Religion and science Books

Book SynopsisA bestselling author and rabbi’s profoundly affecting exploration of the meaning and purpose of the soul, inspired by the famous correspondence between Albert Einstein and a grieving rabbi.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Glenn Barenthin provides a new solution to a key question in the cognitive and evolutionary study of religion: why do humans cooperate? What led humans, uniquely among animals, to have large-scale civilizations with unprecedented cooperation? One explanation, propagated by the Big God Proponents (BGP), argues that a moralizing God is the crucial motivator for the pro-social behaviour necessary for large scale civilization. To explore this idea, Barenthin provides a critical assessment of the evidence provided by the BGP, and also discusses the place of God in our moral thinking. However, using evidence from anthropology, history, cognitive science, psychology and game theory, Barenthin presents a new theory: that the evolutionary pressures faced by our forebears paved the way for emerging humans to engage in what he terms thin cooperation'. This type of cooperation requires individuals to comprehend the reasons for their actions, and it is often done with others in mindTrade ReviewGlenn Barenthin’s book on human cooperation is a fascinating work. It is a terrific survey of modern evolutionary thinking about cooperation, showing how very dated are the myths of killer apes. Throughout there is discussion of the relevance of such science for religious thinking. Does morality demand a belief in a deity, or can the skeptic be as good a person as the Christian or Jew or Muslim? Barenthin’s conclusions are stimulating and pertinent. Highly recommended. * Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University, USA *Table of ContentsList of Figures Foreword Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. Minds, Gods and Group Selection Theory 2. A Modest Proposal 3. Family Matters 4. From ‘Thin’ to ‘Thick Cooperation’ 5. How Does That Make Sense? 6. The Road to “Denmark” References Index

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Book SynopsisA textbook covering the issues, methods and relations between religion and science throughout history and up to the modern day. It also reviews relevant historical and philosophical background, showing, for example, that some ancient Christians speculated on how God might give order to history without having to intervene.Trade Review"This is a most impressive work by a recognized expert in science and religion. It is filled with genuine learning in natural science, Western theology, and world religions. Barnes work is informed by a vast amount of reading and research, but it is eminently readable and should appeal to a wide spectrum of potential readers, including not only students, scholars, and teachers, but also educated general readers. This innovative study is very well-written, comprehensive, and beautifully organized. From beginning to end it remains consistently interesting, provocative, and fair. I wish it had been available to me when I was teaching courses on science and religion." - John F. Haught, Woodstock Theological Center, USA"Understanding Religion and Science makes a significant contribution to the growing field of Science and a Religion by examining major questions about the relations of the two with attention to their respective goals and methods, and with exploration about where they might meet. Although Michael A. Barnes self-identifies as a theologian, the book would be a good choice not only for a Theology course but also for Religious Studies courses." - Anne M. Clifford, Msgr. James Supple Chair of Catholic Studies, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, USA'[It] introduces the debate clearly and in detail (without forcing a view of either belief or atheism)' Church Times, 23rd July 2010‘Michael Barnes's introduction to the debate carefully and systematically lays out the self-understanding of many in the scientific and religious communities in ways that make them comprehensible to the layman but in a sophisticated manner that will satisfy many who have been thinking about these issues throughout their lives.' -- TikkunBarnes offers a very helpful analysis of contemporary interactions... The book is well-written, historically informed and presents multiple points of view fairly. -- Journal of Church and State Volume 53 Issue 2, Spring 2011One rarely gets an overview that is fair to all sides. The best feature of Barness' book is that... it manages to bring together these different perspectives in a single book in a readable way. -- Temenos: Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion 47(1)Table of ContentsIntroduction; Section One - Method in Religion: Relations Between Faith and Reason; Section Two - The Method of Science: How Does It Arrive at Its Conclusions?; Section Three - God: What Sort of God Can Science Best Get Along With?; Section Four - Miracles: Does God Intervene in Natural Processes?; Section Five. Cosmic Evolution: How Did We Get Here? (1); Section Six - Biological Evolution: How Did We Get Here? (2); Section Seven - Human Nature: Who Are We?; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisHow did human beings acquire imaginations that can conjure up untrue possibilities? How did the Universe become self-aware? In The Runes of Evolution, Simon Conway Morris revitalizes the study of evolution from the perspective of convergence, providing us with compelling new evidence to support the mounting scientific view that the history of life is far more predictable than once thought. A leading evolutionary biologist at the University of Cambridge, Conway Morris came into international prominence for his work on the Cambrian explosion (especially fossils of the Burgess Shale) and evolutionary convergence, which is the process whereby organisms not closely related (not monophyletic), independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. In The Runes of Evolution, he illustrates how the ubiquity of convergence hints at an underlying framework whereby many outcomes, not least brains and intelligence, are virtually guaranteed on any Earth-like planet. Conway Morris also emphasizes how much of the complexity of advanced biological systems is inherent in microbial forms. By casting a wider net, The Runes of Evolution explores many neglected evolutionary questions. Some are remarkably general. Why, for example, are convergences such as parasitism, carnivory, and nitrogen fixation in plants concentrated in particular taxonomic hot spots? Why do certain groups have a particular propensity to evolve toward particular states? Some questions lead to unexpected evolutionary insights: If bees sleep (as they do), do they dream? Why is that insect copulating with an orchid? Why have sponges evolved a system of fiber optics? What do mantis shrimps and submarines have in common? If dinosaurs had not gone extinct what would have happened next? Will a saber-toothed cat ever re-evolve? Cona Morris observes: “Even amongst the mammals, let alone the entire tree of life, humans represent one minute twig of a vast (and largely fossilized) arborescence. Every living species is a linear descendant of an immense string of now-vanished ancestors, but evolution itself is the very reverse of linear. Rather it is endlessly exploratory, probing the vast spaces of biological hyperspace. Indeed this book is a celebration of how our world is (and was) populated by a riot of forms, a coruscating tapestry of life.” The Runes of Evolution is the most definitive synthesis of evolutionary convergence to be published to date.Trade Review"The runes of evolution spell out a surprising message: Some evolutionary outcomes are virtually inevitable. Or, so goes the argument of Cambridge palaeontologist Simon Conway Morris, resting on two key premises: Evolution repeats itself in unexpected ways: Very different lineages evolve to have similar traits. Conway Morris calls this 'convergence.' Precursors of complex traits, such as a nervous system, are found in much simpler organisms. Conway Morris calls this 'evolutionary inherency.' The premises are supported with a wealth of data—thousands of references across the book’s 27 chapters. The intriguing tale is told by way of a journey over many different areas in which we find convergence and inherency, with touches of humour along the way." —Zachary Ardern, BioLogos“Conway Morris’s exploration of the phenomenon of convergence in biological evolution is rife with implications for Christian theology. It lends credence to a Christian view of God’s providential action in history, and it supports an ecological view of the interdependence of all things in God’s creation. It also fits with a scriptural account of a story-shaped world.” —Ian Curran, Christian Century "This is a very good book. The author is most effective when presenting his evidence as both glaringly obvious and unfairly maligned. Not everyone will like the volume’s familiar tone, but the overall excellence of the writing is hard to deny. Many of the book’s grandest ideas were already covered in his previous publications, but The Runes of Evolution is nevertheless Conway Morris’ most comprehensive statement on convergence to date, and is thus well worth reading." —Abraham H. Gibson, Quarterly Review of Biology (September 2017)This book was presumably written by Morris more for fellow natural scientists than for philosophers and theologians, but in each case so as to prove that his hypothesis of ongoing convergence in evolution is not a series of fortuitous coinci-dences but empirical evidence of established patterns or in-built mechanisms within the evolutionary process. Three hundred pages of text with double columns of print on each page and 150 pages of endnotes make that clear. Names of different species, genera, families, orders, classes, and so on turn up on virtually every page so that the nonprofessional reader ends up hunting for summary statements by Morris at the end of each major subdivision within the 26 chapters. Yet despite its obvious density and degree of detail for the ordinary reader, the implications of this book for philosophical/theological understanding of the God–world relationship and for the classic distinction between the natural and the supernatural within creation are in my judgment very significant. —Joseph A. Bracken, SJ, Xavier University, Cincinnati

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Book SynopsisThe enigmatic relation between religion and science still presents a challenge to European societies and to ideas about what it means to be ‘modern.’ This book argues that European secularism, rather than pushing back religious truth claims, in fact has been religiously productive itself. The institutional establishment of new disciplines in the nineteenth century, such as religious studies, anthropology, psychology, classical studies, and the study of various religious traditions, led to a professionalization of knowledge about religion that in turn attributed new meanings to religion. This attribution of meaning resulted in the emergence of new religious identities and practices. In a dynamic that is closely linked to this discursive change, the natural sciences adopted religious and metaphysical claims and integrated them in their framework of meaning, resulting in a special form of scientific religiosity that has gained much influence in the twentieth century. Applying methods that come from historical discourse analysis, the book demonstrates that religious semantics have been reconfigured in the secular sciences. Ultimately, the scientification of religion perpetuated religious truth claims under conditions of secularism.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the summation of many decades of work by Peter L. Berger, an internationally renowned sociologist of religion. Secularization theory—which saw modernity as leading to a decline of religion—has been empirically falsified. It should be replaced by a nuanced theory of pluralism. In this new book, Berger outlines the possible foundations for such a theory, addressing a wide range of issues spanning individual faith, interreligious societies, and the political order. He proposes a conversation around a new paradigm for religion and pluralism in an age of multiple modernities. The book also includes responses from three eminent scholars of religion: Nancy Ammerman, Detlef Pollack, and Fenggang Yang.

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Book SynopsisECOLOGICAL SPIRITUALITYDiarmuid O'MurchuEcology & Justice SeriesThe popular author of Quantum Theology and Evolutionary Faith offers a new way of spiritual becoming for a world facing environmental crises.The changes that we must make to address the complex ecological crises today are unlikely to happen if we do not experience a spiritual revolution. In Ecological Spirituality, Diarmuid O'Murchu invites readers to the revolutionary work of a life-promoting spirituality for our time. He explores how we must move beyond understandings of holiness that emphasize detachment from our world in favor of something beyond. In his welcoming style O'Murchu reintroduces readers to the long history of humanity's relationship with the creative Spirit of God, including and transcending religious traditions in a growing horizon of faith. As we rediscover the sacred here on Earth, we are called to connect spirit with Spirit, discerning and living an ecologically-focused spirituality for the well-being of creatures and ecosystems around the planet.

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