Scientists Speak Up on Mix of God and Science
At a recent scientific conference at City College of New York, a student in the audience rose to ask the panelists an unexpected question: "Can you be a good scientist and believe in God?"
Reaction from one of the panelists, all Nobel laureates, was quick and sharp. "No!" declared Herbert A. Hauptman, who shared the chemistry prize in 1985 for his work on the structure of crystals.
Belief in the supernatural, especially belief in God, is not only incompatible with good science, Dr. Hauptman declared, "this kind of belief is damaging to the well-being of the human race."
But disdain for religion is far from universal among scientists. And today, as religious groups challenge scientists in arenas as various as evolution in the classroom, AIDS prevention and stem cell research, scientists who embrace religion are beginning to speak out about their faith.
"It should not be a taboo subject, but frankly it often is in scientific circles," said Francis S. Collins, who directs the National Human Genome Research Institute and who speaks freely about his Christian faith.
Although they embrace religious faith, these scientists also embrace science as it has been defined for centuries. That is, they look to the natural world for explanations of what happens in the natural world and they recognize that scientific ideas must be provisional - capable of being overturned by evidence from experimentation and observation. This belief in science sets them apart from those who endorse creationism or its doctrinal cousin, intelligent design, both of which depend on the existence of a supernatural force.
Belief in the supernatural, especially belief in God, is not only incompatible with good science, Dr. Hauptman declared, "this kind of belief is damaging to the well-being of the human race."
But disdain for religion is far from universal among scientists. And today, as religious groups challenge scientists in arenas as various as evolution in the classroom, AIDS prevention and stem cell research, scientists who embrace religion are beginning to speak out about their faith.
"It should not be a taboo subject, but frankly it often is in scientific circles," said Francis S. Collins, who directs the National Human Genome Research Institute and who speaks freely about his Christian faith.
Although they embrace religious faith, these scientists also embrace science as it has been defined for centuries. That is, they look to the natural world for explanations of what happens in the natural world and they recognize that scientific ideas must be provisional - capable of being overturned by evidence from experimentation and observation. This belief in science sets them apart from those who endorse creationism or its doctrinal cousin, intelligent design, both of which depend on the existence of a supernatural force.
posted by cyouincourt007 at 12:05 AM
2 Comments:
ah. I am surprised that no one has spoken up about this yet. I consider myself a science minded individual. But there are things that science cannot explain. I think that is where science ends, and god begins.
My sister, has a degree in biology. She does not have a specific faith, although she is not atheist. (she believes that there is truth in all religeons) she came home from school one day and said, that her studies have taught her that life itself is magic. And I believe that magic is an extension of god. To deny science, or to deny god, is to deny both.
I AGREE WITH YOU....THERE'S ENOUGH ROOM FOR BOTH....TO DENY EITHER ONE IS FOOLISH....A LIL CLOSER TO THE SUN WERE COOKED......A LIL FURTHER AWAY WERE FROZEN AND THE MOON/EARTH RELATIONSHIP OFFERS INFO AS WELL....EVEN OUR OWN BODIES PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF SOME TYPE OF INTELLIGENT CREATION.....TOO MANY THINGS TO BE A COINCIDENCE : )
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