I read an interesting interview with Nobel laureate, Herbert Hauptman (1985 Nobel Price in Chemistry) in the latest issue of Free Inquiry, which I've excerpted here:
FI: Over 90 percent of the members of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences are atheists or agnostics. Do you think there is a relationship between being a good scientist and being a religious skeptic?
Hauptman: What are religions based on? They are not based on evidence but on faith. On the other hand, a good scientist insists that, before one assents to a claim, there must be good evidence for that claim. If you live by this principle of science, I believe you will end up believing as I and most of the other members of the National Academy of Sciences believe: that there is no God.
FI: What do you think of those scientists who believe as you do but refuse to let their views be known?
Hauptman: I do not think they should be in the closet on this issue, but it is really a matter of how you allocate your time and energy-and a matter of conscience. Still, I think we would be better off if scientists were more open about their lack of belief in God.
FI: What is one question about the science-versus-religion controversy that you would like answered?
Hauptman: When will religion no longer be an issue of importance to the majority of the people in our society?
I bring this up not to so much question the existence of God (of which my views are well-known) but rather to ask if most of you agree on whether God and science are compatible? Can they be? Can a good scientist believe in God? Would belief in God affect how you study something and the conclusions that you make? Does science help some to understand God? Some say science proves the existence of God. Do you?
I know this is more JA and CK's turf (and they do it a lot better than me), but you'll have to forgive my indulgence.
13 comments:
There are newer generations of scientists who believe that not everything can be explained or perceived by science. I wouldn't say that they'd be religious, necessarily, but they could be a little more mystical or agnostic than the hard science bunch. In general though, no, I don't think someone who adheres to the principles of traditional science can belong to an institutionalized form of religion. If nothing else, cognitive dissonance would get the better of the person.
Laura,
That's how I feel. If you go into a scientific study with some preconceived assumption of the results ... it taints the study (whether you are religious or not). I try not to allow my belief or non-belief in God to affect my assumptions on something. I don't believe there is a God ... but I don't KNOW there is not one. Do religious people, as a rule, believe there is a God or do they KNOW there is a God?
A guy at my church is like some kind of Rocket Scientist. He's the smartest man in the world, I swear. He says God and Science are totally compatable--you just have to know what came first.
I remember asking him about star light and the speed of light and he blew my mind. I didn't understand a word he said.
*laughing*
I wouldn't call this topic my 'turf'... though I am interested in Religion & where it interacts/clashes with Science..
As to my view... well, I guess you already know that [grin].
I think that a belief in God is totally incompatable with Science as we know it. Why? Not because science is based on facts & knowledge rather than faith but because of God's omnipotence.
If God is omnipotent (and surely he has to be to be God) then nothing is beyond Him. If He wanted to He could change the very foundations of existence - the Scientific Laws - which underpin our understanding of the Universe and everything in it. If God can do that then Science is a sham built on a foundation of sand.
If the Laws of the Universe can be changed on the whim of its creator then we can ultimately know nothing about the Universe since the 'rules' of the game could change at any moment. Which means that knowledge cannot progress and experiments cannot be repeated. Even if God choses not to change the rules He still can - therefore leading to too high an uncertainty in any scientific endeavor.
Therefore the existence of God is totally incompatable with the existence of Science. It's one or the other you can't have both.
CK said, "I think that a belief in God is totally incompatable with Science as we know it." -- It's certainly darn close. Some have tried to reconcile biblical passages with specific scientific concepts. For example, the Big Bang. But isn't that a bit of a moving target? Sadie, correct me if I'm wrong here, but faith should not need to be reinforced by scientific proof. And if those of faith are actively looking for those proofs, is there something wrong with their faith? I think that's where Intelligent Design is really flawed (OK, there are a lot of places where it's really flawed). It's trying to sanitize science for the faithful. If you have faith, great, I can respect that. If you don't, that's fine too.
From Wikipedia: "faith is in an aspect of the object and cannot be logically proven or objectively known. ... Whatever particular evidence or reason they may possess that their God exists and is deserving of trust, is not ultimately the basis for their believing"
great question.
In some ways, theology and science are the same. Each starts with a hypothesis. For example, "there is one God" or "anti matter exists". Each one then comes up with a theory as to why and how it exists, and, and attempts to prove their theory.
But the analogy breaks down there. Because while scientifid research eventually comes up with a thumbs up or down answer, theology is limited to speculation about that which is unmeasurabe.
I think it would be very difficult for a someone working in certain disciplines to be an objective scientist and be religious in the traditional sense. After all, the fossil record makes such a mockery of the creation thelogies of virtually all major religions it would be hard for a geologist or anthropologist to be objective and a true believer.
