Conjunctive Explanations in Science and Religion


Book Description

This book investigates the nature and relevance of conjunctive explanations in the context of science and religion. It explores questions concerning how scientific and religious explanations for features of the world or phenomena within it relate to each other and whether they might work together in mutually enriching ways. The chapters address topics including the relationship between Darwinian and teleological explanations, non-reductive explanations of mind and consciousness, and explanations of Christian faith and religious experience, while others explore theological and philosophical issues concerning the nature and feasibility of conjunctive explanations. Overall, the contributions help to provide conceptual clarity on how scientific and religious explanations might or might not work together conjunctively as well as exploring how these ideas relate to specific topics in science and religion more generally.




Conjunctive Explanations


Book Description

Philosophers and psychologists are increasingly investigating the conditions under which multiple explanations are better in conjunction than they are individually. This book brings together leading scholars to provide an interdisciplinary and unified discussion of such “conjunctive explanations.” The book starts with an introductory chapter expounding the notion of conjunctive explanation and motivating a multifaceted approach to its study. The remaining chapters are divided into three parts. Part I includes chapters on “The Nature of Conjunctive Explanations.” Each chapter illustrates distinct ways in which explanatory multiplicity is motivated by a careful study of the nature and concept of explanation. The second part (“Reasoning About Conjunctive Explanations”) includes chapters on the epistemology and logic of conjunctive explanations. Here the contributors propose and evaluate various norms for reasoning correctly about and to conjunctive explanations. Part III concerns “The Psychology of Conjunctive Explanations,” with contributions discussing conditions under which humans entertain and hold multiple explanations of single explananda simultaneously and the cognitive limitations and capacities for doing so. Conjunctive Explanations will be of interest to researchers and advanced students working on explanation in philosophy of science, epistemology, philosophical logic, and cognitive psychology.







The Unity of Truth


Book Description

Many of the seven billion people who live on the earth look to either science or religion as the ultimate source of authority in their lives. But why must there be a conflict between the two? Why cant science and religion support each other? The Unity of Truth shows why and how it makes perfect sense for science and religion to be mutually supportive. Beginning with the accepted truths of modern science and the beliefs of traditional Christianity, authors Allen A. Sweet, C. Frances Sweet, and Fritz Jaensch use their diverse expertise to deliver a deeper level of understanding of the ways in which science and religion can coexist. Relying on a thorough knowledge of physics, theology, and mathematics, this study addresses the paradox of how God communicates with our material world without violating any of the laws of science. Individual chapters discuss some of the most popular quandaries associated with combining science and religion. In addition, it considers the beginning and end of our universe, the evolution of life, and the meaning of human emotions from the scientific and theological perspectives, thus pushing understanding to a higher plateau of wisdom. Rational and devoid of rhetoric, The Unity of Truth seeks to help resolve the ongoing battle between religion and science, delivering a thoughtful narrative designed to open minds and hearts.




Quarks, Chaos & Christianity


Book Description

In a crystal clear discussion of science and religion and their logical friendship in the search for truth and understanding, Polkinghorne draws on discoveries made in atomic physics to make credible the claims of Christianity, and helps refine Christian perceptions through the knowledge that the new science brings. He discusses belief in God, chaos, evolution, miracles, and prayer, and gives an answer to the question: Can a scientist believe?




Science and Religion


Book Description

"Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish." (Austin Farrer). Many people attribute their loss of faith to "scientific enlightenment." However, the author maintains that it isn't facts found in science that contradict religious truths; the conflicts are a result of faulty inferences, theories, and assumptions, as well as misunderstandings found in both. This book is written at about a 10th grade reading level--intended to be understandable even to non-scientists. It includes a glossary of specialized and unusual terms. Many are surprised to learn that science is not simply an accumulation of facts with only one way to make sense of them. Important aspects of science involve attempts to interpret how the facts should be pieced together. Particularly important are weaknesses in scientific dating techniques--which provide much of the material contradicting Bible history. This book includes key information from outstanding scientists and scholars indicating that dates derived scientifically aren't nearly as secure and accurate as most people suppose. Other issues involve cataclysmic events described in the scriptures (like Noah's Flood) which are usually disregarded by modern science. If the scriptural descriptions of such events are reasonably accurate, anyone ignoring them is at a distinct disadvantage in properly understanding the past. People in general have no idea how difficult it is to prove a theory. Scientists now recognize that most theories cannot be proven (especially those trying to explain unique events of the past). If enough tests are performed which fail to disprove a theory, it is often accepted as though fact. Yet theories are almost continually being modified or discarded as new details come to light.







Science and Religion


Book Description




Explanation and Cognition


Book Description

These essays address basic questions about explanation: how do explanatory capacities develop, are there kinds of explanation do explanations correspond to domains of knowledge, why do we seek explanations, and how central are causes to explanation?




God's Providence and Randomness in Nature


Book Description

In October 2014, a group of mathematicians, physicists, ecologists, philosophers, and theologians gathered at a special conference in Berkeley, California to present the results of a two-year research program dubbed “Project SATURN”. This program explored many of the rich avenues of thought found at the intersection of modern science and Christian theology. Chief among them is the possibility that certain processes in nature might be so complex that they do not have sufficient physical causes. Known as “ontological indeterminism”, this idea has profound implications for theology. Specifically, it allows God to be thought of as acting providentially within nature without violating the laws and processes of nature. Such a momentous insight could influence how we understand free will, natural evil, suffering in nature, and the relation between divine providence and human evolution. The essays collected here discuss each of these topics and were originally presented at the 2014 conference. Part I establishes the scientific basis for conceptualizing certain process in the universe as inherently random and possibly indeterministic. Part II discusses the philosophical and theological issues that spring from this understanding. Together they represent the cutting edge of thought in the increasingly productive dialogue between science and theology. Short for the “Scientific and Theological Understandings of Randomness in Nature”, Project SATURN was created by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, a Program of the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. It was funded with a grant administered by Calvin College and provided by the John Templeton Foundation.