Reason and Wonder

Subtitled 'why science and faith need each other', this volume partly arises out of the series of Gregory Lectures that Eric has been organising at St Andrews since 2007 – they are often attended by more than 500 people, which shows the level of interest in the field. The book consists of 13 contributions, including the exceptional introductory essay by Eric himself, which alone is worth the price of the book. Here he provides not only an overview of the possible relationships between science and religion, but also his personal take on a more integrated view. He talks about his own experience as a scientist with creative leaps of faith, sense of duty, wonder and humility, openness and questioning, and trust in the community. He advocates a pluralistic understanding of the sciences role as an acknowledgement of their limits, especially when it comes to questions of meaning and purpose – why rather than how. This is summed up in an extraordinary quotation from Lord Sacks where he writes: 'Science is about explanation. Religion is about meaning. Science analyses, religion integrates. Science breaks things down to their component parts. Religion binds people together in relationships of trust. Science tells us what is. Religion tells us what ought to be.' (p. 27)

The rest of the chapters cover a wide range of themes, beginning with a superb discussion by Keith Ward on God, science and the new atheism. There is natural law and reductionism, the origin and end of the universe, evolution, faith and science, and a sophisticated chapter on evolution and evil. Then genes in relation to life, psychology and Christianity, the nature of the person, the relationship between science, spirituality and health; finally, two chapters concentrating more specifically on the New Testament in terms of miracles and trusting the text. Throughout, there is an interplay between reason and imagination in the search for understanding, and of course readers will have their own ideas as to what is or is not reasonable, depending on their points of departure. Theologically, there is an understandable tendency towards more symbolic interpretations as they speak to our contemporary condition. This is a stimulating and wide-ranging volume worthy of careful consideration.