Reconstructing Nature: The Engagement of Science and Religion

by John; Cantor Brooke

This book, first published in the U.K. by T&T Clark, expands on the authors' prestigious Glasgow Gifford Lectures of 1995-6. Brooke and Cantor herein examine the many different ways in which the relationship between science and religion has been presented throughout history. They contend that, in fact, neither science nor religion is reducible to some timeless "essence" -- and they deftly criticize the various master-narratives that have been put forward in support of such "essentialist" theses.

Genres: History, Religion, Science, Nonfiction, History Of Science

Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Joseph Sverker]

This is a book I think anyone interesting in the relation between religion and science should read, or at least the first 6-7 chapters. It shows how easy it is to be blinded by the polemics from both sides. Atheists have misrepresented the Galileo trial and there was far much more politics to it than what is admitted by many accounts. This is certainly convincingly argued by Brooke and Cantor. As such there are many points of learning to take with you from here. Having said that I find the last chapters of the book rather uninteresting and somewhat uninspiring. There is a focus on the rhetoric and aesthetic of the scientists and further a rather unjustified focus on chemistry and biology. They are trying to argue for why they included this in the book, but it feels more like they have already written something about this and now they want to include it in the book.