The Skeptical Witch | The Religion vs. Science Debate & Some Issues with New Atheism @theskepticalwitch6611 | Uploaded May 2021 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
Hello lovely humans! In this video, I dive into the science vs. religion debate, addressing the "conflict theory" promoted by New Atheists, which sees science and religion as being ultimately opposed to one another. I take issue with this overly simplistic binary, as I don't think religion and science are necessarily incompatible with one another. In unpacking some of the history behind this conflict theory and New Atheist discourse, I attempt to problematize them, and reveal some of the underlying issues at play. While the scientific method remains crucial, I also think it's important for us to be mindful of where our thoughts about modern Western science come from, and to be critical of the various myths and narratives surrounding this.
It's a long one (sorry about that!) but I've only just scratched the surface on this topic! If you're interested in learning more, here's a list of resources I used for this video:
Beattie, Tina. 2007. The New Atheists: The Twilight of Reason and the War on Religion. New York: Orbis Books.
Elsdon-Baker, Fern. 2017. "The Compatibility of Science and Religion?" In Religion and Atheism: Beyond the Divide, edited by Anthony Carroll and Richard Norman, 82-92. New York: Routledge.
Haraway, Donna. 1988. "Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective." Feminist Studies 14, no. 3: 575-599. (philpapers.org/archive/harskt.pdf)
Hashemi, Morteza. 2017. Theism and Atheism in a Post-Secular Age. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Josephson-Storm, Jason. 2017. The Myth of Disenchantment: Magic, Modernity, and the Birth of the Human Science. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Lee, Lois. 2015. Recognizing the Non-Religious: Reimagining the Secular. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Unsworth, Amy. 2020. "Secularization: What Has Science Got to Do with It?" In Identity in a Secular Age: Science, Religion, and Public Perceptions, edited by Fern Elsdon-Baker and Bernard Lightman, 141-158. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Weber, Max. 2001 [1930].The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York: Routledge.
Weber, Max. 2004 [1918]. The Vocation Lectures. Edited by David Owen and Tracy B. Strong. Translation by Rodney Livingstone. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
Check out my grad school journey here: youtube.com/channel/UCmwpvU5AhozhWH2K7RTvg5Q
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/skeptical.witch
Music in this video is Blossom by Lakey Inspired: youtube.com/watch?v=oUwo03pUYx8
#newatheism #religiousstudies #secularization
Hello lovely humans! In this video, I dive into the science vs. religion debate, addressing the "conflict theory" promoted by New Atheists, which sees science and religion as being ultimately opposed to one another. I take issue with this overly simplistic binary, as I don't think religion and science are necessarily incompatible with one another. In unpacking some of the history behind this conflict theory and New Atheist discourse, I attempt to problematize them, and reveal some of the underlying issues at play. While the scientific method remains crucial, I also think it's important for us to be mindful of where our thoughts about modern Western science come from, and to be critical of the various myths and narratives surrounding this.
It's a long one (sorry about that!) but I've only just scratched the surface on this topic! If you're interested in learning more, here's a list of resources I used for this video:
Beattie, Tina. 2007. The New Atheists: The Twilight of Reason and the War on Religion. New York: Orbis Books.
Elsdon-Baker, Fern. 2017. "The Compatibility of Science and Religion?" In Religion and Atheism: Beyond the Divide, edited by Anthony Carroll and Richard Norman, 82-92. New York: Routledge.
Haraway, Donna. 1988. "Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective." Feminist Studies 14, no. 3: 575-599. (philpapers.org/archive/harskt.pdf)
Hashemi, Morteza. 2017. Theism and Atheism in a Post-Secular Age. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Josephson-Storm, Jason. 2017. The Myth of Disenchantment: Magic, Modernity, and the Birth of the Human Science. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Lee, Lois. 2015. Recognizing the Non-Religious: Reimagining the Secular. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Unsworth, Amy. 2020. "Secularization: What Has Science Got to Do with It?" In Identity in a Secular Age: Science, Religion, and Public Perceptions, edited by Fern Elsdon-Baker and Bernard Lightman, 141-158. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Weber, Max. 2001 [1930].The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York: Routledge.
Weber, Max. 2004 [1918]. The Vocation Lectures. Edited by David Owen and Tracy B. Strong. Translation by Rodney Livingstone. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
Check out my grad school journey here: youtube.com/channel/UCmwpvU5AhozhWH2K7RTvg5Q
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/skeptical.witch
Music in this video is Blossom by Lakey Inspired: youtube.com/watch?v=oUwo03pUYx8
#newatheism #religiousstudies #secularization
