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May 5, 1953

Judaism and Science: A Review of Their Relationships (1953)

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Fourth Lecture, Judaism and Science: From Modern Science to Ancient Judaism (1954)

Perhaps the clearest and most concise way to illustrate the extent to which modern science agrees in its tendencies and conclusions with the ancient – yet ever-young – ideals of Judaism is to draw a sharp distinction between the science of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and that of today. The difference is tremendous – they represent two completely different states of mind. It is a startling and gratifying change – though many who think themselves “up-to-date” are, in fact, still 50 years behind the times.What the 19th-Century State of Mind WasIt was characterized by a near-religious belief in optimism and progress – the idea that science’s accomplishments would be unlimited, and that, given enough time and patience, man would force nature to reveal all her secrets. Science evolved from policy to creed, from method to faith. It was no longer science – it was scientism. Consider five features of this scientism:A. Science as a Way of Life Science, like religion, was expected to guide every aspect of human life – ethics, morals, behavior, and even thought. It monopolized every waking moment. In becoming so all-encompassing, it ceased to be science and became a faith – scientism. (See the parody “A Modern Version of the 23rd Psalm.”)B. The Promise of Redemption Science claimed it would solve not only disease and discomfort, but also psychological and spiritual ills. A “Science of Man” emerged, promising to condition future generations into moral and democratic beings – all through science. This was clearly a religious claim.C. A Priesthood The scientist became a priest – cold, rational, and infallible – the sole possessor of truth. The public invested scientists with a quasi-divine authority, making them the priestly class of modernity.D. Certainty There was no room for doubt. Once science declared a principle, it became dogma – matter could be destroyed, the sun was the center, atoms contained three particles. These were no longer theories – they were certain…
Torah & Science

Note

Science and Religion

I. Areas of Conflict; (A) Usual. Evolution vs. Creation; age of earth, etc.; (B) More Important: Freedom vs Determinism, also Providence (Divine Freedom); II. Methodology. Three Approaches.; (A) (Thomas Hobbes; see Randall, "The Role of Knowledge in Western Religion," 1959): Religion does not deal with knowledge, fact, quantity; it concerns only the poetic, symbolic, mythological. Its aim is for insight, morality, action, not knowledge of the world. It has nothing to do with "truth" in the scientific interpretation of the word.B. (Medieval world, Spinoza, Hegel): Religion and science cover the same field, deal with same subject matter. They are therefore either competitors from which we must choose one (Medieval Church, devotees of Scientism); or they are identical, the conflicts only apparent and due to ignorance, hence must strive to reconcile (Medieval Scholasticism, Saadia, Maimonides, etc. So, Spinoza, Hegel).C. (Kant, Schleiermacher, others): They have essentially different functions, but they overlap. Science deals primarily with quantifiable phenomena and the factual; religion is "transcendental reason," more esthetic than factual, deals with value judgments.III. A Jewish Attitude. Criticism of Above.A. Division too rigid, classification too neat. Requires a double standard of truth, essentially dualistic. Its religion must be completely out-of-this-world, which is impossible for Halakhah which is so strongly this-world oriented. Also, it reduces science to technology. Conant makes the point that scientists frequently must make ethical choices.B. Irreconcilability is un-Jewish. *Ki hi chokhmat’khem u-binat’khem l’einei ha-goyim* was interpreted by Sages to mean astronomy, mathematics. Bruno Kisch on *ve'kivshuha* as a commandment to pursue science as method of conquering Nature. Also, irreconcilability sets up science as an independent quasi-religion. Earmarks of "Scientism": a way of life; redemptive ("science" will bring utopia); a priesthood (of Ph.D.s);…
Torah & Science

Outline

Third Lecture on Judaism and Science: Towards a Resolution of some of the Conflicts (1954)

Introduction. Our attempt, this week, to resolve specific conflicts between Religion and Science is predicated on our opinion, explained last Friday Night, that both have separate functions in life, althoughthey overlap. In this area of overlapping there are certain conflicts. Whether or not we can resolve them, now or ever, the fact remains that both Religion and Science entail inherent and eternal truths, and neither will stand or fall by these conflicts. It is in this spirit, and in the knowledge that Torah is true and that all it maintains is true, that we proceed to the factual discussion!Evolution vs Creation.a: The Bible and Creation. The Universe was created by G-d, at His command, and was created ex nihilo. G-d created living as well as inorganic matter. Vegetable, animal life and human beings were created in fixed species ("le’mineihu").b: Biology and Evolution. There is no one theory of evolution. There are many, but fall mainly into three classes: Lamarckian, Darwinian, and Mutation theory. Will explain in more detail later.Essentially, almost all theories of Evolution maintain these principles:1) Living forms as they now exist in their many species were not always thus.2) Life is constantly evolving, and the direction is from simpler to more complex and higher forms.3) Species, as we know them, are not fixed. ALL forms of life that we know have a common origin (the "Origin of Species"). Life began on this world with a unicellular germ. Then, by one way or another, and over millions of years, several lines of descent gave rise to our present species, including Man. The method of evolution is, according to one school (Lamarck), by the organism adapting itself to its environment, thus gaining new skills and new physical features while losing some others (give giraffe example), and insists upon the inheritance of acquired characteristics. According to a second school (Darwin), there is always a "struugle for survival", and there results a "survival of the …
Torah & Science