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A
Wall of Separation between Religion and Science: A French Declaration
Translated
by Babu Gogineni
International
Humanist News , September 2002, p.21
"...
the method applied to the development of scientific knowledge relies on material
explanations, and makes no appeal to the transcendental. The scientist, whatever be his
or her personal, metaphysical or religious beliefs, rejects all supernatural and
transcendental explanations. Scientific knowledge is the common heritage of humanity -
it is verifiable by all as it is founded on rational explanation and on experiments, which
can be replicated.
On
the contrary, religious belief is an act of faith based on
revelation. This is by definition non-verifiable, and it is totally different from
scientific knowledge.
The
Catholic Inquisition for having proposed the theory of multiple worlds burnt Giordano
Bruno alive. Michel Servet
was burnt on the order of Calvin for theological reasons - because he looked into the
human body and made the first discoveries about human blood circulation. Galileo had to recant in front of the Inquisition, summoned
for having turned his telescope towards the unknown cosmos and for having produced partial
proofs in support of the Earth orbiting the Sun, making the Earth no longer the centre of
the universe. Then there was the condemnation of the immensely important work of Darwin who laid the basis and the framework for
understanding the living world on the basis of material causes - natural selection - to
explain the evolution of life. These historical facts are a brutal reflection of the
implacable antagonism between science and faith.
These
historical condemnations of science and of scientists by the Church should throw light on
the real significance of the Catholic Church's call for a dialogue with scientists - a
dialogue interrupted since the trial of Galileo, the Church claims! Today the Church says
it has rehabilitated Galileo. But Galileo never lost his honour, or the esteem of
humanity; he did not need to be rehabilitated. The Church has never admitted that it
had no business to judge Galileo in the first place.
Herein
lies the crux of the problem. Are religions qualified to intervene in the advancement of
knowledge? The dialogue between science and religion serves no
purpose, nor is it of any real interest on the plane of scientific methodology.
The
nature of the Scientific Method, as also the history of the Church allied with State power
- be the Church Catholic or Protestant - demonstrate the
necessity of a complete separation between science and faith. Should we not be
concerned when the Church at its jubilee meeting of scientists
declares through the Pope 'No more separation of faith and reason?" Should
we not look with alarm when the Pope exhorts Catholic
scientists to 'participate in the elaboration of a cultural and scientific project which
would always allow for the presence and providential intervention of Got? Does
this not indicate that the Church desires the right to pre-approve and pre-judge the
subject of scientific investigations? Will this not lead to the condemnation of scientific
research on religious criteria? Atheism as well as religious beliefs belong to the private
sphere and are guaranteed by the liberty of individual conscience.
The
authors of this appeal are one with Galileo's conception, which demanded the total independence of scientific thought, and its clear separation
from religion. When this separation fails, scientific knowledge will be put on
the same plane as the religious, with consequences like the introduction of creationist
dogma in biology classes as in Kansas (USA) under pressure from sects and communities
linked to the Protestant Church. At the same time we should
not forget the infamous Lysenko affair, which illustrated dramatically the effect of the
power of a state in the domain of science.
We
reaffirm that scientific research and the transmission of knowledge should be free to
develop fully, safely and sheltered from all claims of political or religious ideological
authority.
The
frontiers of human knowledge are where metaphysical speculations are the easiest to make.
The broadcast media is often fond of questioning scientists on matters which lie on the
fringe of human knowledge. While one can develop a personal metaphysical stance on these
matters, this could be a source of confusion for members of the general public who may not
necessarily distinguish between the scientists science and his or her personal positions -
metaphysical or religious. Considering the prestige and the impact that statements by
scientists can have among members of the general public, considering that scientists are
the repositories of knowledge which is our common human heritage, the undersigned appeal to their scientist colleagues to maintain the
greatest vigilance as regarding separating science and personal faith, and to particularly
refrain from endorsing public events which use science for the promotion of religion.
The
undersigned, irrespective of their philosophical or religious views, be they believers,
agnostics or atheists, deem it necessary to maintain an absolute separation of science and
religion. They reject the claim of religions and sects that
they can influence the choice of scientific research programmes and (interfere) in
teaching of science'
