Exam Questions – in pairs

Explain fully, what is meant by the “scientific method”. – 6KU

  Scientific method based on evidence and experimentBased on a desire to challenge and evaluate all truth

claims.Presupposes that the world is intelligible and orderlyObservation, hypothesis, experiment, verification.Basis of scientific method is empirical evidenceUse of inductive reasoningUse of deductive reasoningScientific method affirms no theory can be proven,

alternative theories.

In what ways are revelation and the scientific method similar? 4KU

 both subjectiveboth have an element of personal

commitment to a beliefboth try to make sense of the universe

around usboth are fallibleboth can be modified in light of experience 

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

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 Geocentric UniverseThe Geocentric (Ptolemaic) Universe

Why Earth centred?• 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

• 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.)

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

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

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?

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

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

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”)

Perceived IssuesScience is right and religion 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.

Religion is right and science is wrong • 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

• 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 = HowReligion = 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

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

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