SCIENCE AND RELIGION

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 779, 25 June 1954, Page 5

SCIENCE AND RELIGION

Sir,-It would appear that your correspondent P. Campbell approaches science from the mystical viewpoint-now decidedly outmoded-of the 19th Century. The hydrogen bomb has successfully disposed of the last vestiges of this childish (in the immature sense) conception of the universe. It is now obviously suicidal to ask science to answer the problems which beset us and if, as Mr. Campbell holds, this fact-finding branch of knowledge is conducting God to its frontiers, we can reasonably ask it to replace God with something better than the threat of material nihilism. Mr. Campbell contends that irrationality has a right of place in religion. He should be careful with his terms. Does he mean by religion Christianity or is it his intention to include Buddhism, Polynesian mythology, Shintoism and all the other manifestations of man’s endeavours to comprehend the mystery of the universe? Further, is science so very rational in itself? It is so when it is dealing with the facts of the relationships and content of matter-which is its proper province-but it is certainly not rational when it deduces theories from these facts. I am assuming, of course, that your correspondent is taking rationality as intellectual certitude, and I am not arguing that science has no right to deduce these theories, but that science has its irrational side also, a point very often overlooked. A collection of facts point to, say, the kinetic theory of gases and scientists believe that gases consist of perfectly elastic particles. But can we see these particles? Mr. Campbell presumably argues that religion is irrational because theologians cannot produce a mathematical description of God’s attributes. The argument I hope is clear. Finally, I cannot see how there can be any validity in the statement that as the majority of scientists, teachers, etc., are sceptics, then religion is disproved. To me there is simply no relationship between, say, a knowledge of palaeontology and belief in God. One could equally argue that a knowledge of plumbing should lead to God.

A.A.

N.

. (Wellington).