What is the relationship between science, philosophy, and theology? In these articles one finds a more academic analysis, written by people who have training in science and either philosophy or theology. These articles tend to be more academic; for a more immediate, personal take, go to the Personal Reflections section.
Book Review: A God that Could be Real: Spirituality, Science, and the Future of our Planet
Fr. George Coyne reviews the book A God that Could be Real by N. A. Abrams
Continue reading →A Theology of Everything?
During the Enlightenment most scientists, who were religious believers, were unreasonable in their approach to religious belief, since they sought to found their religious belief on purely rational grounds.
Continue reading →Meaning: Exploring the Big Questions of the Cosmos with a Vatican Scientist
Videos series 12 twenty five minute programs, approx. 6 hours total General audience A series of lectures by Br. Guy Consolmagno, Director of the Vatican Observatory. From the publisher, Now You Know Media: Explore the big questions of science and religion with a Jesuit astronomer. While science and religion have often been seen as contradictory forces, in reality they complement each other. Indeed, Catholics have often been at the forefront of scientific discovery; the Augustinian friar Gregor Mendel innovated the study of genetics, and the Jesuit Georges Lemaître first proposed the Big Bang Theory. More recently, Pope Francis issued Laudato Si, an encyclical that addresses global warming. Now, you can join a leading Catholic scientist in examining the most vital questions about the universe. Your guide, Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., an astronomer and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, deals with big things—stars, galaxies, and unfathomable distances—but that’s not the kind of “bigness” that you will explore here. Instead, you … Continue reading →
The Two Books
Book (link to publisher) 424 pages University level This book by Olaf Pedersen and published originally by Vatican Observatory Publications in 2007, is distributed by University of Notre Dame Press (see link below). “In The Two Books, Olaf Pedersen traces the historical continuity of the science-religion dialogue from its pre-Socratic roots to our current pursuit of the interactions between the natural sciences and religion. In so doing, he makes a unique and important contribution to the field.” Click here for the publisher for purchase information: http://undpress.nd.edu/books/P01228. … Continue reading →
John Paul II on the Relationship between the Natural Sciences and Religious Belief
Article (with links to five Papal documents) 2300 words University level This article by Fr. George Coyne, S. J. (Director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006) from the Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Religion and Science discusses Fr. Coyne’s understanding of the work of Pope John Paul II on the topic of faith and science; among the key documents is a letter from His Holiness to Fr. Coyne as director of the Vatican Observatory. Click here to read the full article at the Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Religion and Science (includes many useful links). [Download PDF]
Science and Religious Belief
Book chapter 8 pages General audience A chapter by Fr. George V. Coyne, S. J. (Director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006) in International Symposium on Astrophysics Research and Science Education a book published by the Vatican Observatory in 1999. Fr. Coyne writes: In our age, perhaps more than at any other time, the scientific view of the world has been the principal spur to a more unified view of the world. It has opened our minds to the vast richness of the universe which cannot be appropriated by any one discipline alone. Science invites us to that vision. It also cautions us not to absolutize scientific results. We must beware of a serious temptation of the cosmologists. Within their culture God is essentially, if not exclusively, seen as an explanation and not as a person. God is the ideal mathematical structure, the theory of everything. God is Mind. It must remain a firm tenet of the reflecting … Continue reading →
Interview with Eugene Selk for Creightons Center for Catholic thought
- Audio program
- 15 minutes
- General Audience
A 2010 audio program produced by Creighton University’s Center for Catholic Thought for their podcast Catholic Comments:
Dr. Eugene Selk of Creighon University’s Philosophy department discusses the relationship between the Catholic Church and modern science. Topics include the harmony of faith and reason, the Church’s conflict with Galileo, and the reasons so many people seem to think that they much choose between science and God.
Click here for the audio podcast from the Center for Catholic Thought.
The New Physics and the Old Metaphysics (The Nash Lecture at Campion College, University of Regina)
- Video
- 55 minutes
- University level
The 2012 Nash Lecture at Campion College, University of Regina. A presentation by Br Guy Consomagno on how advances in modern physics work with traditional metaphysics. God is not one force among many, to be invoked to explain evolution or the big bang, but the author of the universe that allows evolution or the big bang to occur. https://youtu.be/PZOhwr1f0hQ
Discussion: Why Do Debates On Faith And Science Almost Always Fail?
A post by Fr. James Kurzinski on the Catholic Astronomer website. “A major problem with debates between Christian faith and science is an inability to stay within the parameters of the nature of Christian faith and the nature of science”
Continue reading →Does the Church Need Another Thomas Aquinas? Faith, Science, and Theologys Power of Assimilation.
A post by Fr. James Kurzinski on the Catholic Astronomer website. “…despite the logical desire to discover a move of assimilation between faith and science in a way indicative of the intellectual tradition of the past, the healthiest relationship between these two great disciplines is to allow each to be itself, leading us to a common beginning, standing in awe and wonder of creation and Creator, being called to continue our life’s pilgrimage as we encounter truth, goodness, and beauty.”
Continue reading →What is the Relationship Between Faith and Astronomy? Reflections on a Personal Journey.
A post by Fr. James Kurzynski on The Catholic Astronomer, reflecting on the Faith and Astronomy Workshops. “: The more we learn about the world we live in, the more there is to learn about the world we live in. To explore the topic of faith and astronomy is to explore the virtue of humility.”
Continue reading →Explaining the Unexplainable: The Limits of Language and the Power of Metaphor.
