Does science make belief in God obsolete?
Yes, if by… No, and yes. Absolutely not! Not necessarily. Of course not. No. No, but it should. No. Yes. No, not at all. It depends. Of course not. No, but only if…
Steven Pinker Christoph Cardinal Schönborn William D. Phillips Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy Mary Midgley Robert Sapolsky Christopher Hitchens Keith Ward Victor J. Stenger Jerome Groopman Michael Shermer Kenneth Miller Stuart Kauffman 2 4 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

Does science make belief in God obsolete? irteen views on the question

Online at www.templeton.org/belief

INTRODUCTION

T

he John Templeton Foundation serves as a philanthropic catalyst for research on what scientists and philosophers call the Big Questions. We support work at the world’s top universities in such fields as theoretical physics, cosmology,

evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to love, forgiveness,

creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief. We encourage informed, open-minded dialogue between scientists and theologians as they apply themselves to the most profound issues in their particular disciplines. And, in a more practical vein, we seek to stimulate new thinking about wealth creation in the developing world, character is booklet neatly embodies our approach to the Big Questions: the contributors are education in schools and universities, and programs for cultivating the talents of the gifted. scholars and thinkers of the first rank, they address a perennial and much-disputed subject, and they bring to bear—in civil, elegant prose—a range of different perspectives. By assembling this “conversation” and inviting the public to join in, we intend to promote a dialogue that transcends familiar rhetoric and stock answers. We aim to turn discourse booklet will be a lasting resource for students, teachers, parents,