Religion Vs Science

[Infested Cats]

A looking for a good book that covers the topic.... preferably one that favors science.

Perhaps also something that can be understood by the common person.

Any suggestions?

[MagicNakor]

There are quite a few books on that topic, IC. ;) I'm trying to think of one that's not a difficult or dry read, but the only one that's coming to my work-addled mind is Illusions by Bach. Maybe when I'm safely back home I'll be able to look at my bookshelf.

:ninja:

[99shassan]

Why do you qwant a book that is in favour of science? hy not try to hunt down a book that ISN'T BIASED ;) , I bet you are going to post an arrgument on another forums with the datta from that book right?

[Barbarossa]

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking is worth a read...

[Randomblonde]

I'm going to go for the blatantly obvious one which hasn't been mentioned yet.

ANGELS AND DEMONS by Dan Brown.

THE DA VINCI CODE also by Dan Brown is more history as opposed to science, but its still there.

[guit_steel]

Originally posted by Randomblonde@15 July 2004 - 05:58
I'm going to go for the blatantly obvious one which hasn't been mentioned yet.

ANGELS AND DEMONS by Dan Brown.

THE DA VINCI CODE also by Dan Brown is more history as opposed to science, but its still there.
Ummmm......I think he was looking for Non-Fiction, not Fiction. :P

A good place to start is Thomas Kuhn's, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions". This recommendation comes with the caveat that you are looking for knowledge and are open to the possiblity that you may be wrong in your assumption that there has to be a conflict between religion and science. If you're only trying to win an argument, as 99shassan suggests, then this probably isn't for you.

[TheNobleEU]

If you want to get a modern coverage of the science vs religion debate, I'd recommend you check out the archive for the usenet group talk.origins.

This is a newsgroup for the scientific discussion of human and primate evolutionary biology (which frequently wanders into other classic religion/urban fiction vs. hard science debates -- eg, the age of the Earth, astrophysics, etc.)

There are multiple FAQs on these subjects, as well as basic commentaries on why religion cannot function as a methodology. You'll find a lot there on use of logic, argumentation, and modern scientific method. Highly recommended and enjoyable reading. It provides endless examples of pseudo-scientific, religious condemnations of science and then proceeds to trounce them thoroughly.

http://www.talkorigins.org/

EG:

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-god.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/interpretations.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-creationists.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/credentials.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution-fact.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-intro-to-biology.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolphil.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/punc-eq.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-misconceptions.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-age-of-earth.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-youngearth.html

etc. etc.

When you're done these, there is heavy traffic daily on the actual newsgroup.

Cheers, be prepared to lose sleep,
-EU