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Flat Earths and Fake Footnotes: The Strange Tale of How the Conflict of Science and Christianity Was Written Into History
We are all haunted by histories. They shape our presuppositions and ballast our judgments. In terms of science and religion this means most of us walk about haunted by rumors of a long war. However, there is no such thing as the "history of the conflict of science and Christianity," and this is a book about it. In the last half of the twentieth century a sea change in the history of science and religion occurred, revealing not only that the perception of protracted warfare between religion and science was a curious set of mythologies that had been combined together into a sort of supermyth in need of debunking. It was also seen that this collective mythology arose in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by historians involved in many sides of the debates over Darwin's discoveries, and from there latched onto the public imagination at large. Flat Earths and Fake Footnotes takes the reader on a journey showing how these myths were constructed, collected together, and eventually debunked. Join us for a story of flat earths and fake footnotes, to uncover the strange tale of how the conflict of science and Christianity was written into history.
477 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 29, 2021
So the whole conflict between science and religion is a fake. Pranked! Ha!
There's so much to say, but I think this book can be summed up in the words of Ecclesiastes:
"There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. Then I said:
Wisdom is better than strength.
Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard.
Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But one sinner destroys much good.” (Eccles. 9:14-18)
This book is a story about how the shouts of megalomania and narcissistic smugness defeated the wisdom of centuries, for a time. The title, Flat Earths and Fake Footnotes is the story of how the warfare of science and religion was fabricated in the 1800s. The Flat Earth is a great example: nobody believed it, and the footnotes that historians used had, in some cases, no real references. In better cases, the footnotes might refer to a source, but the young field of historiography would often take their historical sources out of context, and they would often see only what they wanted to see.
I have rarely been more convicted concerning my own opinions. I love history. I love diagnosing problems from the wider view of what I know happened over thousands of thousands of years. I love to go back and relish the romance of historical moments such as the Reformation or the founding of America or World War I or any number of moments. The problem is that history is always constructed. To tell the story of what happened, you need to sort out your evidence, and this is both a task that involves a lot of human error and a lot of selective vision. Again, to belabor the point, we only see in history what we want to see. So it's cool when a book like this corrects your vision.
I also used to worry about how technology and "science" seemed to increase simultaneous to the decline of religion. The great thing about books like this is that they show you that not only did technology and science thrive in Christian societies, but the rise of technology is not nearly as stark as I thought. The Middle Ages did in fact have a lot of great scientific reflection, and their ... And a lot of the so-called superstition, witch-burning, and ignorance of the middle ages was in fact made up. Again, there are many fake footnotes.
One of the best things about this book is that it shows you that much of the denigration of the Middle Ages is not the result of out-and-out atheists trying to destroy religion. These attacks have existed since Protestants attacked Catholics, and some of the most potent attacks in the 1900s were the results of liberal Christians trying to purify Christianity, of scientists trying to expel theology (and the clergy) from their field, and of all sorts of local controversies that were later re-contextualized. If it seems like secularism is a wave that has been crashing into us, it's because the atheists have been able to ride it through public opinion and the media. You don't end up hating atheists or even the people who wrote so many lies. Indeed, many of these men had laudable goals, but they were blinded by their enlightenment thinking. They really thought they had come out of nowhere and were going to create utopia.
Another odd thing that I used to worry about more was how Christianity got so bad in the Middle Ages: justification by faith seems to have been deeply compromised in this period and there was so much superstition and violence that I wonder what happened to the Church. Well, books like this show you that we know less than we thought we knew. God is faithful in all times and in all places, and so we can be sure that at every moment God has left witnesses to Himself and people have had the choice to choose between good and evil; medieval Christians had everything they needed to life and godliness. I realized reading this book that I need not be anxious with myths and genealogies.
So, what's the fun stuff? He covers the idea of flat earths, and he also shows the real stories of Galileo, the Scopes Trial, the burning of Alexandria, the murder of Hypatia, the debate between Huxley and Wilberforce, and yes, the idea of those flat earths. The book even shows that the so-called "Scientific Revolution" may not have existed at all.
There is a treasure-trove of details in this book, but one of my favorites was the Darwin came out of an Evangelical background that was deeply opposed to eugenics. I don't know whether Darwin was in favor of that or not, but I do know that his views were mustered to oppose polygenesis initially--in other words evolution supported the idea that we are all from one species initially and so there was no justification for racial superiority. However, Herbert Spencer's eugenics took central stage and soon things took a different turn.
This book will be encouraging to Christians who have often felt, in the bad sense, apologetic about their history. One of the best things Peterson does is that he shows you that Christians have a great history, and that it's not been covered up because of a conspiracy, but due to a lot of chance events that covered up men and their exploits. He points to a deep and careful history of Christians carefully engaging how science and scripture deal with each other (see particularly his handling of the Galileo-Bellarmine controversy).
