The soul of science : Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy (1994) by Nancy Pearcey and Charles Thaxton is a book that explores the historical and philosophical connections between Christianity and the development of modern science. It argues that the Christian worldview provided the necessary foundation for the Scientific Revolution. The book challenges the "conflict thesis" (that science and faith are inherently opposed), arguing instead that a Christian worldview provided essential presuppositions for the rise of science, such as the belief in an orderly universe created by a rational God. It highlights how theological concepts, such as the rationality of the Creator, directly influenced scientific thinkers like Kepler and Newton. It is aimed at Christians looking to understand their intellectual heritage and as a guide to navigating modern scientific developments from a faith-based perspective.The book explore great question like ,What were the presuppositions and beliefs behind the great scientist and philosophical minds during the scientific revolutions? Pearcey and Thaxton seek to reintroduce the Christian foundations in the development of prevailing scientific thought that arose in Western Europe, especially between 1500–1800’s.
Most of people assume that the subject of science beings in a vacuum, void of religion or presupposition. However, this view ignores the genuine friendship that existed between faith and the development of the sciences, as known today, during the middle ages. Pierre Duhem (1861–1916), a French philosopher and physicist discovered that many thirteenth-century scientists, working in a Christianized Europe, actually laid the foundations to the entire scientific endeavor. This may come as a surprise since many depictions of the relations of science and faith are under a warfare thesis, mostly associated with the scientist and scholar Thomas Huxley.
Even though medieval Europe was not the most advanced or sophisticated culture (cf. Chinese and Arabs production of higher learning), it produces a systematized discipline in the sciences, why? According to the authors, it is directly related to their view of God. Their faith drove their curiosity and provided the fabric in which they could weave the threads of theology, science, and philosophy together. The laws and governance of this world where controlled by a good God and this truth pushed those such as J. Kepler (1571–1630) to strive for an alternative explanation to circular orbits .
Likewise, Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), adapting Aristotelian philosophy, incorporated his faith into his scientific investigations which later become known as Scholasticism. But that is not to say there was no tension at times. For the acceptance of some Aristotelian ideas (e.g., circular motion) were condemned in 1277, eventually leading to further theological and philosophical developments under an empirical eye. More to this, the opposition to scientific thought from the church was due to theological concerns. For example, the famous Galileo controversy has more to do with a concern for a detachment from Aristotelian philosophy and metaphysics (i.e., social and moral consequences). Meaning, it was not necessarily Galileo’s view of science that was the issue, but his rejection of Aristotle. Faith and presumption cannot be divorced from one’s scientific investigations and conclusions.
How does the historiography of science help modernity better understand the agenda behind the scientific revolution?
According to the publications of Frances Yates and Charles Webster, this question was not considered by historians. This new approach helped unearth the philosophical ideas behind the prominent scientific figures of the scientific revolution. In the approach to the history of science, there are two primary (broadly speaking) camps––positivist and idealist. The positivist approach sought to unveil the dangers of religious belief in scientific endeavors, using the Middle Ages and its blemishes as a proof-text. Voltaire (1694–1778), Marquis de Condorcet (1743–1794), and Auguste Comte (1798–1857) wielded this approach in the formulation of ideas. But what exactly is positivism? Essentially, it means that every contention or belief should be provable through verification by mathematics and logic .
The book offer great insights about natural philosophy, history and science. It also provide great guidance for everyone looking to master and understand the origin of science and how to use your own ideas in making something through logic and practical technology in the world.