DOCSLIB.ORG

Viewed from the Shoulders of God: Themes in Science and Theology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Viewed from the Shoulders of God: Themes in Science and Theology VIEWED FROM THE SHOULDERS OF GOD: THEMES IN SCIENCE AND THEOLOGY Cornel W du Toit Research Institute for Theology and Religion University of South Africa ii © 2007 Research Institute for Theology and Religion, University of South Africa, P O Box 392, Unisa 0003, Pretoria, South Africa First edition, first impression ISBN 978-1-86888-481-0 Cover design: Dawid Kahts Unisa Press University of South Africa Printed by: The Department of Production University of South Africa © 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means – mechanical or electronic, including recordings or tape-recording and photocopying – without the prior permission of the author, excluding fair quotations for purposes of research or re- view. iii CONTENTS Foreword . v 1 New Cosmology: A tower of Babel . 1 2 Values in the science-religion dialogue: Biological roots of human nature and interaction with cultural environment …. 15 3 Moral equilibrium of the universe: Genesis 3-11 and New Cosmology . 45 4 Common ground between science and theology . .. 67 5 Dominant scientific and technological worldviews: Christian responses . .. 83 6 Cartography of cultural and natural landscapes: Mapping metaphors in science and religion . 107 7 Limitations of the concept ‘law of nature’ as a source in science, philosophy, theology and law . .. 133 iv 8 The restoration of subjectivity in science, rationality and knowledge systems as a precondition for scientific integrity . .. 155 9 Some Barthian perspectives on the present science-religion debate: What is the place of ‘natural theology’ today? . 181 10 Evolutionary biology: A link between religion and knowledge? . 209 11 Arthur Peacocke’s contribution to the science-theology Debate . .. 231 12 Tout est bien? Natural and supernatural causes of evil: Perspectives from Hume’s treatise and Voltaire’s Candide . .. 251 13 The metaphysical mind in its physical environment: Religious implications of neuroscience . 275 14 Design, designers and the designing God: A critical look at some models . .. 297 15 Wisdom lost and regained? The possibility of reintegrating a fractured techno-scientific culture . .. 317 v Bibliography . 333 Index . .. 367 vi FOREWORD One of the more fascinating traits of human beings is the way they reconcile paradoxes and live with irreconcilables. Many find it impossible to reconcile science and religion, natural and supernatural, immanence and transcendence. So they choose to live in two apparently irreconcilable worlds. They visit the doctor with an incurable disease while fervently praying to God to heal them; they study the weather chart, praying for rain counter to its prognosis. But many others make their peace with the out-and-out bio- logical nature of life and accept their inevitable biological mortality. Yet others, while accepting their biological condi- tion, continue to find religion meaningful and allow room for God. Technoscience is manifestly putting pressure on religion. Religion is widely perceived as evolutionary scaffolding that propped up humankind in its childhood, but serves no further purpose now it has reached adulthood and must be demolished. We no longer need a projected father in heaven to see that justice prevails; we take responsibility for society ourselves. However, many believers disagree. Throwing religion out with the bathwater saps the verve of the human spirit. It strips life of aesthetics because its ‘truth’ is doubted. It reduces faith to this life only with no hope of anything beyond it. Yet religion evolves from one generation to the next. Since the dawn of Christianity God was worshipped Sunday after Sunday, but the mode of worship changed radically over the ages. Our expectations of God, our self-image and worldview are totally different from those of first century Christians. vii Religion can’t be kept alive artificially. If the need for it is superseded by something else it will cease to exist. But that does not necessarily mean that we will live in a post- religious phase with no value systems, justice, humility or morality. Hence the aim of the science-religion debate is not to ‘res- cue’ religion from science. The gods don’t need protection, they speak for themselves. A meaningful goal for the de- bate would be to clarify humankind’s apparently incorrigi- ble religiosity, and to reconcile the substance of faith and the concomitant expectations with our understanding of the physical functioning of our cosmos. To highlight the irrationality of religion – as scholars like Dawkins do – is easy. Pointing out misuses of religion is our duty; accept- ing religious ‘malpractices’ because they ‘do no harm’ is an insult to the human mind; hushing up scientific findings that appear to threaten religion is dishonest; denying the personal value that religion has for millions of human be- ings is a fallacy. Where does that leave us? Christianity offers countless plausible ways to accommodate belief in a personal god and personal