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Schedule

Lectures
PART I: History of the Relations Between Science and Theology
PART II: The Methods of Science and Theology
PART III: Substantive Interactions between Science and Theology

Essay Scheduling
Paper Outlines Due (11/18)
Papers Due (12/11)

Schedule Oddities
Monday Schedule Substitution (10/14)
AAR Meeting (11/25)
Fall Recess (11/27)

For publishing information about the readings listed in the schedule, see the bibliography.

Week 1: Introduction to the Seminar (9/2, 9/4)

General discussion of the course and how to make the most of it.
Introduction to the field of science and religion.
Identification and discussion of student interests.
Discussion of possible student research projects.

PART I: History of the Relations Between Science and Theology

This part of the course (3 weeks) deals with the complex history and changing context of the relationship between Science and Theology.

Week 2: Science and Theology in the Enlightenment (9/9, 9/11)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» "General Introduction," and "Introduction to Part I"
» John Hedley Brooke, "Religion and Science in the Enlightenment"

From Barbour:
» Chapter 1, "Physics and Metaphysics in the Seventeenth Century"
» Chapter 2, "Nature and God in the Eighteenth Century"

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Brooke, John Hedley. Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives
» Brooke, John Hedley. "Natural Law in the Natural Sciences: The Origins of Modem Atheism?"
» Buckley, Michael. At the Origins of Modern Atheism, esp. Introduction and ch. 2
» Buckley, Michael. "The Newtonian Settlement and the Origins of Atheism," in Robert John Russell et. al., eds., Physics, Philosophy and Theology: A Common Quest for Understanding, pp. 81-102
» Dillenberger, John. Protestant Thought and Natural Science
» Funkenstein, Amos. Theology and the Scientific Imagination from the Middle Ages to the Seventeenth Century
» Gascoigne, John. Cambridge in the Age of the Enlightenment: Science, Religion and Politics from the Restoration to the French Revolution
» Klaaren, Eugene. Religious Origins of Modern Science
» Lindberg, David C.; Ronald L. Numbers, eds. God and Nature: Historical Essays on the Encounter between Christianity and Science
» Westfall, Richard S. Science and Religion in Seventeenth-Century England

Week 3: Science and Theology in the Nineteenth Century (9/16, 9/18)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Claude Welch, "Dispelling some Myths about the Split between Theology and Science in the Nineteenth Century"

From Barbour:
» Chapter 3, "Biology and Theology in the Nineteenth Century"

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Chadwick, Owen. The Secularization of the European Mind in the Nineteenth Century
» Cosslett, Tess, ed. Science and Religion in the Nineteenth Century
» Draper, John William. History of the Conflict between Religion and Science
» Durant, John, ed. Darwinism and Divinity
» Glick, Thomas F., ed. The Comparative Reception of Darwinism
» Greene, John C. The Death of Adam: Evolution and its Impact on Western Thought
» Frederick Gregory, Nature Lost? Natural Science and the German Theological Traditions of the Nineteenth Century
» Hull, David L. Darwin and His Critics
» Kohn, David, ed. The Darwinian Heritage
» Moore, James R. The Post-Darwinian Controversies: A Study of the Protestant Struggle to Come to Terms with Darwin in Great Britain and America, 1870-1900
» Pius IX. Syllabus of Errors
» Roberts, Jon H. Darwinism and the Divine in America
» White, Andrew Dickson. A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom

Week 4: Science and Theology in the Contemporary Period (9/23, 9/25)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Wesley J. Wildman, "The Quest for Harmony: Theology and Science in Contemporary Perspective"
» Holmes Rolston, "Science, Religion, and the Future"

From Barbour:
» nothing

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Barbour, Ian. Religion in an Age of Science
» Peacocke, Arthur, ed. The Sciences and Theology in the Twentieth Century
» Polkinghorne, John. Science and Christian Belief
» Powers, Jonathan. Philosophy and the New Physics
» Rolston, Holmes. Science and Religion: A Critical Survey
» Russell, Robert John, et. al., eds. Physics, Philosophy and Theology, Part I: "Historical and Contemporary Relations in Science and Religion" (esp. essays by Clarke, Pedersen and Heller)
» Stanesby, Derek. Science, Reason, and Religion

PART II: The Methods of Science and Theology

This part of the course (3 weeks) deals with similarities and differences in the methods of Science and Theology.

