To what extent are science and religion distinct or overlapping domains? To be clear, find them to be both distinct and overlapping. They are distinct in that they have different methods of making—and verifying—their respective claims of truth. But they overlap (which is to say, are similar) in some of their social elements, e.g. in their day to day rituals, social structures, clashes of paradigms, political conflicts, battles with dogmas and conceptions of truth (e.g. “what defines the atom?” or “what is a God? What is our life’s ultimate purpose?”). But they also overlap in the respect that both religious and scientific paradigms attempt to explain (again by different means) the phenomena of our being in the world around us. Allow me to explain, point by point. Let’s again go back to the distinctions between science and religion.
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The method by which science attempts to understand the world is different from the method by which religion follows (speaking of both very broadly, but I think aptly). The scientist must be able to “accurately describe a large class of observations on the basis of a model that contains only a few arbitrary elements, and it must make definite predictions about the results of future observations (Hawking, 9)." In other words, the scientist must be able to find, of all the information available to them, the appropriate elements of information by which observe, or help make sense of, a certain phenomena. So a biochemist,
Accordingly, a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance and loftiness of those super personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation. They exist with the same necessity and matter-of-factness as he himself. In this sense religion is the age-old endeavour of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals and constantly to strengthen and extend their effect. If one conceives of religion and science according to these definitions then a conflict between them appears impossible. For science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value judgments of all kinds remain necessary. Religion, on the other hand, deals only with evaluations of human thought and action: it cannot justifiably speak of facts and relationships between facts. According to this interpretation the well-known conflicts between religion and science in the past must all be ascribed to a misapprehension of the situation which has been described.
For most people of the modern age, a clear distinction exists between the truth as professed by religious belief, and the truth as professed by scientific observation. While there are many people who are able to hold scientific as well as religious views, they tend to hold one or the other as being supreme. Therefore, a religious person may ascribe themselves to certain scientific theories, but they will always fall back on their religious teachings when they seek the ultimate truth, and vice versa for a person with a strong trust in the sciences. For most of the early history of humans, religion and science mingled freely with one another, and at times even lent evidence to support each other as being true. However, this all changed
I do believe that religion and science can coexist. In the interview the commentator explains that one of professor Francisco Ayala's (Faith Matters. 2010, April 02) statements was that "science and religion need not be in contradiction if they are properly understood"..... "religion explains why and science explains how..... but they are one in the same" ( Lab activity: Chapter 1). They really complement each other and they don't have to be separate or contradictory to each other. When I think of religion I see it as a roadmap that leads to an expected end, and
Yearning is such a simple word. Or so we believe it to be. Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Burns are two people who would understand this word to its exact definition. Poe and Burns always wanted more out of life than what they had. They desired to be more, to have more. Often these desires were so unattainable it led to melancholy. Poe and Burns are very similar in that they yearn for a better life and for a love they won’t ever find.
However, conflict can arise when one seeks to use Science to explain Religion and vice versa. Many people believe the two are inherently incompatible with one another but that simply is not true each has their own respective sphere of influence. With Science, one uses the scientific method and undergoes much testing along with much troublesome trial and error in order to calculate the answers to their particular question. Science permits us to ascertain the truth because it allows for theories to be tested and is self-correcting in the sense that most observations can be replicated through conducting experiments by others to reaffirm the validity of one's research. But occasionally well encounter problems when we accept science as absolute fact because while it does do a pretty bang up job at explaining the world we are constantly making new discoveries that either adapt or completely change our prior understandings of how something formerly worked.
The common narrative surrounding science and religion is that they are contradictory. People believe science is just a way to prove religion wrong, and so far science has remarkable accuracy. But science does not work against religion, rather science defends religion, and in some cases helps create deeper understanding of religion. When questioning religion, using science can help answer questions not found in the Bible, helping to further human understanding of both science and religion, and seeing how the two can build on each other.
When comparing science and religion there has been a great rift. As long as humanity has believed in a creator there as always been thinkers trying to quantify and evaluate the truth behind religion, trying to disprove or prove a supernatural force.
