Science, Religion, Life, Ages, Rocks, Fullness

Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life

• ISBN13: 9780345450401
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Writing with bracing intelligence and clarity, internationally renowned evolutionist and bestselling author Stephen Jay Gould sheds new light on a dilemma that has plagued thinking people since the Renaissance: the rift between science and religion. Instead of choosing them, Gould asks, why not opt for a golden mean that accords dignity and distinction to each realm?

In his distinctively elegant style, Gould offers a lucid, contemporary principle that allows science and religion to coexist peacefully in a position of respectful noninterference. Science defines the natural world; religion our moral world in recognition of their separate spheres of influence. In exploring this thought-provoking concept, Gould delves into the history of science, sketching affecting portraits of scientists and moral leaders wrestling with matters of faith and reason. Stories of seminal figures such as Galileo, Darwin, and Thomas Henry Huxley make vivid his argument that individuals and cultures must cultivate both a life of the spirit and a life of rational inquiry in order to experience the fullness of being human.

In Rocks of Ages, Gould’s passionate humanism, ethical discernment, and erudition are fused to create a dazzling gem of contemporary cultural philosophy. Revered and eminently readable essayist Stephen Jay Gould has once again rendered the complex simple, this time mending the seeming split between the two "Rocks of Ages," science and religion. He quickly, and rightfully, admits that his thesis is not new, but one broadly accepted by many scientists and theologians. Gould begins by suggesting that Darwin has been misconstrued--that while some religious thinkers have used divinity to prove the impossibility of evolution, Darwin would have never done the reverse.

Gould eloquently lays out not "a merely diplomatic solution" to rectify the physical and metaphysical, but "a principled position on moral and intellectual grounds," central to which is the elegant concept of "non-overlapping magisteria." (Gould defines magisteria as a "four-bit" word meaning domain of authority in teaching.) Essentially, science and religion can't be unified, but neither should they be in conflict; each has its own discrete magisteria, the natural world belonging exclusively to science and the moral to religion.

Gould's argument is both lucid and convincing as he cites past religious and scientific greats (including a particularly touching section on Darwin himself). Regardless of your persuasions, religious or scientific, Gould holds up his end of the conversation with characteristic respect and intelligence. --Paul Hughes









List Price: $ 14.95



Price: $ 7.83









RelatedSciences Products

Other posts like this, by keyword:

Science:

Mystery Books blog ...
Animals Books blog ...
Chick Lit Books ...
Knitting Books blog ...
Romance Books blog ...
Finance Books blog ...
Libros en Espanol Books ...
Audiobooks Books blog ...
Food Lit Books ...
Crafts Books blog ...
Religion:

Mystery Books blog ...
How to Books blog ...
Home and Garden Books ...
Military Books blog ...
Television Books blog ...
Christianity Books ...
Physics Books ...
Libros en Espanol Books ...
Books Under 5 Books ...
Europe Books blog ...
Life:

Home and Garden Books ...
Teens Books blog ...
Baseball Books blog ...
Occult Books blog ...
Occult Books blog ...
Essays Books blog ...
Crafts Books blog ...
Baseball Books blog ...
Ancient Books blog ...
Time Travel Books ...
Ages:

How to Books blog ...
Parenting and Family Books ...
Westerns Books ...
101 Life Skills Games for Children: Learning, Growing, Getting Along (Ages 6-12) ...
The American epic: a concise scenic history of the United States, and other selected poems, with references to the epics of the ages and bri ...
Helping Children with Down Syndrome Communicate Better: Speech and Language Skills for Ages 6-14 (Topics in Down Syndrome) ...
Ages and Stages: A Parent’s Guide to Normal Childhood Development ...
The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Activity Book 2: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissa ...
The World’s Wit and Humor: An Encyclopedia of the Classic Wit and Humor of All Ages and Nations…, Volume 5 ...
Information Ages: Literacy, Numeracy, and the Computer Revolution ...
Rocks:

Occult Books blog ...
Rocks and Fossils (Usborne Nature Trail) ...
Fullness: