Challenges from science

Question 1

In short, what do the McGraths say about religion and science?

Answer 1

Their Christian faith is compatible with science and science and religion need each other as there are questions that science simply cannot answer.

Question 2

Quote from Dawkins about limits of understanding.

Answer 2

“I am thrilled to be alive at a time when humanity is pushing the limits of understanding.”

Question 3

What did Dawkins say about William Paley’s design argument?

Answer 3

When faced with something that is incredibly complex, humans just tend to turn to a religious answer - the idea that an ‘eye or a wing’ could come about by chance seems impossible.

Question 4

How does Dawkins use a contemporary example to show the ridiculousness of the design argument by Paley?

Answer 4

Consider a tornado in a scrap yard, it would be absurd to argue that it could randomly throw together a Boeing 747.

Question 5

What is the God hypothesis?

Answer 5

We don’t understand so it must be God’s doing - God is an interventionist.

Question 6

What did Dawkins say were the problems with the God hypothesis?

Answer 6

• We are not faced with a choice between chance and God. Natural selection explains how there can be the appearance of complex things.
• God must be at least as complex as the things he designed.

Question 7

According to Dawkins, what can natural selection not explain?

Answer 7

Why there is life in the universe and how it came to be on Earth.

Question 8

What should natural selection inspire us to do?

Answer 8

To find an explanation which makes sense of the improbable existence of life.

Question 9

What is the Anthropic principle?

Answer 9

The universe must contain the properties that allow the observer to exist.

Question 10

What would an atheist use to explain the anthropic principle?

Answer 10

Multiverse theory

Question 11

What is multiverse principle?

Answer 11

There are an endless number of universes each with different variations, ours happens to be the one with the variation to support life.

Question 12

According to Dawkins, religion is a by- product of which 2 qualities?

Answer 12

• The human tendency to obey orders

- The biologically programmed tendency to assign meaning to animals and objects.

Question 13

What is a meme according to Dawkins?

Answer 13

An element of culture that is passed from on to another by imitation or non genetic means.

Question 14

What does Dawkins say about scientists who are also Christians?

Answer 14

They aren’t really Christians - they are afraid of sharing their true beliefs or they are confusing Christianity with cultural values about beauty and goodness.

Question 15

What does Dawkins accuse many scientists of doing?

Answer 15

Accepting awards from religiously based bodies by passing themselves off as religious believers.

Question 16

According to Mcgrath’s, why can’t Dawkins accuse scientists of being ‘fake’ Christians?

Answer 16

A study in the 1900s showed that 40% of scientists were Christians, this would mean that Dawkins is claiming that half of the scientific community is mentally deficient.

Question 17

Give a criticism of Dawkins by the Mcgraths.

Answer 17

If religion is really a ‘virus of the mind’ then surely there would be some scientific evidence - there is not.

Question 18

What suggests to the Mcgraths that Dawkins book is polemic?

Answer 18

His lack of evidence

Question 19

What does polemic mean?

Answer 19

An aggressive or verbal attack.

Question 20

Quote by Mcgraths showing that Dawkins book is polemic.

Answer 20

“more designed to reassure atheists whose faith is faltering than to engage … with religious believers”

Question 21

What does non overlapping magisteria (NOMA) mean?

Answer 21

science and religion are two different areas of enquiry by Stephen Jay Gould.

Question 22

What does astrophysicist Martian Rees say?

Answer 22

There are ultimate questions that lie beyond science but there is not enough evidence to prove the answers to these questions.

Question 23

According to Sir Peter Medawar, what three questions can science not answer?

Answer 23

• How did everything begin?
• What are we here for?
• What is the point of living?

Question 24

What do the Mcgraths prefer to NOMA?

Answer 24

POMA - partially overlapping magisteria

Question 25

According to Dawkins, what are the 4 gaps that can be filled by science which were thought to be only filled by religion?

Answer 25

• explanation
• exhortation
• consolation
• inspiration

Question 26

How is the ‘gap’ of explanation solved by science?

Answer 26

By understanding natural selection and other scientific ideas.

Question 27

How is the ‘gap’ of exhortation solved by science?

Answer 27

You can live a good and moral life without God - Dawkins argued that religion leads to violence and hatred linking to the hate mail he has received from Christians.

Question 28

How is the ‘gap’ of consolation solved by science?

Answer 28

One can find atheists who are consoled by trying new ways of thinking.

Question 29

How is the ‘gap’ of inspiration solved by science?

Answer 29

Looking at the world around us is amazing and inspirational.

Question 30

Why do Mcgraths reject the ‘God of the gaps’ theory?

Answer 30

They say that this only represents a small number of Christians and the majority believe that God is actively involved in all life.

Question 31

What does Richard Swinburne argue about intelligibility?

Answer 31

The best explanation for the intelligibility of the universe is that it has been created by an intelligent being.

Question 32

What does Einstein say about religion?

Answer 32

“Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.”

Question 33

Quote from McGraths about Dawkins disregard for evidence.

Answer 33

“an apparent disregard for evidence that was not favourable to his case?”

Question 34

Give 3 facts about religion that Dawkins ignores, according to the McGraths.

Answer 34

• The danger of an absence of religion
• The capacity of a religion to transform human conflicts
• The fact that religion is more than a belief

Question 35

What do studies show about the influence of religion on the 911 terror attacks?

Answer 35

Religion alone would not have been enough to cause this, other factors such as social oppression, psychological factors and material factors.

Question 36

How can the assertions of ‘badness’ in religion be proven to be non scientific in nature?

Answer 36

There has been studies that show that religious commitment and belief has had a positive effect on human well being and longevity.

Question 37

Why do the McGraths accuse Dawkins of confusing science and scientism?

Answer 37

The lack of evidence to support his claims in the God Delusion and his mischaracterisation of religion and violent.

Question 38

How does Dawkins defend himself against the claim that he confuses science and scientism?

Answer 38

He is committed to evidence no matter where it leads and there is no reason to declare that science has limits just because it doesn’t have the answers yet.

Question 39

What is scientism?

Answer 39

Belief in the universal applicability of scientific knowledge and techniques.