requirements and reading requirements attached
Book: quarks, chaos, christianity by John polkinghorne
link:
http://www.stjohnadulted.org/quarks.htm
PAPER #3 ON SCIENCE AND CHRISTIANITY
Due:
Monday, May 18 at 11:59 pm
Length: 3-4 pages, double-spaced
Submission: Through Canvas file upload; x, , or only.
Topic: What is the relationship between science and Christianity?
The Purpose of the Assignment
This assignment gives you an opportunity to reflect on what you have learned in the course.
The Assignment
(1) Review the assigned readings, your notes and course handouts, especially those related to the readings, which are related to the question you are answering.
(2) Engaging with and citing the readings, handouts, discussions, and videos of this course, write a paper in which you are in dialogue with the course material. Your paper should be written like a regular essay (no letters A,B, C, etc.) but follow this structure:
Paper Title: What is the relationship between science and Christianity?
A. At first, before taking this course, my response to the question, “What is the relationship between science and Christianity?” would have been . . .
B. The readings, lectures, and discussion in this section of the course suggested different answers or things I had not known or thought about before, and so the way I would answer this question now that I have done the assigned readings, read the handouts, listened to lectures, and participated in class discussions, is…
Note: In this section some reference should be made to least 2 of the readings or handouts for the section of the course related to the question you are addressing. You can agree or disagree with the authors or the professor, but be sure that you demonstrate an understanding of what they were saying.
See the They Say, I Say handout in Files on Canvas for suggestions about how to engage with the readings.
C. The ideas I will continue to think about that are related to this question or the aspects of this question that are still a bit unsettled in my mind are… [At least one idea or question]
The Audience for the Paper
I am not asking you to write for any audience other than the professor. Even though you may assume I know the contents already, be sure that you write with a clarity that lets me know that you understand what you heard and have given it careful thought.
The Format
· In the right hand corner, please just put your name, UCOR 2100—Catholicism in a Secular Age and the date. This should leave you more room for the actual content.
· Your paper should be in essay form; it should have an overall introduction followed by paragraphs for each section of the course; the answer to Part C will serve as a conclusion.
· Since you are required to use only sources from the course for this paper, you may use a simplified form of citation for direct quotations. Simply put the author or authors’ name(s) and page number in parentheses after the quotation: (Fischer and Hart, 3) or (Boyle, 35). If you are using an electronic source without a page number, put the chapter number or title after the author’s name.
· You may use the word “I.” In fact, I encourage you to write in the first person.
· Please note well the importance of demonstrating accurate knowledge of the course material.
· If your paper is a personal reflection with no serious engagement with the readings, lectures, and discussions of this course, it may receive a failing grade. In other words, if your paper could have been written the first day of class or by someone who had never taken this course, it will not receive a passing grade.
· The only sources you are to draw upon are the assigned readings and your own experience. No further research is to be done. References to books you have read for other courses is fine.
As always, the SU Academic Integrity Policy applies.
Grading Criteria
In general, papers receiving the highest grades will be well written (grammatically correct and spell-checked). More specifically, below are the qualities of papers at each level:
A, A-
: These papers exemplify excellence in form and content. The writers of these essays use proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, and word choice. They employ clear sentences and intelligently organized paragraphs to communicate their ideas. They include all required sections (A-C) and reference at least 2 readings.
Papers at this level present the most relevant points with great clarity. Their analysis reveals depth of understanding. They demonstrate careful thought and personal insight.
B+, B, B-: Papers at this level demonstrate solid preparation. Grammatically and organizationally, these essays are essentially correct and easy to follow. They include all required sections (A-E) and reference at least 2 readings.
The difference between the B range papers and the A papers is that the latter show a greater depth of understanding and sophistication.
C+, C, C-:
C essays are adequate. They are less effective in writing style and less substantial in content. They may be essentially accurate and basically meet the criteria of the assignment, but offer only a superficial approach to the matter. They may contain errors in understanding.
D+, D, D-: Papers at this level contain significant errors in understanding and/or evidence careless preparation. They are not effective in writing style. They may be lacking in required content and may even be under the required length.
F: This grade is issued to papers which show serious misunderstandings and/or are poorly written.
Page 2 of 2
Models for relating science and religion
Denis Alexander
models
Model = one key idea that incorporates a particular set of data in a satisfactory manner.
