This panel will reflect on the many scientific disciplines that rarely appear in science-and-religion conversations—meteorology, chemistry, materials science, condensed-matter physics, and more—and ask why these sciences attract so little theological attention, and whether they should. Jonathan Jong frames the challenge pointedly in his critique of science-engaged theology: “It seems that almost nothing published in the pages of Science and Nature is worth engaging with; but this should be intolerable to anyone seeking to do science-engaged theology.” Quite simply, the field of “science and religion” (or science-engaged theology) remains parochial in its scientific scope, focusing largely on the sciences of origins (particle physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology) and of mind (psychology, cognitive science), a selectivity that betrays a patchy engagement with the wider scientific enterprise. What would it take for scholars—after a decade spent debating the very categories of “science” and “religion”—to cultivate a deeper interest in science for its own sake? One possible avenue is to follow philosophers of science who examine research practices rather than limiting attention to theories and results, thereby redirecting the conversation toward scientific interests and everyday laboratory practice beyond the familiar domains of origins and mind.
- Condensed Matter Physics (Mark Harris, University of Oxford)
- Chemistry (Amanda Nichols, Oklahoma Christian)
- Earth Science (Tim Middleton, University of Oxford)
- Bioscience, Engineering (Pete Jordan, University of Oxford)
- Anthropology (Joe Blankholm, UCSB)
- Philosophy of Science (Meghan Page, Loyola University Maryland)
Presider: Niels Henrik Gregersen