1999 statement from the National Academy of Sciences: "Scientists, like many others, are touched with awe at the order and complexity of nature. Indeed, many scientists are deeply religious. But science and religion occupy two separate realms of human experience. Demanding that they be combined detracts from the glory of each." - Stephen Mack from Bookmarklet

Never the twain shall meet? - Stephen Mack

I'm more swayed by the arguments in the Criticism section, though, especially Susan Jacoby's. - Stephen Mack

Yeah, there's a bit of fallacy in that quote (that can be found here: http://ff.im/Nz4Pk). Science and religion are apposite they quite hardly ever meet & if they do, it's no longer science, unless what's that search for the god molecule deal with physics now? That's different though - sofarsoShawn <right here>

There's an interface between the two realms, but I agree with the idea that you can't really use religion to answer questions that can be answered with empiricism, and you can't really use science to answer moral or ethical questions. - Victor Ganata

I am not impressed with the NOMA. It would be nice if religion wouldn't interfere with science, but I don't agree that morals should belong to the magisterium of religion. - Eivind

OTOH, most human beings are interested in both how the way the universe works, and the way we should treat each other, so there's always going to be some overlap. - Victor Ganata

Agreed, organized religion shouldn't have a monopoly on ethics and morality. But I don't think you can devise humane systems of ethics and morality from observation and experiment. - Victor Ganata

It seems like a compromise, but I don't think compromise is a dirty word. While I personally am an atheist, I enjoy discussing theism and do my best to be respectful of the beliefs of theists. NOMA seems like an interesting model for peaceful coexistence. - Stephen Mack

You can analyze it and describe it, Victor, but it is not something that you can implement in a society (on a short time scale anyway). It is an organic part of the culture that evolves and transfers memes with bordering cultures, but it is not well suited for domestication and directed breeding :) - Eivind

Ah, Shawn, I missed your November post when you originally posted it. But even if oil and water don't mix, both oil and water are important parts of the human experience. - Stephen Mack

what Eivinder said ^ (now two comments above) just beause you don't believe in a god, doesn't mean you're an evil person or bad person (it seems to be quite otherwise) Morals and ethics, can be sought and further understood outside the realm of dogma and "thou shalt not. - sofarsoShawn <right here>

^ agreed, but that's sort of an aside from the topic at hand - sofarsoShawn <right here>

Oil and water do mix though, in an emulsion, you just have to shake them together really hard and add stabilization agents. - Todd Hoff

Religion and science do mix though, in reality, you just have to bang your heads together really hard and add stabilization agents. - Stephen Mack

Western civilization is an emulsion :) Sometimes it separates out and you have to shake it up again. - Victor Ganata

Honestly, while I don't know how I feel about the concept, I must say I do love the elegance and poetry of Stephen Jay Gould's words, and I really just love the phrase "non-overlapping magisteria." - Stephen Mack