Critical Book Review: Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives, By John Hedley Brooke

Critical Book Review: Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives, By John Hedley Brooke
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Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives (Canto Classics) Reprint Edition
by John Hedley Brooke
Author: John Hedley Brooke
Date: Reprint date, 2014
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Document type: Monograph
Length: 578 pages
Full text: Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives (Canto Classics) Reprint Edition
The monograph, Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives, by John Hedley Brooke gives a detailed introduction of the most fascinating issues that have led to the development of the modern world. What features most in his monogram is the existing connection between religious beliefs and scientific thoughts (26). Brooke, while detailing the existing relationship between religion and science, arrives at three significant views. First, brook admits an intense conflict between science and religion, with one dealing with facts while the other deals with faith. Secondly, Brooke argues that science and religion are separate because each answers a different set of human needs. For example, the discussion about God is highly inappropriate in the context of modern laboratory activities. Third, Brooke argues that the interaction between science and religion is, in many instances, beneficial. He cites the example of Merton Thesis whereby the Puritan values helped expand scientific innovations in 17th century England (496).
According to John Hedley Brooke, modern science coincides with or is possibly caused by a decline in the authority and value of religion. Over the years, science and religion have reciprocally modified each other such that in certain areas and times, especially around the 17th century, the scientific revolution possibly saw an unprecedented fusion of both science and theology (religion). According to Brooke, the reasons behind this displacement of religion in the modern era is mainly due to the antagonism that arose from the breakdown of the medieval fusions of science and technology (47). Nonetheless, Brooke notes that while separation of science and religion can occur, the link will always be weak. That means that science or religion cannot stand on their own as they must be intertwined to understand many issues, including social trends. Brooke's notes that "even some of the century’s most notable achievements were presented in theological terms" (75). For example, Descartes justified the principle of Linear Inertia by deducing it from a theological aspect, whereas people such as Isaac Newton argued that space was simply a constituent of Gods omnipresence. Other...