Models can be a conceptually useful way to map out ways of relating different bodies of knowledge. No one model for relating science and religion is sufficient but one model has proven to be most fruitful.
Models can be both descriptive and normative:
Descriptive—claiming to describe what is in fact the case
Normative—promoting what is thought should be the case
Science
Modern experimental science is an intellectual endeavor to explain the workings of the physical world, informed by empirical investigation and carried out by a community trained in specialized techniques.
What do we mean by “science”?
Natural Philosophy—The name for science in the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods; the branch of philosophy that sought to gain knowledge of physical reality and the material causes of things
Scientific Revolution—The period from the 1500s through the 1700s, when medieval natural philosophy was transformed into early modern science
Science—Modern experimental science, an intellectual endeavor to explain the workings of the physical world informed by empirical investigation and carried out by a community trained in specialized techniques.
religion
Religion is a system of beliefs relating to transcendent realities concerning purpose and meaning in the world, expressed in social practices.
Science is not “scientism” and faith is not “fideism”
Scientism—The idea that any question that can be answered at all can best be answered by science; a view that denies that science has limits
Fideism—A view that denies that there is a legitimate place for science and reason within the content of religious faith and denies that religious faith has limits
Alexander’s four models FOR RELATING SCIENCE AND RELIGION
Conflict model
Sees science and religion as being in conflict with each other
In general conflict tends to occur when either religion or science purports to answer questions that rightfully belong to the other domain of enquiry.
Does not account for the reality that religious belief has contributed to the historical emergence of modern science.
CONFLICT model: historical origins
Noma or independence model
Non-overlapping magisteria (teaching authority)—separate compartments, addressing quite different kinds of questions
Fusion model
Blurs the distinction between scientific and religious knowing or attempt to utilize science in order to construct religious systems of thought or vice versa.
Fusion models go well beyond natural theology in proposing that the actual content of science informs the actual content of religious belief.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam distinguish God from creation; Hinduism and Buddhism less so
Complementarity model
Religion and Science are addressing the same reality from different perspectives, providing explanations that are complementary.
Example: understanding the human person at the levels of analysis provided by the disciplines of biochemistry, cell biology, physiology, psychology, anthropology, and ecology. There are multiple layers of explanation (John Haught) and they are complementary, not mutually exclusive.
John Haught’s idea of
Layered Explanation
From the transcript of the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial in which he served as an expert witness
Why is the teapot boiling?
1. It’s boiling because the water molecules are moving around excitedly and the liquid state is being transformed into gas.
2. It’s boiling because my wife turned the gas on.
3. It’s boiling because I want tea.
13
Are science and religion compatible?
In much of North America today, many people equate sound reasoning with what can be established by modern science, which leads us to the question:
Emerging adults, adults in their 20’s tend to say “no”
Many other people look at history and say “no,” especially citing the Galileo case
What do we mean by “science”?
Natural Philosophy—The name for science in the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods; the branch of philosophy that sought to gain knowledge of physical reality and the material causes of things
Scientific Revolution—The period from the 1500s through the 1700s, when medieval natural philosophy was transformed into early modern science
Science—Modern experimental science, an intellectual endeavor to explain the workings of the physical world informed by empirical investigation and carried out by a community trained in specialized techniques.
Modern Scientific Method
1. All hypotheses, theories, or truth-claims must be tested empirically
2. The testing must be public, open to criticism by opponents
3. There is no point at which the testing has been completed once and for all
4. All scientific truth-claims are therefore tentative, at least in principle
the Galileo case
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
“The Bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go.”
Robert bellarmine, sj
“I say that if there were a true demonstration that the sun is at the center of the world and the earth in the third heaven, and that the sun does not circle the earth but the earth circles the sun….[we would] say rather that we do not understand [the Scriptures] than that what is demonstrated is false.”
10
RELIGION AND SCIENCE: IMPORTANT TERMS
Conflict thesis
—The thesis that science and religion have experienced a long history of conflict or warfare.[footnoteRef:1] Also known as the “military metaphor” for or the “warfare model” of the relationship between science and religion.[footnoteRef:2] [1: Joshua Moritz, Science and Religion: Beyond Warfare and Toward Understanding, p. 292] [2: Colin A. Russell, “The Conflict of Science and Religion” in Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction, ed. by Gary B. Ferngren, p. 3.]
Natural Philosophy
—The name for science in the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods; the branch of philosophy that sought to gain knowledge of physical reality and the material causes of things.[footnoteRef:3] [3: Moritz, p. 295.]
