Lesson 4: Science, Religion and Popular Culture
The idea that there is a CONFLICT between science and religion is one that really first emerges in the Enlightenment. The Galileo affair notwithstanding, the relationship between science and Christianity was generally harmonious before the eighteenth century. Even in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (and indeed down to the present day), many people saw science and religion as compatible. One important example of the perceived compatibility between science and religion is William Paley’s Natural Theology (1802). Paley is an example of a person who actually saw scientific studies as REINFORCING religious beliefs by providing evidence of the existence of God.
William Paley by George Romney, National Portrait Gallery. Wikimedia Commons.
A different kind of example of the interaction of science and religion is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818). In a world of rapidly advancing scientific developments, Shelley questioned whether human beings were probing too deeply into the mysteries of nature. Were there things that only God was supposed to know?
Mary Shelley by Richard Rothwell, National Portrait Gallery. Wikimedia Commons.
The other topic we will explore this lesson is “popular science.” In the 19th century, there was not yet a clear demarcation between “professional” and “amateur” scientists. Scientific activity was carried out in a wide variety of locations – universities, museums, private houses and even pubs (aka bars) – by a wide variety of people, women and men, artisans and professors. Further, different people used science for different purposes. In fact, the work of William Paley and Mary Shelley also crosses into the topic of "popular science" because their works were intended for a broad audience not a specialized elite.
The essay by Adrian Desmond is on “working class science.” Be careful and thoughtful when you read this essay. There is a tendency to think that because some working class men and women saw particular scientific theories (like Lamarck’s theory of evolution) as furthering their political aims that their science was “biased” and thus less valuable than the scientific work of the elite. One of our most cherished myths about science (inherited from the Enlightenment) is that it is neutral, objective, and value free. (If at this point in the course you still think that’s true, please go back and watch the opening scene of “Black Venus.”) Further, you may find the politics of working class radicals to be somewhat distasteful. They were, after all, socialists, which has become something of a dirty word in American politics. They were in favor of expanding the electorate, redistribution of wealth, and the equality of the sexes. They opposed organized religion, child labor and inherited privileges. While it’s fair to note that their science and their politics were intertwined, you should consider that the same was true of elite scientists at institutions like Cambridge and Oxford. For working class readers, for example, William Paley’s description of a divinely designed cosmos in his famous Natural Theology was read as an expression – and a validation – of a comfortable middle class existence. Working class radicals were explicit about how science fit into their political agenda in ways that middle class conservatives like Paley, whose agenda was to maintain and defend the status quo, were not. That does not mean that Paley’s work (or Darwin’s for that matter) was any less “biased” than that of working class radicals. The crucial point to bear in mind is that science is ALWAYS influenced by the social, cultural and political setting in which it is produced.
Readings:
1) Kathleen Crowther, Science and Religion in the Early 19th Century
2) William Paley, Natural Theology, pages 1-38 [NOTE: the posted excerpt is longer than this; you only need to read to page 38.]
3) Adrian Desmond, “Artisan Resistance and Evolution in Britain, 1819-1848” Osiris, 2nd Series, Vol. 3 (1987), pp. 77-110.
Learning Activities:
1) Video: Prophets of Science Fiction - Mary Shelley
Assignments:
1) Quiz
2) Small group discussion: Science, religion and politics in the 19th century
3) Class forum: Frankenstein adaptations