Week 5: Ways of Relating Science and Theology (9/30, 10/2)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» nothing

From Barbour:
Chapter 4, "Ways of Relating Science and Religion"
Chapter 5, "Models and Paradigms"

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Appleyard, Bryan. Understanding the Present: Science and the Soul of Modern Man
» Barbour, Ian. Myths, Models and Paradigms: A Comparative Study in Science and Religion
» Drees, Willem B. Religion, Science and Naturalism
» Ferre, Frederick. Hellfire and Lightning Rods: Liberating Science, Technology, and Religion
» Gerhart, Mary; Allan M. Russell. Metaphoric Process: The Creation of Scientific and Religious Understanding
» Gilkey, Langdon. Religion and the Scientific Future: Reflections on Myth, Science, and Theology
» Harre, Rom. Varieties of Realism
» McFague, Sallie. Metaphorical Theology: Models of God in Religious Language
» Polkinghorne, John. One World: The Interaction of Science and Theology
» Russell, Robert John, et. al., eds. Physics, Philosophy and Theology, Part II: "Epistemology and Methodology" (essays by Soskice, Hesse, Lash)
» Santmire, Paul. The Travail of Nature
» Soskice, Janet. Metaphor and Religious Language
» van Huysteen, Wentzel J. Theology and the Justification of Faith

Week 6: A Debate on Comparative Method of Science and Theology (10/7, 10/9)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Introduction to Part II
» Round 1 of the debate (essays by Nicholas Wolterstorff, Nancey Murphy, Mary Gerhart and Alan Russell, and Philip Clayton and Steven Knapp)
» Round 2 of the debate (essays by Wolterstorff, Murphy, and Clayton and Knapp)

From Barbour:
» nothing

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Week 7: Similarities and Differences between Science and Theology (10/16; no class on 10/14 due to Monday schedule substitution)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» nothing

From Barbour:
» Chapter 6, "Similarities and Differences"

From Course Packet:
» Wesley J. Wildman, "Similarities and Differences in the Practice of Theology and Science"

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Banner, Michael C. The Justification of Science and the Rationality of Religious Belief
» Clayton, Philip. Explanation from Physics to Theology: An Essay in Rationality and Religion, esp. chs. 1, 5-6.
» Hesse, Mary B. Models and Analogies in Science
» Kuhn, Thomas. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
» Mascall, E. L. Christian Theology and Natural Science: Some Questions in their Relations
» McMullin, Ernan. The Inference that Makes Science
» Midgley, Mary. Evolution as a Religion: Strange Hopes and Stranger Fears
» Murphy, Nancey. Theology in the Age of Scientific Reasoning, esp. chs. 5-6.
» Pannenberg, Wolfhart. Toward a Theology of Nature: Essays on Science and Faith
» Polanyi, Michael. Personal Knowledge
» Pollard, William. Transcendence and Providence
» Schoen, Edward L. Religious Explanations: A Model from the Sciences
» van Huyssteen, Wentzel. Theology and the Justification of Faith
» Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Reason Within the Bounds of Religion
» Zygon 27/2 (June 1992), pp. 221-34. A set of reviews of majors works in theology and science. See 27/3 (September 1992), for a set of responses to the reviews of the previous issue.

PART III: Substantive Interactions between Science and Theology

This part of the course (6 weeks) deals with six specific aspects of the multifaceted engagement between Science and Theology in recent years.

