When Worlds Converge: What Science and Religion Tell Us about the Story of the Universe and Our Place in It / Edition 1

by Clifford N. Matthews

Overview

In this book, over 30 prominent scientists, theologians, and philosophers explore three main convergences: the convergence of different sciences to give a coherent story of mankind, religious convergence whereby different traditions work together toward global harmony, and the convergence of science and religion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900812694511
Publisher:	Open Court Publishing Company
Publication date:	11/28/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
Part I	The Universe Story	1
1	The New Story of the Cosmos	3
2	Life in Our Universe and Others	22
3	Cosmochemistry and the Origin of Life	41
4	The Conscious Universe	59
5	The Probability of Human Origins	73
6	From Ape-Man to Wise-Man	98
7	A Century of Surprises in Human Evolution	108
8	How I Gave up the Ghost and Learned to Love Evolution	136
9	How Close is Science to Understanding Consciousness?	155
10	Cosmology and Religion	163
11	Space and Spirit	187
12	Images of Enlightenment: Slanted Truths	207
Part II	The Emerging Alliance of Religion and Ecology	229
13	Beyond the Enlightenment Mentality	231
14	Living in a Universe: Native Cosmologies and the Environment	243
15	Judaism and the Ecological Crisis	261
16	Christianity and Ecological Awareness	273
17	Jainism and Ecology	283
18	Green Buddhism	293
19	Confucian Ethics and the Ecocrisis	310
Part III	Science and Religion: Resource and Challenge for Each Other	325
20	A Hindu View on Science and the Spiritual Vision	327
21	Buddhism--an Ally of Science?	338
22	Being Human: A Personal and Mostly Catholic Perspective	343
23	Science and Religion as World-Builders	357
	Epilogue: On Convergence	367
	This Book's Story	375
	About the Authors	381
	Index	391

Editorial Reviews

Presentations from the 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town make up the heart of this volume, in which contributors discuss current scientific ideas on the origin and evolution of life and consciousness, the emerging alliance between religion and ecology, and the relationship between science and religion from different Eastern and Western religious perspectives. Contributors include scientists, theologians, and scholars. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)