And the church needs laymen who bring the gospel into the world's life in both deed and word. To introduce extraneous considerations into the scientist's technical work would violate the integrity of. But there are a number of aspects of the scientist's vocation to which religious perspectives are relevant.
Man's response to God takes place in a wider community and is expressed in the life of the world. The following chapter is an analysis of the call to serve human needs in relation to applied science. Science can be a tool of good will, extending the reach of the Good Samaritan's hand.
The public continued to be reminded of the destructive power of atomic weapons and the urgent need for international control.
The Social Responsibility of The Scientist
The essence of democracy is not rule by the majority, but government by discussion, including the right of the minority to be heard. Technical development is cumulative, but moral progress is more uncertain, since the efficiency of. Since many of the critical decisions today are made by groups, attention must be paid to the scientist.
This middle position was taken by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the Federation of Atomic Scientists, which acted effectively through communication channels. In terms of the situation between persons, love means. reconciliation and the restoration of community. He must decide for himself, in the light of all the information he can obtain about the scientific aspects of a concrete situation, plus his understanding of the nature of God and man, and of love and justice.
Another factor that will influence this response is his attitude toward involvement in worldly evil.
Moral Decisions on the Job
Choice of work, especially rejection of work on purely military projects, has been the primary concern of the Society for Social. Another situation of tension between consumer welfare and consumer profits. 34;Any discovery you make that has any scientific or commercial value, and any work you do that is even remotely profitable, must appear on the books as being done on "company time"; the rest is the.
Today's scientist often becomes a servant of business interests, rather than the search for truth or the welfare of society. There has recently been a debate about the value of a more clearly defined code of professional ethics for science itself and society. The gap between the expert and the layman makes the public's interpretation of discoveries necessary for intelligent democratic decisions.
The moral element is not an external factor, but consists of the relationship between the scientific data and human well-being.
Christianity and the Scientist by Ian Barbour
Scientific Research and the Pursuit of Truth
- Values in the Quest for Knowledge
- Understanding God’s Creation
- The Use and Misuse of Reason
Science represents both a method of understanding the universe and a form of the life of the mind. There is beauty and simplicity in the laws of nature, and an aesthetic element in the scientist's response. Here imagination and originality are required, and the work of the scientist has much in common with that of the artist.
Finally, the degree of influence of the ethical attitudes of science on individual behavior can be questioned. So on both the social and the individual levels the proposal of a simple transfer of the ethical attitudes of science appears. A number of historians have emphasized the contribution of the Judeo-Christian perspective to the rise of science.
The biblical view of creation was one of the influences in the thinking climate from which. To be sure, the Greek view of the rationality and orderliness of the universe was also a major root of science. He must be prepared to be corrected in the light of the evidence regardless of his private convenience.
This assessment of God's creation must be clearly distinguished from alternative views of the relationship of religion to the work of the research scientist. A man's motivation and his view of the meaning and importance of his work are determined by his philosophy of life. Historians see the growth of science as indebted to the legacy of the Middle Ages for the belief in the intelligibility of the universe and the belief in man's ability to understand.
Humility is high on the list of virtues, and nowhere is it more needed than in the life of the spirit. Radar, television, atomic energy and antibiotics are some of the many cases in which the U.S.
The Science Teacher and the Student
- Teaching the Methods of Science
- Religious Implications in Science Courses
- Relationships to Students and Faculty
He is indirectly conveying, whether he wants to or not, his understanding of the process of. Some consideration of the methods, history, and philosophy of any field should be included, not added to. For the student who takes only one course in the natural sciences, an understanding of the ways in which science proceeds, and its significance for our culture, can be as valuable in later life as the technical information gained.
The natural scientist limits himself in his description of the world to the objective data he can obtain through the observation of nature. 4. The role of the Royal Society in early science, or of. specialized magazines today, can be pointed out. Science is also part of the social order, influenced by practical needs, economic forces and intellectual assumptions.
These are limitations imposed by the nature of the scientific enterprise itself, not by some outside authority. In the hands of later interpreters, especially the writers of the French Enlightenment, the Newtonian world machine was seen as deterministic and self-sufficient, the scene. The teacher may wish, either at this stage or preferably later in the course, to mention some of the modifications which have necessitated twentieth-century physics.
Effective communication depends on the teacher's vision, not only of the subject matter and its relevance, but also of the student's capacity for appreciation and understanding. The teacher determines the atmosphere in the classroom and also influences the goals and norms. Some of the reluctance to enter into a real dialogue stems from insecurity in relation to other faculty members.
Participation in general problems related to the intellectual life of the campus can encourage fruitful exchange. Some observers are worried about the outcome if there is a further increase in the tendency for most of the best minds of our country to go to science.
Science and the Social Order
- Freedom in Science and Society
- The Worship of Technology
- Science and National Policy
The cost of equipment in some areas, such as high-energy physics, and the new role of government in providing support require advanced research programming. Because we believe in the value of the individual and the fundamental equality of all people in the eyes of God, we are led to seek the fulfillment of free men in the context of community. In the public image, the scientist is the high priest in the white coats of the new order, the guardian of its secrets.
Somehow the car can get. the mastery of man's life and the connection of the craftsman with his work is lost. The Christian response to a technological civilization is likely to be both appreciative and critical. In the biblical perspective, progress must be measured in terms of the quality of man's life, his moral and spiritual stature, his shared existence in the community.
The goal of Christian ethics is the fulfillment of people's lives in community. Today, this calls for a reaffirmation of the distinctly human. values such as personal responsibility and individual creativity. Those who affirm the primacy of interpersonal relationships and the necessity of understanding, compassion, and forgiveness will devote attention to the life of the family, small groups, and the church.
Religious faith and technological culture do not function primarily as institutions, but as aspects of the lives of individuals. While there has been controversy over the testing, there is no dispute about the magnitude of the disaster of an actual nuclear war. Transferring arms control machinery to the hands of the United Nations would at the same time be a step towards strengthening the latter.
Watering the world's deserts to make the lands habitable is no longer a pipe dream. So, the coming years will present us with even more important decisions than those of the past.
The Scientist as a Person
- The Pressures of the job
- The Influence of Science on Beliefs
- The Religious Faith of the Scientist
In industry, a scientist is part of the company and collaboration and teamwork are essential. The ambition to succeed and the desire for recognition and prestige take distinctive forms in the life of the scientist. In the popular image, the scientist may be seen as somewhat strange, but he is highly respected; in a study into the public appreciation of 90 different.
In addition to the obvious frustrations and symbols of success, the work of a scientist also has its own special temptations. 34; professional ethics" are not as explicitly defined as in some professions because they are mostly inherent in the nature of the business, or they are. However, any realistic portrayal should acknowledge these problems of human frailty arising from the personal dimension of the workplace, rather than portraying usually an idealized version of the life of a scientist.
There is also a legitimate place for the satisfaction of a job well done, or for the craftsman's pride in his work. 34 "Scientism" is a term sometimes used to denote a dogmatic belief in the unlimited applicability of scientific methods. The critical study of religion was largely a product of the scientific spirit in the West.
The writers of the Bible did not speculate in the abstract; they tried to understand and interpret what happened in their lives. The religious life of a scientist should thus involve a balance and perhaps an alternation between personal involvement and reflective detachment. As a layman, he plays a central role in the life of the Church and society.
The prestige of the scientist in our culture gives considerable influence to whatever he does. Our concern has been to examine some of the ways in which this may be embodied in the life of the man who has particular talents, interests and training in the natural sciences.