Science, religion, and the Protestant tradition : retracing the origins of conflict / James C. Ungureanu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ungureanu, James C., author.

Series:

Science and culture in the nineteenth century

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Draper, John William, 1811-1882. History of the conflict between religion and science.

Draper, John William.

White, Andrew Dickson, 1832-1918. History of the warfare of science with theology in Christendom.

White, Andrew Dickson.

Religion and science--History--19th century.

Religion and science.

Religion and science--History.

Protestantism.

History of the conflict between religion and science (Draper, John William).

History of the warfare of science with theology in Christendom (White, Andrew Dickson).

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (369 pages) ; illustrations, facsimiles, portraits.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania : University of Pittsburgh Press, [2019].

Summary:

The story of the "conflict thesis" between science and religion-the notion of perennial conflict or warfare between the two-is part of our modern self-understanding. As the story goes, John William Draper (1811-1882) and Andrew Dickson White (1832-1918) constructed dramatic narratives in the nineteenth century that cast religion as the relentless enemy of scientific progress. And yet, despite its resilience in popular culture, historians today have largely debunked the conflict thesis. Unravelling its origins, James Ungureanu argues that Draper and White actually hoped their narratives would preserve religious belief. For them, science was ultimately a scapegoat for a much larger and more important argument dating back to the Protestant Reformation, where one theological tradition was pitted against another-a more progressive, liberal, and diffusive Christianity against a more traditional, conservative, and orthodox Christianity. By the mid-nineteenth century, narratives of conflict between "science and religion" were largely deployed between contending theological schools of thought. However, these narratives were later appropriated by secularists, freethinkers, and atheists as weapons against all religion. By revisiting its origins, development, and popularization, Ungureanu ultimately reveals that the "conflict thesis" was just one of the many unintended consequences of the Protestant Reformation.

Contents:

Introduction

1. Draper and the new Protestant historiography

2. White and the search for a "religion pure and undefiled"

3. English Protestantism and the history of conflict

4. American new theology and the evolution of religion

5. Youmans and the "peacemakers"

6. Reading Draper and White : a failed reconciliation

Conclusions.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780822987116

0822987112