Michael Ruse offers a new analysis of the often troubled relationship between science and religion. Arguing against both extremes - in one corner, the New Atheists; in the other, the Creationists and their offspring the Intelligent Designers - he asserts that science is the highest source of human inquiry. Yet, by its very nature and its deep reliance on metaphor, science restricts itself and is unable to answer basic, significant questions about the meaning of the universe and humankind's place within it: why is there something rather than nothing? What is the meaning of it all? Ruse shows that one can legitimately be a skeptic about these questions, and yet why it is open for a Christian, or member of any faith, to offer answers. Scientists, he concludes, should be proud of their achievements but modest about their scope. Christians should be confident of their mission but respectful of the successes of science.
• A major analysis of the science-religion relationship, now available in paperback, based on the deeply metaphorical nature of science, showing that for all its success, science is necessarily limited in its scope and that hence there can be full place for Christian beliefs and practices • Incredibly timely, given on the one hand the great success and publicity of the so-called New Atheists (prominently Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion) and on the other hand the strong support (particularly in the USA) of various fundamentalist movements, most recently so-called Intelligent Design Theorists • Michael Ruse is a very well-known figure who has been at the forefront of the science-religion debate for over 30 years
Contents
Introduction; 1. The world as an organism; 2. The world as a machine; 3. Organisms as machines; 4. Thinking machines; 5. Unasked questions, unsolved problems; 6. Organicism; 7. God; 8. Morality, souls, eternity, mystery; Conclusion.
Reviews
'Michael Ruse has written an insightful and accessible book belonging to the genre of rapprochements between science and religion. Ruse is not only a leading philosopher of science but also an exemplary popular writer whose style is sophisticated and lucid, but not dry.' Science and Education
'Michael Ruse is considered one of the most prolific and influential authors in the study of the philosophical, religious and cultural impact of scientific theories. He is particularly well known for his studies on Darwin and evolution theory. They have had large diffusion among both specialists and the general public, and constitute a landmark on how to deal with the relationship between science and other human dimensions … Before this book, Ruse had never attempted to give any general insights on the relationship between science and religion. Science and Spirituality serves to cover this gap, offering a broad consideration of how to reconcile religion and science. He does not, however, lose the sharp and direct approach that has always characterized his work.' Metascience
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