SC300 – Big Ideas in ScienceSeminar Eight – September 22, 2011

Lois Bartsch, PhD

Questions and AnswersDue this weekDefinitionsCommon GroundCommon InterestsConflicts between science and religionScientists who believe in religonDue Next WeekAnnoucements

Any Questions?

Due this week

• One discussion on who owns the bones of the Kennewick man.

Definitions

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zl8zhNWZGQ

• We will define Religion, Culture and Science over the next few slides.

Culture…a concept which embraces everything of which man is at once the centre, the subject and the object. It includes all his capabilities…It humanizes persons, manners and institutions. Science for its part, instead of being in competition with culture, is actually a fundamental and now indispensable element of all culture which is ordered to the good of the whole person and every person…scientific and technical progress aims to guarantee the human person a better life so that he can completely and more readily fulfill his [sic] specific vocation.

~ Pope John Paul II, 1991

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~nmcenter/sci-cp/culture.html

The Major World Religions

Image credit: Om Sakthi Spiritual Movement

SC300 value statements: (a) religion is interesting

(b) knowledge is good (Courtesy of Prof.

Thea Leanard)

http://timothyministries.org/images/worldwide_percentage_of_adherents_by_religion_large.jpg

Science

Image credit: xkcd store

Science + culture + religion = ?

“Differences of perspective remains [sic] among us. We do not have to agree on how the natural world was made to be willing to work together to preserve it.”

~Joint Appeal by Religion and Science for the Environment

An ancient Chinese sage said, "The careful foot can walk anywhere."

Although popular images of controversy continue to exemplify the supposed hostility of Christianity to new scientific theories, studies have shown that Christianity has often nurtured and encouraged scientific endeavour, while at other times the two have co-existed without either tension or attempts at harmonization. If Galileo and the Scopes trial come to mind as examples of conflict, they were the exceptions rather than the rule.•– Gary Ferngren, Science & Religion

Science + culture + religion = Common good

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." ~ Albert Einstein 

“Truth cannot be contrary to truth. The findings of reason must agree with the truths of scripture, else the God who gave us both has deceived us with one or the other.“~ Peter Abelard 

“Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: Ye must have faith. It is a quality which the scientist cannot dispense with.”~ Max Planck

Scientists who believed in religon

• What percent of scientists have some sort of religon?• How does this compare to the general population?• Which field of science is the most likely to believe?• Which field of science is the least likely?

Scientists who believed in religon

• Galileo• Copernicus• Mendel• Einstein• Pasteur

Any Questions?

Annoucements

Next Week and Annoucements:

Final Project is DueSeminar is on SETI – This is the last seminar.