Science

1
Science Religion

• Advanced Rhetorical Writing
• Matt Barton

2
The Conflict

• Extremists on both sides of the debate claim that
  there is no common ground between science
  religion.
• Science is a cruel, ruthless enterprise that
  cares nothing about human values.
• Religion is a silly collection of myths, fairy
  tales, and superstition that no rational person
  would believe.

3
Rhetoric Religion

• Theologians have long debated about the necessity
  of rhetoric.
• Does a preacher need to study rhetoric, or will
  inspiration come directly from God?
• Can theologians prove the existence of God
  empirically or rationally?
• Is rhetoric a useful way for preachers to
  convince sinners to repent?
• Is religion just a bunch of rhetrickery anyway?

4
Some Religious Thought

• Ethical monotheism is concerned with the
  existence of a God who is
• All powerful (omnipotent)
• All knowing (omniscient)
• All Good (benevolent)
• Such a God must be worthy of being worshipped,
  and there can be no being or entity that is
  greater.
• Problems
• How can we prove that such a being exists?
• If such a being exists, why is there evil?

5
Rhetoric Religion

• If rhetoric is an indispensable and universal
  path to escape misunderstanding,
• And religion is seen as the expression of a
  universal human need for explaining the world and
  escaping its horrorsthe pursuit of deeper
  understanding of what is to be worshipped and
  how
• Then rhetoric religion clearly belong together!

6
Science Rhetoric

• Many scientists have argued that all rhetoric is
  rhetrickery and that true scientists should avoid
  it.
• Thomas Sprat claimed fine speaking was a
  disease and that scientists should "reject all
  amplifications, digressions, and swellings of
  style" and instead "return back to a primitive
  purity and shortness History of Royal Society

7
Logical Positivism

• You should not believe anything that has not been
  confirmed by solid empirical evidence.
• Empiricism Provable by natural observation and
  experience.
• No revelation, intuition, or non-experiential
  knowledge allowed.

8
Science and Religion Rhetoric

• Science Religion are not really divorced from
  rhetoric.
• The conflict between science and religion is
  caused mostly by a neglect of rhetorical inquiry.

9
Shared Warrants

• Science Religion have common ground.
• The world we as we experience it is somehow
  flawed.
• The flaws are seen in the light of the Unflawed,
  some truth standards of judgment of the problems
  exist somewhere.
• There is some supreme order, cosmos, or reality.
• All who are genuinely religious see themselves as
  part of the problem.
• The cosmos wants us to do something about the
  problem.
• I ought to help solve the problem, even if it
  brings hardship.
• There are psychological and emotional feelings
  tied into all of this.

10
Talking Points

• Can atheists and scientists really deny that
  there must be some power out there greater than
  ourselves?
• Can religious folks really prove that God
  disapproves of scientific discoveries?
• Can rheterology help religion and science work
  together for the benefit of everyone?

11
Concluding Thought

• I am certain that more attention to rhetoric
  might save many of us in many corners of the
  world.
• Now is the time to start studying critically the
  floods of god rhetoric and rhetrickery that sweep
  over you daily.