Science and religion : are they compatible? / edited by Paul Kurtz ; with the assistance of Barry Karr and Ranjit Sandhu.
| Other author | Kurtz, Paul, 1925-2012. |
| Other author | Karr, Barry. |
| Other author | Sandhu, Ranjit. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2003. |
| Description | 368 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Introductory. An overview of the issues / Paul Kurtz -- Are science and religion conflicting or complementary? : some thoughts about boundaries / Kendrick Frazier -- I. Cosmology and God -- A designer universe? / Steven Weinberg -- Anthropic design : does the cosmos show evidence of purpose? / Victor J. Stenger -- From the anthropic principle to the supernatural / David A. Shotwell -- "God's goof," and the universe that knew we were coming / Owen Gingerich -- Big-bang cosmology and atheism : why the big bang is no help to theists / Quentin Smith -- Holy wars : an astrophysicist ponders the God question / Neil deGrasse Tyson -- II. Intelligent design : creationism versus science -- Creationism versus evolution / Kendrick Frazier -- Skepticism's prospects for unseating intelligent design / William A. Dembski -- Design yes, intelligent no : a critique of intelligent-design theory and neocreationism / Massimo Pigliucci -- The 'science and religion movement' : an opportunity for improved public understanding of science? / Eugenie C. Scott -- A world designed by God : science and creationism in contemporary Islam / Taner Edis. |
| Contents | III. Religion and science in conflict -- Science and religion in historical perspective / Vern L. Bullough -- The Galileo affair / Timothy Moy -- Uniting the world-- or dividing it : which outlook is truly universal, which parochial in the extreme? / Hermann Bondi -- Why getting it right matters : how science prevails / Daniel C. Dennett -- The dangerous quest for cooperation between science and religion / Jacob Pandian -- Science versus religion : a conversation with my students / Barry A. Palevitz -- Credo / Arthur C. Clarke -- IV. Science and ethics : two magisteria -- Nonoverlapping magisteria / Stephen Jay Gould -- You can't have it both ways : irreconcilable differences? / Richard Dawkins -- Where the two worlds tangle : there is a conflict in metaphysics-- but not in ethics / Richard Feynman -- V. The scientific investigation of paranatural claims -- Examining claims of the "paranatural" : life after death / Paul Kurtz -- After-death communication studies / Richard Wiseman and Ciarán O'Keeffe -- Near-death experiences / Antony Flew -- Does the soul exist : from the mythological soul to the conscious brain / Jerome W. Elbert -- Efficacy of prayer / Irwin Tessman and Jack Tessman -- Science versus shroud science / Joe Nickell. |
| Contents | VI. Scientific explanations of religious belief -- Why do people believe or disbelieve? / Paul Kurtz -- Supernatural power and cultural evolution / Anthony Layng -- The biological roots of religion / Morton Hunt -- Whence religious belief? / Steven Pinker -- Searching for God in the machine / David C. Noelle -- VII. Accommodating science and religion -- Science and the unknowable / Martin Gardner -- A way of life for agnostics / James Lovelock -- Celebrating creation / Chet Raymo -- Science and religion in an impersonal universe / Matt Young -- Afterthoughts / Paul Kurtz. |
| Abstract | Among the topics discussed are the Big Bang and the origin of the universe, intelligent design and creationism versus evolution, the nature of the soul, near-death experiences, communication with the dead, why people believe in God, and the relationship between religion and ethics. In this stimulating collection of articles on the subject, the editors have assembled the thoughts of scientists from various disciplines. Included are works by such distinguished authors as Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Richard Feynman, Martin Gardner, Stephen Jay Gould, Steven Pinker, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins, Kendrick Frazier, Owen Gingerich, James Lovelock, Eugenie Scott, and Steven Weinberg. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references. |
| LCCN | 2003041378 |
| ISBN | 1591020646 (pbk. ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 9781591020646 (pbk. ; alk. paper) |