ABSTRACT

This unique encyclopedia explores the historical and contemporary controversies between science and religion. It is designed to offer multicultural and multi-religious views, and provide wide-ranging perspectives. "Science, Religion, and Society" covers all aspects of the religion and science dichotomy, from humanities to social sciences to natural sciences, and includes articles by theologians, religion scholars, physicians, scientists, historians, and psychologists, among others. The first section, General Overviews, contains essays that provide a road map for exploring the major challenges and questions in science and religion. Following this, the Historical Perspectives section grounds these major questions in the past, and demonstrates how they have developed into the six broad areas of contemporary research and discussion that follow. These sections - Creation, the Cosmos, and Origins of the Universe; Ecology, Evolution, and the Natural World; Consciousness, Mind, and the Brain; Healers and Healing; Dying and Death; and Genetics and Religion - organize the questions and research that are the foundation of the enormous interest, and controversy, in science and religion today.

part |160 pages

General Overviews

chapter 3|10 pages

Islam and Science

chapter 7|12 pages

Native Spirituality and Science

chapter 8|8 pages

Knowing the World

part |143 pages

Historical Perspectives

chapter 21|11 pages

Science in the Classical Hindu World

chapter 22|3 pages

Joseph Needham and Taoism

chapter 23|7 pages

Islam and Premodern Science

chapter 24|7 pages

Islam and Modern Science

part |115 pages

Creation, the Cosmos, and Origins of the Universe

chapter 38|12 pages

The Biblical View of Nature

chapter 39|5 pages

Galileo, Science, and Religion

chapter 41|10 pages

God and the Big Bang

chapter 43|9 pages

Creationism

chapter 46|5 pages

Space in Ancient Mesoamerica

part |93 pages

Ecology, Evolution, and the Natural World

chapter 48|8 pages

Process Theology

chapter 49|15 pages

Evolution

chapter 51|8 pages

Intelligent Design

chapter 52|9 pages

Evolution and Religion

chapter 54|7 pages

Environmental Ethics

chapter 55|7 pages

Science and the Sacred

part |90 pages

Consciousness, Mind, and the Brain

chapter 58|9 pages

Consciousness and Neurotheology

chapter 59|7 pages

Neurotheology

chapter 60|12 pages

Neurobiology and Consciousness

chapter 62|10 pages

The Mind-Body Problem

chapter 65|12 pages

Cognitive Science of Religion

part |91 pages

Healers and Healing

chapter 66|4 pages

Shamanism

chapter 76|11 pages

Does Religion Cause Health?

part |57 pages

Dying and Death

chapter 79|11 pages

Hospice

chapter 80|8 pages

Prolonging Living and Dying

chapter 81|7 pages

Near Death Experiences

chapter 82|8 pages

Dissection and Autopsy

part |48 pages

Genetics and Religion