Does the Higgs Boson Discovery Resolve the Religion-Science Debate? [View all]

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Posted: 07/06/2012 10:36 am
Philip Clayton, Ph.D.
Provost, Claremont Lincoln University and Dean of Claremont School of Theology

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In the huge hype that has broken out over the last few days, you can see the whole pattern of religion-science discussions in microcosm:

1. Scientists make an important discovery. They are exuberant -- and rightfully so: people work a lifetime for moments like this.

2. Scientists start saying big things about where this takes science. The first comments are about breakthroughs in particle physics. But as the champagne kicks in, you start to hear slurry-tongued statements about how the Higgs search shows the superiority of physics over all other forms of knowledge.

3. Then the pundits step in. "No," says the one group, "the God-particle reminds us that creation is ultimately in the hands of God; we will never overcome the fundamental mystery of our origins." "Wrong," retorts the other group, "this week represents the triumph of humanism. There is absolutely no need for God in the age of science."

4. All hell breaks lose. "There's no God (damn) particle," writes Tony Phillips. "The Higgs boson is another nail in the coffin of religion," expounds Oxford's Peter Atkins on BBC. "Will the Higgs boson give rise to a new religion, a new god?" asks the Hindustan Times.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-clayton-phd/relationship-between-scie_b_1653976.html