Philosopher, journalist and prolific author Julian Baggini reviews Nick Spencer’s new book Magisteria for The Wall Street Journal. 02/06/2023

Religion has always been the enemy of science, suppressing its findings—by lethal methods when necessary. Only with the rise of secularism were brave, agnostic and atheist scientists able to loosen the theological stronghold on their discipline and pursue their fierce pursuit of truth unhindered. Even now the reactionary forces of faith continue to resist ideas that contradict their dogmas. This is the myth that Nicholas Spencer, a senior fellow at Theos, a London–based Christian think tank, sets out to bust in “Magisteria.”

The conflict between science and religion has been overstated, as Mr. Spencer shows: some of the greatest scientific discoveries in history have come from people with religious convictions and took place within religious traditions that, if sometimes in a circumscribed way, encouraged intellectual inquiry. But Mr. Spencer exaggerates the extent of the exaggeration and as a result ends up overstating the degree of historical harmony. Readers who allow for this, however, will be rewarded with a fascinating tour through a history of a difficult relationship, the fate of which is still unclear.

Read the full article here.

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