* Philosophy of Religion

An Anthology

SEVENTH EDITION

MICHAEL REA University of Notre Dame

LOUIS P. POJMAN Late of the United States Military Academy, West Point

CENGAGE Learning·

Australia • Brazil • Mexico • Singapore • United Kingdom • United States 368 RICHARD DAWKINS• IS SCIENCE A RELIGION? 491 490 PART IV• RELIGION AND EXPERIENCE 11,·,' : ,• ,.

few may believe so single-mindedly in a fav01ite Consolation is harder for science to provide. may : IV.C.1 theory that they occasionally falsit)1 evidence. Unlike science cannot offer the bereaved a as a r However, the fact that this sometimes happens gl01ious reunion with their loved ones in the here- doesn't alter the principle that, when they do so, after. Those wronged on this earth cannot, on a mg t scientific view, anticipate a sweet comeuppance for may they do it with shame and not with pride. The method of science is so designed that it usually finds their ton11cntors in a life to come. It could be oddly Is Science a Religion? argued that, if the idea of an afterlife is an illusion sider them out in the end. Science is actually one of the most moral. one (as I believe it is), the consolation it offers is hollow. Ch1is But that's not neccssatily so; a false belief can be RICHARD DAWKINS of the most honest disciplines around-because sci- just as comforting as a true one, provided the be- ence would completely collapse if it weren't fi.)r a liever never discovers its falsity. 13ut if consolation scrupulous adherence to honesty in the reporting comes that cheap, science can weigh in with other of evidence. (As James Randi has pointed out, this cheap palliatives, such as pain-killing drugs, whose Richard /JmtJki11s ( 1941-) is prv_/i'ssor l!f at O.'-;ftird U11itJcrsity cllld the author o(sc11cral i111- is one reason why scientists are so often fooled by comfort may or may not be illusory, but they do I. Jc porta11t books, i11c/11di11.I! The Selfish Gene (l 976), The 13lind Watchmaker (1986), and The paranormal tricksters and why the debunking role 2. )\. Delusion (2006). He mx11cs that scie11cc is a.fill" 111orc dc:fc11sihlc process tlra11 scmr- is better played by professional conjurors; scientists work. Uplift, however, is where science really comes R 111g tntth. just don't anticipate deliberate dishonesty as well.) into-ifS o\vn. All the great religions have a place for 3. f) There arc other professions (no need to mention awe, for ecstatic transport at the wonder and beauty cc It is fashionable to wax apocalyptic about the threat Well, science is not religion and it doesn't just specifically) in which falsifying evidence or \X come clown to faith. Although it has many of reli- of creation. And it's exactly this feeling of spine- to humanity posed by the AIDS virus, "mad cow" , .- \at least twisting it is precisely what people arc paid 1 shivcring, breath-catching awe_:-almost w9_rship- v disease, and many others, but I think a case can be gion's virtues, it has none of its vices. Science is for and get brownie points for doing. this flooding of the chest with ecstatic wonder, Q made that .ft1itlr is one of the world's great evils, t:ased upon verifiable evidence. faltl; not Science, then, is free of the main vice of ar that modern science can provide. And it does so comparable to the smallpox virus but ha1:dcr to only lacks evidence, its from evi- religion, which is faith. 13ut, as I pointed out, sci- N beyond the wildest dreams of saints and mystics. eradicate. dence is its pride and joy, shouted from the roof- ence does have some of religion's virtues. Religion 4. Ac The fact that the supernatural has no place in our '.ul Faith, being belief that isn't based on cvi- tops. Why else would Christians wax critical of may aspire to provide its followers with various pc .t r -· explanations, in our understanding of so much · · den cc, is the principle vice of any The other apostles arc held up benefits-among them Fa 0 about the universe and life, doesn't diminish who, looking at Northern Ireland or the Middle to us as exemplars of virtue because faith was and uplift. Science, too, has something to offer in 5. M enough for them. Doubting Thomas, on the other the awe. Quite the contrary. The merest glance East, can be confident that the brain virus of faith thes-e :freas. A hand, required evidence. Perhaps he should be the through a microscope at the brain of an ant or u_, is not exceedingly dangerous? One of the stories Humans have a great hunger for told to young Muslim suicide bombers is that patron saint of scientists. through a telescope at a long-ago galaxy of a billion ed lt may be one of the main reasons why One reason I receive the comment about sci- worlds is enough to render poky and parochial the (It martyrdom is the quickest way to heaven-and so universally has religion, since religions do aspire "I- not just heaven but a special part of heaven where ence being a religion is because I believe in the fact to provide explanations. We come to our individ- very psalms of praise. Now, as I say, when it is put to me that sci- Pre will receive their special reward of 72 virgin of evolution. I even believe in it with passionate ual consciousness in a mysterious universe and long ence or some particular part of science, like evolu- VO bE151_cs. It occurs to me that our best hope conviction. To some, this may superficially look to understand it. Most religions offer a cosmology tionary theory, is just a religion like any other, I ji>r to provide a kind of "spiritual arms control": send like faith. 13ut the evidence that makes me believe and a biology, a theory of life, a theory of origins, usually deny it with indignation. But I've begun '"(' in .specially trained theologians to deescalate the in evolution is not only overwhelmingly strong; it and reasons for existence. ln doing so, they demon- to wonder whether perhaps that's the wrong tac- Da gomg rate in virgins. is available to anyone who takes the trouble strate that is, science; it's just ba<;l 19 tic. Perhaps the right tactic is to accept the charge Given the dangers of faith-and conside1ing t_o 1-ca(] can Don't fallfor the argument that religion Ei1 gratefully and demand equal time for science in the accomplishments of reason and observation in dencc that I have and presumably come to the • operate .on separate dimensions are Th religious ... Ai1d the more-Cthink the activity called science-I find it ironic that, same conclusion. But if you have a belief that is concerned wtth qmte separate sorts of questions. Mi abot1Cit,the ino1:CTrealize that an excellent case whrncver I lecture publicly, there always seems to based solely on faith, I can't examine your reasons. Religions have historically always attempted to an- Th could be made for this. So I want to talk a little Prt be someone