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136-260 God and the Natural Sciences | |
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Note | Students who have completed 136-360 God and the Natural Sciences (Science 3) are not eligible to enrol in this subject. |
Availability | 2nd and 3rd year |
Credit Points | 12.5 |
HECS Band | 1 |
Coordinator | Dr Neil Thomason |
Prerequisites | Normally 12.5 points of first year history and philosophy of science |
Semester | 2 (view timetable) |
Contact | Between 10 and 12 weekly tutorials and between 20 and 24 lectures, normally two lectures per week |
Subject Description | This subject studies the complex relationship between religion, theology, and the natural sciences. Theological concerns guided the science of Kepler, Newton and many other early scientists. They held that studying the Universe demonstrated the attributes of God. After Darwin, this view was replaced by radically different ones: to some science and religion are necessarily antagonistic, to others they belong to different realms. We examine this change, the reasoning (good and bad) behind it and its residues, including some modern debates: 'Anthropic Principle', Multiple Universes, and scientific/philosophical issues such as 'Why is there something rather than nothing?' Finally, we explore the relationship between the 'personal God' of religious experience and the 'philosophers' God' posited to explain facts about the natural world. |
Assessment | Written work totalling 4000 words. |
Prescribed Texts | A subject reader will be available. Other books will be required. |
Status: Official 2002 Last Modified: Tuesday May 07 22:11 SGML to HTML Conversion: Information Technology Services Authorised by: Academic Registrar Email Enquiries: Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au
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