Essentially Contested America

Check out an interesting article on faith and science in the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Here’s the introductory paragraph: “The relationship between faith and science in the United States seems, at least on the surface, to be paradoxical. Surveys repeatedly show that most Americans respect science and the benefits it brings to society, such as new technologies and medical treatments. And yet, religious convictions limit many Americans’ willingness to accept controversial scientific theories as well as certain types of scientific research, such as the potential use of embryonic stem cells for medical treatments.” The bigger problem is that the medical benefits American embrace derive from the same scientific methodologies that underly the controversial issue of intelligent design versus evolutionary biology. Following intelligent design results in neither one medically ameliorative pill nor one life-saving surgical procedure. Following evolutionary biology does. Thus, if concrete results is what determines whether a theory is also a fact, then intelligent design is just a theory, and a poor one at that, while evolutionary biology is, through its practical benefits, just as much a fact as a thunderstorm or a tree that is felled by the thunderstorm.

While it is true that ordinary there is no necessary contradiction between science and faith as the ultimate answer to the question of what origin of the universe is, in the final analysis, a conflict will arise. Theists say God. Atheists say matter. Theists say what is the origin of matter, but are baffled when asked the question what is the origin of God. The standard theistic answer is God always existed. Well if that’s possible, why isn’t it equally possible that matter always existed. Human, even some very smart humans, seem to buckle when confronting the idea of eternity. But the problem applies to both science’s answer and equally to faith’s answer. Conceptually, God cannot have a privileged position in this argument without circularity.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 4:58 am and is filed under Religion, Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.