Religion and the Human Sciences

Religion and the Human Sciences
Author: Daniel A. Helminiak
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 356
Release: 1998-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780791438053

Proposes a new paradigm for interdisciplinary studies by applying the thought of Bernard Lonergan to define spirituality as the missing link between religion and theology.

God and Galileo

God and Galileo
Author: David L. Block
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2019-05-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433562928

"A devastating attack upon the dominance of atheism in science today." Giovanni Fazio, Senior Physicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics The debate over the ultimate source of truth in our world often pits science against faith. In fact, some high-profile scientists today would have us abandon God entirely as a source of truth about the universe. In this book, two professional astronomers push back against this notion, arguing that the science of today is not in a position to pronounce on the existence of God—rather, our notion of truth must include both the physical and spiritual domains. Incorporating excerpts from a letter written in 1615 by famed astronomer Galileo Galilei, the authors explore the relationship between science and faith, critiquing atheistic and secular understandings of science while reminding believers that science is an important source of truth about the physical world that God created.

Why We Need Religion

Why We Need Religion
Author: Stephen T. Asma
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2018-05-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0190469692

How we feel is as vital to our survival as how we think. This claim, based on the premise that emotions are largely adaptive, serves as the organizing theme of Why We Need Religion. This book is a novel pathway in a well-trodden field of religious studies and philosophy of religion. Stephen Asma argues that, like art, religion has direct access to our emotional lives in ways that science does not. Yes, science can give us emotional feelings of wonder and the sublime--we can feel the sacred depths of nature--but there are many forms of human suffering and vulnerability that are beyond the reach of help from science. Different emotional stresses require different kinds of rescue. Unlike secular authors who praise religion's ethical and civilizing function, Asma argues that its core value lies in its emotionally therapeutic power. No theorist of religion has failed to notice the importance of emotions in spiritual and ritual life, but truly systematic research has only recently delivered concrete data on the neurology, psychology, and anthropology of the emotional systems. This very recent "affective turn" has begun to map out a powerful territory of embodied cognition. Why We Need Religion incorporates new data from these affective sciences into the philosophy of religion. It goes on to describe the way in which religion manages those systems--rage, play, lust, care, grief, and so on. Finally, it argues that religion is still the best cultural apparatus for doing this adaptive work. In short, the book is a Darwinian defense of religious emotions and the cultural systems that manage them.

Science, Religion, and the Human Experience

Science, Religion, and the Human Experience
Author: James D. Proctor
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2005
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0195175336

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.

The Galileo Connection

The Galileo Connection
Author: Charles E. Hummel
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 1986-02-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780877845003

Telling the fascinating stories of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton and Pascal, Charles E. Hummel provides a historical perspective on the relationship between science and Christianity.

Idealist Alternatives to Materialist Philosophies of Science

Idealist Alternatives to Materialist Philosophies of Science
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2019-12-09
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9004415270

Idealist Alternatives to Materialist Philosophies of Science (ed. Philip MacEwen) makes the case that there are other, and arguably better, ways of understanding science than materialism. Philosophical idealism leads the list of challengers but critical realism and various forms of pluralism are fully articulated as well. To ensure that the incumbent is adequately represented, the volume includes a major defence of materialism/naturalism from Anaxagoras to the present. Contributors include Leslie Armour, John D. Norton, and Fred Wilson with a Foreword by Nicholas Rescher. For anyone interested in whether materialism has a monopoly on science, this volume presents a good case for materialism but a better one for its alternatives.

The Great Partnership

The Great Partnership
Author: Jonathan Sacks
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 533
Release: 2011-07-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 144470303X

Writing with his usual grace and fluency, Jonathan Sacks moves beyond the tired arguments of militant atheists such as Dawkins and Hitchens, to explore how religion has always played a valuable part in human culture and far from being dismissed as redundant, must be allowed to temper and develop scientific understanding in order for us to be fully human. Ranging around the world to draw comparisons from different cultures, and delving deep into the history of language and of western civilisation, Jonathan Sacks shows how the predominance of science-oriented thinking is embedded deeply even in our religious understanding, and calls on us to recognise the centrality of relationship to true religion, and thus to see how this core value of relationship is essential if we are to avoid the natural tendency for science to rule our lives rather than fulfilling its promise to set us free.

The Varieties of Scientific Experience

The Varieties of Scientific Experience
Author: Carl Sagan
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2006-11-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1101201835

“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.

The Five Sources of Human Hope

The Five Sources of Human Hope
Author: Alphonsus Obayuwana MD
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2012-06
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1462021891

During the summer of 1979, as a young medical student, author Alphonsus Obayuwana was awarded a prestigious national grant to do a two-year research on Human Hope; little did he know it would take over thirty years of his adult life to sufficiently complete the project to his personal satisfaction. His three major findings and irrefutable conclusions, following three decades of scientific research, are summarized in The Five Sources of Human Hope: Mirror of Our Humanity. Obayuwana thoroughly explains where, how, why, when, and from what five sources humans routinely find Hope in life. He demystifies Hope and takes it forever out of abstraction. "This book is as educational as it is inspiring. A very thought provoking thesis on the essence of human life. Congratulations and well done!" -Dr. Kingsley E. Iyamu Board certified psychiatrist "An enlightening book with a very fresh approach and novel look at Human Hope." -Dr. Ann Carter Psychologist, author, and professor "Without a doubt ... the best book I have ever read on the subject of Hope. Truly mandatory reading for every teacher, parent, and mentor." -Fumi V. Olu-Osifo School principal, educator, parent