A post by Fr. James Kurzinski on the Catholic Astronomer website. “Of the many blessings I have received from writing for The Catholic Astronomer, one of them has been deepening my awareness of how we can come to understand God through understanding creation. That being said, I have also learned that there are limits to this understanding, pointing to a transcendent reality in which all language and human expression ultimately breaks down. “
Continue reading →Is the Tension Between Faith and Science Merely a Breakdown in Communication?
A post by Fr. James Kurzynski on The Catholic Astronomer. “Can the perceived tension between evolution and God as Creator be fully addressed by clarifying a breakdown in communication over the word “random?” Of course, the answer is no. As is the case with many strained relationships, there isn’t just one issue that leads to a breakup. Nevertheless, I do feel that these explorations are needed for both believer and non-believer if we are to move away from faith and science as adversaries and toward a position of faith and science as dialogue partners in search of truth.”
Continue reading →Some Theological Reflections on the Anthropic Principle
A pdf of an eight-page article by Dr. George Coyne exploring the Anthropic Principle and its possible theological implications. He ends with four questions that are raised about the way one normally talks about God, in light of cosmological principles.
Continue reading →Science and Religious Belief
Book chapter 8 pages General audience A chapter by Fr. George V. Coyne, S. J. (Director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006) in International Symposium on Astrophysics Research and Science Education a book published by the Vatican Observatory in 1999. Fr. Coyne writes: In our age, perhaps more than at any other time, the scientific view of the world has been the principal spur to a more unified view of the world. It has opened our minds to the vast richness of the universe which cannot be appropriated by any one discipline alone. Science invites us to that vision. It also cautions us not to absolutize scientific results. We must beware of a serious temptation of the cosmologists. Within their culture God is essentially, if not exclusively, seen as an explanation and not as a person. God is the ideal mathematical structure, the theory of everything. God is Mind. It must remain a firm tenet of the reflecting … Continue reading →
John Paul II on the Relationship between the Natural Sciences and Religious Belief
Article (with links to five Papal documents) 2300 words University level This article by Fr. George Coyne, S. J. (Director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006) from the Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Religion and Science discusses Fr. Coyne’s understanding of the work of Pope John Paul II on the topic of faith and science; among the key documents is a letter from His Holiness to Fr. Coyne as director of the Vatican Observatory. Click here to read the full article at the Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Religion and Science (includes many useful links). [Download PDF]
Meaning: Exploring the Big Questions of the Cosmos with a Vatican Scientist
Videos series 12 twenty five minute programs, approx. 6 hours total General audience A series of lectures by Br. Guy Consolmagno, Director of the Vatican Observatory. From the publisher, Now You Know Media: Explore the big questions of science and religion with a Jesuit astronomer. While science and religion have often been seen as contradictory forces, in reality they complement each other. Indeed, Catholics have often been at the forefront of scientific discovery; the Augustinian friar Gregor Mendel innovated the study of genetics, and the Jesuit Georges Lemaître first proposed the Big Bang Theory. More recently, Pope Francis issued Laudato Si, an encyclical that addresses global warming. Now, you can join a leading Catholic scientist in examining the most vital questions about the universe. Your guide, Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., an astronomer and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, deals with big things—stars, galaxies, and unfathomable distances—but that’s not the kind of “bigness” that you will explore here. Instead, you … Continue reading →
The New Physics and the Old Metaphysics (The Nash Lecture at Campion College, University of Regina)
- Video
- 55 minutes
- University level
The 2012 Nash Lecture at Campion College, University of Regina. A presentation by Br Guy Consomagno on how advances in modern physics work with traditional metaphysics. God is not one force among many, to be invoked to explain evolution or the big bang, but the author of the universe that allows evolution or the big bang to occur. https://youtu.be/PZOhwr1f0hQ
Interview with Eugene Selk for Creightons Center for Catholic thought
- Audio program
- 15 minutes
- General Audience
A 2010 audio program produced by Creighton University’s Center for Catholic Thought for their podcast Catholic Comments:
Dr. Eugene Selk of Creighon University’s Philosophy department discusses the relationship between the Catholic Church and modern science. Topics include the harmony of faith and reason, the Church’s conflict with Galileo, and the reasons so many people seem to think that they much choose between science and God.
Click here for the audio podcast from the Center for Catholic Thought.
A Theology of Everything?
During the Enlightenment most scientists, who were religious believers, were unreasonable in their approach to religious belief, since they sought to found their religious belief on purely rational grounds.
Continue reading →Book Review: A God that Could be Real: Spirituality, Science, and the Future of our Planet
Fr. George Coyne reviews the book A God that Could be Real by N. A. Abrams
Continue reading →CTNS-Vatican Observatory Series on Divine Action
The CTNS/Vatican Observatory 6-voulme series focuses on the theological concept of divine action in relation to contemporary scientific theories featuring an international team of scholars scientists, philosophers, and theologians.
Continue reading →The Two Books
Book (link to publisher) 424 pages University level This book by Olaf Pedersen and published originally by Vatican Observatory Publications in 2007, is distributed by University of Notre Dame Press (see link below). “In The Two Books, Olaf Pedersen traces the historical continuity of the science-religion dialogue from its pre-Socratic roots to our current pursuit of the interactions between the natural sciences and religion. In so doing, he makes a unique and important contribution to the field.” Click here for the publisher for purchase information: http://undpress.nd.edu/books/P01228. … Continue reading →
A Comprehensible Universe: The Interplay of Science and Theology
This book explores the deep roots of the mystery of rationality, from the Greek concept of rationality; to the scientific method; to relativity theory, quantum mechanics, the unification of physics, quantum gravity.
Continue reading →