Religion, Science and Naturalism

This book considers the consequences of the natural sciences (physics, biology, neurosciences) for our view of the world. Drees argues that higher, more complex levels of reality, such as religion and morality, are to be viewed as natural phenomena and have their own concepts and explanations, even though all elements of reality are constituted by the same kinds of matter (ontological naturalism). Religion and morality are to be understood as rooted in our evolutionary past and our neurophysiological constitution. This book takes a more radical naturalist position than most on religion and science. However, religion is not dismissed: religious traditions remain important as bodies of wisdom and vision, and the naturalist view of the world does not exclude a sense of wonder and awe, since at the limits of science questions about the existence of natural reality persist. As well as defending a particular position, Drees also includes a survey and classification of discussions on science and religion and a substantial introduction to contemporary studies on the history of science in its relation to religion.