447 - Science and Religion

Science and Religion
By Harold K. Schilling
272 pp. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1962. $4.50.

The heart tends to sink at the prospect of reading yet another book on the subject of science and religion. Fears be-in to diminish, however, when it is discovered that the author is a working scientist, who is at the same time a practising and well informed Christian. Positive excitement is aroused when it turns out that this scientist is not only widely read theologically, but also highly sophisticated philosophically. Dr. Schilling takes his place among the small group of people like Coulson, Polanyi, Pollard, and de Chardin, who are both scientists and theologians.

The thesis of this book is that "the foundations of religion and science are identical to a large extent" (p. 209). This identity is concealed and

448 - Science and Religion

conflict engendered by the prevalence of false stereotypes on both sides. The stereotype of science is based on the notion that the scientific method is a kind of logic-machine, which receives data and grinds out infallible truths in the form of scientific theories. The stereotype of religion regards revelation as the divine communication of supernatural information in the form of theological doctrines. The stereotyped conclusion is that the knowledge derived from science and the information received from God are incompatible.

Against the stereotype of science, Schilling argues that there is no one scientific method in the usual sense. Science is simply a special application of intelligence in general, and its distinguishing features are derived from its subject matter rather than from its method. Against the stereotype of religion, it is pointed out that, in most current theology, revelation refers to certain central events that have occurred in the history of certain communities. Through these events the community comes to know God, and on the basis of this knowledge works out its characteristic beliefs and doctrines. Dr. Schilling then proceeds to draw certain parallels between the procedures of science and religion. The most important of the alleged similarities is in the realm of knowledge.

Science is, first of all, empirical and descriptive, gathering data by observation and experiment. Secondly, it is theoretical, producing symbolic structures which have the function of correlating concepts and generating predictions. Thirdly, it applies its theories in the transformation of the environment. The three steps are, of course, interacting: Theory not only issues out of observation, but in turn influences and guides experimentation; further, theory both indicates applications, and is in turn enriched by the struggle with new problems that emerge in practice. Religion has the same three components. Theology belongs to the level of theory, interpreting and explaining the events and experience which are basic in the community. The resulting doctrines are applied in the ethics and the social action of the community. At the same time, "applied religion" and the continuing life of the community have a reciprocal effect on the development of theology.

The author next deals with the question of truth-claims. He suggests that, in science, truth is claimed only for the empirical and descriptive reports, and not for the theoretical constructions. Since the function of theory is correlation of concepts and prediction of new phenomena, any given theory should be described as more or less useful and fertile rather than as true or false. Similarly, religion operates on two levels, one empirical or existential, and the other interpretive and explanatory. The former gives rise to permanent and unchanging insights, while the latter consists of symbolic structures and systems which undergo repeated modifications and developments.

449 - Science and Religion

Dr. Schilling goes on to discuss various problems, such as creeds, verification, miracles, and myth. He concludes with some words about the future, pointing out that development in science will continue to pose problems which theology must take seriously. What is needed above all is openness on both sides, so that scientists will be ready to admit that the "nothing-but" picture of nature as a closed self-explantory system is inadequate, while theologians will be similarly ready to discard a "nothing-but" concept of God analyzed in traditional symbols, and to move out freely towards "God above God."

This book is an important and original contribution to a subject which has been widely explored in the last hundred years, but which continues to provide the crucial unresolved, intellectual issues of our time.

D. R. G. Owen
Trinity College,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada