Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
The Snopes Monkey Trial, and other science stuff

The Snopes Monkey Trial, and other science stuff

Last updated on: September 5, 2018 at 9:52 am by Dan Peterson

The Snopes Monkey Trial, and other science stuff 2018-09-05T09:52:54-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The center of our galaxy as seen above part of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile
(Wikimedia Commons public domain photo)

The opening passage of Aristotle’s Metaphysics reads as follows, in the translation by W. D. Ross:

“All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight. For not only with a view to action, but even when we are not going to do anything, we prefer seeing (one might say) to everything else. The reason is that this, most of all the senses, makes us know and brings to light many differences between things.”

Earlier, Aristotle’s teacher, Plato, had put the following words into the mouth of his teacher, Socrates:

“I see, my dear Theaetetus, that Theodorus had a true insight into your nature when he said that you were a philosopher; for wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.” (Plato, Theaetetus 155c-d, in the translation of Benjamin Jowett)

Philosophy, of course, had not yet taken on the sense of a particular subject area or academic department. It simply meant, literally, “love of wisdom.”

I take it that it is this “desire to know,” this “wonder,” that leads to science, among other things.

***

George Will: “How a ‘Usefulness’ Mindset Is Killing Scientific Curiosity”

***

This is, to say the best of it, a simplistic depiction of the famous July 1925 “Scopes Monkey Trial” (formally, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes) that was held in Dayton, Tennessee:

https://www.history.com/news/scopes-monkey-trial-evolution-religion-darrow-bryan

For a far, far superior and much more balanced treatment, I strongly recommend Edward J. Larson’s Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion, which won a Pulitzer Prize in History for its author in 1998.

I once briefly mentioned Professor Larson’s book in a column that I wrote for the Deseret News (“Inheriting wind — false accounts of the supposed war between science, religion”), but apparently got the initial publication date wrong:

***

Here’s a curious item:

“Sweden’s Highest Peak Just Melted Away”

Rather funny. In a sense, and from a particular angle.

***

I enjoyed this:

“David Bohm, Quantum Mechanics and Enlightenment: The visionary physicist, whose ideas remain influential, sought spiritual as well as scientific illumination”

***

“Women and men get research grants at equal rates — if women apply in the first place: Supporting women in getting big research money could help close the academic gap”

***

“Next to its solar twins, the sun stands out: Its subtly different chemistry from its ‘solar twins’ may be due to having rocky planets”

***

“Strange metals are even weirder than scientists thought: A new insight could help researchers better understand high-temperature superconductors”

***

“Cremated remains reveal hints of who is buried at Stonehenge: Chemical analyses of skull pieces suggest some of the dead came from Wales”

***

“Jupiter’s skies are peppered with electron streams, ammonia plumes, and massive storms”

***

“The origin of RNA precursors on exoplanets”

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 6, 2018

"Death of a Nation"

Next Post

August 6, 2018 Egypt in May?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the name of the sea Jesus calmed during a storm?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Sea of Galilee Dead Sea