Rocks of Ages (book)

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Rocks of Ages was short book written by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould on the relationship between science and religion. According to Gould each magistrate occupies a separate realm of human understanding. Science informs us how the natural world works (or how the heavens go), and religion informs us on how we ought to morally behave (how to go to heaven). If each realm is separate, then according to Gould, they can never truly by in conflict. This principle is call the Nonoverlapping Magisteria, or NOMA for short.

1 Contents
2 Book Description
3 Reviews
4 External links

[edit] Contents

The Problem Stated
- Preamble
- A Tale of Two Thomases
- The Fate of Two Fathers

The Problem Resolved in Principle
- NOMA Defined and Defended
- NOMA Illustrated
- Coda and Segue

Historical Reasons for Conflict
- The Contingent Basis for Intensity
- Columbus and the Flat Earth: An Example of the Fallacy of Warfare Between Science and Religion
- Defending NOMA from Both Sides Now: The Struggle Against Modern Creationism
  - Creationism: A Distinctively American Violation of NOMA
  - Trouble in Our Own House: A Brief Legal Survey From Scopes to Scalia
  - The Passion and Compassion of William Jennings Bryan: The Other Side of NOMA

Psychological Reasons for Conflict
- Can Nature Nurture Our Hopes?
- Nature's Cold Bath and Darwin's Defense of NOMA
- The Two False Paths of Irenics

[edit] Book Description

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Writing with bracing intelligence and clarity, internationally renowned evolutionist and bestselling author Stephen Jay Gould sheds new light on a dilemma that has plagued thinking people since the Renaissance: the rift between science and religion. Instead of choosing them, Gould asks, why not opt for a golden mean that accords dignity and distinction to each realm?

In his distinctively elegant style, Gould offers a lucid, contemporary principle that allows science and religion to coexist peacefully in a position of respectful noninterference. Science defines the natural world; religion our moral world in recognition of their separate spheres of influence. In exploring this thought-provoking concept, Gould delves into the history of science, sketching affecting portraits of scientists and moral leaders wrestling with matters of faith and reason. Stories of seminal figures such as Galileo, Darwin, and Thomas Henry Huxley make vivid his argument that individuals and cultures must cultivate both a life of the spirit and a life of rational inquiry in order to experience the fullness of being human.

In Rocks of Ages, Gould's passionate humanism, ethical discernment, and erudition are fused to create a dazzling gem of contemporary cultural philosophy.

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