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The influence of religion on science
The influence of religion on science
The influence of religion on science
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An Analysis of J Michael Bishops Enemies Of Promise In the summer of 1995, the periodical Wilson Quarterly published "Enemies of Promise," an essay by J. Michael Bishop, a Nobel Prize-winning professor of microbiology from the University of California, San Francisco. The essay addressed the renewed criticism the scientific community has received in recent years by an ignorant and unduly critical public. The overall effect this single work has had on the world may be nominal, but the points Professor Bishop raises are significant, and provide ammunition against the ignorants who maintain this "intellectual war," centuries after it was sparked. One of the most visible critics of science today, and the progenitor of the anti-science sentiment is the religious community, specifically the conservative Christians. One can hardly read the newspaper without reading of one religious figurehead or another preaching on the "fallacy of science," pushing their own brand of "truth" on whoever would hear them. As Bishop writes "It is discouraging to think than more than a century after the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species (1859), and seventy years after the Scopes trial dramatized the issue, the same battles must still be fought."(256) And the loudest rallying cries to these battles can be heard issuing from the throats of the ranks of zealots and their hordes of followers. Other, more surreptitious opponents of science abound as well. Ironically, one such antagonist originates from within academia itself: the postmodernists. Of this group, Bishop writes: "According to these "postmodernists," the supposedly objective truths of science are in reality all "socially constructed fictions," no more than "useful myths,... ... middle of paper ... ...om society. Although Bishop makes no excuses for the shortcomings of science and academia, he delivers an ominous message to those who would attack the scientific community: Science is the future. Learn to embrace it or be left behind. Anderson, Kirby. "Truth Telling to a Truth-denying Generation" Dallas/Ft. Worth Heritage, The (11-09-99). Bishop, J. Michael. "Enemies Of Promise" The Presence Of Others Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz New York: St. Martin's, 1997 255-263. Truth About Creation, The Christian Coalition, The Religious information pamphlet. New York: Christian's, 1996. "Cloning Of Extinct Hiua Bird Approved" CNN.com July 20, 1999 (11-09-99). Hisamatsu, Shinichi "Hisamatsu Shinichi on postmodernism" April 18, 1999 (11-09-99). (title unknown) New York Times, The c.October, 1999.
Edin, Kathryn and Kefalas, Maria. 2005. Promises I Can Keep. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
Loewenberg, Bert J. "The Reaction of American Scientists to Darwinism." American Historical Review. 38 (1933): 687-701.
One of the first controversial scientists was Roger Bacon. He was one of the first scientists to believe that scientific ideas needed to be tested. The general acceptance of the time was to believe what the church told the people, whether or not the ideas had been tested. Bacon was often controversial not because he simply believed that ideas needed to be tested but because he took joy in telling others that they were wrong, often in not the nicest of ways. “Phrases like “damned fools,” “ignorant asses,” “inept buffoons,” and “miserable idiots” pepper
Bishop, Michael J. "Enemies of Promise" The Presence of Others. C Comp. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins, 1997 255-263.
Le Beau, Bryan F. "Science and Religion: A Historical Perspective on the Conflict over Teaching Evolution in the Schools." EbscoHost. MARHO, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. .
“Science cannot reveal the ultimate reality.” Emerging from Huxley’s keen awareness of the socio-political dimensions of science, his story rings a warning bell about knowledge as power that is especially relevant now that the predicted genetic revolution has arrived. Even though genetics may not be in the hands of despots, the “monks of science” still ought to set down their test tubes once in a while and make it their business to engage in public dialogue about how their research will be put to use in society.
Bishop, J. Michael. "Enemies of Promise." The Presence of Others:Voices that Call for Response. 2nd ed. Ed Andrea A. Lunsford and John J.Ruszkiewics. New York:St Martin's Press, 1997. 255-263.
In 1859, Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking Origin of Species, which would introduce the seminal theory of evolution to the scientific community. Over 150 years later, the majority of scientists have come to a consensus in agreement with this theory, citing evidence in newer scientific research. In an average high school biology classroom, one may imagine an instructor that has devoted much of his life to science and a predominantly Christian class of about twenty-five students. On the topic of evolution, one of the students might ask, “Why would God have taken the long route by creating us through billion years of evolution?” while another student may claim “The Book of Genesis clearly says that the earth along with all living creatures was created in just six days, and Biblical dating has proven that the earth is only 6000 years old.” Finally a third student interjects with the remark “maybe the Bible really is just a book, and besides, science has basically already proven that evolution happened, and is continuing to happen as we speak.”
Both in fiction and in real life a certain breed of scientists has decided to ignore the scientific method and chase dreams of fame. With that fame, they hope to dig deep into our pockets and reap the benefits of their poor workmanship. It is most evident from the examples given that these scientists, who have seemingly reversed scientific evolution, no longer care for true science and the scientific method, but rather are interested in personal glory.
The Scopes trial, writes Edward Larson, to most Americans embodies “the timeless debate over science and religion.” (265) Written by historians, judges, and playwrights, the history of the Scopes trial has caused Americans to perceive “the relationship between science and religion in . . . simple terms: either Darwin or the Bible was true.” (265) The road to the trial began when Tennessee passed the Butler Act in 1925 banning the teaching of evolution in secondary schools. It was only a matter of time before a young biology teacher, John T. Scopes, prompted by the ACLU tested the law. Spectators and newspapermen came from allover to witness whether science or religion would win the day. Yet below all the hype, the trial had a deeper meaning. In Summer for the Gods, Edward Larson argues that a more significant battle was waged between individual liberty and majoritarian democracy. Even though the rural fundamentalist majority legally banned teaching evolution in 1925, the rise of modernism, started long before the trial, raised a critical question for rural Americans: should they publicly impose their religious beliefs upon individuals who believed more and more in science.
For centuries, scientific development has been a hot issue among media. Especially since the invention of cloning technology, more and more arguments about the developing pattern and power gained from such a development worried people globally. No doubt that the rapid development did provide us numerous conveniences and improving our life greatly, though, in regard to the increasing acknowledgment that people have from our nature, and the unpredictable human nature, likewise Dr. Abnesti in the fiction story, Escape from Spiderhead. From my pass readings and experiences, I think that human need to take every step of scientific development extremely seriously. As see from now, people are arguing about the contradiction between science and morality, moreover, that the power science has now is too enough to destroy us already, for instance the nuclear energy. The pros and cons from scientific development shape science itself, in some cases controversial. Plus, I think the scientific morality and power controlling are two big deals that needed to be controlled. Not to eliminate, but to make them under control.
The Fear of Science To live in the today's world is to be surrounded by the products of science. For it is science that gave our society color television, the bottle of aspirin, and the polyester shirt. Thus, science has greatly enhanced our society; yet, our society is still afraid of the effects of science. This fear of science can be traced back to the nineteenth century, where scientists had to be secretive in experimenting with science. Although science did wonders in the nineteenth century, many people feared science and its effects because of the uncertainty of the results of science.
Dr. Michael Shermer is a Professor, Founder of skeptic magazine, and a distinguished and brilliant American science writer to say the least. In His book The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People he sets out to embark on the daunting task of convincing and informing the reader on sciences’ ability to drives the expansion of humanity and the growth of the moral sphere. Although such a broad and general topic could be hard to explain, Shermer does so in a way that is concise, easy to understand, and refreshing for the reader. This novel is riddled with scientific facts, data, and pictures to back up shermers claims about the history of science, humanity and how the two interact with one another.
Monastersky, Richard. (2004). Society Disowns Paper Attacking Darwinism. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Vol. 51, Iss. 5, A.16.