who comes forward and says, "Of You can retreat behind the private wall of faith swer the questions that properly belong to science. bit about religious education and the place that Ev: course, your science is just a religion like ours. Fun- where I can't reach you. Thus religions should not be allowed now to damentally, science just comes down to faith, Now in practice, of course, individual scientists retreat from the ground upon which they have tra- science might play in it. 6. Th I do feel very strongly about the way children me docsn 't it?" do sometimes slip back into the vice of faith, and a ditionally attempted to fight. They do offer both a are brought up. I'm not entirely familiar with the suti cosmology and a biology; however, in both cases it ( way things are in the United States, and what I say Transcript ofa speech dc:livcrcd to the Amcric:m Humanist Association, accepting the award of lAdam and Eve. I children are nevertheless given religious instruction dearE, the news of it had started travelincr at the morals come from; by what route has the human oddly, So much for Genesis; now let's move on to in whatever particular religion their parents deem 111aximum possible speed around the universe out- brain uained its tendencv to have ethics and morals. the prophets. Halley's Comet will return without ' sider h wards from the earth? How far would the terrible suitable. fail in the year 2062. Biblical or Delphic prophecies a feeling of right and wrong? I tidings have traveled by now? Folknving the theory Should we value human life above all other Which brings me to 111y point about 111t;ntal don't begin to aspire to such accuracy; astrologers of special relativity, the answer is that the news life? Is there a rigid wall to be built around the spe- child abuse. In a I Job our nearest neighbming galaxy in the I 00-million- follow the right-to-life lobby, which is wholly pre- ( children dressed up as the three wise 111en for a na- been taken as portents of disaster. Astrology has 2. galaxy strong universe. The universe at large ocrnpied with h1111w11 life, and value the life of a Nie . tivity play. The accompanying story described one played an important part in various religious tradi- Rar couldn't possibly be anything other than indifferent human fetus with the faculties of a worn1 over the child as a Muslim, one as a Hindu, and one as a tions, including Hinduism. The three wise men I 3. Dav Christian. The supposedlv sweet and touchincr to Ch1ist, his birth, his passion, and his death. Even life of a thinking and feeling chimpanzee? What is ' mentioned earlier were said to have been led to the ed.: such momentous news as the migin of life on earth the basis of this fence we erect around Ho1110 point of the story was that they were all taking part cradle of Jesus by a star. We might ask the children Will could have traveled only across our little local clus- sapiC11s-even around a small piece of fetal tissue? in this nativity play. by what physical route do they imagine the alleged Vari What is not sweet and touching is that these chil- ter of galaxies. Yet so ancient was that event on (Not a very sound evolutionary idea when you stellar influence on human affairs could travel. Qua dren were all four years old. How can you possibly our earthly time-scale that, if you span its age with think about it.) When, in our evolutiona1y descent and lncickntally, there was a shocking program on describe a child of four as a Muslim or a Ch1istian or your open arms, the whole of human histo1y, the from our common ancestor with chimpanzees, did No1/. the 1313C radio around Christmas I r a.< wonies me is not the question of equal time but 'bl' it mav contract acrain. We know that, whatever raised, what opinions their children are going to have has been taught to become tolerant of it, even !he Ci that, as far as I can see, children in the United' happe,ns to the about the cosmos, about life, about existence. Do vaguely amused by it-so much so that even scien- Da1m Kingdom and the United States are essentially \ earth in about 60 million centuries from now. you see what I mean about mental child abuse? tific people who don't believe in astrology sort of 1988) Looking now at the va1ious things that reli- 110 time with evolution yet are taught crea-) ---Time itselfl:lega!1-·at a certain and E1Ji/: · /think it's a bit of harmless fun. I take astrology very gious education might be expected to accomplish, t10111sm (whether at school, in church, or at home). time may end at a certain moment-or it may not. The S ( Sl'liously indeed: I think it's deeply pernicious one of its aims could be to encourage children to It would also be interesting to teach more than Time may come locally to an end in miniature Mirro because it undennines rationality, and I should like one themy of creation. The dominant one in this ! crunches called black holes. The laws of the uni- Thon: reflect upon the deep questions of existence, to \ . . . culture happens to be the Jewish creation myth, \ to see campaigns agamst 1t. verse seem to be true all over the universe. Why is Press, invite them to rise above the humdrum preoccupa- When the religious education class turns to which is taken over from the Babylonian creation this? Might the laws change in these crunches? To Evil," tions of ordinary life and think s11b specie actcmitatis. ethics, I don't think science actually has a lot to say, Science can offer a vision of life and the uni- myth. There are, of course, lots and lots of others, be really speculative, time could begin again with (i. The d ancrT would i:eplace it with rational moral philoso- and perhaps they should all be given equal time new laws of physics, new physical constants. And it measu verse which, as I've already remarked, for humbling Do the children think- there are absolute (except that wouldn't leave much time for studying has even been suggested that there could be 1_1.!<_112.Y suffrrir poetic inspiration far outclasses any of the mutually standards of 1ight and wrong? And if so, where do contradictory faiths and disappointingly recent tra- anything else). I understand that there are Hindus each one isolated so completely that, for they come from? Can you make up good working ditions of the world's religions. who believe that the world was created in a cosmic 368 495 STEPHEN JAY GOULD• NONOVERLAPPING MAGISTERIA

