Professional Documents
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2a. Religion and Science
2a. Religion and Science
Beliefs in Society
Study guide 2a
Both religion and science are belief systems which attempt to explain how
the world works. However, until about 200 years ago, science and religion did
not exist as separate and distinct types of knowledge. Science was dominated
by religious thinkers because the prime purpose of science was to document
the glory of God. This science bore little relationship to the systematic, rational
and positivist approach to research that we associate with science today.
For example, the astronomer, Galileo, was prosecuted by the Catholic Church
in 1632 for hypothesising, after rigorous observation and mathematical
calculation with a telescope that the Earth and other planets revolved around
the Sun. However, this contradicted Catholic theology which favoured the view
that the Earth was the centre of the universe. Galileo was found guilty of
heresy, forced to recant (i.e. to deny that the Sun was the centre of our
universe) and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life.
Many people see the trial of Galileo as the first conflict between science and
religion although Dixon points out that many Catholic scientists were actually
sympathetic to Galileo’s ideas. Moreover, as Dixon points out, Galileo was
punished for challenging the Pope’s authority (after being told not to) rather
than for his scientific beliefs.
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Beliefs in Society
Study guide 2a
A post-enlightenment period characterised by rational and logical
thinking symbolised by scientific ideas and progress.
However, it would be wrong to assume that this meant there was a major
separation between religion and science in this period. Ironically both Weber
and Merton in separate analyses note that the rapid scientific progress
made in the 18th and 19th centuries which transformed everyday life –
transport, communications, work and leisure – would never have occurred
without religion.
The success of science over the past 200 years in raising society’s standard of
living has led to a widespread public faith in science – a belief that it can
‘deliver the goods’ because scientific knowledge is seen by society to have
gotten to the stage where it can largely explain, predict and control the
natural or physical world. For example, medical science has eradicated
many diseases and increased life expectancy.
SCIENCE RELIGION
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Beliefs in Society
Study guide 2a
or conjectures – ideas or informed there is no physical or scientific
guesses – usually based on existing evidence for it.
scientific knowledge – which can be
tested against evidence which is The existence of God and other
obtained by the use of systematic religious phenomena cannot be
observation and/or proved wrong because it cannot be
experimentation. subjected to normal scientific
procedures. Religions make
The knowledge or evidence knowledge-claims that cannot be
collected by scientists and successfully overturned. Whenever,
scientific theories are open to its fundamental beliefs are
rational scrutiny, criticism and threatened, a religion has a number
testing by others. According to of devices or ‘get-out’ clauses ,
Karl Popper, the more a usually related to faith, that reinforce
hypothesis or theory stands up to the system and so prevent it being
such attempts to falsify it, the more disproved.
likely it is to be a scientific truth. In
science, knowledge-claims
therefore live or die by the
evidence.
Publication of data also means that Religious leaders claim to have special,
scientific knowledge is perfect knowledge of the absolute
cumulative – it builds on the truth because it ultimately comes
achievements of previous from God. Religious knowledge is not
scientists to develop a greater the result of systematic observation
understanding of the world. or experimentation. It comes via
revelation, i.e. direct communication
with God (visions, voices in head etc),
personal experience of healing, and
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Beliefs in Society
Study guide 2a
conversion.
(1) Polanyi argues that science is not as open as it claims. This can
be illustrated by examining Kuhn’s paradigm theory.
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Beliefs in Society
Study guide 2a
already been accumulated. In this scenario, scientists are more open
to radical new ideas and the possibility of a fresh paradigm.
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Beliefs in Society
Study guide 2a
Objectivity may also be limited by the institution within
which the scientist is working. For example, medical
research funded by tobacco companies may have different aims
and objectives compared with research funded by the NHS.
The relationship between science and religion has been an uneasy one
because since the mid-19th century there has been a significant amount of
conflict and friction between science and religion. This can be illustrated
in a number of ways:
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Beliefs in Society
Study guide 2a
(v) Eminent scientists such as Richard Dawkins have been very
critical of the problems caused by religion (e.g. war,
persecution, suffering etc) and in his book ‘The God Delusion’
Dawkins actually set out to show the irrational nature of
religious belief.
The implication of these ideas is that people today are more likely to be
non-believers (atheists) or agnostics, (i.e. people who are unsure
that God exists). Moreover, society has seen the emergence of non-
religious belief systems such as:
Secularism – this belief system sees religious beliefs and
practices as based upon ignorance and as an enemy of free
speech and progress.
In the YouGov poll men were less likely to believe in God than women and
younger people were less likely to believe in God than older people. A 2009
study conducted by Penguin Books involving 1000 teenagers aged 13-
to 18 reported that two thirds of them did not believe in God.
In the 2011 Census 14.1 million people, about a quarter of the entire
population (25%) of England and Wales, said they had no religion, a
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Beliefs in Society
Study guide 2a
rise of 6.4 million since 2001. In Scotland, more than one third of the
population (37%) stated that they had no religion.
Finally, despite the fact that the relationship between science and religion has
often been characterised by conflict, it is important to understand that there is
also considerable overlap between the two belief systems. Two
observations are important.
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Both attempt to show their followers that there is an unseen
world behind the observed one.
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