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Ian Barbour:
Looking to Integrate Science and Religion
Heidi Schlumpf -- 5/29/00
 | | Ian Barbour |
To get a feel for the relationship between science and religion these days, just check out a few car bumpers. Those who place their trust in God proudly display their fish symbols, while those who believe science has the corner on truth add evolutionary legs to their fish. This conflict between science and religion seems to have existed since the beginning of time--although when that was is another thing that can't be agreed upon. But the contentiousness may be easing, according to Ian Barbour, author of When Science Meets Religion (Harper San Francisco, June). He senses a greater humility from both scientists and theologians. "There are a significant number of people on both sides who are realizing they don't have all the answers," he says.
Are science and religion enemies, strangers or partners? In his new book, Barbour argues for the latter, and--as both a trained physicist and theologian--he is uniquely qualified to answer the question. While a doctoral student at the University of Chicago after World War II, Barbour was plagued by ethical questions prompted by the creation of atomic weapons. So he followed up his Ph.D. in physics with a divinity degree in theology and ethics from Yale. This "double training" led him to write the groundbreaking Issues in Science and Religion (Prentice-Hall, 1966), which literally created a new field and influenced a generation of scientists, religious scholars and church leaders and intrigued general-interest readers. Since then he has written a dozen books on the topic, including Myths, Models, and Paradigms (Harper & Row), nominated for a National Book Award in 1974.
In When Science Meets Religion, Barbour continues his plea for dialogue between what he sees as two complementary kinds of inquiry. Too often, the relationship between science and religion is seen, especially by the media, as one of conflict. A second option--independence, in which science and religion are seen as strangers who can c xist as long as they keep a safe distance from each other--at least avoids conflict, but it prevents any constructive interaction. "It's a good beginning," he notes, "because at least you're realizing your limitations." The most constructive models, he argues, are dialogue and integration, in which both sides respect the integrity of each other's fields. The new book looks at all four models in the scientific arenas of creation, quantum physics, evolution and genetics.
Now retired from teaching at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., Barbour received the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion last year, and donated $1 million of the $1.24 million prize to the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Although "there's still a long way to go," Barbour says he is optimistic about an improved relationship between science and religion. "I think there are signs of not only public interest in the topic, but some dissatisfaction with the simple answers." Integration is possible, and Barbour himself is proof. When asked if he considers himself primarily a scientist or a theologian, he refuses to choose. "I would hope both. Actually, before everything else, I'm a human being."
Executive editor John Louden hopes this will become the definitive book on the topic:"It's totally up to date, accessible and understandable." A 15,000 first printing and print advertising in religious and mainstream media is planned. The author also will do several radio interviews.
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