Science & ReligionAdvanced Rhetorical Writing

Matt Barton

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.

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?

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?

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 horrors—the pursuit of deeper understanding of what is to be worshipped and how…”– Then rhetoric & religion clearly

belong together!

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

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.

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.

Shared Warrants• Science & Religion have “common

ground.”1. The world we as we experience it is somehow

flawed.2. The flaws are seen in the light of the

Unflawed, some truth; standards of judgment of the problems exist somewhere.

3. There is some supreme order, cosmos, or reality.

4. All who are genuinely religious see themselves as part of the problem.

5. The cosmos wants us to do something about the problem.

6. I ought to help solve the problem, even if it brings hardship.

7. There are psychological and emotional feelings tied into all of this.

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?

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.”