Science, evolution, and religion : a debate about atheism and theism / Michael Peterson And Michael Ruse.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Peterson, Michael L., 1950- author.

Ruse, Michael, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and science.

Evolution (Biology)--Religious aspects.

Evolution (Biology).

Atheism.

Theism.

Physical Description:

xii, 276 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, [2017]

Summary:

The science-religion debate is a hot topic in academic circles and contemporary culture, and evolution makes the subject particularly contentious. Does modern science tip the scales toward atheism? Or does religion have resources to support its credibility and relevance? And how does evolution influence both worldviews? Comprehensive, balanced, and engaging, Science, Evolution, and Religion provides a dynamic yet respectful introduction to the science-religion debate, framed as a conflict between theism and atheism and structured around the impact of evolution on both perspectives. Philosophers Michael Peterson and Michael Ruse argue for theism and atheism, respectively. Peterson occasionally draws from Christian doctrine to supplement theism; Ruse often supports his atheism with elements drawn from the larger context of philosophical naturalism. The result is a rich dialogue on the nature and history of science, cosmic origins, biological origins, the anthropic principle, the foundations of morality, human uniqueness, the meaning of life, and other important topics in this area. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Autobiographical Reflections 7

A Life Observed 8

Peterson

Formative Experiences 8

Witnessing God Make a Comeback 10

Considering Intellectual Journeys to God 11

Engaging Science and Religion 14

Apologia Pro Vita Sua 17

Ruse

Early Years 17

Loss of Faith and Finding Darwin 18

Creationism 21

Accommodationism 22

2 Science 25

Thinking about Science 26

What Is Science? 26

Metaphor 28

What Is Naturalism? 30

The Limits of Metaphor 32

The Harmony of Science and Religion 36

Where the Conflict Really Lies 36

Does the Method of Science Support Naturalism? 40

Do the Laws of Science Exclude Miracles? 45

Theism as the Worldview Home of Science 49

3 Cosmic Origins 53

A Theistic Understanding of the Universe 54

The Beginning According to Science 54

A Metaphysical Explanation of the Cosmos 56

A Deeper Metaphysical Understanding of the Cosmos 58

The Fine-Tuned Universe 62

Naturalist Objections 65

Beauty, Elegance, Intelligibility 67

In the Beginning 69

The Big Bang Theory 70

Religious Implications? 71

The Fundamental Question 73

Why Skepticism? 74

One God or Two? 76

4 Origin of Life 79

It's All Purely Natural 80

Defining Life 82

A Natural Solution? 82

Impossible! 85

Miracles? 87

Where Do We Stand? 89

There Is Grandeur in This View of Life 91

The Biological and the Prebiological 91

Origin-of-Life Research 93

The Mystery of Life 95

God or Natural Process? 97

Theistic and Christian Belief 100

5 Darwin and Design 103

A Wider Teleology 104

Darwin's Discovery 104

Natural Selection and Design 106

Understanding Evolution 108

Darwin's Gift 110

Teleology and Natural Theology 112

Darwin Destroys Design 115

The Darwinian Theory of Evolution 115

The Problem of Final Causes 117

Does Darwinian Selection Refute Christianity? 120

So, What's the Answer? 122

6 Evolutionary Directionality 125

No Direction to Evolution 126

Bottom-Line Demands 126

Does Evolution Go Anywhere? 127

Causes 130

Christian Escapes? 133

Is God Too Complex? 135

The Trajectory of Evolution 136

How Did We Get Here from There? 136

Scientific and Metascientific Questions 138

God and the World of Science 140

Creation, Providence, and Evolution 143

Emergence 146

7 Mind and Rationality 151

The Preeminence of Mind 152

Consciousness and Self-Consciousness 152

Neuroscience and the Metaphysics of Mind 154

Evolution and Human Uniqueness 157

Rationality and Evolution 160

Humans According to Evolutionary Naturalism 164

Sentience 164

Knowledge 167

Naturalism Defeated? 169

A Sensus Divinitatis? 171

8 Morality 173

An Evolutionary Perspective on Ethics 174

The Moral Argument for God's Existence 174

Explaining Morality 175

Darwinism and Morality 176

Implications for the Science-Religion Interface 179

Christianity on Morality: Beyond Rescue? 181

Morality and Personhood 183

A Darwinian Genealogy of Morals 183

A Moral Argument against Evolutionary Naturalism 185

Theism and Personal Dignity 189

A Theistic Genealogy of Morals 191

9 Evil and Suffering 195

Theism, Atheism, and Evil 196

The Argument from Evil and Suffering 196

Science and Approaches to Theodicy 198

Theodicy for a Scientific Age 201

Evil and the Clash of Worldviews 205

Darwinism and Evil 207

Does Darwinism Intensify the Problem? 208

Original Sin 209

Free Will 212

Natural Evil 214

10 Meaning and Purpose 217

A Stark Picture Indeed 218

Where Are We? 218

Why Do We Believe? 219

Evolutionary Debunking? 221

Evolutionism as Religion Substitute 224

The Deep Structure of the Universe 227

Science, Evolution, and the Search for Meaning 227

Naturalism and the Denial of Meaning 229

Theism and Meaning 234

Follow the Argument Wherever It Leads 236.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-263) and index.

ISBN:

9780199379378

0199379378

OCLC:

927619072