WREL 254 - Religion and Science

3 Credit(s)

Do science and religion belong to completely separate realms? Can they benefit each other? Will religious conflicts fade as scientific reason sweeps away the cobwebs of bias and superstition? Or will science run out of control without the guidance of religiously inspired ethics? In grappling with such controversial questions, this course examines historical and modern approaches to the relationship between science and religion. Based on a typology, which classifies such approaches as tending towards “conflict,” “independence,” “dialogue,” and “integration,” we will examine the work of both religious and scientific thinkers who exemplify these trends or challenge the status quo.