494 PART IV• RELIGION AND EXPERIENCE Tht very sincere and serious freshman student came to may hav Incongruous places often inspire anomalous stories. scientist and a rationalist-is an accusation of zeal- mv office hours with the following question that as a met it, the others don't exist. Then again, there might In early 1984, I spent several nights at the Vatican otry and bigotry in scientists themselves as grL;-;lt as· h:;d clearly been troubling him deeply: "I am a tential p be a Darwinian selection among universes. housed in a hotel built for itinerant priests. While that found in religious people. Somet1111es there devout Christian and have never had any reason to mg uncl So science could give a good account of itself pondering over such puzzling issues as the intended may be a little bit of justice in this accusation; but doubt evolution, an idea that seems both exciting may be in religious education. But it wouldn't be enough. fi.1nction of the bidets in each bathroom, and hu11- as zealous bigots, we scientists are mere amateurs at and particularly well documented. But my room- oddly, e I believe that the King James ge1ing for something other than plum jam on my the game. We're content to a1;1?t1C with those who mate, a proselytizing Evangelical, has been insisting .· sider ho versions of the Uible is important for anyone want- breakfast rolls (why did the basket only contain disagree with us. We don't kill them. with enormous viuor that 1 cannot be both a real 1') Christian in!ffo-1111ders.t:ind the that appear in Eng- hundreds of identical plum packets and not a one b . . _...... \\)J '( But I would w;1rlt tc)- deny even the lesser Christian and an evolutionist. So tdl 111e, can a per- ) · lish literature. Together with the Uook of o( say, strawberry?), I encountered yet another charge of purely verbal zealotry. There is a very, s6i1-helieve-·110t:Ftl.i1-G"o-a and evolution?" Again, I Common Prayer, the Bible gets 58 pages in the among the innumerable issues of contrasting cul- very important difference between feeling strongly, gulped hard, did my intellectual duty, and reassured 0;..;./(1rd Dictionary Q11otatio11s. Only Shab:spean: tures that can make life so interesting. Our crowd even passionately, about something because we him that evolution was both true and entirely com- has more. I do think that not having any kind of (present in for a meeting on nuclear winter haw thought about and examined the evidence for patible with Christian belid:_a position I hold sin- biblical education is unfortunate if children want to sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences) l · Job •t it on the one hand, and feeling strongly about cerely, but still an odd situation for a Jewish read English literature and understand the prove- shared the hotel with a group of French and Italian 2. Niche something because it has been internally revealed agnostic. nance of phrases like "through a glass darkly," "all Jesuit p1iests who were also professional scientists. Rapid to us, or internally revealed to somebody dse--in These two stories illustrate a cardinal point, flesh is as grass," "the race is not to the swift," At lunch, the p1iests called me over to their ta- J. ])avid history and subsequently hallowed by tradition. frequently unrecognized but absolutely central to "crying in the wilderness," "reaping the whirl- ble to pose a problem that had been troubling ed. Ri any understanding of the status and impact of the wind," "amid the alien corn," "Eyeless in Gaza," There's all the difference in the world between a Willia1 them. What, they wanted to know, was going on politically potent, fundamentalist doctrine known "Job's comforters," and "the widow's mite." belief that one is prepared to defend by quoting Varicti in America with all this talk about "scientific crea- by its self-proclaimed . as "scienti!lc I want to return now to the charge that science evidence and logic and a belief that is supported by Q11ar1c tionism"? One asked me: "Is evolution really in creationism ''-the C:Iail11 that- the Bible is literally is just a faith. The more extreme version of this mor.c than tradition, or revela- and Pie of trouble; and if so, what could such tl:t;e, that-all organisms were created dming six clays No1ls 2 charge-and one that I often encounter as both a tion. trouble be? I have always been taught that no q_oc- of twenty-four hours, that the earth is only a few 4. Accord trinal conflict exists between evolution and Catho- thousand years old. and that evolution must there- person lic faith, and the evidence foi· evolution seems both fore be false. Creationism does not pit science Father IV.C.2 cntirdy satisfactory and utterly overwhelming. against religion (as my opening stories indicate), for 5. Marily1 Have I missed something?" no such conflict exists. Creationism does not raise A A lively pastiche of French, Italian, and English a11y unsettled irrte.llectual issues about the nature of R.atio11a 1 conversation then ensued for half an hour or so, biology or the history of life. Creationism is a local ed. Rol but the priests all seemed reassured by my general and parochial movement, powerful only in the (l thaca, answer: Evolution has encountered no intellectual "Horre1 United States among Western nations, and preva- Nonoverlapping Magisteria trouble; no new arguments have been offered. Cre- i'roffcdii lent only among the few sectors of American Prot- ationism is a homegrown phenomenon of Ameri- vol. (i3 ( estantism that choose to read the Bibk as an STEPHEN JAY GOULD can sociocultural history-a splinter movement .Jlir 11 So11 document, literally true in every jot and (unfortunately rather more of a beam these clays) of the Chris tittle. [1}\p r / ', rJ,,, Da1m-, J: Protestant fundamentalists who believe that every I do not doubt that one could find an occa- . 1988); E the Bible must be literally true, whatever sional nun who would prefer to teach creationism Stephen Jay Co11ld (1941-2002) ll'as a leading in eJJol11tio11ary biology, mid E,,i/: 77u such a claim all left satisfied, but I in her parochial school biology class, or an occa- The Stol the history ef scie11cc, and 111as the a11thor ef scJJcral i111porta11t books, both poprtlar a11d scholarly, certainly felt bemused by the anomaly of my role as sional orthodox rabbi who does the same in his Mirror o 011 these s11bjccts. He ta11ght at Hmvard U11iJJcrsity and also ll'orked at the A111crica11 1\!111se11111 a Jewish agnostic, trying to reassure a group of yeshiva, but creationism based on biblical literalism Thomas N_at11ral History. In this essay, he mg11cs that scic11cc and co11stit11tc nonoverlapping Catholic p1iests that evolution remained both true makes little sense in either Catholicism or Judaism, Press, 19' mag1stena- separate do111ai11s of teaching a11thority that arc co11ccr11cd 1/lith ll'holly d[ffere11t s11bjccts and entirely consistent with religious belief. for neither religion maintains any extensive tradi- Evil," hi. i11q11iry. . Another story in the same mold: I am often tion for reading the Bible as literal tmth rather than 6. The divir asked whether I ever encounter creationism as a illuminating literature, based partly on metaphor measure c live issue among my Harvard undergraduate stu- suffori11g; and allegory (essential components of all good writ- dents. I reply that only once, in nearly thirty years ing) and demanding interpretation for proper of teaching, did I experience such an incident. A Originally published in i\'.1111m/ History (1997, March). Used with pmnission. 368 497 STEPHEN JAY GOULD• NONOVERLAPPING MAGISTERIA

