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Encyclopedia of Science and Religion
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Description: The publication of the Encyclopedia of Science and Religion is a significant mile- stone marking the maturation of the contemporary dialogue between the sciences and religions. Not only does this Encyclopedia offer a massive amount of inter- disciplinary and interreligious information, but it mirrors one of the most fasci- nating stories of our time: the emergence of an extensive international discussion among scientists of various specializations, philosophers of nearly all persuasions, and religious thinkers from all the major world religions. Spectacular advances in the sciences no longer easily threaten religions around the world because the risks and devastating consequences of new technologies have problematized the formerly unquestioned ideal of scientific progress. Scientific advances still chal- lenge basic religious convictions, however, and the intellectual representatives of the world’s religious traditions grapple with scientific knowledge more effectively and pervasively than ever before, thanks to the science-religion dialogue. Today sciences as varied as the neurosciences, ecology, and biotechnology raise ques- tions about human beings and the future of our planetary home, perhaps espe- cially for those who possess a sense of the divine. Similarly, chaos theory, quantum mechanics, and the ever-deepening understanding of the role of chance in biological systems conspire to challenge the notions of ultimate reality and divine action espoused by religious traditions and sacred texts. At the same time, partly because of the unwanted side effects of science- driven technologies, there is a growing conviction that science in itself may never yield an ultimately satisfying explanation of human life and the world we inhabit. And yet the information about reality produced by the sciences is invaluable. Per- haps we have two domains of meaning here, with science and religion each ruler of its own domain. Or perhaps the structures and patterns of nature disclosed by the sciences connect with the more elusive yet existentially more immediate meaning typical of religious faith. Even as the religions of the world grow more accepting of the sciences, at least some intellectuals are noting how scientific methods and aims can enhance and perhaps support religious faith. Therefore, contrary to popular misconceptions, the relationship between the sciences and the various religions at the beginning of the twenty-first century is not about conflict or confrontation only. Those who participate actively in this dialogue are often deeply committed, not only to a specific science, but also to specific religious beliefs. Even scholars who are agnostic or atheistic are taking the interaction among sciences and the religions seriously because this relationship involves two of the dominant cultural forces of our time. Complicated and multilayered, the relationships among the various sciences and diverse world religions are not merely adversarial, nor simply a matter of neatly separable domains of discourse. In the West the success and prestige of science has had a fundamental influ- ence on the way that the voices of popular culture describe our world. As a result, relationships among the religions and the sciences have often suffered from what some intellectuals have called the modernist dilemma, where the objective and universally true claims of science are often unfairly contrasted with subjective and irrational religious beliefs. This has led to sharp distinctions between objective descriptions and subjective experiences, between scientific and symbolic uses of language, and between empirically justified scientific truths and privately held religious opinions. The appeal of such stark oppositions, how- ever, has waned. Scientism is the term of approbation used for the attitude that takes for granted the alleged rational superiority of science and exclusive value of the scientific method for gaining knowledge. The reductionist views that define scientism are now being attacked relentlessly by scholars who point out that both scientific and religious beliefs, in spite of important differences, are historically and culturally embedded and shaped by comprehensive worldviews. The polar- ization between inappropriately reified and ahistorical notions of science and reli- gion is collapsing and in its place is arising an appreciation for the integrity of diverse discourses and social activities, including those usually called the religions and the sciences. At least as importantly, scholars are attempting to uncover the profound rational and historical linkages that connect, as well as individuate, the religions and the sciences. These historical and philosophical exertions have shown not only that the great discoveries about the nature and history of the physical world have affected religious discourses in nearly all their manifestations, but also that the claims of the various world religions about our capacity to know, the ultimate meaning of the cosmos, and the place of human beings in an evolving universe often impact the way scientific inquiry is conducted. In the contemporary discussion among the religions and the sciences, partic- ularly as it has transpired in the West, the most influential attempt at representing the complex relationship between these two cultural forces has been Ian Bar- bour’s fourfold typology. Barbour describes the different ways that the sciences have actually related and might possibly relate to the religions as conflict, dia- logue, independence, and integration. Many subsequent models for relating reli- gion and science have built on the legacy of this pioneering analysis. Even as contemporary factors from cultural pluralism to postmodern philosophy suggest other ways of relating the sciences to religion, Barbour’s typology remains appli- cable and instructive. The literature today expresses an increasing awareness that the relations between science and religion can only be properly understood if the specific cultural, historical, and intellectual contexts have been taken into account. The vast amount of information collected in this Encyclopedia of Science and Religion illustrates the richness and complexity of this interpretative task. The growing conversation between science and religion that emerged with new vigor in the late twentieth century has a number of striking features. First, though once considered an esoteric field, the study of the relationship between science and religion is no longer a highly specialized discourse, open only to the few intellectuals who are privy to the complexity of the issues involved. The sci- ence and religion debate has become a public affair. The active presence of the debate on the Internet, as well as an explosion of published newsletters, papers, books, and conferences, further enhances this high public profile. Second, whereas there are new debates and ideas within science and religion, in many ways the dialogue extends familiar and longstanding debates known by different names: “faith and reason” or “faith and culture” (in the West) and “pramana the- ory” (in South Asian debates on valid sources of knowledge). Third, not only is the science and religion conversation alive and well in many cultures all over the world but, as this Encyclopedia clearly shows, a number of academic centers and scholarly associations now concentrate their considerable intellectual and finan- cial resources on issues at the interface of science and religion. The discussion among the sciences and the religions has also found a permanent place in schools, colleges, seminaries, and universities. Courses in religion and science are now taught on all academic levels throughout the world, complemented by a number of high-profile endowed chairs in the field. Finally, one of the most important milestones in this ever-growing field was the founding of the Interna- tional Society of Science and Religion in August 2002 in Granada, Spain. The Encyclopedia of Science and Religion is directed mainly at students and their teachers. They will find all of the most important issues in this field addressed in an accessible and inclusive manner. Outstanding experts from around the world have contributed to the Encyclopedia. The comprehensive list of entries focuses on the principal sciences and the major scientific discoveries of our time and on all the challenging and controversial topics that have emerged from this context and have affected the world religions in different ways. Both historical and contemporary issues in science and religion are treated under the headings of the major world religions. The religions represented here include Buddhism, Baháhí, Chinese religions (Confucianism and Daoism), Christianity (Anglican, Evangelical, Lutheran, Orthodox, Pentecostalism, Radical Reformed, Reformed, Roman Catholic), Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Shinto. The various sciences represented in the entries of this Encyclopedia cover a wide spectrum of disciplines, such as behavioral studies and the human sciences; cognitive science and neuroscience; computer science and information technology; cosmology; ecology; evolutionary sciences; genetics; primatology; mathematics; medicine; the physical sciences (including chemistry and physics); and the life sciences (including biology, paleontology, and the anthropological sciences). There is also a series of entries on relevant disciplines within the humanities, including ethics and value theory; feminism; philosophy (including methodology, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion); theology and religious thought; and technology. There are interesting, if controversial, reasons why Christian theologians have often taken the lead in discussing the relationship of the sciences to the religions. An unfortunate side effect of this leadership is that, at certain times and places in recent decades, the dialogue has seemed limited by the caricature that only Chris- tianity fostered modern science. But this version of events is historically inaccurate and deeply misleading. The evidence is that all religious traditions and all forms of scientific work have something to gain as well as lose in the process of mutual interaction, and the historical record demonstrates profound and longstanding engagement between science and religion in all literate cultures. Selecting entries and authors to express this guiding conviction and to represent the truly global character of the dialogue has been one of the main goals of this Encyclopedia. The Encyclopedia of Science and Religion highlights for our readers the dynamic and ongoing discussion among the religions and the sciences, and demonstrates that it is both possible and fruitful to bring together the spectacular success of science and the wisdom of religion in a constructive interchange. In doing this, the difficult but exciting interdisciplinary conversation between sci- ence and religion moves forward to a more challenging phase of interreligious dialogue where religions could be in conversation with each other through their relationship to the sciences. This may go beyond regular interfaith dialogue. If this can be achieved successfully, the multileveled and comprehensive scope of this work will serve well the future of the science and religion interchange. J. WENTZEL VREDE VAN HUYSSTEEN NIELS HENRIK GREGERSEN NANCY R. HOWELL WESLEY J. WILDMAN Download link：http://www.isload.com.cn/store/3kjc76z3325b6 [ Last edited by zhq025 on 2008-1-16 at 10:41 ] |
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