Week 8: Cosmology and Creation (10/21, 10/23)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Introduction to Part III
» Case Study I: "Cosmology and Creation" (by William Stoeger and Robert Russell)

From Barbour:
» Chapter 8, "Astronomy and Creation"

From Course Packet:
» G. F. R. Ellis and W. R. Stoeger, "Introduction to General Relativity and Cosmology," in Russell, Nancey Murphy and C. J. Isham, Quantum Cosmology and the Laws of Nature: Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action
» C. J. Isham, "Quantum Theories of the Creation of the Universe," in Russell, Quantum Cosmology

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Barrow, John D. The World Within the World
» Barrow, John D. The Origin of the Universe
» Barrow, John D.; Frank J. Tipler. The Anthropic Cosmological Principle
» Davies, Paul. The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe
» Davies, Paul. God and the New Physics, esp. chs. 1-5, 11-15
» Davies, Paul. The Last Three Minutes
» Davies, Paul. The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World
» Drees, Willem B. Beyond the Big Bang: Quantum Cosmologies and God
» Dyson, Freeman J. Infinite in All Directions
» Ellis, George. Before the Beginning: Cosmology Explained
» Gilkey, Langdon. Maker of Heaven and Earth: The Christian Doctrine of Creation in the Light of Modern Knowledge
» Harris, Errol. Cosmos as Anthropos: A Philosophical Interpretation of the Anthropic Cosmological Principle
» Hawking, Stephen. A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes
» Herrmann, Robert; John Marks Templeton. Is God the Only Reality?
» Kaufmann, William. Relativity and Cosmology
» Kitcher, Philip. Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism
» Margenau, Henry; Roy Abraham Varghese, eds. Cosmos, Bios, Theos
» May, Gerhard. Creatio Ex Nihilo: The Doctrine of 'Creation out of Nothing' in Early Christian Thought
» Morris, Henry M. The Remarkable Birth of Planet Earth
» Morris, Henry M., ed. (Institute for Creation Research), Scientific Creationism
» Peacocke, Arthur. Creation and the World of Science
» Peters, Ted. Cosmos As Creation
» Polkinghorne, John. Science and Creation
» Ruether, Rosemary. Gaia and God
» Russell, Robert John, et. al., eds. Quantum Cosmology (esp. essays by Heller, Happel, Grib, Lucas, Ward, Peters, Drees, Ellis, Murphy and Polkinghorne)
» Russell, Robert John, et. al., eds. Physics, Philosophy and Theology, Part I: "Historical and Contemporary Relations in Science and Religion" (essays by McMullin and Clifford); Part III: "Contemporary Physics and Cosmology in Philosophical and Theological Perspective" (esp. essays by Stoeger, McFague, Peters, Leslie, Tipler, Isham)
» Scientific American. Cosmology + 1
» Tracy, David; Nicholas Lash, eds. Cosmology and Theology
» Trefil, James S. The Moment of Creation
» Van Til, Howard. The Fourth Day
» Van Til, Howard, et. al. Portraits of Creation: Biblical and Scientific Perspectives on the World's Formation
» Weinberg, Steven. The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe, esp. chs. 1-5.

Week 9: Quantum Complementarity and Christology (11/4, 11/6)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Case Study III: "Quantum Complementarity and Christology" (by Edward McKinnon, James Loder and Jim Neidhart, and Christopher Kaiser)

From Barbour:
» Chapter 7, "Physics and Metaphysics," sections I, II

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Austin, William H. Waves, Particles, and Paradoxes
» Bell, J. S. Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics
» Bohr, Niels. Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature
» Bunge, Mario. "Analogy in Quantum Theory: From Insight to Nonsense"
» Heisenberg, Werner. Physics and Beyond: Encounters and Conversations, esp. chs. 3, 5-7, 10-11, 17, 20
» Herbert, Nick. Quantum Reality: Beyond the New Physics
» Hofstadter, Douglas R. Goedel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
» Jammer, Max. The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics
» Kaiser, Christopher. "Christology and Complementarity"
» Loder, James E.; W. Jim Neidhardt. The Knight's Move, The Relational Logic of the Spirit in Theology and Science
» Torrance, Thomas. Transformation and Convergence in the Frame of Knowledge

