As a student of the sciences, I think it's important to disinguish between the idea of a higher power and the plethora of misinterpretations of a higher power. I am a huge fan of science as it is the pursuit of truth via the presentation of empirical evidence. But, even scientific evidence is insufficient in denying the existence of a higher power, not that that is at all what it aims to do. However, I think that the problem arises where scientific evidence is more than enough to distinguish some of the misinterpretations of a higher power, and this is where the two become irreconcilable. There will always be those--theologians and scientists alike--who are so deeply entrenched in their own belief system that they are completely unwilling to look at anything which might contradict it, however convincingly. It would appear that a practice of humilty would go a long way in such cases.
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Defenders of the Faith
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The public's willingness to reject science for religious reasons is certainly lamentable. But by arguing that science contradicts religion and makes it untenable, many atheists reinforce the very concerns that are keeping people from accepting science to begin with. Someone like Collins, by contrast, can convince those who think science conflicts with their beliefs that this needn't be the case.
And Collins's approach isn't just good as a strategy to get the public to better appreciate science. The idea that science and religion can be compatible is strong on the intellectual merits as well. Granted, it depends how you define your terms: if your religion holds that Genesis must be read literally, then you are in direct conflict with scientific findings about the age of the Earth, the diversity of life on the planet, and so on. Yet if we consider religion more broadly—in its own considerable diversity—we find many sophisticated believers who've made a peace between their belief and the findings of modern science. It's not just Collins; consider the words of the Dalai Lama: "If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change."
Americans have serious problems with science, and religion is definitely part of the reason. But that doesn't mean fighting religion, indiscriminately, is the answer. A far better approach is to work with religious believers to help them separate their personal religion from everybody's shared science, and move toward a much needed middle ground.
The New Atheists will hardly be pleased by the Collins choice, but that's unpreventable and perhaps even to the good: science and atheism aren't the same, and the former must always remain a broader, more inclusive category.
Mooney and Kirshenbaum, an atheist and an agnostic Jew, are the coauthors of the new book Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future.
© 2009
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