As you look in history, you see a lot of queer things. You see the cave-man, then the Roman in the toga, then the medieval peasant, then the Renaissance courtier, then the Puritan, and then the repressed 19th century scholar in a suit and tie. And then us, with our t-shirts, jeans, and earbuds. These figures that we are so familiar with are often constructed, not as ways of talking about our fathers, but as ways of talking about ourselves. Peterson's book is a reminder that we need not make history a mirror in which we look at ourselves and that good history can topple our idols and even rehabilitate the losers. Sometimes we can remember the poor man that saved the city.
There's so much to say, but I think this book can be summed up in the words of Ecclesiastes:
"There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. Then I said:
Wisdom is better than strength.
Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard.
Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But one sinner destroys much good.” (Eccles. 9:14-18)
This book is a story about how the shouts of megalomania and narcissistic smugness defeated the wisdom of centuries, for a time. The title, Flat Earths and Fake Footnotes is the story of how the warfare of science and religion was fabricated in the 1800s. The Flat Earth is a great example: nobody believed it, and the footnotes that historians used had, in some cases, no real references. In better cases, the footnotes might refer to a source, but the young field of historiography would often take their historical sources out of context, and they would often see only what they wanted to see.
I have rarely been more convicted concerning my own opinions. I love history. I love diagnosing problems from the wider view of what I know happened over thousands of thousands of years. I love to go back and relish the romance of historical moments such as the Reformation or the founding of America or World War I or any number of moments. The problem is that history is always constructed. To tell the story of what happened, you need to sort out your evidence, and this is both a task that involves a lot of human error and a lot of selective vision. Again, to belabor the point, we only see in history what we want to see. So it's cool when a book like this corrects your vision.
I also used to worry about how technology and "science" seemed to increase simultaneous to the decline of religion. The great thing about books like this is that they show you that not only did technology and science thrive in Christian societies, but the rise of technology is not nearly as stark as I thought. The Middle Ages did in fact have a lot of great scientific reflection, and their ... And a lot of the so-called superstition, witch-burning, and ignorance of the middle ages was in fact made up. Again, there are many fake footnotes.
One of the best things about this book is that it shows you that much of the denigration of the Middle Ages is not the result of out-and-out atheists trying to destroy religion. These attacks have existed since Protestants attacked Catholics, and some of the most potent attacks in the 1900s were the results of liberal Christians trying to purify Christianity, of scientists trying to expel theology (and the clergy) from their field, and of all sorts of local controversies that were later re-contextualized. If it seems like secularism is a wave that has been crashing into us, it's because the atheists have been able to ride it through public opinion and the media. You don't end up hating atheists or even the people who wrote so many lies. Indeed, many of these men had laudable goals, but they were blinded by their enlightenment thinking. They really thought they had come out of nowhere and were going to create utopia.
Another odd thing that I used to worry about more was how Christianity got so bad in the Middle Ages: justification by faith seems to have been deeply compromised in this period and there was so much superstition and violence that I wonder what happened to the Church. Well, books like this show you that we know less than we thought we knew. God is faithful in all times and in all places, and so we can be sure that at every moment God has left witnesses to Himself and people have had the choice to choose between good and evil; medieval Christians had everything they needed to life and godliness. I realized reading this book that I need not be anxious with myths and genealogies.
So, what's the fun stuff? He covers the idea of flat earths, and he also shows the real stories of Galileo, the Scopes Trial, the burning of Alexandria, the murder of Hypatia, the debate between Huxley and Wilberforce, and yes, the idea of those flat earths. The book even shows that the so-called "Scientific Revolution" may not have existed at all.
There is a treasure-trove of details in this book, but one of my favorites was the Darwin came out of an Evangelical background that was deeply opposed to eugenics. I don't know whether Darwin was in favor of that or not, but I do know that his views were mustered to oppose polygenesis initially--in other words evolution supported the idea that we are all from one species initially and so there was no justification for racial superiority. However, Herbert Spencer's eugenics took central stage and soon things took a different turn.
This book will be encouraging to Christians who have often felt, in the bad sense, apologetic about their history. One of the best things Peterson does is that he shows you that Christians have a great history, and that it's not been covered up because of a conspiracy, but due to a lot of chance events that covered up men and their exploits. He points to a deep and careful history of Christians carefully engaging how science and scripture deal with each other (see particularly his handling of the Galileo-Bellarmine controversy).
As you look in history, you see a lot of queer things. You see the cave-man, then the Roman in the toga, then the medieval peasant, then the Renaissance courtier, then the Puritan, and then the repressed 19th century scholar in a suit and tie. And then us, with our t-shirts, jeans, and earbuds. These figures that we are so familiar with are often constructed, not as ways of talking about our fathers, but as ways of talking about ourselves. Peterson's book is a reminder that we need not make history a mirror in which we look at ourselves and that good history can topple our idols and even rehabilitate the losers. Sometimes we can remember the poor man that saved the city.
