michael Ruse offers a new analysis of the often troubled relationship between science and religion. Arguing against both extremes in one corner, the New Atheists; in the other, the Creationists and their offspring the Intelligent Designers he asserts that science is undoubtedly the highest and most fruitful source of human inquiry. Yet, by its very nature and its deep reliance on metaphor, science restricts itself and is unable to answer basic, significant, and potent questions about the meaning of the universe and humankinds place within Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the ultimate source and foundation of morality? What is the nature of consciousness? What is the meaning of it all? Ruse shows that one can legitimately be a skeptic about all of these questions, and yet why it is open for a Christian, or member of any faith, to offer answers. Scientists, he concludes, should be proud of their achievements but modest about their scope. Christians should be confident of their mission but respectful of the successes of science. "In Science and Spirituality: Making Room for Faith in the Age of Science, Michael Ruse offers a new analysis of the often troubled relationship between science and religion. Arguing against both extremes - in one corner, the New Atheists; in the other, the Creationists and their offspring, the Intelligent Designers - he asserts that science is undoubtedly the highest and most fruitful source of human inquiry. Yet, by its very nature and its deep reliance on metaphor, science restricts itself and is unable to answer basic, significant, and potent questions about the meaning of the universe and humankind's place within it. Ruse shows that one can legitimately be a skeptic about all of these questions, yet why it is nonetheless open for a Christian, or member of any faith, to offer answers. Scientists, he concludes, should be proud of their achievements but modest about their scope. Christians should be confident of their mission but respectful of the successes of science."--Jacket Michael Ruse provides a new analysis of the often troubled relationship between science and religion. Arguing against both extremes - in one corner, the New Atheists; in the other, the Creationists and their offspring the Intelligent Designers - he asserts that science is undoubtedly the highest and most fruitful source of human inquiry. Yet, by its very nature and its deep reliance on metaphor, science restricts itself and is unable to answer basic, significant, and potent questions about the meaning of the universe and humankind's place within it: Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the ultimate source and foundation of morality? What is the nature of consciousness? What is the meaning of it all? Ruse shows that one can legitimately be a skeptic about all of these questions, and yet why it is open for a Christian, or member of any faith, to offer answers Ruse offers a new analysis of the relationship between science and religion, asserting that although science is the highest level of human inquiry, there is room for religious faith. Scientists should be proud of their achievements but modest about their scope. Christians should be confident of their mission but respectful of the successes of science.