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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Revered and eminently readable essayist Stephen Jay Gould has once again rendered the complex simple, this time mending the seeming split between the two "Rocks of Ages," science and religion. He quickly, and rightfully, admits that his thesis is not new, but one broadly accepted by many scientists and theologians. Gould begins by suggesting that Darwin has been misconstrued--that while some religious thinkers have used divinity to prove the impossibility of evolution, Darwin would have never done the reverse.
Revered and eminently readable essayist Stephen Jay Gould has once again rendered the complex simple, this time mending the seeming split between the two "Rocks of Ages," science and religion. He quickly, and rightfully, admits that his thesis is not new, but one broadly accepted by many scientists and theologians. Gould begins by suggesting that Darwin has been misconstrued--that while some religious thinkers have used divinity to prove the impossibility of evolution, Darwin would have never done the reverse.
Gould eloquently lays out not "a merely diplomatic solution" to rectify the physical and metaphysical, but "a principled position on moral and intellectual grounds," central to which is the elegant concept of "non-overlapping magisteria." (Gould defines magisteria as a "four-bit" word meaning domain of authority in teaching.) Essentially, science and religion can't be unified, but neither should they be in conflict; each has its own discrete magisteria, the natural world belonging exclusively to science and the moral to religion.
Gould's argument is both lucid and convincing as he cites past religious and scientific greats (including a particularly touching section on Darwin himself). Regardless of your persuasions, religious or scientific, Gould holds up his end of the conversation with characteristic respect and intelligence. --Paul Hughes
From AudioFile
Stephen Jay Gould is a bestselling science writer, so the Library of Contemporary Thought asked him to defend faith as part of its series of book-length essays. Fortunately, Gould is a brilliant thinker. Unfortunately, Gould is not a believer. Richard McGonagle has a clear, melodious voice, which is a lucky thing since I had to hear some passages several times before I understood them. Gould writes that science and religion are both necessary but are entirely separate. Science will never explain away religion, he says, nor can religion ever incorporate the findings of science. This is a stunning defense of belief, by an unbeliever. He's convinced me, but apparently left himself unmoved. B.H.C. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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