salvation within the parameters of present- day technoscience. The science-theology debate has helped it to do so: not to devise new proofs of God’s exis- tence; not to sacrifice honesty in order to preserve religion; but to uphold the meaning that religion offers in a proficient manner. Even those who operate without a religious framework must acknowledge that religion evolved to en- able humankind to accomplish what has been accom- plished. To claim that we can face up to the challenges of our time without the backing of an unshakable spirit is hu- bris. But the driving force of the human mind is not de- pendent on just a handful of religious interpretations. The mind is bigger than that and we must give it more leeway. To a great extent human spirituality has become secular, viii finding transcendence inter alia in immanence. The sci- ence-theology debate offers plenty of examples. Thus the premise of this book is that we should have the guts to accept the multifaceted biological nature of exis- tence without surrendering the values that are essential for the human spirit to survive. The angle of the book is basi- cally Christian, with due regard to possible approaches from other religious traditions. Chapter 1 is a thumbnail sketch of what the dialogue is about. It permits panoramic vistas from a pinnacle (like people standing on God’s shoulders with a bird’s eye- view). Naturally the validity of our pinnacle talk is tested when we have to pick our way through the labyrinth of re- alities on the ground, but what we bring with us from the tower top is the very values that are the hallmark of the human mind. That is the theme of chapter 2. Chapter 3 analyses six protological stories in Genesis 3-11 to find a perspective from a historical religious source that offers useful guidelines for interaction with our natural and tech- noscientific environment. Chapter 4 explores the ways in which religion and science approach their respective worlds (texts). For all the parallels, each has its peculiari- ties. Metaphor and narrative are singled out as seemingly the most effective approach available to theology, and to some extent to science as well. Chapter 5 takes the reader on a lightning tour of the worldviews that determine us. The dominant Western worldview has largely outgrown its Christian infancy and has to find new meaning in a tech- noscientific environment. In theology critical realism has contributed to a stance that continues to assign values a key role in a scientific context. Chapter 6 elaborates on the theme by examining how we map our complex world. Al- though our cartography (science) was honed to a fine art in the modernist framework, humankind needs more. The sciences remain a road map that directs us on our journey, ix but they remain a background to, and a preparation for, the journey: they are not what the journey is about. The way we understand things and the wherewithal at our dis- posal largely determine how we live, but they are not what life is about. We turn to Heidegger for examples of how to integrate scientific artefacts with our human nature to make life meaningful. The cartography of the human spirit as imago Dei is explored in order to fathom its underlying spirituality. Chapter 7 seeks to deconstruct one of the car- dinal metaphors that shaped Western culture through the ages: the metaphor of natural law that was transposed from nature to philosophy, jurisprudence, physics and the- ology, with all its religious luggage. In time these disci- plines came to realise that the application of the metaphor far exceeded its scope. If the concept of natural law is anachronistic, the sciences have to reappraise the basic metaphors that serve as their criteria. Chapter 8 endeav- ours to give science a human face by recognising the role of the human subject anew. This is done by way of post- epistemology in the form of an axiological epistemology that expands the requirements of good epistemology to include important human values. The foundation of West- ern epistemology – representation – is broadened to in- corporate factors like language and tradition that feature in local contexts. By discussing the axiological dimension of knowledge systems we draw attention to the power factors at work in our epistemologies. Chapter 9 looks at the negative sentiments that accrued to the notion of natural theology in Western theology. This is done with reference to the work of Karl Barth, a leading figure in this regard. The aim is not to reinstate classical natural theology, but to work out a contemporary natural theology consonant with present-day interactions between science and theology. Barth’s reaction should be seen in the context of his time. In that context he contributed significantly to the interpreta- tion of biblical texts that deal with creation and with certain x provisos, his views leave scope for natural theology.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Thinking, with Heidegger, the Religion-Science-Theology Relation
