April 2004
volume 16 (1)

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Articles

Editorial

Denis Alexander
Pages: 2-2

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Beyond Reductionism and Dualism:Towards a Christian Solution to the Mind Body Problem

David A Norman
Pages: 3-12

Abstract

Professor Nancey Murphy’s paper on ‘The Problem of Mental Causation’, published in this journal (14:2 October 2002), presented readers with a set of ideas that may constitute a considerable step towards a Christian solution to the mind/body problem. In her presentation, however, she used an aspect of Donald M. MacKay’s work in a way that he had made a point of avoiding. Ironically, the Reverend Lindsay Cullen’s earlier criticism of Murphy’s work on the mind/body problem likewise suffers from a misunderstanding of one of MacKay’s most fundamental teachings (though Cullen did not cite MacKay directly). While MacKay may not have minded our updating his ideas to accommodate recent advances, it would be well worth our time to compare the reasoning of Cullen and Murphy with what MacKay had in mind. Without doing so, it is impossible to tell whether these recent contributions represent an improvement to MacKay’s system or otherwise.

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Assessing risk: science or art?

Derek Burke
Pages: 27-44

Abstract

Assessment of risk, which used to be seen as a purely technocratic process, has become much more complex as we have learned how hazards can be viewed so differently by scientists and members of the public. Social science research has shown how much the individual’s own values affect their relative perception of risk and this insight has now been brought into the process of risk assessment. Many of the values that affect these judgments are of central importance to Christian faith, and this article seeks to show, with use of suitable examples, how the process has developed, and its implications for Christians.

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Truth in Science: Proof, Persuasion, and the Galileo Affair

Owen Gingrich
Pages: 13-26

Abstract

In 1616 in a letter destined for Galileo, Cardinal Roberto Bellarmine (the leading Catholic theologian of his day) expressed his doubts about finding evidence for a moving earth. Would the annual stellar parallax or the Foucault pendulum have convinced him? The historical setting explored in this essay suggests that the cardinal would not have been swayed by these modern ‘proofs’ of the heliocentric cosmology, even though they are convincing to us today because we in the meantime have the advantage of a Newtonian framework. What passes today for truth in science is a comprehensive system of coherencies supported more by persuasion than ‘proofs’.

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Correspondence

The Illusory Self

Philip Bligh
Pages: 56-59

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Selfhood is not an Illusion

Peter G. H. Clarke
Pages: 60-60

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Human Origins

P G Nelson
Pages: 61-61

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Human Origins – a Response

Graeme Finlay
Pages: 62-64

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Book reviews

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Book Review: Victorian Sensation: the Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation

James A. Secord (David Burbridge)
Pages: 65-66


Signs of Intelligence: Understanding Intelligent Design

W. A. Dembski and J. M. Kushiner, (eds) (Mike Poole)
Pages: 66-68


Can a Darwinian be a Christian? The Relationship between Science and Religion

Michael Ruse (Derek Burke)
Pages: 68-70


Darwin’s Mentor: John Stevens Henslow, 1769 – 1861

S. M.Walters and E. A. Stow (Owen Thurtle)
Pages: 70-71


Reconciling Science and Religion: the Debate in Early-Twentieth Century Britain

Peter J Bowler (Colin A Russell)
Pages: 71-72


Quantum Mechanics: Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action, Volume 5

Robert John Russell, Philip Clayton, Kirk Wegter-McNelly and John Polkinghorne (eds) (Lawrence Osborn)
Pages: 72-73


The Essence of Darwinism

Kirsten Birkett (Diana Briggs)
Pages: 73-74


Facing Up: Science and its Cultural Adversaries

Steven Weinberg (Anthony Garrett)
Pages: 75-76


Faith in Science: Scientists Search for Truth

W. Mark Richardson and Gordy Slack (eds.) (John Bausor)
Pages: 76-77


Habitat of Grace: biology, Christianity and the globalenvironmental crisis

Carolyn M. King (Ray Gambell)
Pages: 77-78


Scientism: Science, ethics and religion

Stenmark, Mikael (Mike Poole)
Pages: 78-79


God & Reason in the Middle Ages

Edward Grant (Charles Webster)
Pages: 79-80


The Prenatal Person: Ethics from conception to birth

Norman M Ford (KNP Mickleson)
Pages: 80-81


The Bible, Protestantism, and the rise of natural science P. Harrison

Ernest Lucas
Pages: 81-82


Deep Economy: Caring for Ecology, Humanity and Religion Hans Dirk van Hoogstraten

Ray Gambell
Pages: 82-83


Evolution under the Microscope. A scientific critique of the theory of evolution. David Swift

R J Berry
Pages: 83-84


Modern Medicine and The Bible

Alan W Fowler (John Wilkinson)
Pages: 84-85


The Concept of Nature

John Habgood (Ron Elsdon)
Pages: 85-86


The God of Hope and the End of the World

John Polkinghorne (Ernest Lucas)
Pages: 86-87


Developing the Horizons of the Mind

K. Helmut Reich (Peter G. McCarthy)
Pages: 88-89


Science and the spiritual quest: new essays byleading scientists

W. Mark Richardson, Robert John Russell, Philip Clayton & Kirk Wetger-McNelly (eds) (Meric Srokosz)
Pages: 89-90


Theological Issues in Bioethics: an Introduction with Readings

Neil Messer (Editor) (Caroline Berry)
Pages: 90-91


The Frontiers of Science and Faith – ExaminingQuestions from the Big Bang to the End of the Universe

John Jefferson Davis (Andrew Halestrap)
Pages: 91-93


Hope for Your Future: Theological Voices from thePastorate

William H. Lazareth, (Editor) (Peter Lynch)
Pages: 94-94


Human Genetics: Fabricating the Future

Robert Song (Søren Holm)
Pages: 95-95


Creation

Hans Schwarz (K.N.P. Mickleson)
Pages: 95-96