Science and Religion

Science and religion are unquestionably two of the most potent forces that have shaped - and continue to shape - human civilization. How have these powerful forces interacted over time? What are the bases, terms, and varieties of their interactions? Popular opinion generally assumes an antagonistic relationship between the two, but modern scholarship increasingly reveals this as a one-sided view that is not only relatively recent but also self-servingly propagated to this day by extremist voices in both the religion and the science camps. This course’s approach to the issue is both historical and philosophical. It examines several historical episodes that highlight features of “science and religion” and analyzes in context the questions and issues that these episodes raise.