SCIENCE AND RELIGION

Science and religion

Science and religion

Introduction

Science and religion represent dominant worldviews and distinct ways of comprehending the world. Their relationship, although complex and often misunderstood, is an ongoing subject of social discourse and examination. In certain periods of history, little distinction was made between the sacred and secular. At other times, incompatibility of these worldviews has been stressed, resulting in public debate and, at times, considerable conflict between scientists and religious leaders. Persecuting scientists during the Inquisition, silencing the astronomer Galileo, and arguing against the teaching of evolution in the 1925 Scopes trial are some examples.

The science-religion interface has communication dimensions and cannot be understood without attention to information dissemination and accuracy (Peter, 2007). How media depict science and religion is important to citizens as they make choices and attempt to comprehend the larger society.

Historical Context

The relationship between science and religion has been perceived differently through time. In ancient Egypt, for example, God was at the center of the culture; virtually all aspects of life were religious. While people today compartmentalize their lives, distinguishing between sacred and secular domains, ancient Egyptians did not make such clear divisions. One use of chemistry was to preserve the deceased in temple tombs so they could enter the afterlife. Engineering was dedicated to the construction of religious structures such as temples, pyramids, obelisks, and sphinxes. Similarly, the field of medicine in early Greece had a sacred purpose. Like the Egyptians who came before them, the ancient Greeks dedicated their learning and discovery to the worship of the gods (Peter, 2007).

It was during the period known as the Enlightenment that the science-religion distinction became more pronounced. A historical period as well as a social movement, the Enlightenment produced the scientific method and modern universities; it yielded a worldview based on reason, challenging the dominant perspective of religion. This rivalry placed new emphasis on communication as citizens struggled to accommodate competing outlooks.

In contemporary society, the association between religion and science is characterized in diverse ways. The conflict-oriented culture wars of the 1990s have given way to wider ranging depictions of science and religion. Although hotly contested issues such as AIDS prevention, stem cell research, and the teaching of evolution in the schools continue to be publicized, contemporary media convey a multiplicity of viewpoints. Pew Forum data suggest that most U.S. adults respect science to a degree, while remaining committed to various faith traditions (Peter, 2007). Therefore, some media outlets, such as the cable program Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, strive for a balanced presentation of the science-religion relationship.

Demand for information about both science and religion increased, aided by the rise of printing with movable type. As books were made available, the science-religion interface could be studied more closely, contributing to new opportunities and choices. Isaac Newton's 1687 Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematical and Denis Diderot's L'Encyclopédie (1751-1772) offered new outlooks, as did political writings such as Thomas Hobbes's 1660 Leviathan and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's (1762) The Social Contract. Works by Baruch Spinoza questioned religious authority, while Gottfried Leibniz ...