StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Science and Religion - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Plantinga strongly asserted that there might be science and religion conflict as one may come to think of it, but he believes that there is actually a contradiction between naturalism and science and not on theistic religion and science…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.5% of users find it useful
Science and Religion
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Science and Religion"

Science and Religion: Are they compatible? Plantinga strongly asserted that there might be science and religion conflict as one may come to think ofit, but he believes that there is actually a contradiction between naturalism and science and not on theistic religion and science (Dennett and Plantinga 10; American Philosophical Association Central Division Conference 1). In this point, it is evident that Plantinga is trying to create a view that science and religion can support each other in line with one consistent belief about God’s existence and his divine works.

Plantinga has two remarkable major points. The first one is an assertion that God created humans in his own image and likeness. In this point, Plantinga strongly believes that God in any way is capable of creating humans with moral sense, and has the capacity to love him (American Philosophical Association Central Division Conference 2). He tries to argue that our contemporary view of evolutionary theory has been God’s major way of creating the modern humans we know today. Believing that God has the capacity to create everything in the world, Plantinga considers the evolutionary process as God’s major way of creating humans in the best possible option.

This is evident from his opening statement in a conference. He stated that ‘God could have caused the right mutations to arise at the right time’ (American Philosophical Association Central Division Conference 2). In this manner, God is able to save the best species he intends to proliferate in this world through an evolutionary process. Plantinga believes that this sounds consistent with theistic religion and the theory of evolution and his main stand is to point out how it is unfailing with Darwinism as well.

However, the second major point of Plantinga is evident in the eventual conflict between Christian belief and evolution and Darwinism. Plantinga asserted that evolution is inconsistent with Christian belief. He argues that contemporary evolution particularly assumes that there is ‘no personal agent (not even God) has guided, planned, intended, directed or orchestrated, or shaped the whole process of it (American Philosophical Association Central Division Conference 2). In this view, Plantinga has made a clear justification about its point that evolution is eventually unguided.

He is therefore trying to suggest that evolution is eventually guided by God. Plantinga is clear about his point and he is trying to create a move to unite science and theistic religion. However, his very position that naturalism and theory of Charles Darwin as unguided is basically a statement that tries to create an inconsistency with science principle on the theory of evolution. In the first place, this created a contradiction on his part to unite the varying beliefs of science and theistic religion.

It is because of this inconsistency that from the science’s perspective, Plantinga failed to provide facts and further justifications that indeed evolution from his point is guided or simply there is someone who is capable of creating an intelligent design for everything. Based on science perspective and standard, Plantinga failed to justify how everything is planned according to how it looks at present. For instance, he failed to justify based on scientific explanation the facts that everything in this world is not happening by chance or at random, but there must be an intelligent hand that is capable of creating intelligent designs.

Reference American Philosophical Association Central Division Conference. The Plantinga-Dennett Debate: Science and Religion: Are they compatible? (2009) http://www.brianauten.com/Apologetics/PlantingaOpeningStatement.pdf. Accessed on 14 June 2011. Dennett, Daniel Clement and Alvin Plantinga. Science and Religion: Are They Compatible? Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Science and Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1425492-science-and-religion
(Science and Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/other/1425492-science-and-religion.
“Science and Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1425492-science-and-religion.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Science and Religion

Are science and religion in conflict

Science and Religion are two important areas in the lives of human being which are not compatible with each other.... Both the concepts of Science and Religion have roots established in different dimensions of human activity sphere.... hellip; Science and Religion are two important areas in the lives of human being which are not compatible with each other.... Both the concepts of Science and Religion have roots established in different dimensions of human activity sphere....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Are Science and Religion in Conflict

The essay aimed to confirm through supportive arguments from various authoritative sources that indeed, Science and Religion is not in conflict despite supposed overlapping and contradictory issues.... … One of the most controversial topics that continue to pervade contemporary society delves into trying to answer the question: are Science and Religion in conflict?... A quick glimpse of the topic, conflict in Science and Religion, using the online search engine generates more than 52 million results....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Are science and religion in conflict

The most significant question that is answered in this paper is whether Science and Religion are at conflict or at concord.... In terms of the fundaments and the basic essence Science and Religion are in conflict.... Part Two – Argument A number of philosophical, scientific and historical evidences demonstrate that the two concepts of Science and Religion are often in conflict with one another.... In the case of the “Galileo affair”, the acceptance of geocentric model by the Roman Catholic churches and their consequent opposition to heliocentrism which resulted in the death of the great philosopher and scientist is a burning example of the conflict between Science and Religion that occurred ages back....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Analogy between Science and Religion

The paper “Analogy between Science and Religion” seeks to evaluate the basis for the dominance that science gained compared to religion.... This crucial attempt of analogy between Science and Religion has, of course, made the cohabitation of Science and Religion an easier exercise.... Theologians have tried to prove that religion was as scientific as science is.... hellip; The author states that the ambiguities that still remained in the field of science were cited by the scholars to prove that science also depends on analogies and metaphors as religion does....
11 Pages (2750 words) Literature review

Science and Religion Debate

In the film, Craig also asserts that a psyche is the best description for the beginning of the universe because of the outlandish adequacy of science, the underlying structure of nature is numerical – math is material to nature, mathematical items can either be theoretical articles or valuable fiction, either path, and that there is no motivation to want that nature ought to be connected to extract items or fictions....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Clash of science and religion

Science describes evolution as a way that man Conflict between Science and Religion Affiliation Conflict between Science and Religion The compatibility between Science and Religion is minimal.... Between Science and Religion the Engagement of Catholic Intellectuals with Science and Technology in the Twentieth Century.... Numerous scientific discoveries have been cited as unethical by religion.... The proneness to conflict between the two factors is prompted by the fact that the two forms of perception draw evidence from different sources… Science is based on physical or experimental evidence while religion is based on beliefs obtained from holistic readings. One scientific discovery criticized for its religious appropriateness is human evolution....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Conflict Between Science and Religion

This work "Conflict Between Science and Religion" describes religious concepts in tune with scientific facts.... hellip; The new scientific discoveries of the sixteenth and seventeenth-century brought in an element of conflict between Science and Religion which was mostly reflected in the interpretation of god, the scripture and the origin of the universe.... To reconcile Science and Religion became a Herculean task for the faithful and several approaches were adopted to find out a coherent explanation....
22 Pages (5500 words) Assignment

Are Science and Religion in Conflict

This essay "Are Science and Religion in Conflict" discusses Science and Religion, two important areas in the lives of human being which are not compatible with each other.... Both the concepts of Science and Religion have roots established in different dimensions of the human activity sphere.... The core reason for the conflict between Science and Religion is on the matter of creation of the universe and the former regards creation of the universe as accidental whereas religion strongly believes that creation of the universe is a planned action of God....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us