Science and Religion Understanding the Issues Nancy Morvillo A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication Science and Religion Science and Religion Understanding the Issues Nancy Morvillo A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication This edition first published 2010 © 2010 Nancy Morvillo Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing program has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell. Registered Office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. 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This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Morvillo, Nancy. Science and religion : Understanding the Issues / Nancy Morvillo. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4051-8966-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-1-4051-8965-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Religion and science. I. Title. BL240.3.M68 2010 215–dc22 2009045876 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Set in 10.5/12.5pt Dante by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong. Printed in Singapore. 1 2010 Contents List of figures vi List of tables viii Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 Part I Systems of Thought 3 1 Learning from the Past 5 2 How We Know What We Know 21 3 Common Threads and Ultimate Truths 42 Part II Cosmology 49 4 Scientific Explanations of the Cosmos 51 5 Creation Myths 77 6 Current Understandings of the Universe 95 7 Eschatology 120 Part III Evolution 139 8 Darwin Changes Everything 141 9 Scientific Explanations of the Origin of Life 157 10 Evidence for Evolution 185 11 Evolution and Design 211 12 Human Evolution 234 Part IV Ethics in an Age of Science 261 13 What It Means to be Human 263 14 Modern-Day Marvels: Biotechnology and Medicine 279 15 Stewardship and the Environment 313 Further Reading 343 Source Acknowledgments 348 Index 349 List of Figures 2.1 The scientific method 26 2.2 The ways of knowing in Christian theology 29 4.1 (a) Geocentric universe (b) Movement in Ptolemaic system (c) Heliocentric universe (d) Movement in Copernican system 54 4.2 (a) The retrograde motion of Mars (b) Ptolemaic explanation (c) Heliocentric explanation 56 4.3 Galileo Galilei 60 4.4 Phases of Venus according to (a) Copernican system (b) Ptolemaic system 61 4.5 Parallactic shift 65 4.6 Kepler’s laws of planetary motion (a) first law (b) second law (c) third law 68 4.7 Sir Isaac Newton 70 5.1 Three-tiered universe of ancient Near East 92 6.1 The electromagnetic spectrum 97 6.2 Albert Einstein 98 6.3 Special theory of relativity (a) Relativity of measurement (b) Speed of light 100 6.4 Einstein’s theory of general relativity 102 6.5 Bohr’s model of the hydrogen atom 106 8.1 Charles Darwin 147 8.2 (a) HMS Beagle (b) Map of Darwin’s voyages 149 9.1 The Miller experiment 159 9.2 The structure of DNA and RNA 161 9.3 (a) DNA double helix (b) RNA folding 163 9.4 Transcription of RNA from DNA 164 9.5 Translation of mRNA into protein 165 9.6 The endosymbiont theory 168 9.7 The three domains 178 10.1 Transitional forms in evolution of whales 193 List of Figures vii 10.2 Homology in forelimbs 194 10.3 Analogy (homoplasy) 195 10.4 Vestigial structures 197 10.5 Biogeography (a) Continental drift (b) Distribution of fossils and geography 199 10.6 Artificial selection in (a) animals (b) plants 201 11.1 The mousetrap as analogy for irreducible complexity 222 11.2 Bacterial flagellum as an irreducibly complex system (a) Eubacterial flagellum (b) A critique 223 12.1 Phylogenetic tree for primates 237 12.2 Skeletons of the gibbon, orang-utan, chimpanzee, gorilla, and man 239 12.3 (a) Timeline of hominids (b) Human ancestor skulls 243 12.4 The Great Rift Valley 244 12.5 An overview of brain structure (a) Lobes (b) Deep structures 250 12.6 Localization of brain functions 251 14.1 Cutting and joining DNA using restriction enzymes 282 14.2 Cloning DNA 283 14.3 Gel electrophoresis 284 14.4 Somatic cell nuclear transfer 294 14.5 Dolly the sheep 295 14.6 Gene therapy using an adenovirus vector 306 15.1 A typical food web 315 15.2 Human population growth 316 15.3 The classic stages of demographic transition 318 15.4 Population growth rates by country 318 15.5 Selected age structure histograms 319 15.6 Global changes in (a) temperature (b) carbon dioxide concentrations 321 15.7 Biodiversity hotspots 323 List of Tables 1.1 Contrasting emphases in Enlightenment and Romantic thinking 16 4.1 Comparison of heliocentric and geocentric systems 74 6.1 Timeline for the big bang 105 8.1 Comparison of the ideas of Darwin, Lamarck, and natural theology 154 9.1 The genetic code 166 9.2 Major events in the history of life within geological time 169 10.1 Summary of types of evidence for evolution 205 11.1 Comparison of creationism, intelligent design, and theistic evolution 213 12.1 Taxonomic classification of three different organisms 235 12.2 Comparison of various hominid species 240 12.3 The functions of structures in the brain 252 Acknowledgments I wish to express my thanks to many people who made this book possible. To Rebecca Harkin at Wiley-Blackwell, and several anonymous reviewers, for helping me to shape and refine the manuscript, while keeping my intent and my passion intact. To Jackie Grennon Brooks, my long-time mentor and friend, for teaching me to make sure fun is always at the heart of the work. To the new friends and colleagues I have met in my recent quests, whose words of encouragement may not have seemed like much to them but meant the world to me. I particularly want to acknowledge Mary Kathleen Cunningham and Ted Peters in this regard. To the campus community at Florida Southern College: the administration, faculty, and students, who encouraged me and gave me room to explore new worlds. To two of the most brilliant men I know who have inspired me with their insights and knowledge in their respective fields of science and theology: Bob Baum and Waite Willis. And to my friend, colleague, and constant companion on my journey into and through this realm, Sara Fletcher Harding: none of this would have been possible without her. And finally to my family: my mother whose support and encouragement were unwavering, and my wonderful husband, Mike, and our beautiful children, Chris, Brian, and Matthew: they are my pillars, my home, my life. Introduction I was born and raised Catholic. I went to school and studied science, obtaining my Ph.D. in genetics. I joined the biology faculty at Florida Southern College, a United Methodist affiliated school. In recent years, I have explored the interplay and the relationship between science and religion, fascinated by the range of views in this interdisciplinary venture. I am the co-director for the Florida Center for Science and Religion, which was established through a grant from the Metanexus Institute on Religion and Science, itself funded by the Templeton Foundation. And I team-teach a course on science and religion. I am not a theologian. I am not a philosopher. I found, through my teaching and research, that there are many good books addressing various aspects of science and religion. Notably, Ian Barbour and John Haught have written excellent guides for those interested in learning about the basic issues and views in the field. But none of these books addressed everything that I felt needed to be covered in an introductory course on science and religion. So, like any good academic, I decided to write one myself. In this venture, I hoped to accomplish several things. First of all, I wanted basic coverage of the topics at the forefront of the dialogue. This includes methodology, cosmology, evolution, and ethical concerns. Throughout all, I also wanted to include some historical perspective, to help the reader understand how we got to where we are today.