Chapter 41 Modern Science and its Implications

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Chapter 41Modern Science and its Implications
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Science is Changing

• Science became overwhelming worldview
• Western universities science became more
  specialized
• Scientific research got bigger budgets
• Educated public believed in science
• Biology
• Darwin and The Origin of Species
• Natural selection slow evolution of all species
  from unknown ancestors
• Mechanical explanation of variety in nature,
  evolution
• Eliminated role of God, or intelligent Creator
• Darwin and The Descent of Man
• Included humans in evolution model, conscience as
  survival mechanism
• Did not explain why natural selection happened
• Mendel did that worked out principles of modern
  genetics

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Physics

• Mach
• Showed it was impossible to apply philosophy to
  physical matter
• Substituted probability for Newtonian law
• Roentgen
• Discovered x-rays
• Gave rise to experimentation in subatomic
  particles by Rutherford, Curie
• Planck
• Quantum theory, revolutionized study of energy
• Explained contradictory data about motion of
  subatomic particles
• Einstein
• Insisted that space and time form a continuum
• Saw time as fourth dimension of space
• General Theory of Relativity

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Changes in Science

• What differences from Newtonian physics?
• Uncertainty
• Relativity
• Interchangeability of matter and energy
• Scientists and laypeople
• Discoveries made modern physics incomprehensible
  to most people
• Widened gap between scientist and educated
  layperson
• This became problem scientists and politicians
  dont understand each other or communicate well

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Astronomy

• Mostly technological advances telescopes, radio
  devices, space vehicles
• We know much more about universe than before
• Debate over origin, future of universe Big Bang
  Theory
• Creationists argue for Christian tradition of a
  Creator

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Social Sciences and Psychology

• Social sciences have human beings as subjects
• Psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics,
  political science
• Strongly affected by physical sciences
• Psychology
• Has become important branch of medicine
• Sigmund Freud founded psychoanalysis
• Believed unconscious controls mental state
• Rejected principle of rationality
• Childhood events are root of mental problems
• Carl Jung
• Early collaborator with Freud, founded his own
  school
• Emphasized religious symbolism, archetypes
• Pavlov founder of behaviorism
• Rewards/ punishments can control behavior
• James and Skinner carried ideas further

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Anthropology

• Treats humans as species rather than individuals
• Indirect product of Darwins biology
• Two varieties physical and cultural
• Paleoanthropology has helped explain early Man

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Sociology

• Compte and The Positive Philosophy
• Laws of social behavior are just as knowable as
  those of physical behavior
• Positivism only empirical, measurable data are
  reliable
• Particularly appealing to Americans society can
  be changed by conscious human intervention
• Spencer and Social Darwinism
• Ethics are evolutionary, competition is force fo
  social progress
• Fittest will survive
• Powerful have used it to justify their power
• Was a fashionable pseudo-philosophy

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Malaise of 20th Century Society

• Psychology and physics contributed to insecurity,
  uncertainty
• Traditional knowledge seen as insufficient,
  authority as incompetent
• Cultural relativism
• European idea that whatever European should be
  standard for rest of the world
• Today, much more acceptance that there are many
  ways to solve generic tasks
• General abandonment today of traditional
  ethnocentrism

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Churches under Attack

• From intellectuals, liberals, Marxists
• Substantial effect on tithing, respect of clergy,
  attendance
• Positivism was part of attack
• Church got out of education
• Religious belief no longer allowed as
  qualification for voting, holding office etc
• Secularism was taken for granted as wave of the
  future

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Christian Revival

• Churches working for renewal
• Fundamentalism strengthening in US, England
• Germany Bismark attacked church in his
  Kulturkampf, but it emerged stronger than ever
• Rerum novarum
• Pope supported social justice for workers, poor
• Denounced atheistic socialism
• Gave Catholics guidelines for more liberal order
• World War I hit all organized religions hard
• Clergy denounced as pawns of government
• Minority saw war as result of godless
  progressivism
• Limited revival in 1920s

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Discussion Questions

• Darwins theories of evolution and the survival
  of the fittest were vigorously rejected by
  organized religion, in much the same way that
  Copernicus and Galileo were attacked. Why? What
  was it about these ideas which threatened
  Christian teachings? (There is likely more than
  one reason.) In time, the astronomical theories
  were accepted by the Church, but Darwins
  concepts remain rejected by some denominations.
  Why have they not been accepted? Is it only a
  matter of time until they will be?
• The rise of the social sciences came in the last
  half of the 19th century, focusing on human
  societies and behavior. History is generally not
  included as a social science, but rather as a
  branch of the humanities. Why? What is it about
  history per se which makes it not a social
  science? Is it better described as a social
  science or humanities discipline? Why?