God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion

by: Victor J. Stenger List Price: $20.00 Amazon.com's Price: $13.66 You Save: $6.34 (32%) as of 05/22/2013 11:03 EDT Used Price: $5.89 Third Party New Price: $8.36 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Used Price: $5.89 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Binding: Paperback EAN: 9781616145996 Edition: Original ISBN: 1616145994 Item Dimensions: 0000 Label: Prometheus Books Languages: EnglishUnknownEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishPublished Manufacturer: Prometheus Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 408 Publication Date: April 24, 2012 Publisher: Prometheus Books Release Date: April 24, 2012 Studio: Prometheus Books Related Items: The God Virus: How religion infects our lives and culture God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism see more Editorial Review: Product Description: It has become the prevalent view among sociologists, historians, and some theistic scientists that religion and science have never been in serious conflict. Some even claim that Christianity was responsible for the development of science. In God and the Folly of Faith, physicist Victor J. Stenger shows that this conclusion flies in the face of the historical facts. In a sweeping historical survey that begins with ancient Greek science and proceeds through the Renaissance and Enlightenment to contemporary advances in physics and cosmology, Stenger makes a convincing case that Christianity held back the progress of science for one thousand years. It is significant, he notes, that the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century occurred only after the revolts against established ecclesiastic authorities in the Renaissance and Reformation opened up new avenues of thought. The author goes on to detail how religion and science are fundamentally incompatible in several areas: the origin of the universe and its physical parameters, the origin of complexity, holism versus reductionism, the nature of mind and consciousness, and the source of morality. In the end, Stenger is most troubled by the negative influence that organized religion often exerts on politics and society. He points out antiscientific attitudes embedded in popular religion that are being used to suppress scientific results on issues of global importance, such as overpopulation and environmental degradation. When religion fosters disrespect for science, it threatens the generations of humanity that will follow ours. This thorough and hard-hitting critique is must reading for anyone interested in the interaction between religion and science. Customer Reviews Average Rating: none Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display blog comments powered by Disqus Safe checkout through Amazon.com ©2007-2010 NowUSave.com