Five Discourses of Bible and Science 1750–2000

Abstract

Today the old conflict thesis about science and religion – the contention that the two necessarily clash – has largely been abandoned in favor of a complexity thesis that argues for a variety of different “encounters”. Yet much conflict did and does exist over the issue of science and religion; if not between these two, however, where then? Here the argument is put forward that from 1750 till today strife primarily has been located between different discourses of Bible and science, each conducted by a distinct socio-political group to which both religious believers and scientific experts belong. Five such discourses are identified on the basis of contrasting views of the Bible, namely that it (1) is a guidebook of science, (2) is adjustable to scientific discoveries, (3) has nothing to do with science, (4) complements science, and (5) contains much anti-scientific nonsense.