Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1994
Originally Published In
Goodenough, U. W. (1994). What science can and cannot offer to a religious narrative. Zygon, 29(3), 321-330. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1994.tb00670.x
Abstract
A molecular/cell biologist offers perspectives on the contributions that the scientific worldview might and might not make to religious though. It is argued that two essential features of institutionalized religions–their historical context and their supernatural orientation—are not addressed by the sciences, nor can the sciences contribute to the art and ritual that elicit states of faith and transcendence. The sciences have, however, important stories (myths) to offer, stories that have the potential to unify us, to tell us what is sacred, what has meaning, and how we might best proceed.
This paper, in slightly different form, was first presented before the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Mass., on 13 February 1993.
Recommended Citation
Goodenough, Ursula W., "What Science Can and Cannot Offer to a Religious Narrative" (1994). Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations. 98.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/bio_facpubs/98
Comments
This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Goodenough, U. W. (1994). What science can and cannot offer to a religious narrative. Zygon, 29(3), 321-330, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.1994.tb00670.x. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.