Week 10: Chaos Theory and Divine Action (10/28, 10/30)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Case Study II: "Chaos Theory and Divine Action" (by Karl Young and John Polkinghorne)

From Barbour:
» Chapter 7, "Physics and Metaphysics," sections III, IV

From Course Packet:
» Wildman and Russell, "Chaos: Mathematical Introduction with Philosophical Reflections," in Russell, Chris Isham and Nancey Murphy, eds., Chaos and Complexity

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Bartholomew, D. J. God of Chance
» Crain, Steven Dale. Divine Action and Indeterminism: On Models of Divine Action that Exploit the New Physics
» Crutchfield, James P.; J. Doyne Farmer; Norman H. Packard; Robert S. Shaw. "Chaos"
» Davies, Paul. The Cosmic Blueprint: New Discoveries in Nature's Creative Ability to Order the Universe
» Davies, Paul; John Gribbin. The Matter Myth: Dramatic Discoveries the Challenge Our Understanding of Physical Reality
» Devaney, Robert L. An Introduction to Chaotic Dynamical Systems
» Ford, Joseph. "How Random is a Coin Toss?"
» Gleick, James. Chaos
» Gregersen, Niels Henrik. "Providence in an Indeterministic World"
» Griffin, David R., ed. The Reenchantment of Science: Postmodern Proposals
» Hefner, Philip. "God and Chaos: The Demiurge Versus the Ungrund"
» Holte, John, ed. Chaos: The New Science
» Horgan, John. "In the Beginning...."
» Houghton, John T. Does God Play Dice?
» Kadanoff, Leo P. "Roads to Chaos"
» Kellert, Stephen H. In the Wake of Chaos: Unpredictable Order in Dynamical Systems
» Krohn, Wolfgang; Gunter Kuppers; Helga Noworty, eds., Selforganization: Portrait of a Scientific Revolution, pp. 51-63
» Lewin, Roger. Complexity: Life at the Edge of Chaos
» MacKay, Donald M. Science, Chance and Providence
» Peitgen, Heinz-Otto; Hartmut Jürgens; Dietmar Saupe. Chaos and Fractals: New Frontiers of Science
» Polkinghorne, John. Science and Providence: God's Interaction with the World
» Prigogine, Ilya; Isabelle Stengels. Order Out of Chaos
» Russell, Robert John, et. al., eds. Chaos and Complexity
» Stewart, Ian. Does God Play Dice?
» Thomas, Owen. God's Activity in the World: A Contemporary Problem
» Tracy, Thomas F. God, Action, and Embodiment
» Ward, Keith. Divine Action
» Wiles, Maurice F. God's Action in the World

Week 11: Information Theory and Special Revelation (11/11, 11/13)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Case Study IV: "Information Theory and Revelation" (by John Puddefoot and Arthur Peacocke)

From Barbour:
» Chapter 9, "Evolution and Continuing Creation," section I

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Bowker, John. The Religious Imagination and the Sense of God
» Bowker, John. The Sense of God: Sociological, Anthropological and Psychological Approaches to the Origin of the Sense of God
» Peacocke, Arthur. Theology for a Scientific Age: Being and Becoming-Divine and Human
» Shannon, C. E.; W. Weaver. The Mathematical Theory of Information
» Wassermann, C.; R. Kirby; B. Rordoff, eds. The Science and Theology of Information
» Zurek, W. H., ed. Complexity, Entropy, and the Physics of Information

Week 12: Molecular Biology and Human Freedom (11/18, 11/20)

PAPER OUTLINES DUE 11/18

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Case Study V: "Molecular Biology and Human Freedom" (by David Cole and W. Mark Richardson)

