Beyond Determinism And Reductionism

The twenty-first century has been dubbed the Biotech Century. The explosive increase in our knowledge of the human genome continues to fuel speculations on the possibilities of human genetic modifications. This has been greeted with either enthusiasm or anxiety, for alongside the many euphoric pronouncements about potential benefits are serious questions about the impact of biotechnology and the prospect of manipulating molecular information. What impact will breakthroughs in genetic science will have on our understanding of the human person and the shape of human society? Is the significance of the human person reducible to his or her genetic make-up? What part do our genes play in determining human behaviour, and how would this affect our understanding of human freedom? Drawing on an international panel of writers representing different disciplinary perspectives and a number of Christian traditions, this book seeks to assess the impact of recent developments in genetic science on the Christian understanding of the human person. The essays in this volume address these concerns.

In "Lifelines", biologist Steven Rose offers a powerful alternative to the ultradarwinist claims of such notable science writers as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and other advocates of reductionism, arguing that there need to be a specific focus on the organism in question and, in particular, on the organism's lifeline.

How can one believe in an age of doubt? How can we name the mystery of God in human words? Does nature speak of the glory of God? Does science undermine faith? Is the problem of evil unanswerable? In this volume scientists, theologians, philosophers, as well as a historian and social scientist, take seriously the challenge of knowing and speaking about God in an age of doubt and challenge. All New Zealand writers, the authors reflect a variety of styles, inputs, and assumptions from "down under." Some look to answer new atheists directly, others point out links between belief and unbelief in any age. There are essays that show us new ways of reading old texts. Scientists reflect on nature, its signs, and its obscurity. We are confronted also with the mixed picture of belief and unbelief that the last few hundred years reveals to us. Most of these essays have come out of seminars and conferences put on by TANSA (Theology and the Natural Sciences in Aotearoa), a forum for discussion and interpretation amongst scientists and theologians in New Zealand.

This book addresses a variety of important questions on nature, science, and spirituality: Is the natural world all that there is? Or is it possible to move ‘beyond nature’? What might it mean to transcend nature? What reflections of anything ‘beyond nature’ might be found in nature itself? Gathering papers originally delivered at the 2018 annual conference of the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology (ESSSAT), the book includes contributions of an international group of scientists, philosophers, theologians and historians, all discussing nature and what may lie beyond it. More than 20 chapters explore questions of science, nature, spirituality and more, including Nature – and Beyond? Immanence and Transcendence in Science and Religion Awe and wonder in scientific practice: Implications for the relationship between science and religion The Cosmos Considered as a Moral Institution The transcendent within: how our own biology leads to spirituality Preserving the heavens and the earth: Planetary sustainability from a Biblical and educational perspective Issues in Science and Theology: Nature – and Beyond will benefit a broad audience of students, scholars and faculty in such disciplines as philosophy, history of science, theology, and ethics.

Digital soil assessments and beyond contains papers presented at the 5th Global Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping, held 10-13 April 2012 at the University of Sydney, Australia. The contributions demonstrate the latest developments in digital soil mapping as a discipline with a special focus on the use of map products to drive policy decisions partic

Publisher description

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral--University of Groningen). Includes bibliographical references: (p. [291]-316) and index.