HSSC 518.640 Religion, Science and the Understanding of Nature
Offered:Spring 2010
Ceccatti M 6:00-8:40
This graduate course is taught in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies.
Although frequently portrayed in opposition, religion and science share a common goal of providing a coherent explanation of the origins and operations of the natural world. Indeed, until the modern period, it is often difficult to discern a sharp boundary between the theological and the rational. In this seminar, we will explore the evolving relationship between these two dominant worldviews from Antiquity to the present. Specific topics include: Aristotelian thought and its incorporation into Christian theology; alchemy, magic, and mysticism; Galileo and the Catholic Church; Protestantism and the Scientific Revolution; evolution and theology; and God, Eastern religion, and modern physics.