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 3-1-2013 Thinking, with Heidegger, the Religion-Science-Theology Relation David L. Carlson University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Carlson, David L., "Thinking, with Heidegger, the Religion-Science-Theology Relation" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 112. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/112 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. THINKING, WITH HEIDEGGER, THE RELIGION-SCIENCE-THEOLOGY RELATION ____________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology Joint PhD Program University of Denver ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy ____________ by David L. Carlson March 2013 Advisor: Dr. Francis Seeburger ©David L. Carlson 2013 All Rights Reserved Author: David L. Carlson Title: THINKING, WITH HEIDEGGER, THE RELIGION-SCIENCE- THEOLOGY RELATION Advisor: Dr. Francis Seeburger Degree Date: March 2013 ABSTRACT This work is an attempt to think the essential nature of the interrelationships among religion, science, and
    [Show full text]
  • Information to Users
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in ttiis copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA UIVQ 800-521-0600 UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE AN ASTRONOMER BEYOND THE OBSERVATORY: HARLOW SHAPLEY AS PROPHET OF SCIENCE A Dissertation SUBMriTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By JOANN PALMERI Norman, Oklahoma 2000 UMI Number 9952415 Copyright 2000 by Palmeri, JoAnn All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • God in Creation: the Challenge and Possibility of Discerning Human Purpose from an Evolving Nature
    God In Creation: The Challenge and Possibility of Discerning Human Purpose from an Evolving Nature by George Simon Robert Watson A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Emmanuel College and the Graduate Centre for Theological Studies of the Toronto School of Theology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology awarded by the University of St. Michael's College © Copyright by George Simon Robert Watson 2017 God In Creation: The Challenge and Possibility of Discerning Human Purpose from an Evolving Nature George Simon Robert Watson Doctor of Philosophy in Theology University of St. Michael’s College 2017 Abstract If the Christian God is creator of all things but is also revealed in Christ to be costly love, then how can divine agency in creation be understood in light of scientific discoveries revealing that biological warfare undergirds the creative process of natural selection? The implications are significant for understanding Christian vocation if indeed the human is made in God’s image with the capacity for creative or destructive “dominion” over earthly life (Gen. 1:26). To approach this challenge, I begin with an exploration of Philip Hefner’s theory of the human as created co-creator, and conclude that his teleonomic axiom focusing on the survival of creation, although necessary and fruitful, is contradicted by his use of the male-gendered logos with the teleological metaphor of sacrifice and John Hick’s Irenaean Theodicy to understand divine agency in creation. I then turn to the work of Denis Edwards and Elizabeth Johnson, who consider the female figure of divine Wisdom, or sophia, incarnate in Christ, as a more liberative representation of God, inclusive of women and the diversity of creaturely life.
    [Show full text]
  • Bringing Cosmos to Culture Harlow Shapley and the Uses of Cosmic Evolution
    Chapter 15 ! Bringing Cosmos to Culture Harlow Shapley and the Uses of Cosmic Evolution JoAnn Palmeri Bringing Cosmos to Culture as Shapley’s Lifelong Mission In response to a request for an interview to be conducted at the U.S. Naval Observatory, 73-year-old famed astronomer and retired Harvard Observatory Director, Harlow Shapley (1885–1972), stated that for the upcoming NBC interview he did not “care to pose with a telescope.”1 Shapley explained that apart from some episodes in his scientific youth, he had spent little time actu- ally peering through telescopes. He wanted to make the point that like most astronomers, his contributions were based on a range of activities distinct from the practice of observing. While this 1959 exchange is instructive with respect to Shapley’s view of his astronomical work, it is also instructive with respect to Shapley’s view of his potential historical legacy. Shapley believed that some of his most important contributions lay outside science; he wanted to be seen not only as a scientist, but also as a scholar and a public intellec- tual.2 The title of his 1967 book, Beyond the Observatory, aptly characterizes a career in which considerable effort was devoted to extending his influence beyond astronomical and scientific circles.3 Yet Shapley’s work beyond these circles was shaped in important ways by his career in science, and especially, by his belief that the findings of science held lessons of profound significance for humanity. Shapley achieved scientific renown through his work as an astronomer and observatory director. In these roles he influenced the course of 20th century astronomy and shaped his contemporaries’ understanding of the cosmic facts.
    [Show full text]
  • Emergence: Nature’S Mode of Creativity – the Human Dimension
    IRAS Emergence: Nature’s Mode of Creativity – The Human Dimension Program and Schedule The Institute on Religion in an Age of Science 54th Annual Star Island Conference, July 26 to August 2, 2008 CONFERENCE STATEMENT In 2006 we explored the concept of emergence in its physical, geological, biological, and ecological contexts, enriching our sense of connection with the universe and other beings (http://www.iras.org/Site/Past%20Conferences_files/book2006_nomap.pdf). This year we will consider emergence in the context of the human, ranging across our cognitive, emotional, linguistic, cultural, artistic, and religious capacities. Emergent properties arise out of relationships, like the neuronal signaling patterns that generate mental experience or the interpersonal connections that generate communal identity. They can be analyzed in terms of their interacting components, but the synergies that develop can generate higher-order unities with novel properties. Humans exemplify these emergent capacities in our modes of cognition, allowing us to generate phenomena that could not previously exist, such as music, morality, religion, and science. The core thesis of the conference is that human mental evolution was not just “evolution as usual.” Rather, it was a case of “emergent evolution,” traversing a causal threshold as fundamental as the emergence of life, which in turn made biological evolution possible. Similarly, the emergence of symbolic communication made possible the subsequent co-evolution of brain, language, and culture, driving technology and generating new forms of consciousness in which vast webs of collective cognition and intersubjectivity are possible, many manifest in our religious traditions. These processes can be expected to lead to future transitions—not all human-friendly—that are every bit as revolutionary, demanding that we reflect on our understandings of the true, the good, the beautiful, and the sacred.
    [Show full text]
  • Issr Awarded Books
    INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE & RELIGION (ISSR) AWARDED BOOKS TO GCU LIBRARY LAHORE Accession Place, Publisher & Sr. No. Author Title Class No. No. Year. Alone in the world? : human J Wentzel van USA: Wm B Erdmans, 233.5 1. G-31021 uniqueness in science and Huyssteen 2006 VAN theology Findingdarwin’s God: a New York: Happer 231.7652 2. G-31022 Kenneth R Miller scientist’s research for common Perennial, 1999 MIL ground between god and All that is: a naturalistic faith for USA: Fortress Press, 261.55 3. G-31023 Arthur Peacocke the twenty first century 2007 PEA Altruism & altruistic love: Stephen G post New York: Oxford 171.8 4. G-31024 science, philosophy, & religion (Ed.) University Press, 2002 ALT in dialogue A new climate for theology: God USA: Fortress Press, 261.88 5. G-31025 Sallie McFague world, and global warming 2008 MCF A fine-tuned universe: the quest Alister E USA: Westminster 261.55 6. G-31026 for god in science and theology McGrath John Knox, 2009 MCG (The 2009 Gifford Lectures) A feminist cosmology: ecology, New York: Humanity 305.42 7. G-31027 Nancy R Howell solidarity, and metaphysics Books, 2000 HOW A Christian natural theology: USA: Westminster 230.092 8. G-31028 John B Cobb based on the thought of Alford John Knox, 2007 COB north whitehead New York: An illusion of hamony: science 297.265 9. G-31029 Taner Edis Prometheus Books, and religion in Islam EDI 2007 Alfred North New York: The Free 901 10. G-31030 Adventures of ideas Whitehead Press, 1967 WHI UK: International Pranab K Das II A companion to the ISSR library 261.55 11.
    [Show full text]
  • Technology, Religion Trust
    A T G C C G T T A G A C C A T G C C G T T A G A C C G T T A G C G G A C C T G G T T A G C G G A C C T G A C A T G C C G T T A G A A C A T G C C G T T A G A C C G T T A G C G G A C C C C G T T A G C G G A C C T G A C A T G C C G T T A T G A C A T G C C G T T A G A C C hat doesG it meanT to beT human A in a worldG of technology?C G G A G A C C G T T A G C G G A C C T G WhatA could beC the roleA of religionT in Gresponding C to theC G T and Religion Technology, Trust, C C T G A C A T G C C G T T A G A ecologicalC crisis?C ShouldG we beT concerned T aboutA the geG- C G T A G A C C G T T A G C G G A C C T G A C A T G C C G A C C T G A C A T G C C netic modification of food, and even of ourselves? Who G A C C T G A C G T T A G G T T A G A C C G T T A G Wdo we trust to make decisions regarding our common future? What do C A C C T G A G A C A T G C G G A C C T G A C A T G C A weC use ourC technology T for?G These areA not questionsA C for expertsC only.G T T C C G T T A G A C C G T T A A HowC can theC wider publicT beG involved? A Do expertsC andT the generalG publicA C A A G C G G A C C T G A C A T A trustC eachC other sufficiently?T G Or isA the publicA ignorant,G in Athe eyesC of C G T G C C G T T A G A C C G T A theC scientists? C AndT are tooG many engineersA A narrow Cminded, C according T G A T T A G C G G A C C T G A C A toC the generalC public?T TheG contributors A to Tthis timelyT and Anecessary G A C C A T Technology,G C C G T T A G A C C A volumeC addressC expertise,T Gtrust, andA engagement,G asG we considerA ourC C T C G T T A G C G G A C C T G A technologicalC C condition,T religiousG resourcesA C for theG ecological T crisis,T A G G A C A T G C C G T T A G A A C C T G A G C G G A C A C Trust,C G T T and A G C G G A C biotechnology, and matters of trust between scientists and the general C A C C T G A G C C G T T C T G A C A T G C C G T T public.
    [Show full text]
  • Part ⅰ. the Evolutionary Theology of John Haught
    This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. The Doctrine of Theodicy in a Scientific Age: Examining the Evolutionary Theology of John Haught and the Daoist Philosophy of Zhuangzi Jaeho Jang PhD in Systematic Theology The University of Edinburgh 2017 Declaration I, Jaeho Jang, declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. Except where states otherwise by reference or acknowledgment, the work presented is entirely my own. Date________________ Signature _____________________ ii Abstract Modern evolutionary science has brought a sharp focus to bear on the problem of evil, and especially of natural evil and suffering in the natural world. Moreover, I believe that contemporary theodicy may benefit from engagement with the East Asian religion, Daoism.
    [Show full text]
  • Science and Religion in Meta-Perspective – Part III
    ISSN 2039-2117 (online) Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences Vol 5 No 20 ISSN 2039-9340 (print) MCSER Publishing, Rome-Italy September 2014 Science and Religion in Meta-Perspective – Part III Herman J. Pietersen Professor, University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus 0727, Republic of South Africa [email protected] Doi:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p2313 Abstract A meta-theory was developed that brought together implicit premises or world views that constantly re-surface in human thought. Although these elements have long been part of the scholarly activity of humankind, a comprehensive synthesis has been lacking. An integrating perspective redressed this shortcoming and was shown to account for a repeated pattern of basic approaches in human thought, across disciplines, cultures and traditions of thought. The scholarly evidence supports the existence and ongoing dynamic of four paradigmatic or root intellectual orientations, namely: the objectivist-empyrean or metaphysical (type I); the objectivist-empiricist or scientific (type II); the subjectivist-empiricist or narrative-interpretive (type III); and, the subjectivist-empyrean or pragmatic (type IV). The first section of the current paper (Part III) discusses the subjectivist- empiricist (type III) tendency in the S-R field as represented by Philip Hefner (theologian), Karl Peters (theologian) and Ursula Goodenough (biologist). The second section focuses on the pragmatic (type IV) orientations of Hefner, Peacocke, Grassie and Pederson. Keywords: Hefner, Peters, Goodenough, Grassie,
    [Show full text]