From Barbour:
» Chapter 9, "Evolution and Continuing Creation," sections II, III

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Cavanaugh, Michael. Biotheology: A New Synthesis of Science and Religion
» Birch, Charles; John B. Cobb. The Liberation of Life
» Churchland, Paul M. Matter and Consciousness
» Churchland, Patricia Smith. Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind/Brain
» Crick, Francis. An Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul
» Davidson, Donald. Essays on Actions and Events
» Davies, Paul. God and the New Physics, esp. chs. 6-10
» Dennett, Daniel. Consciousness Explained
» Dennett, Daniel. Elbow Room:Varieties of Freewill Worth Wanting
» Eaves, Lindon. "Exploring the Concept of Spirit as a Model for the God-World Relationship in an Age of Genetics"
» Eccles, Sir John. The Wonder of Being Human: Our Brain and Our Mind
» Farrer, Austin. The Freedom of the Will
» Hampshire, Stuart. Thought and Action
» Hampshire, Stuart. Freedom of the Individual
» Humphrey, Nicholas. A History of the Mind: Evolution and the Birth of Consciousness
» Leakey, Richard. The Origin of Humankind
» MacKay, Donald M. Behind the Eye
» Monod, Jacques. Chance and Necessity
» Peacocke, Arthur. God and the New Biology
» Russell, Robert John. "Free Will and Causality in Contemporary Physics"
» Russell, Robert John. "Theological Implication of AI"
» Searle, John. Minds, Brains and Science
» Searle, John. The Rediscovery of the Mind
» Sperry, Roger. "Mind-brain Interaction: Mentalism, Yes; Dualism, No"
» Strawson, Peter. "Freedom and Resentment"
» Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre. The Phenomenon of Man
» Wallace, Robert. Biology: The Web of Life

Fall Recess

11/25 No Class: Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion

11/27 No Class: Fall Recess

Week 13: Social Genetics and Religious Ethics (12/2, 12/4)

Read about themes and figures for this week.

From Richardson & Wildman:
» Case Study VI: "Social Genetics and Religious Ethics" (by William Irons and Philip Hefner)

From Barbour:
» Chapter 10, "Human Nature"

From Course Packet:
» nothing

Readings For Further Exploration:
» Alexander, Richard D. The Biology of Moral Systems
» Bannister, Robert C. Social Darwinism: Science and Myth in Anglo-American Social Thought
» Boyd, Robert; Peter J. Richerson. Culture and the Evolutionary Process
» Burhoe, Ralph Wendell. Toward a Scientific Theology
» Burhoe, Ralph Wendell; Solomon Katz. "War, Peace, and Religion's BioCultural Evolution"
» Campbell, Donald. "The Conflict Between Social and Biological Evolution and the Concept of Original Sin"
» Dawkins, Richard. The Selfish Gene
» Durham, William H. Coevolution: Genes, Culture and Human Diversity
» Gans, Eric. Science and Faith: The Anthropology of Revelation
» Hefner, Philip. The Human Factor
» Hofstadter, Richard. Social Darwinism in American Thought
» Irons, Willliam. "How Did Morality Evolve?"
» Lammers, Ann; Ted Peters. "Genethics"
» Ruse, Michael. Taking Darwin Seriously
» Scientific American. Recombinant DNA
» Theissen, Gerd. Biblical Faith: An Evolutionary Approach
» Weikart, Richard. "The Origins of Social Darwinism in Germany, 1859-1895"
» Wilson, Edward O. On Human Nature
» Wilson, Edward O. Sociobiology: The New Synthesis
» Zygon 19/2 (June, 1984). Articles on sociobiology by Reiss, Singer, Rottschaefer and Martinsen, Peacocke, and Hefner

Week 14: Review and Conclusion (12/9, 12/11)

No readings for today; student presentations of research projects.

PAPERS DUE 12/11

The information on this page is copyright ©1994-2010, Wesley Wildman (basic information here), unless otherwise noted. If you want to use ideas that you find here, please be careful to acknowledge this site as your source, and remember also to credit the original author of what you use, where that is applicable. If you want to use text or stories from these pages, please contact me at the feedback address for permission.