Science, Religion, and the Human Experience

Science, Religion, and the Human Experience PDF

Author: James D. Proctor

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 0195175336

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This collection of essays looks at the relationship between science and religion. The book begins from the premise that both science and religion operate in, yet seek to reach beyond specific historical, political, ideological, and psychological contexts.

Science and the World's Religions

Science and the World's Religions PDF

Author: Patrick McNamara Ph.D.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2012-07-19

Total Pages: 1039

ISBN-13:

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This trio of volumes contains essays that explore vital existential, moral, or metaphysical issues surrounding the relationship between the sciences and the world's religions. In Science and the World's Religions, experts with scientific and religious backgrounds explore vital existential or practical issues, drawing on whatever sciences are relevant and engaging at least two religious traditions. The multidisciplinary essays exhibit rigorous intellectual, scholarly thinking but are written to clearly communicate to educated adult lay readers. The first volume addresses questions about the origins and purpose of the cosmos and the human project. The second volume investigates the roles of religion and spirituality in human existence, considering issues ranging from the brain and religious experience to the human life cycle. The third volume tackles controversies in which both religion and science are stakeholders, showing how both can deepen understanding and enrich human experience. Together, these three books present readers with powerful tools that enable them to think through the challenge of integrating science with their religious beliefs and spiritual practices.

The Varieties of Scientific Experience

The Varieties of Scientific Experience PDF

Author: Carl Sagan

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2006-11-02

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 1101201835

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“Ann Druyan has unearthed a treasure. It is a treasure of reason, compassion, and scientific awe. It should be the next book you read.” —Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith “A stunningly valuable legacy left to all of us by a great human being. I miss him so.” —Kurt Vonnegut Carl Sagan's prophetic vision of the tragic resurgence of fundamentalism and the hope-filled potential of the next great development in human spirituality The late great astronomer and astrophysicist describes his personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos. Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, Sagan presents his views on a wide range of topics, including the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets, creationism and so-called intelligent design, and a new concept of science as "informed worship." Originally presented at the centennial celebration of the famous Gifford Lectures in Scotland in 1985 but never published, this book offers a unique encounter with one of the most remarkable minds of the twentieth century.

Why Religion is Natural and Science is Not

Why Religion is Natural and Science is Not PDF

Author: Robert N. McCauley

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2013-11

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0199341540

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A comparison of the cognitive foundations of religion and science and an argument that religion is cognitively natural and that science is cognitively unnatural.

The Varieties of Religious Experience

The Varieties of Religious Experience PDF

Author: William James

Publisher: The Floating Press

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 824

ISBN-13: 1877527467

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Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature explores the nature of religion and, in James' observation, its divorce from science when studied academically. After publication in 1902 it quickly became a canonical text of philosophy and psychology, remaining in print through the entire century. "Scientific theories are organically conditioned just as much as religious emotions are; and if we only knew the facts intimately enough, we should doubtless see 'the liver' determining the dicta of the sturdy atheist as decisively as it does those of the Methodist under conviction anxious about his soul. When it alters in one way the blood that percolates it, we get the Methodist, when in another way, we get the atheist form of mind."

The Territories of Human Reason

The Territories of Human Reason PDF

Author: Alister E. McGrath

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-01-03

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0192542508

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Our understanding of human rationality has changed significantly since the beginning of the century, with growing emphasis being placed on multiple rationalities, each adapted to the specific tasks of communities of practice. We may think of the world as an ontological unity-but we use a plurality of methods to investigate and represent this world. This development has called into question both the appeal to a universal rationality, characteristic of the Enlightenment, and also the simple 'modern-postmodern' binary. The Territories of Human Reason is the first major study to explore the emergence of multiple situated rationalities. It focuses on the relation of the natural sciences and Christian theology, but its approach can easily be extended to other disciplines. It provides a robust intellectual framework for discussion of transdisciplinarity, which has become a major theme in many parts of the academic world. Alister E. McGrath offers a major reappraisal of what it means to be 'rational' which will have significant impact on older discussions of this theme. He sets out to explore the consequences of the seemingly inexorable move away from the notion of a single universal rationality towards a plurality of cultural and domain-specific methodologies and rationalities. What does this mean for the natural sciences? For the philosophy of science? For Christian theology? And for the interdisciplinary field of science and religion? How can a single individual hold together scientific and religious ideas, when these arise from quite different rational approaches? This groundbreaking volume sets out to engage these questions and will provoke intense discussion and debate.

Cognitive Science, Religion, and Theology

Cognitive Science, Religion, and Theology PDF

Author: Justin L. Barrett

Publisher: Templeton Press

Published: 2011-11-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781599473819

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Cognitive Science, Religion, and Theology is the eighth title published in the Templeton Science and Religion Series, in which scientists from a wide range of fields distill their experience and knowledge into brief tours of their respective specialties. In this volume, well-known cognitive scientist Justin L. Barrett offers an accessible overview of this interdisciplinary field, reviews key findings in this area, and discusses the implications of these findings for religious thought and practice. Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of minds and mental activity, and as such, it addresses a fundamental feature of what it is to be human. Further, as religious traditions concern ideas and beliefs about the nature of humans, the nature of the world, and the nature of the divine, cognitive science can contribute directly and indirectly to these theological concerns. Barrett shows how direct contributions come from the growing area called cognitive science of religion (CSR), which investigates how human cognitive systems inform and constrain religious thought, experience, and expression. CSR attempts to answer questions such as: Why do humans tend to be religious? And why are specific ideas (e.g., the possibility of an afterlife) so cross-culturally recurrent? Barrett also covers the indirect implications that cognitive science has for theology, such as human similarities and differences with the animal world, freedom and determinism, and the relationship between minds and bodies. Cognitive Science, Religion, and Theology critically reviews the research on these fascinating questions and discusses the many implications that arise from them. In addition, this short volume also offers suggestions for future research, making it ideal not only for those looking for an overview of the field thus far but also for those seeking a glimpse of where the field might be going in the future.

The Truth about Science and Religion

The Truth about Science and Religion PDF

Author: Fraser Fleming

Publisher: Lutterworth Press

Published: 2017-02-23

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 0718845404

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Religion has been a major influence on the development of science over the past two millennia. The Truth about Science and Religion tells the story of their interaction, examining fundamental topics such as the origin of the universe, evolutionary processes, Christian beliefs, the history of science, and what being human really means from both a scientific and a religious perspective. The Truth about Science and Religion aims to help explore personal views on science and religion, offering questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. The book provides the historical and scientific background as well as the philosophical insight needed to think through issues of science and religion and their influence on personal beliefs. Metaphors, comparisons and analogies are used to simplify complex topics such that any reader can engage with the thoughts and questions posed. Unlike other books in this field, The Truth about Science and Religion follows a chronological scheme, beginning with the origin of the universe and life itself before discussing matters of the human condition, the life of Jesus, and stories of several great scientists to regain a unified view of science and religion in today's world.

The Gracing of Human Experience

The Gracing of Human Experience PDF

Author: Donald L. Gelpi

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2008-04-01

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 1556355939

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This study ponders different ways Christian thinkers understood humanity in its relationship to divine grace. It names fallacies that have in the past skewed theological understanding of that relationship. It argues that the philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce avoided those same fallacies and provides a novel frame of reference for rethinking the theology of grace. The author shows how the insights of other American philosophers flesh out undeveloped aspects of PeirceÕs thought. He formulates a metaphysics of experience derived from his philosophical analysis. Finally, he develops an understanding of supernatural grace as the transmutation and transvaluation of human experience.