Deprovincializing Science and Religion

Abstract

To ask about the relation of science and religion is a fool's errand unless we clarify which science we are discussing, whose religion we are speaking about, and what aspects of each we are comparing. This Element sets the study of science and religion in a global context by examining two ways in which humans have understood the natural world. The first is by reference to observable regularities in the behavior of things; the second is by reference to the work of gods, spirits, and ancestors. Under these headings, this work distinguishes three varieties of science and examines their relation to three kinds of religion along four dimensions: beliefs, goals, organizations, and conceptions of knowledge. It also outlines the emergence of a clear distinction between science and religion and an increase in the autonomy of scientific inquiry. It is these developments that have made conflicts between science and religion possible.

Scientism, Anti-Science, and Scientific Activities as an Expression of Religious Beliefs

“…As Gregory Dawes said, before discussing the relationship between Science and Religion, it is necessary to explain in advance which science and which religion are being discussed, and also what aspects are to be compared (Dawes, 2021). It would be unwise to narrow down the definition of Science as a mere epistemology which developed in the Aufklärung.…”

“…Descartes' philosophical analysis clearly intersects with the areas of religious belief and theology. More recently, the polemic between scientism and anti-science was also discussed by Alvin Plantinga (2011), Rick Peels (2017, Jeroen de Ridder (2018), and Gregory Dawes (2021). The discussion that has been carried out has shone a lot of light on the history of scientism, its position in the study of philosophy, and whether scientism's claims regarding the methods of Modern science as the sole source of human knowledge have sufficient basis.…”