Religion and Science:
The relationship between science and religion up until the 6th century were one in the same. Philosophers believed that natural occurrences were due to a divine power. Earthquakes and thunderstorms were merely upset gods showing their wrath. Individuals sought to learn the language of the gods to comprehend these phenomena. After the 6th century, new ideas formed that excluded the gods. These philosophers did not personify nature. They believed the world to be orderly and predictable. This brought on a renaissance of thought. By examining everything up to this point in history, the distinction between science and religion became clear. This rift spawned modern thought and science as we know it. Primitive science originated from man’s desire to speak to the gods and learn about natural phenomena in the world. Almost all of the ancient civilizations (Egyptians, Babylonians, etc.) had myths and beliefs about the origin of the human race and the formation of major topographical features. Up until about the 6th century, people believed in demon possessions, ghosts, and a variety of other invisible ailment-causing entities. They also believed that magic rituals allowed one to control these anomalies. Such individuals were generally held in esteem amongst the community. The reason why such myths were taken as fact for so long is attributed to the notion of “oral tradition.” Oral tradition was a method of keeping culture alive before there was a written record. The transmission of ideas and beliefs at the time occurred only in face to face encounters. It was characterized as a “long chain of interlocking conversations” between its members. The portions of these conversations considered important enough to remember were passed on to subsequent generations. This served as the principal source for the collective experience and the general beliefs, attitudes, and values of the community. (Lindberg 2007, 5) Circa 1500 BC, a fully syllabic system was developed for writing, leading to the scripted age. This is important in the evolution of modern science in that now people had a more reliable way of expressing themselves and their surroundings with others. However, it also sparked a wave of skepticism amongst scholars. They formed a suitable criterion by which truthfulness can be ascertained, making the first distinctions between facts and myths. (Lindberg 2007, 13) This paved the way for many of humanity’s greatest thinkers, such as Homer, Plato, and Aristotle.
Homer was a Greek poet responsible for the Iliad and the Odyssey, stories about the Trojan War. In this universe, Homer directly connected the divine world with the natural world. These books helped lay the ground work of Greek culture and education, a culture still regularly inhibited by contemporary societies (astrology, cosmology, vocabulary, etc). Homer’s writings gave people the answers they were looking for at the time, shedding divine light to many different abnormalities. However, there was a new school of thought brewing in the wake of Homers stories. Consisting of three monist philosophers from the Ionian town of Miletus, the Milesians attempted to separate their world view from the mythological one of Homer. They didn’t include the gods in the origin, nature, or cause of things. Not only did they take the first steps to early scientific thought, they also seemed to have been aware of the need to defend their theories against critics, not just report them. (Lindberg 2007, 29) This is one of the most important components of the science community, past and present.
Plato was a Greek philosopher taught under the tutelage of Socrates. In his lifetime, Plato made many strides in both religious and scientific theory. Arguably his most important contribution was the idea of the Demiurge. The Demiurge was a craftsman and a rational god who struggled to create a perfect universe out of the limitations imposed by the material world. Besides carpentry, the Demiurge was a master mathematician, for he constructed the cosmos on geometrical principles. Plato believed the material world was made up of five geometric shapes, a theory spawned by Empedocles four elements (earth, water, air, and fire). Plato made these shapes (tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron, dodecahedron, and cube) the basis of geometrical atomism. His theory was validated because it accounted for change and diversity in the material world. (Lindberg 2007, 41) This led to the mathematization of nature, which was a huge advancement in the progression of science. Some may argue that Plato’s greatest contribution to science is actually Aristotle, his Thracean pupil who studied under him for over 20 years.
“That quote” (Lyndberg 2007, 61) As Lyndberg stated, Aristotles contributions to science are vast and influential: one thing, two thing, three thing.
Science and religion were one in the same for an extended period of time in human civilization. Over the course of a few thousand years, their beliefs on the way the world functioned changed from the reactions of emotional gods to the reactions of chaotic atom shit. This change of perspective was brought on by certain great thinkers, from the Milesians to Aristotle. These historical figures helped make the distinction between science and religion.