Science and Religion - Essay Example

To Compromise thy Faith: How Robert Boyle Reconciles Science and Religion here) History 101 Naab 09 February 2009 Up to this point in time, many would still regard science and religion as two completely different concepts. We usually place each one on either side of the pole. Black and white. Good and evil. Positive and negative. Rational and irrational. Yet as early as three centuries ago, Robert Boyle, who ironically “codified the experimental method as we know it,”1 insisted in one of his published works that these two seemingly opposing ideas can actually work hand in hand within a person’s belief. In fact, Boyle joins the ranks of many other leading philosophers in this crusade, such as Galileo, Newton and Descartes. In his Some Considerations about the Reconcileableness of Reason and Religion, Boyle enumerates in eight sections his thoughts on the Christian religion’s supposed harmony with science, and even in filling the void for things the latter could not explain. Although Boyle here writes as a theologian and not as a scientist, his arguments are laid out in such a procedural manner as though he were trying to prove or defend a notion using his very own experimental method. Each section highlights points that vindicate Christianity against the claim of being “repugnant to the principles of true natural philosophy,”2 occasionally aided by statements made by other philosophers, and even some scientific principles. In the introductory portion of the text, Boyle immediately addresses his concern that being a Christian himself does not automatically mean he has renounced his reason3. Perhaps in those times, many people expect scientists to be completely rational to the point of being adversarial to any sort of irrational thinking embodied in every religion and that one can only be a Christian or an atheist, but not both. In defense of himself, Boyle summarizes his arguments in the following excerpt: “…no precepts of Christianity do command a man to lay aside his reason in matters of religion; and then, that there is nothing in the nature of the Christian doctrine itself, that makes a man need to do so; yet I think it is not amiss in treating of these two subjects (reason and religion) to invert the order…”4 In the first section, Boyle talks about another concern: on the different interpretations that can be made from religious doctrines and documents, from which differences amongst Christians arise5. According to him, personal interpretations should be given the benefit of the doubt and should not be immediately accepted or taught. As an example, Boyle cites those who, out of intense devotion and blinded by faith, tend to “increase the number, and the wonderfulness of mysteries,”6 and think that “things are fittest to be believed, when they are not clearly to be proved or understood.”7 Upon making an assumption that a supreme being exists, Boyle then proceeded to point out that as humans, there are things which we simply could not understand about God’s existence and his works. Boyle explains that, “…if his attributes and perfections be not fully comprehensible to our reason, we can have but inadequate conceptions of them and … there may be some things in his nature, and in the manner of his existence, which is without all example, or perfect analogy, in inferior beings.”8 From this statement, Boyle has carefully established the limits of human reason and on the basis of the scientific context at the time, this may have successfully answered or silenced further inquiry or doubts about the Christian religion. Boyle further adds that when such a point is reached where reason would no longer suffice in bringing answers, we should rather turn to God and not to our own conclusions for, says Boyle, “whatever he tells us is infallibly true.”9 He also points out that even such brilliant minds as Galileo and Descartes have, like him, kept their faith intact despite being scientists themselves. Earlier, Boyle emphasized his point that certain phenomena could not be understood by reason alone because a being more powerful than humans exists. Boyle establishes his next point on the grounds of this same assumption: that the laws that govern nature is completely under God’s control. “He may invalidate most, if not all axioms and theorems of natural philosophy.”10 Boyle seems to imply that everything in the world can be arbitrarily decided upon by God and that this is where conflicts between reason and religion arise, as humans, he says, tend to overlook this “rule.” For example, the case of Virgin Mary conceiving a child may pose no conflict with theology but may seem utterly impossible to philosophers. It is God that sets the limits in nature and not us, Boyle asserts.11 Even the laws of physics, though he may not mean it literally, can be altered by God, that “it is not repugnant to reason, that, if God please to interpose his power, he may make iron swim…,”12 which essentially violates the law that denser materials sink. Christians call this attribute of God as omnipotence and Boyle once again cited Descartes as one brilliant scientist he knows who also acknowledges this quality. Later, Boyle considers once more our limits as humans. He argues that, “…our intellectual weaknesses, or our prejudices, or prepossession by custom, or education, our interest, passions, vices … have so great and swaying an influence on [us] that there are very few conclusions, that we make, or opinions, that we espouse, that are so much the purest results of our reason…”13 To err is human, simply put, and that our feelings always have an influence on the judgments we make. It implies then that we cannot always trust our reason as it too may have the tendency to be irrational. However, Boyle has not missed to point out that not only does this imperfection affect our reason, but our understanding in religion as well. He wonders how this predisposition to lapses in judgments “may probably have the same kind of influence on the minds of men in reference to supernatural things.”14 For instance, different people may have different interpretations on matters concerning religion. A person may, for example, accept or reject some notions according to his own personal choice. Given the previous assumption that some matters divine are beyond our comprehension, it is no wonder then, according to Boyle, that our inclination towards our personal whims may distort our judgments. Now we shall proceed by dissecting Boyle’s points and arguments. As can be observed, much of them find solid ground on his cynicism towards the human reasoning power. If philosophers argue that religious beliefs are dominated by irrational thinking, Boyle warns that this should not make us trust our own interpretations instead, as these may be distorted by our personal stance and are limited by the information perceived by our senses. Boyle calls everyone to be prudent – to be doubtful when something lacks proof, but to believe when God himself sends the message – at a time when the Christian religion is about to cross a major turning point in history. There should be a healthy balance between reason and religion, he says; indeed a compromise has to be made. Though the text had a total of 35 pages, Boyle’s message is simple: that any conflict arising between reason and religion is simply due to the misinterpretations of the latter, for we are but humans who normally make mistakes. To Boyle, religion is never adversarial to religion only if we consider the points he elaborately mentioned in his text. Perry explains that Boyle is among the English Protestants who “feared [of] a revival of Catholic and absolutist monarchy”.15 It can be said then that Some Considerations is his response to such concern – to call on everyone to balance reason with religion rather than becoming a staunch believer of the Catholic faith and be blinded by the church. The Scientific Revolution paved the way to such kind of thinking. Bibliography Boyle, Robert. Some Considerations about the Reconcileableness of Reason and Religion Perry, Marvin, Margaret C. Jacob, James R. Jacob, Myrna Chase, and Theodore H. Von Laue. Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society, 9th ed. Connecticut: Cengage Learning, 2009. Read More