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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 13, No. 20. Thursday, September 7, 1950

Religion and Science

Religion and Science

At the root of the divisions among mankind is the lack of agreement on matters that happen to be basically philosophic or religious. One of the major ways in which this shows up on the surface is the conflict between popular notions of science and popular notions of religion. ( I think Canon Raven went further here and also referred to the incompatibility of and inadequacy of views based on mind as the only reality or matter as the only reality.) Not so long ago, religion and science used to be carefully departmentalised. Teachers in each sphere kept within their own ground. This attitude which was a strong factor in the production of "ivory tower" attitudes has crashed: it is seem that it just will not work. The kind of view of religion and science which it took is inadequate. Some of the top men in science are now throwing over their faith in weight and measurement as the key to reality. Heisenberg said in Raven's drawing room at Cambridge that any physicist who wishes to give the fullest account of the realm of physics today must accept incompatible hypotheses. Raven emphasised how it is that we must take into account what the poets and musicians are saying as well as what the scientists are saying. We see through a glass darkly—if we do not use all the light available we may not be able to move at all. A deeper, more open-minded and yet more inclusive (that is, a proper) view of religion could give us the best possible life view.

Many scientist are worried by the way in which science la being utilised. A group of them asked Raven to approach Temple when he was alive in the hope that Temple would be able to give them a total and basic view which, they could see, could not come from science alone. University scientists are worried by the "gadget-mangers" they are producing. In consequence, Cambridge is likely to insist on a background of philosophy and history to science study. Raven also wanted to mention the amazing popularity of the Saturday morning school of theology open to all students at Cambridge (as an instance of these lectures see Hodges H. A.: "Christianity and the World View.")