Just for the record, Newton was sort of an occultist. It's been claimed that his ability to posit action-at-a-distance (gravitational attraction) was due entirely to his occult bent. In those days, it would be heretical for any intelligent person to propose an effect not transmitted by contact.
So I don't think of him as deeply religious in the Christian sense. There was a "natural theology" which aimed to reason about the characteristics or existence of god (or gods -- it's been around a long, long time) by means of observation and reason (e.g., St. Thomas's "proof" from motion, or design), but it wasn't aiming at understanding the world. So if you consider the *method* of natural theology a precursor to modern science, I'll buy that. The sad thing is that reason + observation/experience wasn't considered a valid way of coming to know by the mainstream Church until quite late -- 11th or 12th century -- due, I think in large measure, to Augustine's neo-platonic theology... m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor and Chair Department of Psychology College of Arts & Sciences Baker University -- > -----Original Message----- > From: Michael Smith [mailto:tipsl...@gmail.com] > Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2010 8:03 PM > To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) > Subject: Re: [tips] Galileo Was Wrong? > > Well, I didn't mean anything very deep. > Just that the first scientists were all very religious men. > Bacon, Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, and Darwin for example. > They saw (like Aquinus) that an orderly, rational, lawful > universe was a reflection of those qualities of its creator. > And studying nature was a way of glorifying God and coming to > know the mind of God more fully (by discovering the divine > order) since his creation reflected at least some of his > qualities even if only on a lower level. > > So science was the result of a worked out theology. One might > even call science "practical theology" since these men > believed their investigative activities were glorifying God > through the application of one of his crowning gifts: reason. > > --Mike > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: marc.car...@bakeru.edu. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13029.76c7c563b32ad9d8d09c72 a2d17c90e1&n=T&l=tips&o=4911 > or send a blank email to > leave-4911-13029.76c7c563b32ad9d8d09c72a2d17c9...@fsulist.fros tburg.edu > The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent by Baker University ("BU") and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify Baker University by email reply and immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. Thank you. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=4925 or send a blank email to leave-4925-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