The 496 PART IV• RELIGION AND EXPERIENCE and religion. No such conflict should exist because may hav intellectual lift.·: when puzzled. it nen·r hurts to such a statement at all? And \\·hy had the press each sul)jcct has a legitimate 111agisterium, or do- as a met! understanding. Most Protestant groups. of course, read the pri111ary documents-a rather simple and responded with an orgy of worldwide, front-page authoritf:::.:..:;lnd these magistcria tcntial pi take the same position-the fundamentalist fringe self-evident principle that has. 11onethcless. com- mg uncl- coverage? do not overlap (the principle that I would like to notwi thsta ndin g. pletely disappeared from large sectors of the Ameri- may be I could only conclude at first, and wrongly as I designate as NOMA. or "nonoverlapping magistc- The position that I have just outlined by per- can experience. soon learned, that journalists throughout the world ria "). The m··t of science covers the empirical uni- ...::: oddly, CJ sonal stories and general statements represents the I knew that Pope Pius XI I (not one of my fa- sider hO\ must deeply misunderstand the relationship . verse: what is it made of (fact) and why does it standard attitude of all major W cstern religions vorite figures in twentieth-century history. to say Ch1istia11 between science and religion, and must thercfi:>re work this way (thc(iry). The 11et of religion (and of Western science) today. (I cannot, through the least) had made the primary statement in a be elevating a minor papal comment to unwar- extends over qucstio11s of moral mcani11g :md ignorance, speak of Eastern religions, although I 1950 encyclical entitled H11111c111i Cc11cris. I knc\\" ranted notice. Perhaps most people really do think \·aluc. These two magistcria do not overlap, nor suspect that the same position would prevail in tf1c maii1 thl·ust of his message: Catholics could that a war exists between science and religion, and do they cnco111pass all inquiry (consider. for start- most cases.) The lack of conflict between science believe whatever science determined about the that (to cite a particularly newsworthy case) evolu- ers, the magisterium of art and the 111caning of and religion arises from a lack of overlap between evolution of the human body, so long as they tion must be intrinsically opposed to Christianity. beauty). To cite the arch clichcs, we get the of 1. Job 42 their respective domains of professio1d expcrtise- accepted that. at some time of his choosing, c().d In such a context, a papal admission of evolution's rocks, and religion retains the rgck of ages; we 2. Nicho scicnce in the empirical constitution of the uni- had infused soul into such a creature. I also legitimate status might be regarded as major news how the hcavc11s go, and they determine Rapid, verse, and religion in the search for proper ethical knew that I had no problem this statement, indeed-a sort of 111odcrn equivalent for a storv how to go to hcave1i. values and the spiritual meaning of our lives. The for whatever my private beliefs about souls. science 3. David that never happe11cd, but would have 111adc · This resolution might remain all neat and clean ed. Ric attainment of wisdom in a full life requires exten- cannot touch._such a and therefore cannot biggest journalistic splash of l 640: Pope Urban VIII if the 11onovcrlapping magisteria (NOMA) of sci- Willian sive attention to both domains-for a great book Ge position 011 such a releases his 111ost famous prisoner from house arrest ence and religion were separated by an extensive Varietil tells us that the truth can make us free and that we legitimately and intrinsically religious issue. Pope no man's land. Uut, in fact, the two magiste1ia Quarter, and hu111bly apologizes, "Sorry, Signor Galileo ... will live in optimal harmony with our fellows Pius XII, in other words, had properly acknowl- bump right up against each other, in and Pie the sun, er, is central." when we learn to justly, love mercy, and walk edged and respected the separate domains of sci- wondrously complex ways along their joint border. No1is 2:' 13ut I then discovered that the promi11cnt cov- humbly.· ' · ·" · ,j ence and thcolosry. Thus, I found myself in total Many of our deepest questions call upon aspects of 4. Accordi erage of papal satisfactio11 with evolution had not In the context of this standard position, I was agreement with H11111c111i Cc11cris-but I had never both for different parts of a full answer-and the person < enormously puzzled by a statement issued by Pope been an enor of no11-Catholic Anglophone jour- read the document in fi.111 (not 111uch of an i111pcdi- Father nalists. The Vatican itself had issued the statement sorting of legiti111atc domains can become quite John Paul II on October 22, 1996, to the Pontifical mcnt to stating an opinion these days). complex and difficult. To cite just two broad ques- 5. Marilyn as a m;tjor news release. And Italian 11cwspapers had Academy of Sciences, the same body that had I quickly got the relevant writings from, of all tions involvi11g both cvolutiona1y facts and moral A Christ sponsored my earlier trip to the Vatican. In this featured, if anything, even bigger headlines and places, the liitcrnct. (The pope is prominently on- II arguments: Since evolution made us the only Rmio11a/i document, entitled "Truth Cannot Contradict longer stories. The conservative Giomalc, for linc, but a Luddite like 111e is not. So I got a com- ed. Rob, earthly creatures with advanced consciousness, Truth," the pope defended both the evidence for example, shouted from its 111asthcad: "Pope Says puter-literate associate to dredge up the docu111ents. (Ithaca, r what responsibilities arc so entailed for our relations evolution and the consistency of the theory with We May Descend from Monkeys." . I do love the fracture of stereotypes implied by "Horren...... Clearly, I was out to lunch. novel with other species? What do our genealogical ties Catholic religious dowine. Newspapers through- finding religion so hep and a scientist so square.) Prorcedi11\ or smvrising must lurk within the papal statement, with other organisms imply about the 111caning of 63 c"1 out the world responded with front-page headlines, Having now read in full both Pope Pius's I-I11111a11i vol. but what could it be?