Beyond the Territories of Science and Religion

Abstract

The conflict thesis, the idea that science and religion compete for the same territory, that science is the modern religion par excellence, or that theology is not just queen but sole authoritative source for the sciences, remains prominent in education as in the public realm. But this view typically rests on mistaken assumptions about the nature of both science and religion. What we call religion and science in the modern era, and specifically since the mid-nineteenth century, are best understood as social practices that require the virtues for their perfection. This chapter seeks to move the conversation about religion and science forward, beyond the significant work of both Ian Barbour and Peter Harrison and beyond territorial metaphors, by suggesting that the virtues that perfect practitioners of religion and science are crucial for helping modern agents make a home of the world we inhabit.