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December 3, 1954

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

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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

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

In considering Judaism and science, past relationships show that religion’s attitude towards science was mostly friendly in Judaism, unlike the often negative and oppressive stance of the Catholic Church in conflicts such as those over Copernicus and Darwin. The Talmud says “Ki hi chochmatchem u’vinatchem le’einei ha’goyim – tekufot u’mazalot,” Rav (Abba Arikha) studied animal anatomy for 13 years, Shmuel (Yarchinai) studied astronomy, medicine, and performed autopsies, Maimonides pursued medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and physics, Yehuda HaLevi practiced medicine, and the Vilna Gaon studied mathematics. In the 19th century, science’s attitude towards religion was often foolishly anti-religious, rooted in a mechanistic philosophy, but with the maturity of science most great scientists became devout religionists; Bertrand Russell was the last of the great scientific atheists, and even he now writes differently. Conflicts are usually aggravated by people who know little about science and less about religion, though three major fields of irritation are geology (earth millions of years old versus Jewish tradition’s 5713 years), evolution (common descent versus separate creation), and determinism (predictability versus free will). Some say religion and science have nothing to do with each other – religion deals with spirit and the supernatural, science with matter and the natural – but Judaism cannot accept this since it is this-worldly and halakhah addresses man’s relation to his natural environment (e.g., kiddush ha’chodesh, kashrut). Others claim religion and science are in mortal conflict and one must choose – equally un-Jewish, since Jews have always believed in harmony between reason and revelation, fact and faith, as in Maimonides’ harmony between natural science and the Bible. The acceptable approach is that religion and science have different functions but overlap – scientific advancement affects man’s welfare and spiritual status, discoveries testify to an…
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Lecture on Science and Judaism to be Delivered at Friday Night Forum, Young Israel of West Side (1950)

The success of my talk to you this evening is based on two things: the length of my mmemory and the shortness of yours. You see, after I had already notified your chairman that the topic of my talk would be, "Science and Judaism," or something of the sort, I remembered that about two years ago I addressed your Collegiate Group on this very topic, and by this time it was already too late to speak about something else since it usually takes me more than two weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. However, I know very well that those of you who heard me then have conveniently forgotten the bill of goods I was peddling and, besides, I believe that I really have something new to tell you. Since then many of thetheories I expounded have materialised into practical affairs.The border between Sc and Re has been pictured as a very tight one, and an adventure in the understanding of their relations to each other is as bad as walking on a tight rope; you take the risk of falling, on one side, into the biting witticisms of cynical scientists and, on the other side, into the pious rebukes hurled at you by self-proclaimed indignant Protectors of the Faith.So, if for no other reason than that of a risky adventure, we should find it interesting to know something of what is going on in this twin-planet of Sc & Re.True, we may be getting into hot water, but I believe in occasionally gettinginto’ hot water - it keeps you clean.^8^‘**^5*1 5^^י^■ ^^hi*־M — י-'I- The Speculative Conflicts. Copernicus, Galileo opposed by ChurchA Darwin and j[,־w . ^ a^ fo(u»1« ^*di^j ^^ ^״ajxvu • -4»111ץgeology by Jews too^ Long history polemics. Neither side clear in details whichis most important. In fundamentals, can be no conflict. Reply from religiousside ranges from stubborn denial to move one inch, though giving more figurativeinterpretation to certain parts Bible not against Judaism - Maimonides, others.Others marked by complete submission to utterance of any scientist regardless reliabilit…
Torah & Science