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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Religiopoiesis, Ursula Goodenough
Religiopoiesis, Ursula Goodenough
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
Religiopoiesis describes the crafting of religion, a core activity of humankind. Each religion is grounded in its myth, and each myth includes a cosmology of origins and destiny. The scientific worldview coheres as such a myth and calls for a religiopoietic response. The difficulties, opportunities, and imperatives inherent in this call are explored, particularly as they impact the working scientist.
Reflections On Scientific And Religious Metaphor, Ursula Goodenough
Reflections On Scientific And Religious Metaphor, Ursula Goodenough
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
The importance of scientific conflicts for theology and philosophy is difficult to judge. In many disputes of significance, prominent scientists can be found on both sides. Profound philosophical and religious implications are sometimes said to be implied by the new theory as well. This article examines the dispute over natural selection between Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould as a contemporary instance of such a conflict. While both claim that profound philosophical conclusions flow from their own alternative account of evolution, I suggest that the implication is not as great as is claimed and that the alleged implications have as …
Reflections On Science And Technology, Ursula Goodenough
Reflections On Science And Technology, Ursula Goodenough
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
Science and technology are frequently confused. This essay points out the bases for this confusion and then focuses on a basic distinction, namely, that whereas science brings us information that we have little choice but to absorb and reflect upon, technology is something that humans elect to do and, hence, can also elect not to do. It is proposed that technological ethics are most cogently undertaken with scientific understanding as the linchpin and religious/artistic sensibilities as the muse.