April 21, 2021
Flat Earths and Fake Footnotes is written in three parts: Deleting Theology, The Lords of Time, and Legendarium. Each part looks through history to understand the relationship between science and faith at that time and how historians have depicted that relationship. The author shows many examples of historians portraying the relationship as more antagonistic than it actually was. As with many things an in-depth search reveals nuances and complexities that have been lost to time.
Part 1 of the book focuses on the loss of theology from the discussion of science. In the past theology was considered the queen of science and many scientists were also well versed in theology. Over time their scientific achievements were promoted without the context of their theological background.
Part 2 of the book continues where part 1 left off beginning with Huxley, the X-Club, and the way scientific history was written apart from a faith context. This section looks at additional characters including Napoleon and the pope.
Part 3 is the longest section and includes chapters on Copernicus, Galileo, the Scopes Trial, and more. The book’s conclusion summarizes the complex relationship of science and faith across many generations that continues to be perceived by many as in conflict even though there are ample examples of positive integration of science and faith.
This is a weighty book both in size and in approach. It would likely appeal most to history buffs and people already familiar with the subject looking for an in-depth resource. This would probably not be the best book for a layperson looking for an introduction to the dialogue on science and faith. A good summary of the book would be the quote at the beginning of chapter 2 (on page 42), “So profound has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilization that it has come to be hidden from view”.
Part 1 of the book focuses on the loss of theology from the discussion of science. In the past theology was considered the queen of science and many scientists were also well versed in theology. Over time their scientific achievements were promoted without the context of their theological background.
Part 2 of the book continues where part 1 left off beginning with Huxley, the X-Club, and the way scientific history was written apart from a faith context. This section looks at additional characters including Napoleon and the pope.
Part 3 is the longest section and includes chapters on Copernicus, Galileo, the Scopes Trial, and more. The book’s conclusion summarizes the complex relationship of science and faith across many generations that continues to be perceived by many as in conflict even though there are ample examples of positive integration of science and faith.
This is a weighty book both in size and in approach. It would likely appeal most to history buffs and people already familiar with the subject looking for an in-depth resource. This would probably not be the best book for a layperson looking for an introduction to the dialogue on science and faith. A good summary of the book would be the quote at the beginning of chapter 2 (on page 42), “So profound has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilization that it has come to be hidden from view”.
May 24, 2021
I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
This book is well-written and timely. But it is not quite as accessible to the public as it could have been, I think. It is weighty and dense. Its sentences, paragraphs, and chapters are all long, heavily footnoted, making the whole book a challenge to get through, especially in the 30 days I was allotted.
Still, the book will hopefully add to the growing corpus that reveals the warfare narrative between science and religion was vastly overstated, that reveals a revisionist writing of history, with many political and theological intrigues.
As the author himself questions in the conclusion, is it too late to break down the conflict narrative in the midst of the rising tide of fundamentalism and seemingly endless conspiracy theories abounding in our day and age?
Personally, I can choose a new way to approach my faith and hold conversations regarding its intersection with science that does not create a dualism that does not exist. And so, reading this book was not in vain.
This book is well-written and timely. But it is not quite as accessible to the public as it could have been, I think. It is weighty and dense. Its sentences, paragraphs, and chapters are all long, heavily footnoted, making the whole book a challenge to get through, especially in the 30 days I was allotted.
Still, the book will hopefully add to the growing corpus that reveals the warfare narrative between science and religion was vastly overstated, that reveals a revisionist writing of history, with many political and theological intrigues.
As the author himself questions in the conclusion, is it too late to break down the conflict narrative in the midst of the rising tide of fundamentalism and seemingly endless conspiracy theories abounding in our day and age?
Personally, I can choose a new way to approach my faith and hold conversations regarding its intersection with science that does not create a dualism that does not exist. And so, reading this book was not in vain.
December 31, 2024
This book, though at times it was very academic, definitely showed the authors passion for the subject and thoroughly dug through several events often labeled as the key battles in the “war” between science and religion. The concluding charge was wonderful: “The true next step will not be an apologetic cascade of works, but rigorous intellectual and practical history that proceeds to tell the stories of the rise of the world as we know it with the complex roles of Christianity firmly put back into their proper places as part of the grand adventure of human knowledge and practice. Easier said than done, but adventures are never supposed to be simple, or easy.”
October 28, 2022
I both loved and "hated" this book. Great storytelling, but the author referenced so many other books that I just have to add to my "to read" list that I know I will never be able to finish them all. THANKS!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews