Thought Experiments Science And Theology

Did Adam have a navel? Did Adam and Eve have sex? Is God merely a fictional character, like Superman? Without thought experiments like these, the field of science and religion would be severely impoverished. Thought experiments are exercises of the imagination. Like in many other disciplines, the imagination has not received the attention it deserves in theology. This book argues that the imagination must be taken seriously as an engine for progress. It offers a theology of the imagination that is consistent with, and goes beyond, existing discussions about pluralism at the intersection of science and religion.

Thought experiments are a means of imaginative reasoning that lie at the heart of philosophy, from the pre-Socratics to the modern era, and they also play central roles in a range of fields, from physics to politics. The Routledge Companion to Thought Experiments is an invaluable guide and reference source to this multifaceted subject. Comprising over 30 chapters by a team of international contributors, the Companion covers the following important areas: · the history of thought experiments, from antiquity to the trolley problem and quantum non-locality; · thought experiments in the humanities, arts, and sciences, including ethics, physics, theology, biology, mathematics, economics, and politics; · theories about the nature of thought experiments; · new discussions concerning the impact of experimental philosophy, cross-cultural comparison studies, metaphilosophy, computer simulations, idealization, dialectics, cognitive science, the artistic nature of thought experiments, and metaphysical issues. This broad ranging Companion goes backwards through history and sideways across disciplines. It also engages with philosophical perspectives from empiricism, rationalism, naturalism, skepticism, pluralism, contextualism, and neo-Kantianism to phenomenology. This volume will be valuable for anyone studying the methods of philosophy or any discipline that employs thought experiments, as well as anyone interested in the power and limits of the mind.

For centuries it has been discussed whether systematic theology is a scientific discipline. But it is not obvious what is meant by either "systematic theology" or "scientific discipline". Michael Agerbo Mørch presents an understanding of systematic theology as a tripartite discipline and science as a rationally justified public discourse about a given topic. Systematic theology is shown to meet the most generally accepted criteria for scientific work, since its theories can be tested and even falsified in an intersubjective setting. This can be done by the most proper tool we have for assessing and comparing scientific theories, which is coherence theory. Therefore, even though systematic theology is a distinct and normative discipline, it is not compromising for its theories because it can present its theses in a transparent way that can be checked and criticized by peers and compared to relevant alternatives. As such, the book shows that systematic theology is a scientifically strong discourse that meets accepted criteria to the same degree as other disciplines.

This book brings together selected papers from scientists, theologians and philosophers who took part in the 2021 conference of the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology based in Madrid, Spain. The contributions constitute a cutting-edge resource for considering questions from interdisciplinary perspectives, covering both the crucial role played by images and models in our thinking and also the limitations which are inherent in these linguistic devices. Questions addressed include: Can this use of images and models generate a creative pluralism, enabling us to think outside the disciplinary silos which are a feature of academic discourse? Can they enable fruitful, synergistic, interdisciplinary conversations? This book will appeal to students and academics alike, particularly those working in the fields of philosophy, theology, ethics and the history of science.

A Teacher’s Guide to Science and Religion in the Classroom provides practical guidance on how to help children access positive ways of thinking about the relationship between science and religion. Written for teachers of children from diverse-faith and non-faith backgrounds, it explores key concepts, identifies gaps and common misconceptions in children’s knowledge, and offers advice on how to help them form a deeper understanding of both science and religion. Drawing on the latest research as well as the designs of successful workshops for teachers and for children, there are activities in each chapter that have been shown to help children understand why science and religion do not necessarily conflict. The book highlights children’s interest in the so-called "Big Questions" that bridge science and religion and responds to the research finding that most children are missing ideas that are key to an explanation of why science and religion can be harmonious. The book explores key concepts and ideas including: Nature of science Power and limits of science Evolution, genes and human improvement Miracles, natural disasters and mystery Profiles of scientists, including Galileo and Newton A Teacher’s Guide to Science and Religion is an essential companion for preservice and practising teachers, providing session plans and pedagogic strategies, together with a cohesive framework, that will support teachers in fostering children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.

This handbook offers the first comprehensive reference guide to the interdisciplinary field of model-based reasoning. It highlights the role of models as mediators between theory and experimentation, and as educational devices, as well as their relevance in testing hypotheses and explanatory functions. The Springer Handbook merges philosophical, cognitive and epistemological perspectives on models with the more practical needs related to the application of this tool across various disciplines and practices. The result is a unique, reliable source of information that guides readers toward an understanding of different aspects of model-based science, such as the theoretical and cognitive nature of models, as well as their practical and logical aspects. The inferential role of models in hypothetical reasoning, abduction and creativity once they are constructed, adopted, and manipulated for different scientific and technological purposes is also discussed. Written by a group of internationally renowned experts in philosophy, the history of science, general epistemology, mathematics, cognitive and computer science, physics and life sciences, as well as engineering, architecture, and economics, this Handbook uses numerous diagrams, schemes and other visual representations to promote a better understanding of the concepts. This also makes it highly accessible to an audience of scholars and students with different scientific backgrounds. All in all, the Springer Handbook of Model-Based Science represents the definitive application-oriented reference guide to the interdisciplinary field of model-based reasoning.

The Great Thought Experiment - The Theory of EverythingEinstein's Theory of Relativity was developed via a "thought experiment." Using his imagination and the scientific knowledge of his time, Einstein propelled his views into quite a dissertation - The General Theory of Relativity - which since that time, has been proven correct in theory. Scientists have made significant advances but still struggle with the quantum realm and trying to figure out how it fits in and then postulating the Theory of Everything, which you must be a rocket scientist to begin to understand.Inquiring minds still want to know: Who am I? Who made me? Why am I here? Where did I come from? How did this all start? What happens when I die ... if I do? Where will I go? These questions have been asked for perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, but it has just been a few thousand years since theology scholars and philosophers have attempted to document and record the answers. Throughout the years, there has been much discourse surrounding their conclusions, but none of the results have been entirely satisfactory. The first notable written source for the answers came from the Book of Genesis which scholars speculate was written as early as the 10th Century BC, with conjecture still rampant as to the author(s), origin, time frame, and theology. The Book of Genesis was an early historical attempt at presenting "The Theory of Everything from the perspective of the people of that time. A simplified view of Genesis is that it is a crafted creation myth or "thought experiment" written with a philosophical, cultural and time perspective, based on a cultural need at that time, to set some rules and guidelines that define who we are, how we got here, and how we fit into the physical world. Realize that nobody knew or knows absolutely the answers, so the writer(s) created a narrative/story based on the understanding of the times, in a language of the times, to help guide people or perhaps even control them. The Book of Genesis creation account still has a powerful influence on the people of today in providing a base understanding of the who and what of God and humankind. But let's face it, inquiring minds still want to know the answers. We want to know them based on the knowledge and language of our modern times, and we want a simplified version, so we need not be a brain surgeon to understand it. This book does just that. The reader will be taken though an exciting, compelling thought experiment ... an adventure which will prove to be a major step forward in the evolution of the creation myth. This will be a dissertation which will boldly assert what the Book of Genesis of yesterday would look like today after updating it with the language of the 21st century that includes advances in theology, psychology, science and technology. This is a quantum leap in the 3000-year old narrative and is sure to become a new starting point for continued growth and understanding of our vision of God and the nature of reality. This book is a simple and understandable Theory of Everything that the general populace can comprehend and believe and promises to be a major leap forward in the evolution of the "creation myth.". Genesis 2.0.- Science Redefining Spirituality is destined to shake us up and wake us up to truly LIVE our essence ... who we really are.