RELG 340 - Science and Religion
Module 1
Module Learning Objectives and their relationships to Course Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this Module, you will be able to :
- Describe and discuss some of the historical examples of the dialog between Science and Religion. (CLO A)
- Describe and discuss the philosophical basis for the dialog between Science and Religion. (CLO A)
Readings
- Science and Religion - A Very Short Introduction : Preface, chapters 1, 2, & 3
I suggest that you do not try to read all three chapters at one sitting, but that you spread them over at least three days.
Read one chapter a day, and spend some time thinking about what you have read.
Then answer the questions on that chapter.
Make notes of anything you would like to ask me, and include those in your weekly report. - Notes for Module 1
InterNet Links for this Module
- Biographies of people mentioned in the readings
- Links for this Module
- Other useful articles can be found by using Search Engines such as GoodSearch
- Remember - always cite your sources
Reading Report 1
- From chapter 1 : What did Galileo think about the relationship between Science and Religion (see page 2)
- Give six "central philosophical and political questions" that the author asks with regard to the relationship between Science and Religion. Why do you think that he includes "political" in this context.
- How does the author use various ways of viewing the moon as an illustration of differing scientific and religious responses to the same physical phenomenon
- Why has the debate about evolution and religion developed differently in the USA than in Europe and elsewhere
- According to the author, "the real conflict is a political one about the production and dissemination of knowledge" Discuss how this may impact the educational system in the USA
- Discuss Thomas Paine's political and religious agenda, and its consequences for the USA
- When did William Paley write "Natural Theology", and what was his main thesis
- What was the motto of the Islamic scholars of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad
- According to the author, what do the three monotheistic faiths assert about "the book of nature" and "the book of scripture"
- From chapter 2 : According to the textbook, from what four sources of knowledge do we generally derive our knowledge, and what should we be aware of about them
- How is "scientific knowledge" acquired and checked
- What did Francis Bacon write about the relationship between scientific knowledge and God, and how does the textbook develop this theme
- What warning does the textbook give us about the process of finding the meaning of a text
- According to the textbook, what is the fifth source of knowledge recognized by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and how does this differ from the first four sources.
- What is the difference between natural and revealed knowledge
- What is "natural theology"
- According to the textbook, what disagreements do debates about Science and Religion nearly always involve
- How did Thomas Paine view revelation and Scripture
- What instrument did Galileo improve, and how did he use it to combat the Aristotelian view of the cosmos
- What is the "principle of accommodation" and how did Galileo express this in relation to his scientific work
- What was one of the central tenets of the Protestant reformation, and what was the response of the Roman Catholic church
- Discuss the factors leading to the trial of Galileo. What was the real reason that Galileo was condemned.
- Compare and contrast the realist and the anti-realist positions in the philosophy of science
- From chapter 3 : According to the textbook, what is the theologians' dilemma in regard to miraculous events
- Discuss the process of evaluating healings at Lourdes
- Who introduced the term "God of the gaps", why did he introduce it, and how did he contest it
- What was Newton's early view of planetary orbits and how did Leibnitz contest it.
- According to the textbook, what are some of the ways of thinking about "laws of nature"
- According to the textbook, what are some of the reasons that quantum theory remains controversial
- According to the textbook, what can science tell us about a "first cause" and what is science unable to do
- Discuss the "fine tuning" of the universe
- What are some of the hard questions religious philosophers have to grapple with in regard to divine action and divine inaction
Remember to cite your sources
Use MSWord or a text editor such as Notepad to prepare and save your work, then submit it as one document
Discussion Board 1
Thread - Whom would you most like to have been :
Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Thomas Paine, Francis Bacon, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz, René Descartes, Erwin Schrödinger ?
Choose whom you would most like to have been, write an account of his life, and say why you chose him rather than any of the others.
Replies to 2 of your classmates' threads - If possible, choose Threads which deal with different people.
What are your thoughts about the people chosen, and their influence on the dialog between Science and Religion?
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
