Philosophy, Science and Religion for Everyone

by Duncan Pritchard, Mark Harris

Overview

Philosophy, Science and Religion for Everyone brings together these great truth-seeking disciplines, and seeks to understand the ways in which they challenge and inform each other.

Key topics and their areas of focus include:

• Foundational Issues – why should anyone care about the science-and-religion debate? How do scientific claims relate to the truth? Is evolution compatible with design?

• Faith and Rationality – can faith ever be rational? Are theism and atheism totally opposed? Is God hidden or does God simply not exist?

• Faith and Science - what provides a better explanation for the origin of the universe—science or religion? Faith and physics: can they be reconciled? Does contemporary neuroscience debunk religious belief? Creationism and evolutionary biology - what constitutes science and what constitutes pseudo-science?

• Practical Implications – is fundamentalism just a problem for religious people? What are the ethical implications of the science-and-religion debate? Do logic and religion mix?

This book is designed to be used in conjunction with the free ‘Philosophy, Science and Religion’ MOOC (massive open online course) created by the University of Edinburgh, and hosted by the Coursera platform (www.coursera.org). This book is also highly recommended for anyone looking for a concise overview of this fascinating discipline.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138234215
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/28/2017
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Mark Harris, Duncan Pritchard, James Collin, David de Pomerai, Michael Fuller, David Fergusson, Emma Gordon, Sarah Lane Ritchie, S. Orestis Palermos, Alasdair Richmond, Katherine Snow and Till Vierkant all teach and research in Philosophy, Science, and Religion at the University of Edinburgh, UK. J. Adam Carter teaches Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, UK, and Ian Church teaches Philosophy at Hillsdale College, USA, while Jeremy Kidwell teaches theological ethics at the University of Birmingham, UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction Mark Harris Duncan Pritchard 1

1 How do scientific claims relate to the truth? S. Orestis Palermos Duncan Pritchard 4

2 Faith and physics: can they be reconciled? Mark Harris 16

3 Creationism and evolutionary biology - science or pseudo-science? David de Pomerai Mark Harris 27

4 Is evolution compatible with design? Alasdair Richmond 40

5 Is there a fundamental tension between faith and rationality? Duncan Pritchard 53

6 Is God hidden, or does God simply not exist? Tan M. Church 62

7 Does contemporary neuroscience debunk religious belief? Sarah Lane Ritchie 71

8 Are theism and atheism totally opposed? Can they learn from each other? J. Adam Carter 82

9 Is fundamentalism just a problem for religious people? Emma Gordon 93

10 Why should anyone care about the science-and-religion debate? Michael Fuller 105

11 What provides a better explanation for the origin of the universe - science or religion? David Fergusson Katherine Snow 116

12 Do logic and religion mix? James Collin 126

13 Does science show that we lack free will? Tillman Vierkant 140

14 What are the ethical implications of the science-and-religion debate? Jeremy H. Kidwell 149

Glossary 160

Index 169

Editorial Reviews

"The chapters in this exciting book cover an impressive range of issues in the science and religion field in ways that are both very informative and encouragingly readable."

Revd Professor Michael J Reiss, ISSR President, University College London, UK

"This book asks all the right questions, and at a level accessible to the entry-level undergraduate, though also stretching the student into helpful areas of cutting-edge debate. It is well-introduced, and features usefully graded bibliographies and glossaries. I expect to use it extensively in my own teaching."

Christopher Southgate, Associate Professor in Interdisciplinary Theology, University of Exeter, UK

"This notable volume provides a much-needed philosophical perspective on the academic study of science and religion. The authors pack a great deal into this concise and accessible book, which includes useful annotated bibliographies, for students approaching the topic for the first time".

The Revd Dr Andrew Davison, Starbridge Lecturer in Theology and Natural Science, University of Cambridge, UK.

From the Publisher