Mystery and the Culture of Science: Personal Insights for the 21st Century
Mystery is only one step behind the best insights of science and theology. This book deals with the methodology common to both and concludes that all knowledge reflects the culture in which it was articulated and is provisional in the sense that it can always be improved. Failure to respect this lies at the heart of much of the polarisation currently seen in religion and elsewhere.
This book offers four reflections, which serve to loosen the sense of certainty that traps and impoverishes Church doctrines, using examples from the nuclear industry, climate change, and chaos theory, among others. The reflections are on the efficacy of prayer; how a sense of mystery and contemplative approach might benefit science; infallibility in church teaching and practice; and, finally, what evolution teaches us about the incarnation. Some readers will find these shocking, but others will find them liberating and in keeping with the Franciscan view of the sacredness of nature.
Jim Malone is Professor (Emeritus) of Medical Physics and was Dean of the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. He is a regular consultant to various UN bodies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency and World Health Organisation. He has a wide interest in the humanities, and holds an MA in Contemporary Spirituality.
John McEvoy received degrees in Philosophy, Theology, Chemistry and Economics from universities in Galway, Rome, London and Dublin. He worked in the food industry for twelve years and lectured in related areas for thirty years at the Dublin Institute of Technology. He holds a PhD in Theology.
“This is a work of combined authorship by two scientists, one internationally known and both theologically very competent. […] It is a little unusual in the science and religion genre in its combination of objective scholarship and passionate campaigning for church renewal – it does have ‘personal’ in its title – but is all the more refreshing for that.”
Fintan Lyons, OSB
Glenstal Abbey, Ireland; The Furrow, November 2019
"This is a fascinating book that will both assist and challenge those interested readers who are aware of the tensions faced by people of faith who take seriously the worlds of science and scientific method. Anyone wishing to explore the possibility of an authentic dialogue between religion and science will welcome how our authors side step the unhelpful stereotypes that issue in a dialogue of the deaf between religious fundamentalists on the one hand and militant atheists on the other. The opening chapter sets the tone for much of what follows with a most helpful reflection on the critical realism that is required in theological discourse while demonstrating that the use of such a method poses no threat to the sense of mystery that inevitably emerges when consulting the “book of nature” and the books of “revelation”. The authors make it clear that they are not offering a systematic treatment of this vast topic but rather they offer thought provoking reflections on a number of selected topics. Of particular interest is chapter four on the Efficacy of Remote Intercessory Prayer. It demonstrates very well both the importance and the limitations of scientific method and highlights why people of faith must never shy away from the hard questions or the evidence they don’t want to consider. Equally, openness to how the transcendent dimension of human life and learning is present in the world of science is beautifully demonstrated in chapter five and its exploration of the intersection between the lives of Edwin Schrodinger and John Synge, the scientist and the artist. Another reflection that I found particularly interesting was the last chapter on Evolution and Incarnation. Here we have a necessary and thought provoking reflection on the need to revisit the core Christian doctrine of the redemption. This is done in a way that both respects the theological tradition (especially the Franciscan one!) and welcomes the new insights that derive from the theological method of Teilhard de Chardin.The insights shared in this book will engage and encourage anyone interested in the key questions raised by the relationship between faith and science today."
Sean Goan, Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Dublin, 2018
"With the rise of fundamentalism internationally, and the displacement of dialogue and debate by emotive assertion in both the worlds of religion and politics, this is a timely book. It is a reminder that belief can be informed and result from an intellectual interrogation of the mystery of things as much as from simple acceptance of unexamined precepts. In a world where the denier has assumed a pre-eminent role and expertise is derided when it conflicts with cherished objectives, `Mystery and the Culture of Science: Personal Insights for the 21st Century’ shows us what can be when faith and science rhyme. It makes clear that there is no necessary conflict between either but, rather, how each can illuminate and enhance the other. For that to happen now, however, the polar opposites of today’s world must be open to one another. Perhaps that is the greatest challenge faced by the authors of this book – how, in an increasingly separated world, do they convince those opposites that the via media is preferable and that an examined truth is more secure than an unchallenged certainty."
Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times, 2018
"This book sets out to explore issues which have been off limits for theologians and canon lawyers. The authors have done a great service in furthering the debate as to how science and religion can illuminate each other and be reconciled."
Professor Kieran Taaffe, Emeritus Dean of International Affairs at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), 2018
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