-especially given the accu- human life? )i>r a Sou, as in the Net/I \ork Times 25: ."Pope_ Cc11eris of 1950 and Pope John Paul's proclamation racy of my primary i111pression (as I later verified) Pius XIl's I-lt1111c111i Gc11cris is a highly tradition- the Christi Bolsters Churchs Support tor Sc1ent1fic View ot of October 1996, I finally understand why the alist document by a deeply conservative man forced Dallle, In ( that the Catholic Church values scientific study, Evolution." recent statement see111s so new, revealing, and wor- to face all the ''isms" and cynicisms that rode the 1988); El< views science as no threat to religion in general or Now I know about "slow news days," and I thy of all those headlines. And the message could wake of World War II and infor111ed the struggle 1"·,,;1: The . Catholic doctrine in particular, and has long not be more wclco111e for evolutionists and friends do admit that nothing else was strongly competing to rebuild human decency from the ashes of the The Stob accepted both the legitimacy of evolution as a field for headlines at that particular moment. (The Times of both science and religion. Mirror of Holocaust. The encyclical, subtitled "Concerning could muster nothing more exciting for a lead story of study and the potential harmony of evolutionary The text of I-I11111a11i Gc11eris focuses on the mag- Tholllas \! some false opinions which threaten to u11dennine than Ross Perot's refusal to take 13ob Dole's advice conclusions with Catholic faith. isterium (or teaching authority) of the Church-a Press, 1. The divim to the pope's statement (while being wryly pleased, Vatican undoubtedly has its own internal reasons, 11w,(!istcr is Latin for "teacher." We may, I think, measure of Disagreement and error among men on of course, for we need all the good press we can quite opaque to me, for announcing papal support adopt this word and concept to express the central suffering ai of evolution in a m;tjor statement. Still, I knew that moral and religious matters have always get, especially from respected outside sources). The point of this essay and the principled resolution of been a cause of profound s01TOW to all Catholic Church had never opposed evolution and I was missing some important key, and I felt frus- supposed "conflict" or "warfare" between science had no reason to do so. Why had the pope issued trated. I then remembered the p1imary rule of 368 499 STEPHEN JAY GOULD• NONOVERLAPPING MAGISTERIA

498 PART IV• RELIGION AND EXPERIENCE The continuity in human evolution with Catholicism's may have transgress this liberty of discussion, \vhen He acccpt'i the standard model of NOMA and begins insistence that the soul must enter at a moment of as a 1ncth good men, but above all to the true and they act as if the 01igin of the human body by acknowledging that evolution lies in a difficult area tcntial pn loyal sons of the Church, especially today, from pre-existing and living matter were divine infusion: where the domains press hard against each other. "It lllg unch; when we see the principles of C:h1istian already completely certain and proved by With man, then, we find ourselves in the remains f()J' US now to speak about those questions may be t culture being attacked on all sides. faCts which have been discovered up presence of an ontological difference, an which, although they pc1tain to the positive sciences, oddly, en to now and by reasoning on those facts, ontoloPope John I. Job 42:: such a position as liberating, not depressing, because must now accept evolution not merely as a plausible sponsored share of hoITors, from Inquisitions to Paul I I would surely point out to me that his mag- 2. Nichola we then become free to conduct moral possibility but also as an effectively proven fact. In liquidations-but only because this institution held isterium has always recognized this distinction, Rapids: and nothing could be more impmtmt-in our own other words, official Catholic opinion on evolution such secular power dming so much of Western his- for i11 pri11cipio crat l'cr/111111-"ln the beginning was 3. David J-i tenns, spared from the delusion that we might read has moved from "say it ain't so, but we can deal with held_ similar power more b1iefly "/ the Word." ed. Rich mod tmth passively from nature's factuality. it if we have to" (Pius's grudging view of 1950) to 111 estament tunes, t 11ey committed just as many Willia 111 13ut I recognize that such a position frightens John Paul's entirely welcoming "it has been proven atrocities with many of the same rationales.) Postscript Varieties many people, and that a more spiritual view of na- Q1111r1cr/y true; we always celebrate nature's factuality, and we I believe, with all my heart, in a respectful, ture retains broad appeal (acknowledging the fac- and Pica> look forward to interesting discussions of theological even loving concordat between our magisteria- Carl Sagan organized and attended the tuality of evolution and other phenomena, but still 1\/01)s 23 I implications." I happily endorse this tum of events as the NOMA solution. NOMA represents a prin- Vatican meeting that introduces this essay; seeking some intrinsic meaning in human terms, 4. Accordin gospel-literally good /ICllJS. I may represent the magis- cipled position on moral and intellectual grounds, he also shared my concern for fruitful and from the magisterium of religion). I do appre- person of te1ium of science, but I welcome the supp01t of a p1i- not a mere diplomatic stance. NOMA also cuts cooperation between the difl:erent but vital ciate, for example, the struggles of a man who Father is 1 ma1y leader from the other major magisterium of our both ways. If religion can no longer dictate the na- realms of science and religion. Carl was wrote to the Neil' York Ti111cs on November 3, 5. Marilyn {\ complex lives. And I recall the wisdom of King Solo- ture of factual conclusions properly under the mag- also one of my dearest friends. I learned of \ 996, to state both his pain and his endorsement of A Christi;1 mon: "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news isterium of science, the11_. scientists cannot claim his untimelv death on the same day that I John Paul's statement: Ratio11ality from a far countty" (Prov. 25:25). highe1: insight into moral truth from any supe1ior v the for this essay. I could only ed. Rober Just as religion must bear the cross of its hard- knowledge of the. world's empitical constitution. Pope John Paul Il's acceptance of evolution recall Nehru's observations on Gandhi's (Ithaca, N. liners, I have some scientific colleagues, including a This mutual hi.11nillry practical conse- touches the doubt in my hea1t. The prob- death-that the light had gone out, and "Horrcnd< few prominent enough to wield influence by quences in a world of such diverse passions. lem of pain and suffering in a world created darkness reigned eve1ywhere. But I then Prorccdii('(S Religion is too important to too many people by a God who is all love and light is hard contemplated what Carl had done in his vol. 63 (19 their writings, who view this rapprochement of the for any dismissal or denigration of the comfort still short sixty-two years and remembered _1;,,. a So11, a1 separate magisteria with dismay. To colleagues enough to bear, even if one is a creationist. the Cltristi111 like who welcome and cele- sought by many folks from theology. I may, for 13ut at least a creationist can say that the John Dt)'den's ode for Herny Purcell, a Dame, Ind. brate the rapprochement, especially the pope's latest example, ptivately suspect that papal insistence on original creation, coming from the hand of great musician who died even younger: divine infusion of the soul represents a sop to our "He Jona ere this bad tuned the janing I 988); Elec statement-they say: "C'mon, be honest; you God was good, hannonious, innocent and -·· - 0 . E11i/: "/71c St know that religion is addlepated, superstitious, old- fears, a device for maintaining a belief in human su- gentle. What can one say about evolution, spheres, and left no bell below." ( The Stob L _\ fasl:ioned b.s.; making those welcoming perio3ywithinai.1- evolutionat)'- offei111g-110 even a spititual themy of evolution? The days I spent with Carl in Rome Mirror of E because religion 1s so powerfol, and we need ptivileged position to any creature. But I also know and sufl:e1ing, mindless cruelty and are_ were the best of our ftiendship. Tho111as V. to be diplomatic in order to assure public support that souls represent a subject outside the magiste- it; n1eai1s of cre-ati0i1: Evolution's engine is We delighted in walking around the Press, 1994) and funding for science." I do not think that this tium of science. My world cannot prove or dis- (i;e oCpredatmy teeth upon the Eternal City, feasting on its histmy and Evil," l-i1itlt attitude is common among scientists, but such a prove such a notion, and the concept of souls screaming, living flesh and bones of prey .... architecture-and its food! Carl took spe- (,. The divine i position fills me with dismay-and I therefore end cannot threaten or impact my domain. Moreover, !Ll_volution my faith cial delight in the anonymity that he still measure of F while I cannot personally accept the Catholic view enjoyed in a nation that had not yet aired suff(:ring and this essay with a personal statement about religion, as seas to sail. a testimony to what I regard as a virtual consensus of souls, I surely honor the of Cosmos, the greatest media work in popu- I don't aaree with this man, but we could such _,1s:.011cept-both moral discussion -----· :::> among thoughtful scientists (who---s;;pport the lar science of all time. have a wonderful argument. I would push the NOMA pnncip1ea!din11iy as the pope does). and for expressing what we most value about 368 503 POPE JOHN PAUL II• FAITH AND SCIENCE: LESSONS FROM THE GALILEO CASE The a 502 PART IV• RELIGION AND EXPERIENCE lllay have impo1t of their conclusions. In other words, this FAITH CAN NEVER CONFLICT as a 111ethc I dedicate this essay to his memory. we an: wrong than the prospect of spend- new way requires each discipline to become more tential pro Carl also shared my personal suspicion ing eternity roaming the cosmos in friend- WITH REASON rigorously aware of it-; own nature. mg uncha about the nonexistence of souls-but 1 ship and conversation \Vith this wonde1ful The upset caused by the Copernican system lllay be tc cannot think of a better reason for hoping soul. [ ... ] thus demanded epistemological reflection on the oddly, enj. 5. A twofold question is at the heart of the biblical sciences, an effort which later would pro- sider how debate of which Galileo was the centre. The first is duce abundant fruit in modern exegetical works Ch1istian tJ of the epistemological order and concerns biblical and which has found sanction and a new stimulus NOTE hermeneutics. In this regard, two points must again in the Dogmatic Constitution Dci Vcr/111111 of the be raised. In like most of his adversa- Second Vatican Council. 1. Interestingly, the main thrust of these paragraphs understand the details of Catholic theology and ries, Galileo made no distinction between the sci- 7. ··T11e -e:iisYs-tliat I have just recalled is not therefore do not know how symbolically such a docs not address evolution in general but lies in entific apprQa_cli-tO "!iahiI-aT phenomei1a-ai1d a the only factor to have had repercussions on statement may be read. If Pius is arguing that we refuting a doctrine that Pius calls "polygcnism," or on nature, of the philosophical order, biblical interpretation. Herc we are concerned with I. Job 42:5 cannot entertain a theory about derivation of all the notion of human ancestry from multiple whfch that appro;chgei-ierally calls for. That is why the second aspect of the problem, its pastoral 2. modern humans from an ancestral population rather parents-for he regards such an idea as he rejected the suggestion made to him to present Rapids:] incompatible with the doctiine of original sin, than through an ancestral individual (a potential dimension. the Copernican system as a hypothesis, inasmuch as By virtue of her own mission, the Church has 3. David H "which proceeds from a sin actually committed by fact) because such an idea would question the it had not been confirmed 'by-irrefutable proof. the duty to be attentive to the pagoral consequen- ed. Rich. an individual Adam and which, through generation, doctrine of original sin (a theological construct), Willi;im. is passed on to all and is in everyone as his own." In then I would declare him out ofline for letting the Such therefore, was an exigency of the expe1in1en- ces of her teaching. Before all else, let it be clear Varieties this one instance, Pius may be transgressing the magisterium of religion dictate a conclusion within tal method of which he was the inspired founder. ·that this must correspond to the truth. But Quarterly NOMA principle-but I cannot judge, for I do not the magisterium of science. the geocentric representation of the it is a question of knowing how to judge a new sci- and Picas: world \vas commonly admitted in the culture of entific datum when it seems to contradict the truths J\'01ls 23 ( the time as fully agreeing with the teaching of the of faith. The pastoral judgement which the Coper- 4. Accordinf Bible of whicb certai11. expressions, taken literally nican theory required was difficult to make, in so person of IV.C.3 seenl.ed --to affinn geocentrism. The problem far as geocentrism seemed to be a part of scriptural Father is ,; posed by theologians of that age was, therefore, teaching itself. It would have been necessary a}l_?t 5. M;irilyn rv that of the compatibility between heliocenttism once to overcome habits of thought and to devise a A Christia1 and Scripture. \V:,Y- of teaching capable of enlightening the people Ra1io11a/i1y, Thus the new science, with its methods and the of God. Let us say, in a general way, that the pastor ed. Robert Faith and Science: Lessons from the Galileo Case and freedom of research which they implied, obliged ought to show a genuine boldness, avoiding the (Ithaca, N. theologians to examine their own c1ite1ia of soip- double tr;ip __of_ a attjtude and of "Horrendc Message on Evolution tural interpretation. Most of them did not know both of which can cause considerable

