Monday, April 18, 2005
Science and Religious Fundamentalism
The American Scientist has published an article, "Science and Religious Fundamentalism" by Edward B. Davis, Distinguished Professor of the History of Science at Messiah College that looks at religious pamphlets by leading scientists of the Scopes era to provide insight into public debates about science. Davis is best known for his work on Robert Boyle and early modern science. His current research focuses on the religious beliefs of American scientists in the 1920s. Support for his research has been provided by the National Science Foundation.
Here's an excerpt:
Here's an excerpt:
Although the ideas associated with Protestant fundamentalism have their roots in the 19th century, the word "fundamentalist" itself was not used in print until 1920. As originally defined by Curtis Laws, the editor of a national Baptist weekly, fundamentalists" were those "who mean to do battle royal" in defense of certain traditional Christian beliefs and against the efforts of liberal Protestants to make those beliefs more consistent with secular thought and culture. As this definition suggests, fundamentalism is best understood as an attitude—the militant rejection of modernity—rather than as a specific set of doctrines.
