The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology) [Hardcover]

Philip Clayton (Editor), Zachary Simpson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0199279276 | ISBN-13: 978-0199279272

The field of 'religion and science' is exploding in popularity among academics as well as the general reading public. Spawning an increasing number of conferences and courses, this field has shown an unprecedented rate of growth in recent years. Here for the first time is a single-volume introduction to the debate, written by the leading experts. Making no pretence to encyclopaedic neutrality, each chapter defends a major intellectual position - at the heart of the book is a series of 'pro' and 'con' papers, covering each of the current 'hot topics' (such as evolution versus creation, naturalism versus the supernatural). In addition to treatments of questions of methodology and implications for life and practice, the Handbook includes sections devoted to the major scientific disciplines, the major world religions, and the main sub-disciplines in this exciting and ever-expanding field of study.

Editorial Reviews

Review

the editors have been very skillful ... I hope I have said enough to indicate the richness, reach and seriousness of this weighty contribution. Christopher Southgate, Science & Christian Belief This volume offers an impressive combination of breadth and clarity: breadth in the inclusion of experts from all the major world religions and scientific disciplines, and clarity in focusing attention on the similarities and differences among these diverse traditions and disciplines. Of particular interest is a section presenting pro and con views on eight issues currently debated in this burgeoning interdisciplinary field. Ian G. Barbour, Author of When Science Meets Religion ...compelling new perspectives upon a wide range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences under the topic of religion and science. Dr. Horst Jesse, European Legacy

About the Author

Philip Clayton is Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology; Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Claremont Graduate University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1040 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199279276
• ISBN-13: 978-0199279272
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,248,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Philip Clayton holds a triple appointment at Claremont: in the department of Religion, the department of Philosophy, and as Ingraham Professor at Claremont School of Theology. His previous teaching posts include Williams College and the California State University; he has also held invited guest professorships at the University of Munich (2 years), the University of Cambridge, and Harvard Divinity School (also two years).

Professor Clayton has published widely across the theological disciplines, as well as in
the philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, history of philosophy, and the philosophy of religion. He has worked extensively on the relationship between science, philosophy, and religion, and he is recognized as one of the leading figures in this field internationally.

Clayton received a joint doctorate in philosophy and religious studies from Yale University. Since that time he has written or edited some 18 books and over a hundred articles in the field.

(1) As a theologian, he has sought to rekindle theological imagination in the churches and to bring academic theologians back in touch with ordinary believers. He heads up a Ford Foundation-sponsored grant to support progressive theologies that have transformative effects in churches and in American society. He is also active in interfaith collaborations aimed at reducing religious violence, supporting just peacemaking, and addressing the global ecological crisis.

(2) Within the natural sciences, Clayton's research has focused on emergent dynamics in biology and on the neural correlates of consciousness in neuroscience. He has co-authored or edited a number of publications with physicists, chemists, and biologists, analyzing emerging natural systems and exploring their significance for the study of religion. He is perhaps best known for his work in exploring the philosophical and religious implications of emergence theory, published as Mind and Emergence: From Quantum to Consciousness (Oxford, 2004). In addition to his own publications, Clayton has been a leading advocate for the internationalization of the science-religion dialogue. As P.I. for the "Science and the Spiritual Quest" program, and more recently as senior advisor and judge for the "Global Perspectives in Science and Spirituality" program, both funded by the Templeton Foundation, he has been at the forefront of efforts to expand scholarship in this field into the non-Western traditions.

His book publications as author or editor include The Problem of God in Modern Thought; God and Contemporary Science; Explanation from Physics to Theology: An Essay in Rationality and Religion; Quantum Mechanics: The Problem of Divine Action; Evolution and Ethics: Human Morality in Biological and Religious Perspective; Science and the Spiritual Quest; The Re-Emergence of Emergence; In Quest of Freedom: The Emergence of Spirit in the Natural World; and Transforming Theology (September 2009).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tour de force, March 24, 2007

By 

J. D. Walters "Heyzeus7" (Burlington, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology) (Hardcover)

This massive, impeccably crafted edited volume represents the very best thinking in science-and-religion so far, with two exceptions (which I shall come to in a moment). The original essays featured show that science-and-religion is a field of inquiry which has truly come of age and is of immense relevance to broader academic discussions. The first part consists of relatively brief introductions to the field as seen from the standpoint of particular religious traditions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc.). Especially interesting are those from a Buddhist and Hindu perspective, as they do not often feature in Western discussions. It is clear, however, that both religious traditions have sophisticated perspectives to offer and at least one impressive research program in the form of scientific studies of meditation.

The second part deals with particular issues in science-and-religion, such as evolution, cosmology, etc. Here there are not many new reflections on offer, as they aim to provide a general map of different issues to take into consideration. The third part is considerably more interesting, as we examine the contributions which specific disciplines can make to the discussion, such as philosophy of science, history, systematic theology, etc. It is here where the interdisciplinarity of the field becomes most evident. Religion-and-science is truly all-encompassing, and the best work in the future will have to draw on all these different disciplines. Part four highlights some particular approaches to the discussion, including naturalism (a remarkable essay by Owen Flanagan), post-modernity (Nancey Murphy), etc. Part 5, by far the longest of the book, features extended debates over the more prominent ideas and positions in science-and-religion, including divine action, panentheism, emergentism, intelligent design, etc. The final part includes perspectives on value issues in religion and science.

It will be clear from this whirlwind summary that one cannot possibly do justice to the rich arguments and scholarship presented in this volume. All the essays are well worth reading, except unfortunately for the two I mentioned above, by William Provine and Peter Atkins respectively. In stark contrast to the careful, wide-ranging research and nuanced discussion featured in the other essays, all Provine and Atkins can offer is the same old rhetoric dating back to Huxley and Haeckel about how science and religion are incompatible and how evolution has disproved God. These essays should never have made it into this volume. Surely more sophisticated proponents of atheism could have been summoned, such as Taner Edis whose book "The Ghost in the Universe" is one of the best defenses of the idea that modern science is most consonant with an atheistic worldview (though even he fails to make a persuasive case that theism is unlikely).

Several individual essays stand out as primus inter pares. Philip H. Wiebe is undoubtedly the most articulate proponent of the evidential value of religious experience in contemporary philosophy of religion, and unlike many other authors he has read extensively in the neuroscientific and biological literature. His essay on "Religious experience, cognitive science and the future of religion" is worth the price of the book (which is admittedly a hefty $160; thank heavens for research libraries!). Robin Collins essay on contributions from the philosophy of science also stands out. He presents a novel argument against reductionism from quantum mechanics and defends a view of the religion-and-science relationship which he calls Theistic Non-Reductive Intelligibility (TNRI) which certainly merits further consideration. Owen Flanagan's essay on naturalism is very insightful, especially in his conclusion that the only tenet common to all varieties of naturalism is the rejection of super-naturalism. If this is the case it is hard to see how one could debunk, say, religious experience without begging important questions. At the same time it makes naturalism a much harder 'target' for theistic apologetics, which I see as a good thing. Theism would be better served, as John Haught and William Jaworski have pointed out, by providing a comprehensive, intellectually attractive and scientifically informed alternative to naturalism, rather than simply trying to refute naturalism per se. Finally, Michael Silberstein in his essay on emergentism makes extremely important points about the project of natural theology.

All in all, then, a feast for the mind. For those who are interested in science-and-religion questions, either from long experience or for the first time (although the book presupposes a college education; the essays are rigorous and demanding), I cannot recommend it highly enough.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book indeed, June 20, 2011

By 

Carlos Santos - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology) (Paperback)

This is a great book, and it's a pity that one of the two reviews is nothing but crap. I'd recommend it to people working seriously on the subject.

2 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too much, lacks focus, July 23, 2008

By 

A Reader (California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology) (Paperback)

Leave this book for the libraries. It has some helpful info, but overall it's a mess. In two other words: academic sprawl. A far better handbook is Campbell and Looy's Science and Religion Primer, A.