Scientific Revolution
—The period from the 1500s through the 1700s, when medieval natural philosophy was transformed into early modern science.[footnoteRef:4] [4: Moritz, p. 296.]
Modern Scientific Method
—Elements in modern scientific method include the notions
1. that all hypotheses, theories, or truth-claims must be tested empirically;
2. that the testing must be public, open to criticism by opponents;
3. that there is no point at which the testing has been completed once and for all;
4. that all scientific truth-claims are therefore tentative, at least in principle.
Scientism
—The idea that any question that can be answered at all can best be answered by science; a view that denies that science has limits.[footnoteRef:5] [5: Moritz, p. 296.]
Fideism
—A view that denies that there is a legitimate place for science and reason within the content of religious faith and denies that religious faith has limits.
Epistemology
—The branch of philosophy that studies the nature and limits of knowledge, and the justification of belief.[footnoteRef:6] [6: Moritz, p. 293.]
The God of the Gaps
—the mistake of using God as an explanation of what is currently scientific unknown; using God as an explanation when there are empirical “gaps” in in our knowledge. This is not scientifically or theologically a valid move.
The Anthropic Principle
—“The assertion that the physical constants of the early universe were delicately balanced or ‘fine-tuned’: if they had even slightly different values, carbon-based life and our presence as intelligent observers would not have been possible.”[footnoteRef:7] [7: Ian Barbour, Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues, p. 357.]
Theory
—“a coherent statement that provides an explanation for certain phenomena. It is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, crafted by pulling together observed facts and known laws and interpreting them with an insightful hypothesis.” Thus, one should say not that one “believes” in evolution, but that one “accepts it as demonstrated.”
The Big Bang Theory
—“In 1929, Edwin Hubble, examining the ‘red shift’ of light from distant nebulae [interstellar clouds of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases], formulated Hubble’s Law: the velocity of recession of a nebula is proportional to its distance from us. Space itself, not just object in space, is everywhere expanding. Extrapolating backward in time, the universe seems to be expanding from a common origin about fifteen billion years ago.”[footnoteRef:8] [8: Ian Barbour, Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues, p. 195.
]
Biblical Fundamentalism
—“An approach to biblical interpretation that asserts the Bible is without error; every word must be taken in its ‘natural sense.’ Such an approach dismisses historical and literary approaches to interpreting the Bible.”[footnoteRef:9] [9: Kathleen Birge, et al. Genesis, Evolution, and the Search for a Reasoned Faith, p. 38.]
The Historical-Critical Method of Biblical Interpretation
—“A methodology used to interpret the Bible that came into wide use in the 19th century. This method recognizes the Bible as not only inspired by God but also as a collection of ancient documents composed by numerous human beings over millennia. This method applies historical, literary, and philological analysis to the biblical text to establish what it meant in order to ask what the text can mean to believers today.”[footnoteRef:10] [10: Birge, et al., p. 38.]
Myth
—“From the Greek word mythos or ‘story.’ When used in connection with biblical stories, it connotes stories that are created to express the deepest truths of what it means to be a human being, such as the stories found in Gn 1 and Gn 2-3.”[footnoteRef:11] [11: Birge, et al., p. 39.]
Creationism
—“All theists accept the doctrine of creation, but the term ‘creationism’ today usually refers to the beliefs of biblical literalists who reject evolutionary biology.”[footnoteRef:12] [12: John F. Haught, Responses to 101 Questions on God and Evolution, p. 71]
· “Young earth creationists”—6,000 years ago God made the earth in 6 literal calendar days
· “Old earth creationists”—Earth-history is 4.5 billion years long, but every species exists because of God’s “special creation” rather than through natural processes Adam and Eve were created perfectly in the Garden of Eden.
· “Scientific Creationism”—“The biblical creation stories give us a more reliable scientific explanation than we can get from Darwinian biology.” They take the Bible to be scientifically authoritative because if it is literally inerrant, it cannot contradict science. Darwinism and creationism are two different scientific theories.
Intelligent Design
—“the argument that the structures, features, organs, and biochemical pathways that we find in living cells are so complex that they could not have been produced by natural processes such as evolution and that they would require the intervention of an intelligent designer outside of nature to bring them into existence.” This idea is rejected by most scientists. It is an argument used by many creationists.
Page 1 of 2
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
