Two University of Wisconsin professors, who co-edited the book, The Warfare Between Science and Religion, subtitled it, “the idea that wouldn’t die.” As in, warfare, what warfare?
Ronald Numbers is the Hilldale Professor of the History of Science and Medicine Emeritus at the UW, and Jeffrey Hardin is the Raymond E. Keller Professor and chair of the Department of Integrative Biology. Numbers grew up in the Seventh Day Adventist Church and now describes himself as an agnostic. Hardin said he’s been a Christian believer since middle school. The two met through the UW’s Department of Religious Studies and were co-founders of The Isthmus Society, which encouraged dialogue between religion and sciences on the University of Wisconsin campus.
At a book launch discussion last week at Upper House on the UW campus, Numbers and Hardin said that conflict between science and religion has been a popular notion since the middle of the 19th century but it doesn’t have much evidence to support it in the 21st century. Seventeen experts from a variety of related fields contributed chapters in the book, that came out of a conference that was held in 2015.
Many people might point back to the 17th century and the story of Galileo, who was punished for his heliocentric view of the solar system. But Numbers, who wrote the book Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion, said that the story of Galileo is widely misunderstood.
“As the records of the inquisition became open, we discovered that the myths about Galileo didn’t hold up,” he said. “He was suppressed but as for the idea that he was tortured, there’s very little evidence of that.”
Hardin quoted the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth…” He added, “As a scientist, I always thought of that as a charter for scientific investigation. For me, being a scientist is an act of worship.”
Numbers noted that up until the mid 19th century science was synonymous was knowledge. (Theology, at one time, was even called “the Queen of the Sciences.”) But then the natural sciences became ascendant and research focused on explaining all phenomena naturally. “There was a conscious effort to edit out religion,” he said. “Very abruptly you see the disappearance of God talk.”
Hardin added that the critical dissecting of the sacred texts of the Bible also became a part of this movement, which also contributed to the notion that there must be conflict between science and religion.
So if the conflict between science and religion lacks modern evidence, who keeps promoting it? Numbers and Hardin finger the new atheists, a group that includes people such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens. In fact they collaborated on a chapter about the new atheists in the book. “We expected them to cherry pick examples to make their case,” Hardin said. “But they don’t. They just assume conflict. They’re not interested in going back to see if there is actual conflict.”
Hardin also noted that at the other end of the spectrum, some conservative Christians believe that mainstream science has an agenda that seeks to denigrate people of faith. “I don’t feel that in my experience here at the University of Wisconsin,” Hardin said.
The discussion was moderated by Jon Dahl, a campus staff minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The photo features, left to right, Jon Dahl, Ronald Numbers, Jeffrey Hardin.