Religion 329: “Science and Religion: the Great Debate” Griset Lecturer: Keith Ward Spring 2016 (1 unit)

Class Meeting Times: Tuesday February 23 4:00‐6:00 (Lecture and Discussion) Wednesday February 24 4:00‐6:00 (Lecture and Discussion)

Monday, February 29 7:00 (Public Lecture: Christ and the Cosmos—Attendance Mandatory) Tuesday March 1 4:00‐6:00 (Lecture and Discussion) Wednesday March 2 4:00‐6:00 (Lecture and Discussion)

Monday March 7 4:00‐6:00 (Lecture and Discussion) Tuesday March 8 4:00‐6:00 (Lecture and Discussion)

Units of Study: 1. Can there be a debate? Has there really been a war between science and religion? Can we define ‘science’ or ‘religion’, anyway? Has science killed both religion and philosophy, as Stephen Hawking has claimed? 2. How the universe began. Scientific and religious accounts of the origin of the universe. What do Christians mean by ‘creation’? Does this compete with modern cosmology? 3. How the universe will end. The scientific revolution in quantum physics. Can there be purpose in a scientifically understood universe? Is the universe pointless? 4. Is there a problem with evolution? How the theory of evolution began as a religious doctrine, why it came to be seen as anti‐religious, and why it is still such a contentious theory. 5. Has science eliminated miracles? Are there absolute laws of nature? Is science on the way to explaining everything? 6. The ‘hard problem’. Why does consciousness exist, and how does it relate to matter? Can rational animals (i.e.humans) survive death?

These sessions will be a combination of lecture and discussion. The best contemporary scientific thought, and a range of religious and non‐religious views will be analysed, sympathetically yet critically.

The lecturer is a personal Idealist and a Christian minister, and while his own opinions are, in his own view, largely correct, he concedes that they are often highly contested, and welcomes reasoned debate between very different beliefs.

The following three books by Prof. Ward provide a background to the lectures, though the lectures themselves will be new:

God, Chance, and Necessity (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 1996)

Pascal’s Fire (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2006)

The Big Questions in Science and Religion (Templeton Foundation Press, 2008) Suggested Reading Before the Course:

• It would be good to read one of the three books above. • The best general introduction to the science/religion/philosophy debates is still the classic, Ian Barbour, Religion and Science (SCM Press, London, 1998). Any books by Arthur Peacocke or by John Polkinghorne would also be a good general introduction.

On specific topics on the syllabus, Prof. Ward suggests the following, from his books:

1. Pascal’s Fire, Chapters 9 and 10 2. The Big Questions… chapter 1, or God, Chance, and Necessity (GCN), chapters 1 and 2 3. The Big Questions... chapter 2, or GCN chapter 3 4. The Big Questions... chapter 3, or Pascal’s Fire, chapter 4, or GCN chapters 4‐7 5. Pascal’s Fire, chapters 14 and 15; or The Big Questions... chapter 4 6. The Big Questions... chapter 6; or Pascal’s Fire, chapter 11, or GCN chapter 8.

COURSE ASSIGNMENT In addition to attendance and participation in discussion, students will be asked to complete the following assignment, which may be completed during or at the end of the class:

Write a short essay (4‐5 pages), citing arguments both for and against your own opinion, and conclude by defending your opinion, on ONE of the following: 1. Science has rendered religion obsolete 2. The idea of God has no explanatory force 3. ‘The more we understand the universe, the more we see it is pointless’ (from Steven Weinberg) 4. Theists must believe in Intelligent Design 5. Science rules out belief in miracles 6. Consciousness cannot exist without the brain, so life after death is impossible

PUBLIC LECTURE

“Christ and the Cosmos”

Christians need to see Christ in the light of new scientific knowledge about the size and age of the cosmos. This lecture will attempt to show that the resources of Indian religious thought and of Western Idealism provide a new and illuminating way of doing this.

Chapman University Academic Integrity Policy

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Students with Disabilities Policy In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either permanent or temporary, that might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to contact the Disability Services Office. If you will need to utilize your approved accommodations in this class, please follow the proper notification procedure for informing your professor(s). This notification process must occur more than a week before any accommodation can be utilized. Please contact Disability Services at (714) 516–4520 or visit www.chapman.edu/students/student‐health‐ services/disability‐services if you have questions regarding this procedure or for information or to make an appointment to discuss and/or request potential accommodations based on documentation of your disability. Once formal approval of your need for an accommodation has been granted, you are encouraged to talk with your professor(s) about your accommodation options. The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.

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Religious Accommodation

Your instructor will provide a course syllabus at the beginning of each term that specifies dates of exams and due dates of assignments. It is the responsibility of each student to review these syllabi as soon they are distributed, as well as final examination schedules (within the first three weeks of the semester) and to consult the faculty member promptly regarding any possible conflicts with major religious holidays where those holidays are scheduled in advance and where those holidays constitute the fulfillment of their sincerely held religious beliefs. Upon the timely request of one or more students, your instructor will work with student(s), whenever possible, to accommodate the student(s) using reasonable means, such as rescheduling exams and assignment deadlines that fall on major religious observances and holidays.