NATS 1760 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Andreas Vesalius, Natural Philosophy, Thesis Statement
9 May 2016
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11/30/2015 8:32:00 PM
Lecture 10:
2 hour exam
Science and Religion: Age of the earth; there the question of religion was
central. How old the earth was and challenging the biblical timeline.
The conflict between science and religion is a creation of the 19th century.
Something essential about science and religion which cannot coexist. Myth
was put forward by scientists and natural philosophers. We are told that
religion attacks science. These scientists attack religion. An example; is the
trail of Galileo. His imprisonment is a model for this.
Human Nature
Natural laws: natural has certain laws that it follows. Whether science or
religion gives these laws
Nature of the universe
Vesalius looked at the body without dissecting the body. That very use for
human body went against the dictations of the charge. As you could not
detach it.
Decharte: Put forward the mechanical philosophy and nature functioned like
a machine. All you needed to function the body was matter and motion.
Things like reflex’s he would explain that mechanisms caused this. But
nowhere was discussion about human nature or free will.
This continued on till the enlightenment; where the portrayed bodies as
machines.
This notion of human beings are changing, about the body being sacred.
Human beings form this sight of concern about natural philosophy and that
the religion is body of knowledge
Why should miracles cause conflict with Religion; it’s the idea that nature
follows certain regularities and that there is certain laws that bound it.
Miracles do not function according to the laws; and brings in questions of
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authority and who can talk about it. Are they natural laws or religious laws.
Brings in problem of testimonies. They are witnessed by few people and
people who are marginalized. It calls into question of the account of the
people of what they say they saw. Miracles cause the problem of the
testimony that you need to believe marginalized people who are
questionable. This shows the struggle of science and religion.
Literalism: Its basically an approach to texts and taking the meaning as
literal. Whatever the texts says you take as its meaning. Or you can take
them methophorically. A lot of these religious figures took the bible literally,
such as the age of the earth and timelines which created tension between
natural philosophy and science. Science goes against the religion as it
states some things were not possible. Although it was a source of tension
but was important for science; as books provide the truth, that there is a
book of nature that gives us truth. Galileo talks about this about how its
written based on mathematics. Literalism comes about the bible about the
prodestant ( when people break away from the church and interpret
themselves.)
-Deism: is a belief that nature is a divine creation and it contains in it
evidence of a God or superior being. The God of Deism isn’t necessary found
in religious book but that God is in nature and it’s a divine entity. We see it
in people like Kepler; who suggests its true that plutonic solids can explain
the sizes about the orbits but cannot explain why the plutonic solids and not
other figures. That’s a sign for Kepler for a divine nature and that I must be
created by a supernatural being. Even Newton about his own laws cannot
explain why the planets/universe has structure that it has you cannot get it
from his law. Which is evidence of a divine creator/ or how a God exists. It
suggests to us where science stops and where natural theology/religion
begins.
At some point you cannot explain by science after a certain point. You reach
a boundary where science cannot answer all the questions.
Natural Theology: is the impulse to discover God in nature. Sees evidence of
a God in the functioning of nature. Seen in people like Kepler and newton.
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Copernicus he had a religious impulse of seeing it that way; put the sun at
the center of the universe; was related to a divine nature. Hook himself saw
the fly’s eye and says to himself that its impossible of nature to do this.
Even Decharte’s theorem about matter is dead so all the more reason you
need divine power to take shape and function in the world. How this dead
matter had to be shaped by some kind of divinity. Some kind of God must
be active in the universe.
Science and Religion reinforces each other at times also along with the
conflict.
Vesalius: that his idea was to show himself; as revealing these mysteries of
life, but also pointing out the body’s nature and he needs to respect his own
limits. The delicacy of the body; eye and the hand of these complex
structures could not have been created alone by natural laws.
The ideas of the word nature text needs to be read literally. The idea that
religion can be investigated by science. Its complementary amongst each
other. That the relationship between the two is very complexed may be
beneficial and detrimental
Conflict between Science and Religion
- Religion was essential in the day and age, in terms of science and salvation as well. It
decided how old the world was etc.
- Conflict between science and religion became apparent in 19th century. They are
always in conflict and cannot coexist, (myth from 19th century) myth put forward to
restrict influence of religion.
- While we believe it is religion that attacks science, but what actually occurred was
natural philosophers and scientists trying to restrict role of religion in their societies.
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Document Summary
Science and religion: age of the earth; there the question of religion was central. How old the earth was and challenging the biblical timeline. The conflict between science and religion is a creation of the 19th century. Something essential about science and religion which cannot coexist. Myth was put forward by scientists and natural philosophers. Natural laws: natural has certain laws that it follows. Vesalius looked at the body without dissecting the body. That very use for human body went against the dictations of the charge. Decharte: put forward the mechanical philosophy and nature functioned like a machine. All you needed to function the body was matter and motion. Things like reflex"s he would explain that mechanisms caused this. But nowhere was discussion about human nature or free will. This continued on till the enlightenment; where the portrayed bodies as machines. This notion of human beings are changing, about the body being sacred.