vol. <>3 (191 how to do so. hann. POPE JOHN PAUL II Paradoxically, Galileo, a s1!1Cere believer, 8. Another cns1s, similar to the one we are ji>r 11 :';o 11 , ai: Ilic Christian showed himself to be more perceptive in this speaking of, can be mentioned here. In the last cen- D;ime. Ind .. regard than the theologians who opposed him. "If tury and at the beginning of our own, advances in 1988); Elco Scripture cannot err," he wrote to Benedetto Cas- the histmical sciences made it possible to acquire a J;",,i/: 'f71l' Sic Pope jo/111 Paul II, 01igi11ally Karol Jozef Wojtyla (1920-2005), sc1vcd as Pope of the Roman Cath- telli, "certain of its interpreters and commentators new understanding of the Bible and of the biblical 1 The Stob Lt olic Clrnrch from 1978 1111til his death i11 2005. T71e prcse11t selectio11 co11sists of two of his more impor- can and do so in many ways." We also know of world. The rationalist context in which these data Mirror of E, tant addresses 011 the relationship between faith and science: Lessons from the Galileo Case (1992) his letter to Christine de Lorraine (1615) which is were most often presented seemed to make them 2 Thomas V. J and Message on Evolution to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (1996). In these essays, he like a short treatise on biblical henneneutics. dangerous to the Christian faith. Certain people, in Press, 1994), argues that altho11gh there can be 110 tnte co1iflict betwec11 religion and scie11ce, apparent co1iflicts so111c- 6. From this we can now draw our first conclu- their concern to defend the faith, thought it necessary Evil," Failh, do arise. VV/1e11 that happc11s, we 11mst take care to be sure that divi11e rcvelatio11 has been properly sion. The birth of a new way of approaching the to reject finnly-based historical conclusions. That was <>. The divine ii 111tc1preted and understood, but we must also distinguish between those aspects of scie11tific thco11' that study of natural phenomena demands a da1ification a hasty and unhappy decision. The work of a pioneer 111e;isure of p. report the obsc1vcd data and those aspects that, i11 one tl!ay or another, go beyo11d the data. on the part of all disciplines of knowledge. It obliges like Fr. Lagrange was able to make the necessary dis- sufJl.•ring and them to define more clearly their own field, cernment on the basis of dependable crite1ia. their approach, their methods, as well as the precise From L'Osst·n 1at.:- .. __ discover by its ow11 po_wer. To hand and the Christian faith on the other. A tragic , ,_\, results of the latest scientific research. ed. Rich; and this led them unduly to transpose into the the latter belong especially the experimental scien- mutual incomprehension has been interpreted as r:·. William J realm of the doctrine of the faith a question which ces and philosophy. The distinction between the the reflection of a fundamental opposition between Varieties, in fact pertained to scientific investigation. two realms of knowledge ought not to be under- Evolution and the Church's Magisterium Quarterly science and faith. The clarifications furnished by In fact, as Cardinal Poupard has recalled, 13-,_ob- stood as opp_osition. The two realms arc not alto- and PleasL recent historical studies enable us to state that this 4. Taking into account the scientific research of the er£ who had seen what was truly at foreign to each other, they have points of Notis 23 ( sad misunderstanding now belongs to the past. era, and also the proper requirements of theology, stake in the debate personally felt that, in the face contact. The methodologies proper to each make it 4. According 11 . From the Galileo affair we can learn a les- the encyclical H11111a11i Gc11eris treated the doctrine of possible scientific proofs that the earth orbited possible to bring out different aspects of reality .... of "evolutionism" as a serious hypothesis, worthy person ofJ round the sun, one should "interpret with great son which remains valid in relation to similar situa- Father is n of investigation and serious study, alongside the op- circumspection" evc1y biblical passage which seems tions which occur today and which may occur in 5. Marilyn M to affirm that the earth is immobile and "say that the future. posite hypothesis. PiLJ2 XII added two ical conditions for thi;-study:-01:1e -c·c;·L;id not adopt A Christia1 we do not understand, rather than affirm that\vhat In Galileo's time, to depict the world as lacking MAGISTERIUM IS CONCERNED Ir a So11, an this. must mean _that __the .p.erson _who.-interprets Science at the Dawn of the Third COS!nology neither of these two reference points Today, more than a half-century after the l t!tc Cltristi1111 Scripture does no_t __ Lmderstand_i_tc.orr_e£_tly._I_t_is not appearance of that encyclical, some new findings . Dame, Ind.: oLSc.ri.pture which__ has the importance they once had. This observa- Millennium lead us toward the recognition of evolution as -1 ;/.) I 988); EJe 01 truth __1_neanin_g__\_\lb_icJ:!JKlb1s wanted Jo_gi.ve tion, it goes without saying, is not directed against EJJi/: 771c Sto the validity of Galileo's position in the debate; it is [ ... \ more than an hypothesis. ln fact it is remarkable to it. That \vhich Scripture is not 3. Before offe1ing a few more specific reflec- The Stob Le only meant to show that often,_ two partial that this theo1y has had progressively greater influ- G"'"-d \vhat is in Scripture but what he has placed there tions on the theme of the origin of life and evolu- Mirror of Ev ence on the spi1;t of researchers, following a se1ies himself, believii1g what _S5_ijptLtre and_ c_ontrasting perceptions, there wide1- Thomas V. fl _tha.t -k tion, I would remind you that the magisterium of 4 which includes them and goes beyond of discove1ies in different scholarly disciplines. The meant." A centmy ago, Pope Leo J-III echoed the Church has already made some pronounce- Press, J 994), both of them. · ·· convergence in the results of these independent Evil," 1-"ait!t a tllis-:1dvice in his Encyclical Providc11tis si11111s Dc11s: