# History of Science & Religion

Primary Source: [Peter Harrison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Harrison_(historian)) (see [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gzuqKVK2JY), for more info)
Secondary Source: [Steven Matthews](https://amzn.to/3fRcKaT)

### Central claims

- Science is a human universal, that shows up in many cultures and times
- *Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Greece, China...*
- "The Scientific Revolution" is the moment science became seen as society's **Most Important Institution**
- This esteem allowed science to
- harness vast resources without much to show for it
- pursue research over 300+ years
- *eventually* reach transformative breakthroughs in physics that give us unprecedented insights and powers today
- (which we use for both good and evil)
- The unique thing about the Scientific Revolution is that it kept going
- The Scientific Revolution was not about a singular genius, but about the creation of institutions that kept science going
- The idea that Science was society's **Most Important Institution** arose from a particular set of theological arguments
- High Anthropology (humanity is greater than we think)
- Low Anthropology (humanity has fallen farther than we think)
- Science itself is a God-given liturgy (or method) which helps us rectify the Fall

### Where did these theological arguments come from?

- Printing Press (1452) helped fuel theological debate.
- Fall of Constantinople (1453) brought "lost" Greek works back into West. This brought about a revival of Patristic Theology, with its high view of human potential. This influenced the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation (1517), and the English Reformation (1534).
- Debate on human nature heated up
- Catholic/Aristotelian philosophy held a high view of human reason
- Calvinism developed a "totally corrupt" view of human reason
- Francis Bacon (-1626) developed a "middle way" theology, which married the high view of human potential, with a low view of human reason. The failures of human reason could be addressed by Experiment.
- Debate on liturgy heated up
- English Reformation (1534) brought about debate between Puritans and "High Anglicans" about the nature of liturgy and sacrament.
- Puritans argued we should "restore the New Testament church"
- Anglicans argued we should maintain high liturgy and ecclesiastical structure
- Because Anglicans could not lean on the authority of Rome, they developed the argument that **humans could use reason to discover appropriate liturgy and institutions that would be blessed by God.**
- The outcome is a unique theology which is neither Calvinist nor Catholic, in which humanity is greater than we think, has fallen farther than we think, but can rectify this situation by discovering God-ordained methods such as Experiment.
- Early science is explicitly identified as continuing the work of the English Reformation
- Francis Bacon, Great Instauration (1620)
- Thomas Sprat, History of the Royal Society (1667)