Believeing there might be SOMETHING out there, however, is different. Which is why a very small percentage of scientists have latched on to the intelligent design idea. Belief in intelligent design doesn't force you to accept any particular theology. It's kind of like believeing in "the force"
Would that make George Lucas God?
GWB said, "Would that make George Lucas God?" -- He-he. There may be more truth to that than you know. He had sought to take those elements common to all religions so as to make the movies applicable to a wide range of people and beliefs.
Bear: That's blasphemy! George Lucas is, at best, a minor Imp in purgatory. Many pagans have similar beliefs - not necessarily belief in dieties but in energies. Everything contains energy and some people believe that can be harnessed. But I agree that adherence to an institutionalized religion is probably pretty rare for most scientists.
dback--
I thought you'd be interested in this. JA gave me the link on his blog awhile back and I haven't read through the whole website but I wanted to give you a fresh perspective on Christianity and Science being knitted together:
**I believe that God Almighty created the heavens and the earth, and all life upon the earth. He accomplished this process over billions of historical years. He has been in charge of this process since the beginning of time and He still is in charge. He directed the unfolding of life forms over time that many people call evolution.
**I believe that the human race has been sinful since our very beginning. This sin came, and continues to come, from satan's temptation to do evil and our willful acceptance of that temptation. Our sin separates us from God because His nature is righteous and purity, and His law is not possible for us to fulfill on our own merits
**I believe that God Almighty has great power on this earth, and over mankind in particular. This power includes the ability to destroy us as a race if He so chooses. He has never chosen to destroy mankind entirely because of His great love for us. His mercy endures forever.
**I believe that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, and the only way by which our right relationship to God can be restored. He was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, in fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the dead in the flesh. His death for our sins and His resurrection pay the price for our sins. We have salvation and eternal life in heaven if we believe in Jesus Christ and trust in His grace.
**I believe that we Christians are called to be witnesses for Jesus Christ throughout our own nations and to the ends of the earth. This call is the Great Commission given by Jesus in Acts 1:8. We are commanded to tell people about Jesus' death and resurrection, and to live our faith in love towards our neighbors; the Holy Spirit will convert people's minds and hearts.
**I believe that one day God Almighty will judge every person who has ever lived. Jesus Christ will be the judge, but Jesus Christ will also be our Advocate before satan. We will be judged according to John 3:16, "Whosoever believes in Jesus Christ will not perish, but will have eternal life." Those who do not believe will be condemned to an eternity apart from God, in hell.
**I believe that the Holy Bible is the true word of God.
**I believe everything that the Bible says about itself. The Bible is divinely inspired and divinely passed through history over thousands of years. The witness of the Bible is essential for understanding our faith, and for living out our lives in service to Jesus Christ. The Word of God is our Rock, the foundation upon which our Christian faith is based.
**I believe that the Bible never requires me to bear false witness about God's creation.
**Next to these great beliefs, a biological theory seems pretty unimportant. That impression is correct. Do I "Believe in Evolution" like I believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Absolutely not! I accept the Theory of Evolution like I use the Quadratic Formula; they are both useful for a certain class of problems that I sometimes have to solve. I certainly do not place my eternal life and soul in the care of a scientific theory or a mathematical formula. I am no atheist. I place my entire being in the hands of God Almighty through his Son, Jesus Christ.
**I reject the idea that evolution and Christianity are always and must be in opposition to each other. I reject the notion that if the scientific theory of evolution is true, then Christianity must be false. I reject the idea that people who accept evolution must be atheists. I reject the idea that the scientific theory of evolution fundamentally denies the idea of God the Creator. I reject the idea that evolution and Christian faith are inevitably in conflict with each other and cannot be reconciled.
http://theistic-evolution.com/theisticevolution.html
Sorry, I forgot the link. If you find that you like this site, perhaps you can post a follow up post to this one?
Sadie,
Thanks for the link and the input. I'll check it out. I'm not trying to say that people can't reconcile God and science ... I'm just saying that I can't. That's why I posed the questions. I was genuinely curious how everyone (religious or not) integrates the two.
You said, "Next to these great beliefs, a biological theory seems pretty unimportant." -- that's one of the points I was trying to make. But I believe you are saying that doesn't necessarily presuppose a dismissal of science altogether. It just means that God defines a main part of your life and science can fill other parts. I can appreciate that view.
I'm sorry,
those bold statement were from the site's credo. I should have been more clear. I agree with all of them though...
Sadie,
I apologize for that. I think you were clear enough in your comment for me not to assume that was your quote. I guess if I'd actually visited your link first, I would have known that. :-)
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