ments on these matters, within her own proper 1 studles:::::Which was neither planned nor sought- "Truth cannot contradict truth and we may be sure --TrA;;other lesson which we can draw is that (l. The divine in sphere of competence. I will cite two such inter- that some mistake has been made either in the the different branches of knowledge call for differ- constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor measure of pl. ventions here. ent methods. Thanks to his intuition as a brilliant of the the01y. suffrring and interpretation of the sacred words, or in the polem- Jn his encyclical H11111a11i Gc11cris (1950), my 5 physicist and· by relying on different arguments, What is the significance of a theory such as this ical discussion itself " predecessor Pius XII that there Galileo, who practically invented the expe1imental one? To open this question is to enter into the field Cardinal Poupard has also reminded us that the is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine sentence of 1633 was not irrefonnable, and that the method, understood why only the sun could 368 507 POPE JOHN PAUL 11 •FAITH AND SCIENCE: LESSONS FROM THE GALILEO CASE

The a 506 PART IV• RELIGION AND EXPERIENCE may have NOTES as a metho T7icologica I-II, q 3, a 5, ad I) 13ut even beyond that, of epistemology. A theoiy is a meta-scientific elabo- ten ti al pro! man 4. Saint Augustine, Espi111/ii 143. n. 7 PL 33, col. 588. ration, which is distinct from, but in hannony with, is called to enter into a relationship 1. Letter of 21 November 1613. in Edi:::io11c 11a:::io11alc mg unchai with God himself, a relationship which will find its J. Leonis Xlll Pont. Max. Acta, vol. Xlll (1894), the results of observation. With the help of such a de/le Opere de Galileo Calilei. dir. A. Favaro. edition may be tc p. 36 \. theory a group of data and independent facts can be full expression at the end of time, in eternity. of 1968, vol. V. p. 282. Within the myste1y of the risen Christ the full 2. Letter to Ch1istine de Lorraine. 1(i\5, in Edi:::io11e 6. Cf. Pontificia Academia Scientiarum Copernico, sider how related to one another and interpreted in one com- grandeur of this vocation is revealed to us. ( Ca11- 1w:::i,i11(rlc de/le Open· de Galileo Cali/ei, dir. A Favaro, Gali lei e la Chiesa. Fine della controversia ( 1820). prehensivc explanation. The themy proves its valid- Gli atti dcl Sant'Ufficio, a cur:i di W. Brandmuller e Ch1istian th di11111 ct Spcs, 22) It is by of_his eternal soLij edition of 1968, vol. V, pp. 307-348. ( ity by the measure to which it can be verified. It is E. J. G1iepl. Firenze, Olschki, l 992. constantly being tested against the facts; when it can that the whole person, including his body, possesses 3. Letter to Fr A. Foscarini, 12 April 1615, cf. Edi:::io11e such greaCdigiiity. Pius -XII -undeiTI11ed the essenti;i no longer explain these facts, it shows its limits and 1111:::io11alc de/le Open· de Galileo Calilei, dir. A. Favaro. point: if i:li-eorigin of the human body comes its lack of usefulness, and it must be revised. edition of 1968, vol. XII, p. 172. Moreover, the elaboration of a theory such as through living matter which existed previously, the I. Job 42:5. that of evolution, while obedient to the need for spiritual soul is created directly by God ("animas 2. Nicholas consistency with the observed data, must also enim a Deo immediate crea1i catholica fides non Rapids: E involve importing some ideas from the philosophy retiri1cre iubet''). As a result, the themies of evolution which, 3. David 1-J t of nature. ed. Richa And to tell the truth, rather than speaking because of the philosophies which inspire them; Wilfom l· about the theo1y of evolution, it is more accurate regard the spirit either as emerging from the forces · ::·'. Varieties < to speak of the theo1ies of evolution. The use of of living matter, or as a simple epiphenomenon of)\ Quarterly: the plural is required of the that matter, are incompatible with the truth about and Pleasu diversity of explanations regarding the mechanism man. They are therefore unable to serve as the basis Noris 23 (I of evolution, and in part because of the diversity of for the dignity of the human person. 4 According /philosophies involved. There are mate1ialist and 6. With man, we find ourselves facing a differ- person ofj reductionist theories, as well as spiritualist theories. e0 ontological order .a.D__ we Father is n< Here the final judgment is within the competence could say. But in posing such a great ontological 5. Marilyn M \ of philosophy and, beyond that, of theology. discontinuity, are we not breaking up the physical A Chiistian 5. The magisterium of the Church takes a continuity which seems to be the main line of R.atio1111/i1y, direct interest in the question of evolution, because research about evolution in the fields of physics and ed. Robert chemistry? An appreciation for the different meth- (Ithaca, N.'i it of !1_1_<1n, whom Reve- ods used in different fields of scholarship allows us "I-I orrendot lation tells us is in the image and_likeness of to b1ing together two points of view which at first Prorccdir('.!-' o, God. The conciliai-constltl:ltlon-ca;;-J;1111;d5pes vol. 63 (19R has given us a magnificent exposition of this doc- might seem ineconcilable. The sciences of observa- Jiir 11 Sou, anc trine, which is one of the essential elements of tion describe and measure, with ever greater preci- till' Clrristiau Christian thought. The Council recalled that "man sion, the many manifestations of life, and write Dame, Ind.: ,Wv-b} on earth that God them down along the time-line. The moment o'f\ 1988); Elrnn l/v Its In other words, the human person passage into the spi1itual realm is not something 1:"11il: Tlrc Sto/ . ) calli-lot be subordinated as a means to an end, or as that can be observed in this way- although we) The Stob Lee / I fl,._, a11111stnm1ent--of the speCies or the society; can nevertheless discern, through expe1imental Mirror of Evi research, a se1ies of very valuable signs of what is Thomas V. rv he has a value of his own. He is a person. By ,this'. specifically human life. Bi.it the experience of Press, J 9'J4), I intelligence and his will, he is capable of entering physical knowledge, of self-consciousness and Evil," 1:11i1/r 01 into relationship, of communion, of solidarity, of moral of liberry, or of (,. The divine im the gift of himself to others like himself St. and expe1ience-these must be measure of pla Thomas observed that man's resemblance to God analyzed throughphilosophical reflection, while sufforing and 1 \ . ,\reslCles especially in his speculative intellect, because \" his is theology seeks to clarify the ultimate meaning of like God's relationship with his creation. (S11111111a the Creator's designs ....