Essay 4, ENG 101L

E. Johnson, Fall 2006

Conclusion of theme

Collins 4, Spong 12, Epilogue; S&R 23, 37, 38

Are Science and Religion Compatible? Choices:

They are incompatible: science is the only truth; religion is wrong

They are incompatible: religion is the only truth; science is wrong

Science and religion are irrelevant to each other

Science and religion are compatible if religion changes

Science and religion are compatible if science changes

Science and religion are both necessary for understanding the other

You will write a concluding essay summing up what you have learned from your class readings this semester. Besides presenting a synthesis of the readings, you must choose one of the general positions above and defend your choice. You may wish to reference your class notes from the discussion of Eugenie Scott’s essay about the beliefs of people who study how science and religion are related.

Find an author who shares your conclusion about the relationship between science and religion. Re-read that essay. In addition to the examples used by the author(s) who take your position, you must use additional examples of issues (e.g. intelligent design, stem cell research) that back up your view. These examples can come from cosmology and creation debates, or they may be examples from your outside research. If there are authors we’ve read who oppose your point of view, explain why they are wrong.

You must cite at least four different authors from the class readings. You may also use your sources from Essay 2, and you may use up to two additional sources (e.g. the Bible). You should not do additional outside research on this topic. Consider your audience: a college-educated US citizen who is not familiar with writings on the philosophical differences between science and religion, but who is aware of differences on some issues. The sources you choose should be sources that can provide convincing evidence to this individual.

Once you have chosen a position to argue, go back and look at all the assigned readings. They may make more sense than the first time you’ve read them, or you may concentrate on a different emphasis than you did before. Be sure not to quote the authors out of context. The quotes you choose must fairly represent the author’s point of view.

In the conclusion, say what you think will or should happen in future conflicts between science and religion.

Example essays and format are on the back.

Format: Typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins all around. From 3.5 to 4.5 pages in length, printed front only, stapled at the top left corner. Label with your name and “Final Copy Essay 4”. Turn in essay in a folder with other evidence of the writing process, such as draft thesis statements, pre-writing notes, draft paragraphs, and peer review sheets.

Example essay 1:

overview of writings on issues relating religion and science

statement of your point of view and quote from author who agrees with your view

a general explanation of why you believe, for example, number 1 above

paragraphs giving reasons for your view and evidence to support it, e.g. (1) the Bible says God created the world in six days but fossil evidence proves it has taken billions of years, (2) believers say that prayer heals, but studies have shown that it has no effect, (3) Christians say Jesus ascended into heaven when his body rose up into the sky, but if you go up to the sky you keep going out of the atmosphere and into space.

conclusion predicting effects of your view, e.g. now that we have scientific knowledge about the world, religious beliefs about supernatural causes must be left behind.

Example essay 2:

overview of writings on issues relating religion and science

statement of your point of view and quote from author who agrees with your view

a general explanation of why you believe, for example, number 2 above

paragraphs giving reasons for your view and evidence to support it, e.g. (1) biologists believe humans came from apes, but the Bible says God created them out of clay, (2) scientists tell us that once a person is dead they cannot detect any sign of consciousness or even electrical impulses, but I believe that the soul lives on, (3) medicine wants to use stem cells from embryos to find cures for disease, but according to the Bible this would destroy a human life and it is wrong.

conclusion predicting effects of your view, e.g. if the scientific view prevails in society, we will come to believe humans are no more than animals without souls.