ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT SLC'S?
This week's questions ….
How does science add perspective the big inquiry question our project is asking?
How do religion and other forms of spirituality give meaning and purpose to human life?
Are religion and science compatible or at odds?
Starter 3.9: (UNMUTE OR WRITE IN CHAT): What was something that struck you about Steve's talk yesterday that feels relevant to our project? OR What perspective on our questions does astronomy add for you?
Are religion and science compatible or at odds?
- What do religion and science have in common?
- Where is the tension between them?
- Do you buy into the idea from the "Meaning of Life in a Formula" reading of the "Non-overlapping magisteria" (NOMA)?
Stephen Jay Gould's "NOMA" Non-overlapping Magisteria
(OPTIONAL EXTENSION) Read Gould's original article (linked) for more depth of information!
(From Wikikpedia) Non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA) is the view advocated by Stephen Jay Gould that science and religion each represent different areas of inquiry, fact vs. values, so there is a difference between the "nets" [1] over which they have "a legitimate magisterium, or domain of teaching authority," and the two domains do not overlap.[2] He suggests, with examples, that "NOMA enjoys strong and fully explicit support, even from the primary cultural stereotypes of hard-line traditionalism" and that it is "a sound position of general consensus, established by long struggle among people of goodwill in both magisteria."[1] Still, there continues to be disagreement over where the boundaries between the two magisteria should be.[3]
Quote from Gould: "Our failure to discern a universal good does not record any lack of insight or ingenuity, but merely demonstrates that nature contains no moral messages framed in human terms. Morality is a subject for philosophers, theologians, students of the humanities, indeed for all thinking people. The answers will not be read passively from nature; they do not, and cannot, arise from the data of science. The factual state of the world does not teach us how we, with our powers for good and evil, should alter or preserve it in the most ethical manner"
JOURNAL #14:
a. Are religion and science compatible? Can they work together to illuminate meaning in our lives? Or do they contradict each other?
b. What role does science play in your own personal search for meaning?
c. (OPTIONAL) React to Gould's ideas in the optional reading.
PLEASE WATCH THIS TED TALK BEFORE CLASS ON THURSDAY:
Watch Rick Warren's TED Talk"A Life of Purpose"
THINK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS:
THINK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS:
- How does his faith give him purpose?
- Are his arguments convincing?
- Even if you are not religious, what can we learn from his example?
JOURNAL #15 (DUE THURSDAY)
a. How do religion and other forms of spirituality give meaning and purpose to human life? Use evidence from Rick Warren's TED Talk and/or your personal experiences and observations.
b. What role do religion and spirituality play in your own personal search for meaning?