First of all, I appreciate Barbour’s praiseworthy and toilsome effort to put theology and science in a meaningful and fruitful dialogue, by seriously taking account of both continuities and discontinuities between scientific metaphors and religious metaphors. For Barbour, because both disciplines have continuities and discontinuities they can contribute to our more comprehensive understanding of the reality of our experiences in the world through their metaphorical relationship. While scientific models, theories, and paradigms are focused on the explanation of natural phenomena, the religious counterparts are more focused on the human experience of their natural/social environments and evoking moral and attitudinal responses, while religious affirmations do not exclude truth claims like the scientific claims do. Also, like religion, scientists also hold on to their traditions in their observation and interpretation of natural phenomena; hence, they are not neutral. In that sense, I agree with Barbour that science and religion bear significant similitude, while they can complement each other in our holistic understanding of our world.
Sometimes it can be hard to look at the universe and really appreciate all the complexities which govern it. Which might be due in part to the fact that as a species we have created, improved, and revised countless models of the universe. Often times people will interpret science and religion as being two very different things—which is true to an extent; however, at the foundation of religion and science they are the same, in that they both are merely trying to create a model of the universe; which in effect, helps us develop a better understanding of it. When you compare the difficulty of trying to understand science and religion; religion considerably is far easier to understand and thus people in general can better
Is there a conflict between religion and science, or are both items compatible? This question is addressed in the debate that is written about in the book Science and Religion, Are they Compatible, by Daniel C. Dennett and Alvin Plantinga. Alvin Plantinga thoroughly debates the topic by covering the compatibility of Christianity and science. He continues his argument by stating the issue of naturalist and science harbor the conflict not the theism. Plantinga goes into detail how some scientific theories without the help of theism has conflict and should be considered falsifiable because of the contradictions they possess. While Alvin Plantinga does make a prominent effort to illustrate how religion and science are compatible, there are also
For instance, several philosophers, such as Albert Einstein, have elaborated upon the compatibility and similarities of the two fields (Chaffee, 2012, p. 354). Science and religion both attempt to answer very difficult ontological questions about the world, including the origins of existence, various features of the world, and the laws established by a divine creator. Both fields attempt to answer questions regarding the past, for religion emphasizes stories of creation to explain the commencement of the world, whereas science promotes the big bang period and the evolutionary process to explain the beginnings of the world and the origins of life. Both fields also perpetuate answers regarding the future.
Many people consider science and religion to be at loggerheads. Other people consider religions and science to be completely unrelated and different facets. The idea that many people have is that science seems to be more popular than the legions since it is based on facts while religion is based on perceptions. However, what many people fail to realize is that science is not the only source of facts, and religion has been effective in reaching out beyond the realms of morals and values. Indeed, science and religions rely on one another in examining and explaining the things that happens in the daily lives of individuals. Although the views of religion and science have been more or less distinct, there are several ways in which science and religions come together. This paper reviews
The first category that will be explained is conflict. This is optimally categorized with the statement that, “Science and religion investigate common questions, but their theories contradict one another and so compete with one another for our acceptance.” (Pojman 562). With the view of conflict, it is believed that science and religion overlap in regard to the quest for truth, but their methods and findings are contradictory. This theory is most commonly held by religious fundamentalists, those that believe in strictly literal translation of scripture; and the more recent movement of new atheism that is
Is it possible for science and religion to coexist? In both The Day The Earth Stood Still and The Man Who Fell to The Earth, the idea of science versus religion is questioned. The films show that our world is rapidly changing and how society reacts to events during those specific times by questioning spiritual faith. Certain sounds that are heard throughout both movies allow us to feel the tone that each movie tries to relay. These sound effects help the viewers understand moments of tension, fear, desperation, peacefulness, to name a few. In addition, certain cinematic techniques that portray quick cuts, long and complex scenes, and much more allow viewers to explore the relationship
Science “aims to save the spirit, not by surrender but by the liberation of the human mind” (Wilson, 7). Both religion and science seek to explain the unknown. Instead of surrendering reasoning with the traditional religion, a scientific approach one takes full authority over it. Being an empiricist, Wilson takes favors the scientific approach to the question: “why are things the way they are?” This question can pose two meanings: How did this happen, and what is the purpose. Traditional religion answers this question with stories, many of which are impossible to prove or disprove, making them arguments of ignorance. These explanations entail the adherent surrender reasoning and put faith in the resolution. According to Wilson these are always wrong (Wilson, 49). Science is the most effective way to learn about the natural world. Religion is merely speculation.