Mark Vernon
Mark Vernon writes regularly for the Guardian, Financial Times, Times Literary Supplement, Management Today, and Philosophers’ Magazine, among many other publications. He broadcasts from a variety of news outlets, including BBC Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, Five Live, BBC Radio London, BBC TV, and ABC Radio National. His books include After Atheism: Science, Religion, and the Meaning of Life; The Philosophy of Friendship; 42: Deep Thought on Life, the Universe, and Everything. His most recent book, Teach Yourself Humanism, will be published later this year.
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guardian.co.uk
The Frontiers of Faith and KnowledgeNeither science nor religion can banish uncertainty. If only they could thrive on that shared sense of wonder Sir John Templeton, who died last week, gave hundreds of millions of dollars to scientists whom he hoped might put religious beliefs on a more solid foundation. His very substantial Templeton Foundation—with assets of nearly $1.5bn—has attracted particular reprobation in recent years. Some say its aim—to sponsor “human progress” through scientific research in religion—is simply misconceived: in Stephen Jay Gould’s famous distinction, science and religion are two magisteria, fundamental but separate. Others have been more vociferous in their critique. In Richard Dawkins’ book, The God Delusion, the Templeton Foundation warrants five index entries, one of three-page length. I do not know whether Dawkins has read much Freud, but he seems to be feeling his way towards the link the founder of psychoanalysis made between gold and excrement. I should confess that I have been a minor beneficiary of Sir John’s largesse, as a Templeton–Cambridge journalism fellow. That said, now might be a good moment to put the aims of the foundation to the test. For what progress has its funding produced in relation to science and religion? It’s a big question, but then Sir John liked the big questions. So consider the thoughts of, say, three of his Templeton prize winners. They are, perhaps, illuminating. |