Introduction with Mark Harris

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Philosophy, Science and Religion: Religion and Science

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The University of Edinburgh

Philosophy, Science and Religion: Religion and Science

38 ratings

Philosophy, Science and Religion mark three of the most fundamental modes of thinking about the world and our place in it. Are these modes incompatible? Put another way: is the intellectually responsible thing to do to ‘pick sides’ and identify with one of these approaches at the exclusion of others? Or, are they complementary or mutually supportive? As is typical of questions of such magnitude, the devil is in the details. For example, it is important to work out what is really distinctive about each of these ways of inquiring about the world. In order to gain some clarity here, we’ll be investigating what some of the current leading thinkers in philosophy, science and religion are actually doing. This course, entitled ‘Religion and Science’, is the third of three related courses in our Philosophy, Science and Religion Online series. The course will address five themes, each presented by an expert in the area. 1. Science, Religion, and the Origin of the Universe (Professor Tim Maudlin, NYU ) 2. Buddhism and Science (Professor Graham Priest, CUNY) 3. Evolution and Design (Dr Kevin Scharp, St Andrews) 4. Sin Suffering and Salvation: Evolutions Thorny Issues (Dr Bethany Sollereder, Oxford) 5. Human Uniqueness in Science, Theology, and Ethics (Professor David Clough, Chester) The first and second courses in the Philosophy, Science and Religion series, 'Science and Philosophy' and 'Philosophy and Religion' were launched in 2017 and you can sign up to these at any time. It is not necessary to have completed these courses to follow this course. However, completing all three courses will give you a broader understanding of this fascinating topic. Look for: • Philosophy, Science and Religion I: Science and Philosophy - https://www.coursera.org/learn/philosophy-science-religion-1 • Philosophy, Science and Religion II: Philosophy and Religion - https://www.coursera.org/learn/philosophy-science-religion-2 Upon successful completion of all three courses, students will: (1) Understand the main parameters at stake in the current debate between science and religion. (2) Have some familiarity with the relevant areas of science that feature in the debate—including cosmology, evolution, and the neurosciences—and will have begun to engage with them conceptually. (3) Have encountered key philosophical approaches to the interface between science and religion, and will have had the opportunity to engage them in practice. (4) Have embarked constructively in cross-disciplinary conversations. (5) Have demonstrated an openness to personal growth through a commitment to dialogue across intellectual and spiritual boundaries. You can also follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EdiPhilOnline and you can follow the hashtag #psrmooc

From the lesson

Introduction to the Course

Introduction with Mark Harris6:17

Meet the Instructors

Dr Mog Stapleton
Dr J Adam Carter
Researcher
Epistemology - Philosphy
Dr Orestis Palermos
Research Explorer
School of Philosophy
Dr Mark Harris
Senior Lecturer in Science and Religion
School of Divinity
Professor Duncan Pritchard
Professor of Philosophy
University of Edinburgh

Hello. My name is Dr. Mark Harris at The University of Edinburgh.

I'm an experimental physicist,

a neutron scatterer to be precise with interests in the fundamental physics of magnetism.

But I'm also fascinated by foundational questions of science and the nature of reality,

and in how philosophy and theology might help us to understand those questions better.

This MOOC is part of a wider project,

which has produced three MOOCs in total,

and an online MSc all in philosophy, science, and religion.

And all of these programs have been put together by collaboration

between academics working in philosophy in Edinburgh,

and in the School of Divinity, my own base.

The other MOOC have looked at philosophy and science and philosophy and religion,

while this one looks at science and religion,

the third well-established mode of

discourse that's included within philosophy, science, and religion.

And of course, the science and religion discourse is so significant

that it's hardly possible to live in the western world and not hold an opinion on it.

The discourse is however,

almost universally construed in terms of a debate,

and a debate that is characterized by conflict above all.

The fact that the debate underlies some highly volatile, social,

and political disagreements adds fuel to the fire and these disagreements are

especially live in parts of the world like

North America concerning issues like climate change,

the place of evolution versus creation in high school education,

and in bioethics concerning pro-life versus pro-choice.

Arguably, in these areas,

there's too much heat and too little light.

At present, it's possible to see

the science and religion debate as a near perfect example of C.P.

Snow's famous two cultures idea. That there's an intellectual gulf between

the natural sciences and the humanities subjects that

so deep that meaningful dialogue is almost impossible.

We're all too familiar with the many

inexpert and overconfident commentators on both sides of

the science and religion debate who weigh in

a bit too blithly really with the effect that all too often,

the misunderstanding and hostility are

entrenched due to a poor grasp of the issues at stake.

The new atheism debate, for instance,

or the creation versus evolution debate are both good examples of areas that have been

dominated really too often by clashes of

ideology rather than productive exchange of ideas.

And as a result, the conflict hypothesis,

this is the idea that science and religion are irreconcilably at war with each other,

looks set to be perpetuated indefinitely.

And yet, academic discipline of science and religion,

which brings together thousands of scientists, philosophers, historians,

and theologians among other kinds of scholar has demonstrated again and again

the superficiality of the view that science and

religion have to be completely at loggerheads.

Why then is the conflict hypothesis so pervasive?

Well, partly, it's because the conflict story sells in the popular media,

and partly, it's because it suits the agendas of the vocal few on the extremes.

But more importantly though I think,

it's because the conflict hypothesis is a social construct.

It's an idea that seems so obvious that a society will largely believe it without

question because that idea supports or

legitimates a widespread assumption of that society.

In this case, that assumption is what's known as the secularization thesis,

the idea that traditionally,

religious beliefs and practices must inevitably

decline in the face of modern scepticism and relativism,

with a special emphasis on the superiority of modern science and

technology for providing essential knowledge and truths.

Well, it's not our purpose to investigate

the rights and wrongs of the secularization thesis in this MOOC,

nor the ways in which it entwined with ideologies and practices that

other parts of Western culture including forms of governance and social welfare.

All of these are hotly disputed by academics in the social sciences,

not to mention, public figures like politicians,

and journalists, and religious leaders.

What we want to do instead is to point to the way to

a new kind of intellectual enlightenment where

the gulf between the two cultures is being

breached and I'm speaking of the academic field of science and religion.

This field is huge and the scope is huge.

The MOOC we have here can do little more than simply touch upon some of the key topics.

Questions of ultimate meaning and purpose,

have long been at the heart of the science and religion debate.

But as the sessions we put together show,

there's much more at stake in the debate between science

and religion than simply where do we come from,

where are we going, what does it all mean.

We've invited experts from number of universities around the world

to give their perspectives on topics such as science,

religion, and the origins of the universe,

Buddhism and science, evolution,

questions surrounding design, purpose,

and the problem of evil,

as well as questions about the status of humans and the natural order.

Are we unique, for instance,

is a question that is often asked in theological and philosophical circles.

What are the implications of even asking such a question?

Let alone answering it.

Well, I hope that you enjoy the course and

find material that's stimulating here even if you may not agree with everything.

We wouldn't expect you to.

After all, it's in the science and religion debate

that many of our deepest questions are to be found.

The answers may be elusive,

but we simply can't help asking these questions.

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