Relocating the Conflict Between Science and Religion at the Foundations of the History of Science
Historians of science and religion usually trace the origins of the conflict thesis, the notion that science and religion have been in perennial conflict or warfare, to the late nineteenth century, particularly to the narratives of New York chemist John William Draper and historian Andrew Dick...
| Subtitles: | RECONSIDERING “THE CONFLICT THESIS” |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2018]
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| In: |
Zygon
Year: 2018, Volume: 53, Issue: 4, Pages: 1106-1130 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Science
/ History
/ Natural sciences
/ Religion
/ Debate
|
| RelBib Classification: | AA Study of religion AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism CF Christianity and Science VA Philosophy |
| Further subjects: | B
Auguste Comte
B George Sarton B Logical Positivism B Science and religion B John William Draper B conflict thesis B Protestantism B New Atheists B history of science B Andrew Dickson White |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Historians of science and religion usually trace the origins of the conflict thesis, the notion that science and religion have been in perennial conflict or warfare, to the late nineteenth century, particularly to the narratives of New York chemist John William Draper and historian Andrew Dickson White. In this essay, I argue against that convention. Their narratives should not be read as stories to debunk, but rather as primary sources reflecting themes and changes in religious thought during the late nineteenth century. I contend that Draper and White were part of a long liberal Protestant heritage that emphasized history, reason, and religious emancipation against ecclesiastical authority. As an alternative source of origins, however, I suggest that the real conflict thesis is to be found in the fledgling discipline of the history of science as it emerged during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. The real origin of the conflict thesis is found in the very discipline that now seeks to condemn it. |
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| ISSN: | 1467-9744 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Zygon
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/zygo.12470 |